This Man's Wife Part 117

cried Sir Gordon.

Crellock seemed to swallow a lump in his throat, and paused, but he went on after a while:

"The poor brute was a deal hurt, and tending and bandaging his leg seemed to do me good like. Then I used to send one of the blacks to town for food."

"And drink?" said Sir Gordon acidly.

"No--for tea; and I've lived up there with the horses ever since.

There's--"

"Well, why don't you go on, man?"

"Give me time," said Crellock, who had stopped short. "There's Miss Hallam's mare there, too. She was very fond of that mare," he added huskily.

Sir Gordon's eyes seemed half shut, as he watched the man and noted the changes in his voice.

"Well, sir, I've lived there six months now, and n.o.body has taken any notice. There's the furniture and the house, and there's a whole lot of money left yet of what Mrs Hallam brought over."

"Well?"

"Well! why, Sir Gordon, it's all yours, of course, and I've been waiting for weeks to have this talk to you. I couldn't come to the cottage."

"Why not?"

Crellock shook his head.

"No, I couldn't come there. I've laid in wait for you when you were going down to your boat for a sail, but that Tom Porter was always with you; and I didn't want to write. I didn't think you'd come if I did.

You'd have thought it was a plant, and set the authorities after me, and I didn't want that because I've had enough of convict life."

"Humph! Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Come and take possession, Sir Gordon, and have the house taken care of.

There's her mare there, you see. Then there's the money; no one but Hallam and me knows where it's hidden. I shouldn't like the place to fall into anybody's hands."

"But you? You want to give all this up to me?"

"Of course, sir. It's all yours. It was the bank money that bought everything."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Oh, I'm sick of it all, sir, and I want to start clear. I shall go up the country. I think I'm a clever stockman."

"And you give up everything?"

The man set his teeth.

"Yes, sir," he said, firmly, as he turned and patted the horse's neck as it stood close by, cropping the tender shoots of a bush; and it raised its head and laid its muzzle in his hand. "I should like you to see that Joey here had a good master. I threw him down once, and doctoring seemed to make him fond of me. He's a good horse. It's a pity you're too old to ride."

"Confound you! how dare you?" cried Sir Gordon.

"I'm not too old to ride, sir. I--I--" he started up with his lip quivering. "Here! here! sit down, Crellock. Confound you, sir, I never met with such a scoundrel in all my life!"

Crellock looked at him curiously, and then, throwing the bridle on the ground, he sat down, while Sir Gordon paced up and down in a quick, fidgety walk.

"Have you got anything more to say, sir?" he cried at last.

Crellock was silent for a few moments, and then, drawing a long breath, he said:

"How is Mrs Hallam, sir?"

"Dying," said Sir Gordon, shortly. "It is a matter of days. Well, is that all?"

There was another interval before Crellock spoke.

"Will you take a message for me, sir, to those up yonder?"

"No!--Yes."

The words would not come for some moments, and when they did come they were very husky.

"I want you to ask Mrs Hallam to forgive me my share of the past."

"Is that all?"

"No, Sir Gordon. Tell Miss Julia that for her sake I did give up the drink; that I'm going up now into the bush; that for her sake I'm doing all this; and that I shall never forget the gentle face that bent over me outside the prison walls."

He turned to go, and had gone a score of yards, walking quickly, but with the horse following, when Sir Gordon called out:

"Stop!"

Crellock stood still, and Sir Gordon walked up to him slowly.

"You are right, Crellock," he said in a quiet, changed tone. "I believe you. You never had a chance."

He held out his hand, which the other did not take.

"Shake hands, man."

"I am a convict, sir," said Crellock proudly.

"Shake hands," cried Sir Gordon firmly; and he took the strong, brown hand, slowly raised.

"There is my forgiveness for the past--and--yes--that of the truest, sweetest woman I ever knew. Now, as to your future, do as you say, go into the bush and take up land--new land in this new country, and begin your new life. I shall touch nothing at the Gully House--place, horses, money, they are yours."

"Mine?" exclaimed Crellock.

"Yes; I have more than ever I shall want; and as to that money which I had always looked upon as lost, if it makes you into what you say you will strive to be, it is the best investment I ever made."

"But--"