Edwin Balmer

“ Now, an American is just the other way. The first thing he tells is his name; but he will never mention—that is, any sort of an American won't—anything which we call personal. I think the English can't consider the same things personal. Yet the same Englishman who'll tell all his private scandal will, as I said, leave you to get his name from his luggage. And if, after that, you call him by name, he'll blush. Truly.
"You see, Miss Varris," he explained, "the American tells you his name and can't tell you anything more about himself without making it personal. ”

“ The girl watched him, smiling.
"Do you know," she ventured finally, "sometimes now if you don't quite make me believe you are doing it, you do make me fear that you believe you are doing it."
"Sometimes, Miss Varris," Preston admitted morosely, "if it were not for you, and if it did not involve my having harmed you, I think I would believe it. You believe some one else is doing it; but you yourself confess you haven't an idea how he does it—if I really am not he. I don't mean how he does the robberies. Those are comprehensible enough, if he is unsuspected. ”

“ But the true Manling, however it may have pleased and profited him heretofore to confuse himself with another, is now exposed in his proper colors as the ordinary, low, and brutal villain. Our police cannot too soon abandon their absurd persecution of those whom they have been holding under surveillance. Instead of being one of the gentle class pursuing this remarkable course in refined crime for some obscure purpose, the man is too clearly of the repulsive, cruel, criminal type which sticks at nothing. ”

“ Preston stammered, confused. "But how do you know my wrist was hurt this morning—and not last night in the fight with Hareston? You merely had my word for that!"
"No, I hadn't!" the girl returned in triumph; "for I knew for myself that what you said was true. I saw you myself this morning when you hurt yourself helping the man with his motor." ”

“ At Ely, you recall, his series of hauls had already given him an identity with the police," he continued with the return of his old impersonal manner. "But not content with that, Mr. Preston, clearly he has busied himself with building up a personality.
"And he has chosen to create a fortunate one. For he is always simple, subtle—safe. As he has never bungled nor betrayed himself, so he has never injured any one personally. A month ago, you know, he even took to returning the more personal and intimate things he took in his hauls."
"Yes; I know," the American nodded. ”

“ Preston until the latest moment when you must rearrest him, Captain."
"And under the circumstances of an absurd mistake and a great wrong, Captain," the girl persisted, "you should release him and give him opportunity to prove the error."
"Well!" the captain cried, staring in bewilderment from one to the other. "You wish him released," he said to the group of men, "because you think he is Mr. Manling. And you," to the girl, "because you believe he is not! Really," he considered, "I can certainly see no danger to any one or anything, except you gentlemen's pools, if I leave him a bit. ”

“ Obviously, in the care-free American manner, large and growing numbers of our visitors who once so universally carried credits which they cashed only as necessity arose, have now taken to the reckless habit of carrying their funds in currency—and funds sufficient, too, for the expenses of an entire summer's travel. This is the circumstance for which we must hold the Americans themselves to blame, in part at least, for the series of scandals which have been visited upon them this summer. ”

“ He laughed hopelessly at the queer complications of comedy and tragedy in his adventurous position. Why, he could not even rejoin Mr. Dunneston, now, without a more adequate explanation of himself than he could furnish.
He looked up the track. A train, bound for Warwick, puffed into view. Making a sudden determination, he wired hastily to Ely for them to send his luggage after him, and took the train for Warwick. And for twenty days, then, he toured the interior of England alone, avoiding the cathedral towns as carefully as he had kept to them before. ”

“ Dunneston, when you missed your sleeve buttons and, of course, you considered I had concealed my own things for a blind. But tell me, Mr. Dunneston, have you heard what happened to Miss Varris last night? How, sir, will you consider that?"
"What, Mr. Preston?" the Englishman demanded eagerly. "I say, what happened to you last night, Miss Varris?"
The girl gave him the matter rapidly.
"Chloroformed as well as robbed, you think? I say, shocking this! I beg your pardon again and, I hope, for the last time, Mr. Preston," the Englishman extended his hand to the young American when he had heard. ”

“ Mrs. Varris replied. "Indeed, we consider ourselves very fortunate in having this opportunity to see you again, for we are planning to leave to-morrow for Cornwall. And then in two weeks we sail for home. So it was most fortunate that we heard of your being here to-day, was it not?"
"Certainly, for me, Mrs. Varris," the young American affirmed fervently. "And I certainly am indebted to whoever told you."
The maid had closed the door behind them and disappeared; and, as they all sat down, Preston saw again the girl's peculiar and frankly amused smile.
"Are you, Mr. Preston?" she asked. ”

