wilfrid stood gazing at the handful of scattered fragments intently, fearful lest he might have made a mistake. the first feeling in his mind was one of passionate triumph. he had forgotten that he still owed this money to samuel flower. he had forgotten everything else in the knowledge that, for the time being at any rate, he was free. doubtless flower would ultimately be able to prove the debt, but days or weeks must elapse before that came about, and meanwhile, wilfrid would be justified in asking for proofs of any assertion cotter might make. this was what vardon would advise, anything to gain time, and in the eyes of a lawyer the advice would only be business-like. before flower could prove that the destroyed document had existed, wilfrid would be able to place his affairs in order.
all the same, he was not without his doubts. was it not his duty to restore these fragments of paper to their owner? there was no excuse for not doing so, seeing that wilfrid knew what they represented. and, besides, he had had the money. it was not as if, having signed the document, he had afterwards been defrauded of his due.
"what does it mean?" beatrice asked.
"i can explain in a very few words," wilfrid said. "i borrowed a sum of money to enable me to set up housekeeping here on the understanding that i should pay it back within a certain period. the legal time was three months, but i was distinctly promised that if i could not repay the money then these people would wait a little longer. mind you, i had nothing but their word for it, and i knew that, if they changed their minds, i must find the money at the end of three months or lose everything. i don't doubt that i could have had this respite if your uncle had not interfered. but as soon as he found out who i was he set to work to ruin me, or rather, he set cotter to work, which is much the same thing. i dare say flower guessed how i found the means to furnish a house in oldborough and the rest was easy. at all events, by buying that acceptance of mine, he became my creditor himself, and in the ordinary course i should have found myself without a home to-night. we may take it for granted that cotter was going to castlebridge to-night to put the law in operation when something interrupted him."
"but it must have been some friend of yours," beatrice exclaimed. "it must have been somebody who knew what cotter was going to do. of course, i don't understand much about these things, but you would seem to be free for the moment. do you think anything will be gained in the long run by violence of this kind?"
"i am indebted to no friend for this," wilfrid said emphatically. "besides, there are letters and documents lying on the grass which refer to other matters besides mine. it was only by the merest accident that i recognized this scrap of my own handwriting. whoever waylaid cotter was looking for something else of which we know nothing. don't you see that things must take their course, beatrice, and that i must wait and see what is going to happen? there is something almost providential in this business. however, i will do the right thing. i will gather up these fragments and give them back to cotter if you think i should."
"oh, i don't know what to say," beatrice replied. "it is so hard for me to put myself in your place. don't you think you had better consult some solicitor?"
wilfrid pondered the matter. perhaps beatrice was right.
"i think i'll take your advice," he said. "i'll walk with you as far as maldon grange and then come back for you after i have seen vardon. in the circumstances, there is nothing else to be done. all i want you to do is to believe that i am acting for the best."
"i am certain of it," beatrice said warmly. "no, there is no reason why you should come with me any farther. i suppose you will return before dark. you will not be afraid of trouble at home for the next few days. oh, what a tangled coil it all is!"
wilfrid strode to oldborough in search of vardon whom he was lucky enough to find still in his office. the latter shook hands and motioned wilfrid to a seat.
"i have been expecting to see you all day," vardon said. "i am sorry i was not successful in this business of yours, but, as i told you before, my client is cautious and refused to take the risk. is there anything else i can do short of lending you the money?"
"well, you can answer me a question or two," wilfrid replied. "as i understand it, flower had no legal claim upon me till after twelve o'clock to-day. now, can you tell me what he is in a position to do at the present moment?"
vardon shook his head gravely.
"pretty well anything he likes," he said. "you see, you had failed in payment, so you are entirely in his hands. all he would have to do would be to send cotter into castlebridge to make a declaration that you were a defaulter, and the sheriff would then take possession. you are, however, probably safe till saturday morning."
"but wait a bit," wilfrid said eagerly. "we can put flower out of the question for the moment, seeing that he is too ill to attend to business himself. before cotter made the declaration you speak of wouldn't he have to produce the original bill?"
"of course. why do you ask?"
"because the original bill is in my hands," wilfrid said grimly. "it is a most extraordinary story and i hardly expect you to believe it, though fortunately, i have a witness who will be ready to prove what i say. look at this."
wilfrid took the torn scraps of blue paper from his pocket and began to arrange them on vardon's desk. the latter watched the proceedings as one follows some new and intricate puzzle. naturally enough, the thing was roughly arranged, but by and by it took shape, and vardon could read without trouble.
"what on earth does this mean?" he demanded. "i suppose this is the original bill you gave to darton?"
"make your mind easy on that score," wilfrid said. "that is the original bill and no other. and as to the rest, i found it just as you see it now in the wood this side of maldon grange. i also found a revolver and a cap, to say nothing of other documents in the same tattered condition, which i left there as they were no business of mine. it was only by a lucky chance that i recognized my own handwriting, and there and then i explained to my companion, miss galloway, exactly what had taken place. now let us have a clear understanding, vardon. if i throw these scraps into the fire, i shall be able to snap my fingers at samuel flower and all his works?"
"not the slightest doubt about that," vardon said emphatically. "all the same, mind you, it isn't exactly the right thing to do. still, it will give you time, and you must be the best judge how far that will help you. you see, if the thing got into court and it came out that you suppressed this document, a lot of awkward questions might be asked. but there is a way in which you can gain time and put yourself right in the eyes of outsiders."
"i should like to know what it is," wilfrid murmured.
"my dear fellow, the thing is simple. you are justified in ignoring everybody in the transaction except flower himself. fortunately for you, he is in no position to deal with business matters and, were i in your place, i should simply seal those scraps up in an envelope and make flower a present of them when he is fit to attend to business. by that time you will probably have met your obligation and you can use your own discretion as to whether you tell flower your opinion of him or not. one thing is certain. so long as the torn bill remains in your keeping you need not have the slightest anxiety about your home. flower is powerless to act and his subordinates are in a still more helpless condition."
"you won't take these scraps?" wilfrid asked.
"not i, indeed," vardon protested. "as a matter of fact, i am sorry you told me anything about it. there are certain matters no client ought ever to tell his solicitor, and this is one of them. go home and lock these pieces up securely and do nothing till flower is ready for business. that is the best advice i can give you."
wilfrid could only do as vardon suggested and wait the turn of events. the trouble seemed to lift from wilfrid's shoulders as he walked along.
