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Quicksilver; The Boy With No Skid To His Wheel, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 39. Brought To Book |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. BROUGHT TO BOOK Dexter did not pause a moment. It did not occur to him that he was utterly exhausted, and could hardly move his arms. All he realised was the fact that on the one side was the man whom he had half-killed with the boat-hook, just about to stretch out his hand to seize him, on the other, those whom he dreaded far more, and with one quick movement he stepped on to the thwart of the gig, joined his hands, dived in, and disappeared from sight, in the muddy water. For a few moments there was the silence of utter astonishment, and then the man who had pursued the boys down the river began to take advantage of the general excitement by keeping hold of the side of the gig and beginning to draw it away; but Bob set up such a howl of dismay that it drew Peter's attention, and he too seized the boat from the other end, caught out the chain, and hooked it on to a ring-bolt of the big boat in which he sat. "You drop that there, will yer!" cried the man. "It's my boat." "How--ow!" cried Bob, in the most canine of yelps; and at the same moment the gig was literally jerked from the man's hold, for the two sailors had given a tremendous tug at their oars to force the boat in the direction that Dexter was likely to take after his rise, and the next minute a dozen yards were between the tub and the gig. "For heaven's sake, mind! stop!" cried the doctor excitedly. "Don't row, men, or you may strike him down." The men ceased rowing, and every eye began to search the surface of the water, but no sign of Dexter could be seen. "He could not sink like that," cried Sir James. "He must rise somewhere." But must or no, Dexter did not rise, and the men began to paddle softly down-stream, while the doctor stood up in the boat gazing wildly round. "It was all my doing," he said to himself. "Poor boy! poor boy!" A feeling of horror that was unbearable seemed to be creeping over the occupants of the great boat. Even Dan'l, who looked upon Dexter as his mortal enemy, and who had suggested, in the hope of seeing him sent to prison, that the surest way of capturing the boys was to go down to the mouth of the river--even Dan'l felt the chill of horror as he mentally said-- "'Tain't true. Them as is born to be hanged is sometimes drowned." But just then there was a tremendous splash, and the big boat rocked to and fro, the captive gig danced, and Bob uttered another of his canine yelps, for Peter had suddenly stepped on to the gunwale, dived in after something he had seen touch the surface of the water twenty yards lower down, where it had been rolled over and over by the rapid tide, and a minute later, as he swam vigorously, he shouted--"I've got him!" And he was seen holding the boy's head above the water, as he turned to try and stem the current, and swim back to the boat. The task was not long, for the two sailors sent her down with a few vigorous sweeps of their oars, and Dexter and his rescuer were dragged over the side, as the man with the tub slowly backed away. No time was lost in reaching the shore, and the insensible boy was carried up to the principal hotel in the port, where quite an hour elapsed before the surgeon whose services were sought was able to pause from his arduous task, and announce that his patient would live. For it was a very narrow escape, and the surgeon said, as he shook hands with Dr Grayson-- "Some men would have given it up in despair, sir. But there he is, safe and sound, and, I dare say, boy-like, it will not be very long before he gets into some mischief again." Sir James Danby coughed, and Doctor Grayson frowned as he met his friend's peculiar look. But nothing was said then till the surgeon had been up to see his patient once more, after which he returned, reported that Dexter had sunk into a sound slumber, and then took his leave. "I suppose we shall not go back to Coleby to-night?" said Sir James. "I shall not," said the doctor; "but, my dear Danby, pray don't let me keep you." "Oh! you will not keep me," said Sir James quietly. "I've got to make arrangements about my boat being taken up the river." "Why not let my men row it back!" said