Linny Lockwood. A novel

Front matter

a iiobd. BY CATHEEINE CEOWE, AUTHOR OF " SUSAN HOPLET," " LILLY DAWSON," " NIGHT SIDE OF NATURE," etc., etc., etc. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET. 1854. M'CORQEODAlE AND CO., PRINTERS, LONDON WORK.?, NEWTON. PKEPACE. Mr readers will perhaps be surprised to meet me in this new form ; but Messrs. Routledge & Co. have been, for some time, soliciting me to write them an original novel for their cheap series ; and, being convinced that the period for publishing, at £1 : 11 : 6, books of a kind that people generally read but once, is gone by, I have re solved to make the experiment. It rests with the public to decide whether we shall succeed or not, and whether they prefer cheap novels or none ; for it appears to me that those are the only alternatives that remain for them, for us, and for the pub lishers.

The contents of these two volumes equal in quantity those of the long-established three ; and, hoping it will be found that there is no deterioration in quality, I send forth Linny Lockwood into the world to try her fortune. CATHERINE CEOWE.

Chapter I

It was the month of December; the wind blew, and the rain fell. People — the few that were out of doors — could not keep their hats on their heads, nor their cloaks on their shoulders ; umbrellas were out of the question, and it was so dark that. except immediately under the dim street-lamps, they could scarcely distinguish the ground they walked upon. The gusts blew the rain in their faces, and almost bhnded them; and there was such a whistling, howling, and pattering, that they could not hear themselves speak. The hackney coachmen abandoned their stands for the shelter of the public-house, leaving their horses with their drooping heads to the care of the waterman, who stood dripping in od-skin under the lintel of a door. In short, every body said there had never been such a night before; and cer tainly there had not been many worse.

"Whilst all this clatter was going on outside, in a small poorly furnished room in the neighbourhood of Golden-square, a respectable-looking elderly man was tying a comforter round his throat, and thrusting his arms into a brown great-coat, the lining of which was torn. " Didn't I beg you, Jane," he said to his wife, who was seated 1 iv the fire reading a novel — " didn't I beg you to mend this pocket?" " I'd do it now," she said. VOL, I. B "Nonsense! How can I wait for you to do it now, when I ought to be half-way to Cavendish-square already? I've waited as long as I dare, hoping the storm would subside." " It wouldn't take five minutes," objected the wife. " Then you might have found five minutes to do it in." "Don't be cross, George!" responded the lady; "five minutes couldn't make any difference; but you'd rather keep the hole to grumble about, than wait a moment to have it mended."

" Five minutes and a moment are two different things ; but you have not the slightest notion of accuracy. I dare say, it would take ten minutes or a quarter of an hour at least, and I can't wait, I tell you ;" and so saying, having buttoned his coat, and thrust into his bosom a small white packet sealed with red wax, that had been lying on the table, he moved towards the door. " Shad you be long?" inquired his wde. " No," said he ; " not if Hamlet's things are ready. I shall only give the parcel in, and come away directly, unless I'm needed for any thing else. Just hold the hght here, wdl you? I want my umbrella." " I don't believe you'll be able to carry it for the wind." " I'll take it, at ad events; it answers for a stick if I can't hold it up." " Be back as soon as you can ! " were the last words the wife uttered as he opened the street-door, thereby blowing out her candle, whereupon she retreated into the parlour again; whilst he by a violent effort closed the door, and went struggling on his way through the tempest, directing his step first through Leicester-square to the shop of Hamlet the jeweller, which, as early closing was a thing untalked of in those days, was still so brdliant and inviting, that a spectator could only wonder how it was that the miserable population outside did not storm and sack it.

" Well, are you ready?" he said, as he stepped in. " Just ready," answered a young man behind the counter, at the same time handing forwards another sealed packet, larger, however, than the first. " Stop!" said the stranger, taking the first packet from his bosom ; " just put them both up together, and I'll thank you. They'll be the easier carried." " It's a rough night," observed the shopman. " About the worst I ever was out in," answered the other. " Is the marriage to take place to-morrow?" " If it wasn't I wouldn't be running about the streets such a night as this, I assure you," returned the first, as he took the parcel handed to him, which he was again about to put into the torn breast-pocket of his coat, when he recodected himself and thrust it into his bosom; and then, bidding the young man a good-night, he quitted the shop and set his face to the storm.

The wind had been at his back before, and his chief encounters were at the corners of the streets and the open places ; but now, the blast met him, and he had literally to fight every inch of the way. The rain, too, which had intermitted for a short period, seemed but to have been gathering itself up for a worse deluge, and it now fed in such torrents, that, hopeless as it appeared, our unfortunate pedestrian made an attempt to hoist his umbrella; but, before he had got it wed up, an eddy of wind took it, that not only turned it inside out, and snapped the whalebone, but forced the bearer to perform an involuntary pirouette, in the execution of which feat he for an instant caught sight of a well-known face, a few paces behind him, on which the bright light of a druggist's door-lamp happened at that moment to be shining.

