Mr. Preston

“ Preston's boarding-place. He rang the bell and asked to see him.
“You have been here before this evening?” said the servant.
“Yes.”
“Then you know the room. You can walk right up.”
Paul went upstairs and knocked at Mr. Preston's room. He was bidden to come in, and did so.
Mr. Preston looked up with surprise.
“I suppose you are surprised to see me,” said Paul, rather awkwardly.
“Why, yes. I did not anticipate that pleasure quite so soon,” said Mr. Preston, smiling.
“I am afraid it won't be a pleasure, for I bring bad news.”
“Bad news?” repeated the gentleman, rather startled. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Poor, poor Roger! How little he thinks of all this! When I want to write words of love to him I pull myself up, for I have written words as affectionate to that other man. And if Mr. Preston ever guessed that Roger and I were engaged, he would manage to be revenged on both him and me, by giving us as much pain as he could with those unlucky letters—written when I was not sixteen, Molly,—only seven of them! They are like a mine under my feet, which may blow up any day; and down will come father and mother and all. ”

“ You belong to this last set, young man,' said the squire, 'that you do. I should like to try my horsewhip on you for your insolence.'
'Pray, Mr. Hamley,' replied Mr. Preston, coolly, 'curb your temper a little, and reflect. I really feel sorry to see a man of your age in such a passion'—moving a little farther off, however, but really more with a desire to save the irritated man from carrying his threat into execution, out of a dislike to the slander and excitement it would cause, than from any personal dread. Just at this moment Roger Hamley came close up. ”

“ I see now," Preston smiled. "So you want me, Miss Varris, when I see your mother, to try to counteract the effect of the police theory and convince her, at least till to-morrow, that there is no definite, dangerous man here at Ely."
"Exactly, Mr. Preston," the girl approved. "Will you?"
"Well, Miss Varris," Preston turned about smiling. The Englishman, who had been standing in the window a little behind, had moved away.
"Oh, Mr. Dunneston!" the American recalled him hastily. "Oh, Mr. Dunneston. I beg your pardon! Won't you wait a moment?" ”

“ 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 left us at the Tudor last night—to avoid another stupid mistake, mother!"
"Oh, that is all?" Mrs. Varris asked, much relieved. "I will be very glad to give that, or anything else which can help him clear his case. It was after twelve, Inspector, when Mr. Preston left—but then, he had come rather late."
"At what time he came is not material, madam." The inspector collected himself. "The time of his departure alone is the question—and essential. We know that he did not return to his rooms at the Grand Hotel till after half-past twelve, and we know that the Bahia sailed sharp at twelve. ”

“ Preston keeping guard, as it were, over the seats which Molly and Cynthia had just quitted. He was looking so black that, if their eyes had not met, Mrs. Gibson would have preferred not speaking to him; as it was, she thought it unavoidable.
'The rooms are not well-lighted to-night, are they, Mr. Preston?'
'No,' said he; 'but who could light such dingy old paint as this, loaded with evergreens, too, which always darken a room.'
'And the company, too! I always think that freshness and brilliancy of dress go as far as anything to brighten up a room. ”

“ All these days the buzzing gossip about Molly's meetings with Mr Preston, her clandestine correspondence, the tete-a-tete interviews in lonely places, had been gathering strength, and assuming the positive form of scandal. The simple innocent girl, who walked through the quiet streets without a thought of being the object of mysterious implications, became for a time the unconscious black sheep of the town. ”

“ Miss Phœbe Browning said; and to all of them he went.
"What's the man after?" said Mr. Sheepshanks to himself, when he heard of his successor's affability, and sociability, and amiability, and a variety of other agreeable "ilities," from the friends whom the old steward still retained at Hollingford. "Preston's not a man to put himself out for nothing. He's deep. He'll be after something solider than popularity."
The sagacious old bachelor was right. Mr. Preston was "after" something more than mere popularity. He went wherever he had a chance of meeting Cynthia Kirkpatrick. ”

“ Is Lord Cumnor at the Towers? I have not heard from her ladyship for more than a week!"
"No! he seemed still detained at Bath. But I had a letter from him giving me certain messages for Mr. Sheepshanks. Mr. Gibson is not at home, I'm afraid?"
"No. He is a great deal out—almost constantly, I may say. I had no idea that I should see so little of him. A doctor's wife leads a very solitary life, Mr. Preston!"
"You can hardly call it solitary, I should think, when you have such a companion as Miss Gibson always at hand," said he, bowing to Molly. ”

“ She had not cared for the round game; and she would have cared for Roger's conversation. She had had what she was indifferent to, and not had what she would have liked.
'We've had our unexpected visitor, too,' said Mr. Gibson. 'Just after dinner who should come in but Mr. Preston. I fancy he's having more of the management of the Hollingford property than formerly. Sheepshanks is getting an old man. And if so, I suspect we shall see a good deal of Preston. He's "no blate," as they used to say in Scotland, and made himself quite at home to-night. ”

“ Andrew Preston? He is a wealthy gentleman, who lives on Madison avenue, between Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth streets.”
“Not personally. I know him by reputation.”
“Will he be satisfactory?”
“Entirely so.”
“He knows me well,” said Paul. “I think he will be willing to stand security for me. I will come back in a day or two.”
Paul took the ring, and left the store. He determined to call that evening on Mr. Preston, and ask the favor indicated.
CHAPTER XVII MR. FELIX MONTGOMERY
Paul had an errand farther uptown, and, on leaving Tiffany's walked up as far as Twenty-third street. ”