the doctor. "Because I did not like to impose on your kindness." "Then they may take it?" "I shall only be too grateful," said Sir James. Nothing more was said till they had ordered and sat down to a snug dinner in the hotel, when Sir James opened the ball. "Now, Grayson," he said, "I happen to be a magistrate." "Yes, of course," said the doctor uneasily. "Well, then, I want to have a few words with you about those two boys." The doctor nodded. "Your groom is with your _protege_, and your old gardener has that other young scoundrel in charge." "In charge?" said the doctor. "Yes; you may call it so. I told him not to lose sight of the young rascal, and I also told your groom to exercise the same supervision over the other." "But surely, my dear Danby, you do not mean to--" "Deal with them as I would with any other offender? Why not?" The doctor had no answer ready, so Sir James went on-- "I valued that boat very highly, and certainly I've got it back--with the exception of the stains upon the cushions--very little the worse. But this was a serious theft, almost as bad as horse-stealing, and I shall have to make an example of them." "But one of them has been terribly punished," said the doctor eagerly. "Pooh! not half enough, sir. Come, Grayson, of course this has completely cured you of your mad folly!" "My mad folly!" cried the doctor excitedly. "May I ask you what you mean?" "Now, my dear Grayson, pray don't be angry. I only say, as an old friend and neighbour, surely you must be ready to agree that your wild idea of making a gentleman out of this boy--one of the dregs of our civilisation--is an impossibility?" "Nothing of the sort, sir," cried the doctor angrily. "I never felt more certain of the correctness of my ideas." "Tut--tut--tut--tut!" ejaculated Sir James. "Really, Grayson, this is too much." "Too much, sir? Nothing of the kind. A boyish escapade. Nothing more." "Well!" said Sir James drily, "when such cases as this are brought before us at the bench, we are in the habit of calling them thefts." "Theft: pooh! No, no!" cried the doctor stubbornly. "A boyish prank. He would have sent the boat back." "Would he?" said Sir James drily. "I suppose you think his companion would have done the same?" "I have nothing to do with the other boy," said the doctor shortly. "It was a most unfortunate thing that Dexter should have made his acquaintance." "Birds of a feather flock together, my dear Grayson," said Sir James. "Nothing of the kind, sir. It was my fault," cried the doctor. "I neglected to let the boy have suitable companions of his own age; and the consequence was that he listened to this young scoundrel, and allowed himself to be led away." "Do I understand aright, from your defence of the boy, that you mean to forgive him and take him back!" "Certainly!" said the doctor. "Grayson, you amaze me! But if I prove to you that you are utterly wrong, and that the young dog is an arrant thief, what then?" "Then," said the doctor, "I'm afraid I should have to--No, I wouldn't. I would try and reform him." "Well," said Sir James, "if you choose to be so ultra lenient, Grayson, you must; but I feel that I have a duty to do, and as soon as we have had our wine I propose that we have the prisoners here, and listen to what they have to say." "Prisoners?" "Yes. What else would you call them?" Before the doctor could stand up afresh in Dexter's defence a waiter entered the room. "Beg pardon, sir, but your groom says would you be good enough to step upstairs?" "Bless my heart!" cried the doctor. "Is it a relapse?" He hurried up to the room where Dexter had been sleeping, to find that, instead of being in bed, he was fully dressed, and lying on the floor, with Peter the groom holding him down. "Why, what's the matter!" cried the doctor, as he entered the room hastily, followed by Sir James. "Matter, sir?" said Peter, "matter enough. If I hadn't held him down like this here I believe he'd 'a' been out o' that window." "Why, Dexter!" cried the doctor. The boy struggled feebly, and then, seeing the futility of his efforts, he lay still and closed his eyes. "Went off fast asleep, sir, as any one would ha' thought," said Peter. "And seeing him like that I thought I'd just go down and fetch myself a cup o' tea; but no sooner was I out o' the room than he must have slipped out and dressed