The Seamy Side, Chapters XXXIII-XXXVI [pp. 321-339]

APPLETONS' JOURNAL.
You will not see me again for a very long time
-perhaps never."
Alison took them tearfully.
"Now go, Alison," repeated Stephen, in his
harshest voice-" go, I say; cry over them at
home as much as you please. Have you any thing more to tell me?"
"No," she replied. "Stay, I have a message
from my aunt Rachel."
"From Rachel Nethersole?" Stephen became
suddenly and deeply interested. "She is with
you, is she? She knows? What does that ex cellent lady say? What did she tell you?"
"When I told her what I had learned, she
cried, and said that she wanted nothing now but
to ask pardon of my father-I mean, your brother.
When I said I was coming here, she kissed me,
and bade me tell you that for my sake she would
forgive you all.'All,' she told me to say."
"Did she?" cried Stephen, as a new light
came into his eyes. "Did she? She will for give all, will she? A brave old girl. That is
right-and-and-Alison, I think I shall recon sider that question of the transfer." He looked
his daughter in the face with a sudden change of
manner which startled and terrified her. "Perhaps it will be best to arrange things differently.
I shall see. I shall think things over. Go now."
He almost pushed her out of his room.
Then, left quite alone, he gave way to every
external sign of joy. These signs were undignified, and we therefore pass them over.
"I've done them again!" he cried. "By
Gad! I've done them again! And I shall have
the handling, all to myself, of the whole big pile."
CHAPTER XXXV.
HOW YOUNG NICK FETCHED THE WRITING MASTER.
THE boy remained behind the screen, as we
have seen, until the footsteps in the passage were
silent. Then he emerged from his hiding-place.
His face was scared, though his movements, as
we have seen, indicated joy. The occasion had
come, then, at last. This was the day, the very
day, for which he had so longed-the day of
greatness. On no other occasion could Anthony
Hamblin be so dramatically, so usefully restored
to his own people; in no other way could the
discomfiture of Stephen be so complete. He had
been proved to be a forger; that would be a blow
to Alison, should the fact be told her: by Anthony's intervention the thing might be hidden.
He was to be the heir to the whole estate; he
was to go away on a large annuity: very good,
he would have to go on nothing.
He rapidly reviewed the arguments for im mediate action, and then, resolved to lose no time,
he slipped cautiously out of the room, passed with
noiseless step by the doors of the two partners,
and ran down the broad staircase.
In the doorway he found Gilbert Yorke, who
was waiting for a cab to take him to Clapham.
"Well?" asked young Nick, with his usual
twinkle, "have you found anything? Have you
got the marriage?"
Gilbert laughed, and nodded.
"You shall hear all about it," he said, "in
good time."
"Ah!" replied the boy, "now you think
you've been mighty deep, I suppose. Mark my
words, Gilbert Yorke. You'll own, before long,
that there's one who has been deeper. Where
are you going now?"
"I am going to Clapham, to tell Alison some thing."
"Oh, very good. Yes; your exertions have
been creditable, I'm sure. But my turn will come
later on, and then, if you find your nose out of
joint, don't say I did not warn you."
Gilbert laughed again.
"What did I say once?" the boy went on,
folding his arms, and leaning against the doorpost; " Just when you think everything is cleared
up, you turn to me and I will astonish you.' That
is what I said. Now, is everything cleared up?"
"It is. I can tell you so much. Alison will
learn all from me in half an hour. This evening
there is going to be a sort of family council at
the House."
"Ah! Please tell the partners, with my compliments-Mr. Nicolas Cridland's complimentsthat, if they think everything is cleared up, they
are mightily mistaken. And as for Alison, remind her that the writing-master leads a happy
life. Now don't botch that message, young man.
Give it her in full, just as I have told you." He
began to look positively demoniac, dancing on
the pavement, and twinkling with his pink eyes
under his white eyebrows. " Oh, ah! Yes; all
cleared up. Ha! ha! ho! ho! what a jolly game
it will be, to be sure!"
Gilbert began to think young Nick was off
his head. There could be nothing more to know.
"I'm the man in the play who turns up at
the last moment, and pardons the conspirator
for love of the lady he wants to marry. I'm the
man who comes home with a pocket full of
money, and pays off the wicked lawyer. I'm
the man who draws aside the curtain with a
' Houp-la! Hooray! There-you-are-and-who'da-thought-it?'"
Then the cab came up.
"If you want to see larks-if you want to be
taken aback as you never were so taken aback in
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