“ Manling not only returns the things he doesn't need, but he also considerately gives away the plans he no longer has use for. I am afraid that most of this is pretty personal, Captain, and a good deal of it won't mean much to you," he said, "but as it explains everything, apparently, including the little matters which you touched on rather publicly yesterday, sir, I think I may as well read it all to you—though most of it is rather hard on me.
"'Dear Mr. Preston,' he begins. 'I am giving my whole last evening to this for you, dear chap, for I fear many things must be explained. ”

“ Dunneston that it is impossible for a man in my present position to expect or permit your confidence, however fine about it you both may be, when you can know nothing of me from any responsible person. I was laughing this morning, Miss Varris, at the English caution in this matter. But by some sort of poetic justice the right of their way has been brought home to me directly. So I must not go on with you to-morrow—when I would rather do that than anything I ever wished to do! ”

“ Preston's mother. He himself has invariably been polite to people at my dinners and he dances decidedly well; and, moreover, my dear, he is one of those almost unique men who pay party calls.' Come now," she laughed, "the only real knowledge which she could give us of you—to absolutely satisfy Mr. Dunneston and you, too—would be just about as vital as that, wouldn't it?" ”

“ I never thought of your being involved with me as an accomplice before, Miss Varris. But 'Really, Mr. Preston,' Mr. Dunneston warned me, 'quite—oh, quite entirely apart from the consideration of the possibility of your having done that little business at Plymouth, really you did wrong to condone perjury to free yourself. And, I say, really the young lady might have quite seriously involved herself, too. For, you know, the perjury just in itself is actionable—oh, entirely actionable. ”

“ The calm, settled, and irrevocable manner and mind of this whole peaceful countryside and its people came to the young American with unexpressible understanding as he drew in with his breath the deep satisfaction and firm establishment of their very air. ”

“ But we all have been asked by the management to send our valuables down in lock-boxes to the safe. I think I shall do it."
"Good!" the girl commended. She turned suddenly to Preston. "To make the test strong as you can, Mr. Preston," she nodded, "take—I mean, get the thief to take our box; and we'll answer you to-morrow morning! Good-night!"
"You do seem to have doubts yourself, don't you? But good-night!" he cried, as he squeezed the ends of her fingers. "Good-night, Mrs. Varris! Good-night!" ”

“ And, under the cohesive influence of the news, the passengers had begun to draw together in close little groups.
"Well, Mr. Preston?" the girl greeted the young American brightly, as at last he returned to the deck an hour or so later. "You see," she nodded down the frankly attentive lines of people in their deck chairs, "we are all clearly expecting something from you! Really, I never knew such commotion on shipboard as there is over this—even among the English. And half the women are positively afraid. Wild stories are going about." ”

“ Preston," the Englishman replied, "that as no other plausible explanation covered the facts as I knew them a moment back, I was forced to consider the points of your connection with these cathedral crimes, sir. But I am not all sure now, Mr. Preston and Miss Varris," he nodded reassuringly to the young people. "Perhaps as plausible and certainly a preferable explanation of Mr. Preston's peculiar conduct may be considered which would render his connection with the crimes still—still extraordinarily coincidental," he warned fairly, "but inconclusive—oh, quite inconclusive!" ”

“ Best help you?" he repeated.
"Yes; when they asked us to sign the papers upon which they wished to arrest you, we referred them to you, and told them that we wished them to consult you, as you would act for us in the matter."
"I act for you?"
"We had no time to ask if you would, Mr. Preston," Mrs. Varris answered for her daughter. "When I saw the very great injury I had unconsciously done in taking you into my confidence yesterday, and then naming you to the police this morning in reply to their questions, I thought it the only thing to do to protect you and undo the wrong I had done you." ”

“ Hareston states, under oath, that in the struggle he distinctly recalls that his assailant cut himself, or somehow was cut, upon the right wrist. He says the bleeding from that stained his clothes. The steward and the purser both swear also that the man who put Mr. Hareston aboard the Bahia had his right wrist newly bandaged with a handkerchief!"
The American felt his head drooping, and, as the officer still grasped his arm and held its wound in clear view of all, he stared dully, dazedly, stupidly down at the white bandage about his wrist. ”

“ As usual when an American enters the room, the British drew defensively together and waited patiently for me to shock or offend them. But as I did neither at once, they decided they had made a mistake, and that I must be a Canadian, or an Australian, or a South African, or somehow belong to the Empire, for before long one of them asked me to join the game. ”

“ Dunneston, there's a whole nation over there," young Preston pointed across the sea, "that thinks of Plymouth primarily as the port the Mayflower sailed from to help start the United States, three centuries ago. ”

