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"You told me to wait for Lionel Verner," whispered Sibylla, when she and her father were alone, as she stood before him, trembling. In her mind's eye she saw Verner's Pride slipping from her; and it gave her chagrin, in spite of her love for Fred Massingbird. Dr. West leaned forward and whispered a few words in her ear. She started violently, she coloured crimson. "Papa!"
"Were I only sure it was all gospel, I'd go to-morrow," observed Frederick Massingbird to Lionel Verner, one day that the discussion of the contents of John's letter had been renewed, a month or two subsequent to its arrival. "A year's luck, such as this, and a man might come home a millionaire. I wish I knew whether to put entire faith in it." "Why should John deceive you?" asked Lionel.
Only three days before the tragic event occurred to Rachel, Luke had been despatched to London by John Massingbird to put things in a train of preparation for the voyage. Luke said nothing abroad of his going, and the village only knew he was away by missing him. "What's gone of Luke?" many asked of his father.
"I am too soon by an hour, then," returned he, sitting down in front of the fire. "How are you by this time, Lionel?" Lionel shook hands with him as he came in. "Never mind; we are glad to see you," he said in answer to a half apology from John Massingbird about the arriving early. "I can show you those calculations now, if you like." "Calculations be hanged!" returned John.
A bright idea occurred to John Massingbird. He would personate his brother. Frederick, so far as he knew, had neither creditors nor enemies round Deerham; and the likeness between them was so great, both in face and form, that there would be little difficulty in it.
The shock soothed and he would soothe it for her to the very utmost of his power he should depart. He would be no more capable of retaining Sibylla in the face of her husband, than he could have taken her, knowingly, from that husband in his lifetime. But where was Frederick Massingbird?
"You'll not turn them out, Massingbird?" cried Jan, in his straightforward way, drawing the gentleman into the fruit-garden to a private conference. "I wouldn't." John Massingbird laughed good-humouredly.
It's not likely you would," was the reply of Frederick Massingbird. "Everybody was not born heir to Verner's Pride." Lionel laughed pleasantly. They were pacing the terrace in the sunshine of a winter's afternoon, a crisp, cold, bright day in January. At that moment Tynn came out of the house and approached them.
"If that there codicil, that was so much talked on, hadn't been lost, he'd have been all right, would Mr. Verner. No come-to-life-again Fred Massingbird needn't have tried at turning him out. Couldn't it be hunted for again, Mr. Tynn?" Roy turned the tail of his eye on Tynn. Would his pumping take effect? Mrs. Tynn would have told him that her husband might be pumped dry, and never know it.
No such great sin, after all, or it wouldn't be so fashionable a one," carelessly added John Massingbird. Lionel waited in silence. "By what Luke could gather," went on John, "it appeared that Rachel had seen Fred that night with his cousin Sibylla your wife now.
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