hisself--shamming, you know--and if I hadn't come back in the nick o' time he'd have been gone." The doctor frowned, and Sir James looked satisfied, as he gave him a nod. "Going to run away, eh!" "Yes, Sir James," said the groom; "and it was as much as I could do to hold him." "Get up, Peter," said the doctor. The groom rose, and Dexter leapt up like a bit of spring, and darted toward the door. But Sir James was close to it, and catching the boy by the arm he held him. "Take hold, of him, my man," he said; "and don't let him go." Peter obeyed, getting a tight grip of Dexter's wrist. "Now, you give in," he whispered. "It's no good, for I shan't let go." "Bring him down," said Sir James sternly. Peter shook his head warningly at Dexter, and then, as Sir James and the doctor went down to their room, Peter followed with his prisoner, who looked over the balustrade as if measuring the distance and his chance if he made a jump. "Now," said Sir James, as the boy was led into the room; "stand there, sir, and I warn you that if you attempt to run away I shall have in the police, and be more stern. You, my man, go and tell the gardener to bring up the other boy." Peter left the room after giving Dexter a glance, and the doctor began to walk up and down angrily. He wanted to take the business into his own hands, but Sir James was a magistrate, and it seemed as if he had a right to take the lead. There was a painful silence, during which Dexter stood hanging his head, and feeling as if he wished he had been drowned, instead of being brought round to undergo such a painful ordeal as this. Ten minutes must have elapsed before a scuffling was heard upon the stairs, and Bob Dimsted's voice whimpering-- "You let me alone, will yer? I never done nothing to you. Pair o' great cowards, y'are. Don't knock me about, or it'll be the worse for yer. Hit one o' your own size. I never said nothing to you." This was continued and repeated right into the room, Dan'l looking very severe and earnest, and holding on by the boy's collar, half-dragging him, while Peter pushed behind, and then closed the door, and stood before it like a sentry. "You have not been striking the boy, I hope!" said the doctor. "Strike him, sir? no, not I," said Dan'l; "but I should like to. Been a-biting and kicking like a neel to get away." Sir James had never seen an eel kick, but he accepted the simile, and turning to Bob, who was whimpering and howling--"knocking me about"--"never said nothing to him"--"if my father was here," etc. "Silence!" roared Sir James, in his severest tones; and Bob gave quite a start and stared. "Now, sir," said Sir James. "Here, both of you; stand together, and mind this: it will be better for both of you if you are frank and straightforward." "I want to go home," whimpered Bob. "Y'ain't no business to stop me here." "Silence!" roared Sir James; and Bob jumped. Dexter did not move, but stood with his eyes fixed to the floor. "Now!" said Sir James, gazing fiercely at Bob; "you know, I suppose, why you are here." "No! I don't," whimpered Bob. "And y'ain't no business to stop me. I want to go home." "Silence, sir!" roared Sir James again. "You do not know? Well, then, I will tell you. You are before me, sir, charged with stealing a boat." "Oh!" ejaculated Bob, in a tone of wondering innocence. "And I perhaps ought to explain," said Sir James, looking hard at Dr Grayson, and speaking apologetically, "that in an ordinary way, as the boat was my property, I should feel called upon to leave the bench; but as this is only a preliminary examination, I shall carry it on myself. Now, sir," he continued, fixing Bob's shifty eyes, "what have you to say, sir, for stealing my boat?" "Stealing your boat!" cried Bob volubly; "me steal your boat, sir? I wouldn't do such a thing." "Why, you lying young dog!" "No, sir, I ain't, sir," protested Bob, as Dexter slowly raised his head and gazed at him. "It wasn't me, sir. It was him, sir. That boy, sir. I begged him not to, sir; but he would do it." "Oh, it was Dexter Grayson, was it?" said Sir James, glancing at the doctor, who was gnawing his lip and beating the carpet with his toe. "Yes, sir; it was him, sir. I was t'other side o' the river one day, sir," rattled off Bob, "and he shouts to me, sir, 'Hi!' he says, just like that, sir, and when I went to him, sir, he says, 