“ A tall iron mast suddenly shot up from the sea in the direction the Englishman pointed.
"That is where the police are going," the American confirmed, as the train stopped and the platform of the little Cornish station filled with the men alighting from the carriages ahead.
"And not only the police! The whole town seems going there, too!" the girl commented as she looked about. "That old station is absolutely deserted, and even the town is emptied. Word must have gone ahead of what the police are to do. But come, mother; we stop here anyway, you know." ”

“ Without questioning me at all yourselves, you are offering me a safe conduct through the police lines with you—although there is every reasonable presumption that I am the man who has robbed you."
"Without understanding what we were doing," Miss Varris answered, "we directly implicated you with the robbery last night, Mr. Preston. We are offering 'safe conduct,' as you call it, only through those police lines which we ourselves drew about you."
"Yes; but—" the young American was considering, when there was a knock at the door. ”

“ Preston replied humbly. "You were right," he acknowledged. "Confidence can't come from any one else—it must be only what one believes! And if you are willing to wish to keep it that, I wish it too!"
"I am willing!" the girl withdrew the blade from the flap. She took up a pen and wrote across the front of the envelope.
"Especially, Mr. Preston, since you told me Mr. Dunneston was in town with you." ”

“ The captain, with the miserable Preston beside him, bowed and passed on. The girl turned, beaten and helpless, to the Englishman; but he was considerately looking ahead over the bow at the clear, smooth water which the vessel ploughed through steadily, speedily, as it felt the nearer challenge of the land.
"High field is absolutely certain to win to-day!" ”

“ And now, Mr. Preston," she gathered herself up sternly, "please be serious a moment—oh, sensible, I meant, sensible! Serious means sensible to most people, but clearly not to you!"
"All right. I'll try it. What is it?"
"Then tell me first, please, just for curiosity, what is it makes you prefer arrest here to going with us into Cornwall to-morrow?"
"That's not fair, Miss Varris!" Preston had to smile in spite of himself. "You know that I would rather go with you to-morrow than do anything else I could choose. You know that—"
"I do!" the girl returned frankly. ”

“ The American, as he came out to that peaceful country, quivered gladly with the delight of it all—the clipped hedgerow and speckless road, the serried spinneys and shining copse, the red-roofed, vine-clad, gray stone cottages with the gleaming fens and willow banks of the little stream beyond. ”

“ I regret exceedingly, therefore, the receipt of these advices which necessitate my placing you under arrest!"
"Placing me under arrest, sir?" the young American demanded.
"Under arrest?" the girl echoed. "Oh, you mean that Mr. Manling has this time—"
"I repeat," the captain said more sternly, "I repeat, sir, that personally I greatly admire the simplicity of your scheme, by which you concealed your own money and paved the way for stealing ours. ”

“ For from the first crime committed at Winchester twenty days ago to the scandal of the Royal Arms here at Ely last night, the cathedral towns of England—and the cathedral towns alone—have been the places of these repeated outrages practised upon our American cousins.
"However, the explanation may not be far to seek. As all Englishmen must know, the tour of these cathedral towns has been for many years far the most fashionable and popular route for American women of means and refinement. ”

“ Varris, sir," he turned to the Plymouth inspector, now comprehending the reason of his being called forward, "we all of us here in Polporru have known for full ten years. She has been coming every summer or so for full that time, sir, for a week or so to visit at Mr. Brookingdale's—him of Buckingham, you know, who married an American lady, and has the big place above here on the hills." ”

“ Toward the tiny, town market-place country carts creaked sturdily down the bedded road, while the bees boomed about the warm honeysuckle against the green walls on either side of the ancient way, and the red and yellow poppies and field flowers opened their blossoms slowly to deck discreetly the even acres of the growing grain. ”

“ Manling compact, in return, to operate against only the winners of our pools! What do you say?"
"The gentlemen will all please, now, take paper," young Preston requested, after the now vociferous cheers of approval of the Englishmen had died down, "and each may write upon a slip, yes or no, as he accepts or declines this proposition. Mr. Manling, as evidence that he is here and accepts, will put upon his ballot, besides, the monogram which was upon my purse which he took last night. And as Mr. Dunneston and I lead, please all file by and drop your ballots into the hat here!" ”

“ Dunneston's ideas on those subjects; but what position did you take, Miss Varris?" the American asked directly.
"About what constitutes sufficient and proper knowledge of one?"
"Yes."
"Well—I said the most proper and sufficient impressions which a girl can have to—to—"
"To protect her! I understand. Please go on."
"Must be and should be those which, with a reasonable opportunity of knowing and judging a man, she forms for herself." ”

“ Manling could scarcely suggest a fairer proposition for himself, either; as this offers him an unfailing crib to crack, averaging two hundred pounds nightly, while permitting us cheaply and safely to insure the protection of the women and keep the proposition a pure sporting one, as the loss of the pools—to which we all contribute—really hits no one hard. ”