“ Dunneston," she remembered herself. "Won't you sit down?"
"Thank you; not now. I was merely examining the rug. Distinctive this one, what? It is Mr. Preston's?"
"Yes; why?"
"I was merely thinking it fortunate that he has so distinctive a one; for I rather fancy that, if he is not Mr. Manling, as you claim,
"And really, you know, I almost wish he might get away with this 'wireless' business, too"
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Miss Varris, and as, of course, we all—ah—hope, that this will finally and conclusively clear him!" ”

“ So the ex-agent had been seldom, if ever, seen at the Hollingford tea-parties. He might have had his form of refusal stereotyped, it was so invariably the same.
'Mr. Sheepshanks' duty to Miss Browning and her sister' (to Mrs Goodenough, or to others, as the case might be) . 'Business of importance prevents him from availing himself of their polite invitation; for which he begs to return his best thanks.'
But now that Mr. Preston had succeeded, and come to live in Hollingford, things were changed. ”

“ The time you think he is going to take you over the river he turns tail, and you hit a balance about 1 a.m. You not only have to balance your friend the cash book, you've got four tellers to balance, and they have everything beat for bulls. Our old friend 'the porter' wasn't in it for a minute with these mutts here."
"Are you ready?" shouted a resonant voice.
"Yes," said Bill. "Mr. Key, meet Mr. Nelson, from Banfield. Now, Nelsy, beat it to the basement till we get through calling. You'll need a cigarette to fix you up for the day's work." ”

“ Preston, an eminent conveyancer in King's Bench Walk, who engaged me as a transcribing clerk at a guinea a week. I attended die office from ten till five daily, and spent my evenings in rational recreation. I must here observe that the office of Mr. Preston was within two doors of the chambers of Messrs. Dalton and Edwards, the latter of whom had engaged me for the Bury expedition; and it was certainly an act of impolicy in me to accept a situation so immediately contiguous, after the manner in which I had behaved to Mr. Dalton, as it was highly probable the latter would write to Mr. ”

“ So in rather American taste—I beg pardon, really, in bad taste only, I meant—he stuffed it into his outside jacket-pocket; and a moment later, when a number of them were crowding out of the smoking-room, he was joggled a bit by Mr. Preston, and when he next put his hand into his pocket, I say, the pool had quite vanished. But after some—ah—deliberation, I take it that they are going to let matters stand as they were a bit longer till we can get the answer by the 'wireless' which we were trying to get this morning."
"What answer, Mr. Dunneston?" the girl started up suddenly. ”

“ Like it or not, the plain-speaking was coming now. "You have spoilt that girl of yours till she does not know her own mind. She has behaved abominably to Mr. Preston; and it is all in consequence of the faults in her education. You have much to answer for."
"Mamma, mamma!" said Lady Harriet, "Mr. Preston did not wish it spoken about." And at the same moment Mrs. Gibson exclaimed, "Cynthia—Mr. Preston!" in such a tone of surprise, that if Lady Cumnor had been in the habit of observing the revelations made by other people's tones and voices, she would have found out that Mrs. ”

“ Gibson away almost by main force, she protesting all the while that she did not think there was any truth in the statement, though it was dear Lady Cumnor that said it.
Once in her own room, Lady Harriet said, "Now, Clare, I'll tell you all about it; and I think you'll have to believe it, for it was Mr. Preston himself who told me. I heard of a great commotion in Hollingford about Mr. Preston; and I met him riding out, and asked him what it was all about; he didn't want to speak about it, evidently. No man does, I suppose, when he's been jilted; and he made both papa and me promise not to tell ”

“ He accordingly walked to Fourth avenue and got on board the car.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when he reached home. As it was never his habit to stay out late, his mother had become alarmed at his long absence.
“What kept you so late, Paul?” she asked.
“I'll tell you, pretty soon, mother. Here's the shirt that is to serve as a pattern. Can you cut out the new shirts by it?”
Mrs. Hoffman examined it attentively.
“Yes,” she said; “there will be no difficulty about that. Mr. Preston must be a pretty large man.” ”

“ He went directly to a dark-complexioned man with black whiskers, and eyes that were rather sinister in appearance. The eyes oftenest betray the real character of a man, where all other signs fail. But Colonel Preston was not a keen observer, nor was he skilled in physiognomy, and, judging of Mr. Fairfax by his manner merely, was rather pleased with him. ”

“ Evan smiled. Robb still stood beside him.
"Evan! ....."
He looked up, surprised to hear himself addressed so familiarly by the manager; but the latter was speaking:
".... Remember this: extra holidays never save you labor. The work is always waiting for your return, piling up through every hour of your pleasure."
Mr. Robb sighed and walked into his office, leaving the new junior to absorb another impression. The words spoken did impress Nelson. He sat gazing before him at the wall, wondering why the manager was so friendly toward him and so cynical on matters of business. ”

“ The teller recalled what Filter had said Jack Hunter told him. If the manager owed Hunter money, he probably was in debt elsewhere, too.
"Well, Mrs. Penton," answered Evan, "I don't know what to say. I wish I had the money myself to lend. Do you know what I get?"
She blushed.
"It is only your advice I ask, Mr. Nelson," she replied, sadly. "As to your salary, I think they ought to pay you more than Pen."
Evan's chest went out an inch or two, but he found himself still unequal to the task of advising her. Things would have to take their course, as they always 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?" ”