'Let's steal the old cock's boat and go down the river for a game.'" "Well?" said Sir James. "Well, sir, I wouldn't, sir," continued Bob glibly. "I said it would be like stealing the boat; and I wouldn't do that." "Oh!" said Sir James. "Is this true, Dexter!" said the doctor sternly. "No, sir. He wanted me to take the boat." "Oh, my!" cried Bob. "Hark at that now! Why, I wouldn't ha' done such a thing." "No, you look a nice innocent boy," said Sir James. "Yes, sir; and he was allus at me about that boat, and said he wanted to go to foreign abroad, he did, and the best way, he said, was to steal that there boat and go." "Oh," said Sir James. "And what more have you to say, sir?" "It isn't true, sir," said Dexter, making an effort to speak, and he gazed angrily at his companion. "Bob here wanted me to go with him, and he persuaded me to take the boat." "Oh! only hark at him!" cried Bob, looking from one to the other. "And I thought it would be like stealing the boat to take it like that." "Well, rather like it," said Sir James sarcastically. "And so I sent that letter and that money to pay for it, sir, and I meant to send the rest if it wasn't quite enough." "Ah!" ejaculated the doctor eagerly. "What letter? What money?" said Sir James. "That money I sent by Bob Dimsted, sir, to put in your letter-box." "I never received any money," cried Sir James. "You sent some money!" "Yes, sir; before we took the boat, sir." "Ah!" ejaculated the doctor again. "And you sent it by this boy?" "Yes, sir." "Then where is the money?" cried Sir James, turning upon Bob. "I dunno, sir. I never had no money." "You did, Bob, in a letter I gave you," cried Dexter excitedly. "Oh!" ejaculated Bob, with an astonished look. "Well, if ever!" "This is getting interesting," said Sir James. "Now, sir, where's that money?" "He never give me none, sir," cried Bob indignantly. "I never see no letter." "You did. The one I threw across the river to you!" said Dexter. "Oh, what a cracker!" cried Bob. "I never had no letter, gen'lemen, and I never see no money. Why don't you tell the truth, and the kind gentlemen won't be so hard on you?" "I am telling the truth," cried Dexter, "It was you asked me to take the boat." "Only hark at him!" cried Bob. "Why yer'd better say yer didn't take all yer clothes off and swim acrost and get it." "I did," said Dexter; "but you made me. You said you'd go." "Oh, you can tell 'em!" cried Bob. "And I did give you the money to take." "Oh, well, I've done," said Bob. "I never did hear a chap tell lies like you can!" "I think that will do," said Sir James, with a side glance at the doctor, who sat with his brows knit, listening. "Now, you will both go back to the room where you are to sleep, and I warn you that if you attempt to escape, so surely will you be taken by the police, and then this matter will assume a far more serious aspect. You, my men, will have charge of these two boys till the morning. They are not to speak to each other, and I look to you to take them safely back to Coleby by the early train. That will do." Dexter darted one glance at the doctor, but his face was averted. "Please, sir," he began. "Silence!" cried Sir James. "I think Dr Grayson understands your character now, and I must say I never heard a more cowardly attempt to fasten a fault upon another. No: not a word. Go!" Bob Dimsted was already outside with Dan'l's knuckles in the back of his neck. Peter was more gentle with his prisoner as he led him away. "You've been and done it now, young fellow," he said. "I would ha' told the truth." Dexter turned to him with bursting heart, but he could not speak, and as soon as he was in his bedroom he threw himself before a chair, and buried his face in his hands, so as to try and shut out the reproachful face of Helen, which he seemed to see. "I wish I had not been saved," he cried at last passionately, and then he glanced at the window, and listened, while downstairs Sir James was saying quietly-- "There, Grayson, I think you understand the boy's character now." "No," said the doctor shortly. "I don't think I do." "What!" "And I'd give a hundred pounds," said the doctor, "to know the truth." "Really," said Sir James, laughing. "You are the most obstinate man I ever knew." "Yes," said the doctor. "I suppose I am." _ |
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