It was not a face he loved to look upon ; the unpleasant recollections connected with the owner of it, gave fresh energy to his exertions, and he set his breast to the wind with renewed vigour, in order to escape an interview. Perhaps the obnoxious individual observed this design to avoid him; for a moment afterwards he turned suddenly round, darted up a street to the right, and was no more seen, whdst the other battled on to his destination, which was a certain square on the north side of Oxford Road, as it was then caded. The house to which he directed his steps was a large and handsome one ; one of the hand somest in the square, in short. There was a carriage at the d< iot, the coachman belonging to which had taken refuge from the storm under the lintel, where, cased in his capes, he stood squeezed into a corner, when our pedestrian ascended the steps, and, laying his right hand on the knocker, gave a resolute single rap, betokening that, although a humble visiter, he had no misgivings about his welcome ; whilst with the left he unloosed the upper buttons of his great-coat, and thrust his hand into his bosom to take out the parcel he had come to dehver, being desirous of discharging his commission, and getting home again J as quickly as possible.

But the parcel was no longer there ! He plunged his hand deeper ; desperately to the right, to the left, but there was nothing. " Great God ! I've lost it ! " and upon the impulse of the moment, without pausing to reflect, he turned off the steps before the door was opened, and fled back the way he had come, retracing his path as closely as he coidd, searching the ground as he went, till he reached the spot where he had attempted to hoist his umbrella; a conviction flashing across him, that it was in that struggle that the lower buttons of his coat had given way, and thus adowed the parcel to shp down ; for this was not his Sunday coat, and the buttonholes were stretched and torn, and did not hold them fast. His wife had intended to repair them ; but, like the lining, she had forgotten to do it.

There were few people in the streets, for nobody was abroad that could help it ; and, unmindful of the wind or weather now, he rushed frantically forwards, in the hope that the packet might have been over looked, and be still recovered. It was against his chance, how ever, that it was wrapped in white paper, and that the spot in question was the best hghted of any he had passed; for the druggist was a new settler in the locality, and of an ambitious turn of mind. As our unfortunate hero approached the place, his heart sank — for he remarked how clearly he could have distinguished a white object on the pavement within a certain area; but, alas! there was no such thing visible now; and he slackened his steps, and stood for a moment disheartened and amazed, uncertain what to do next; when, endeavouring to assume a momentary exterior of composure, he entered the chemist's shop, and inquired if they had heard of any thing being found in that neighbourhood ?

" Found ! " echoed the lad. "Picked up, I mean; I've dropped a parcel — a white paper parcel — " " No," answered the other, shaking his head ; " the windll have blown it away, most likely : I think it would blow my head off, if I was out." The wind blown it away ! The packet was not light, but rather heavy for its size ; but stdl it might have been blown along the pavement if a gust took it, till it rested in some nook far from where it fell. So he paced the street to and fro, examining every part of it, where he could not use his eyes, with his hands or his feet, but without success. Then he walked on as far as Hamlet's door, investigating every inch of the ground. The shop was closed now, and, being certain that he had quitted it with the parcel in his possession, he made no attempt to disturb the watchman who slept there.

Then he retraced his steps once more to the square, and then back again, till he reached his own house, where his wde had fallen asleep, over Thaddeus of War saw, by the parlour fire. When he knocked, which he did hastily and impatiently, she started from her slumbers, out of humour at the disturbance, as it was natural she should be; the more especially as the fire had gone out, and she felt cold and stiff ; for she was subject to rheumatism, and dreaded its attacks. " Lord bless my soul, Mr. Lockwood, I thought yorr were blown away altogether! Do you know what o'clock it is?" she said, as she opened the door to admit him. "I wish I was blown away, or dead, or d — d!" retorted he between his teeth, as he stepped into the passage and hfted off his dripping, shapeless hat. " Why, what in the name of every thing has happened to you ?

" " Help me off with this coat, will you?" he said fiercely; for it was so thoroughly soaked through, that it stuck to him like Nessus's shirt, only it was a httle cooler. When, with her assistance, he had dragged himself out of it, he stepped into the par lour ; and then, taking one of the tall brass candlesticks in her hand, she held it up to his face. Heavens ! what a countenance was there ! Her heart quailed at the sight of it. " In the name of God, George, what has happened?" she ex claimed. " Nothing — nothing; only I've lost the money and the jewels! That's all!" " Lost the money and the jewels!" " Ay ! lost them — dropped them ; and you've nobody to thank for it but yourself." " Why, where did you put them?" " Where ! Why, where could I put them, but stuff them in my bosom. You wouldn't have me put them in my outside pocket, would you, for any body to put his hand in that liked, and take them out?

And I couldn't very well put them into the breast-pocket, with a hole in it as big as my fist, could I?" " Oh, George, George !" exclaimed the poor woman, beginning to weep, and wring her hands ; " is it possible? Oh, good Heavens ! What shad we do? What shall we do?" " Hang or drown ourselves. I'm sure, for my part, I wish somebody would do it for me, with all my soul ! " "But tell me, George, how was it? Where did it happen? Is there no hope of finding them?" " Drop five hundred pounds and a diamond bracelet in the street, and how long do you think it wid he there?" " But some honest person may have picked it up, George." " Pshaw ! There's not many honest people walking the streets such a night as this, I fancy." " You were walking the streets, and why shouldn't there be others? But tell me, for God's sake, how it happened — and where?"

" How should I know how it happened ? The parcel slipped down, I suppose; I tried, hke a fool as I was, to put up my umbrella, and in the struggle with the wind my coat got un buttoned. I told you a month ago, that the holes would scarce hold the buttons — didn't I? but you never put a finger to them." " Well, George, don't reproach me now. If it was my fault, I've reason enough to reproach myself, as I shall do all the days of my hfe ; but ted me how it happened. Let's see d nothing can be done. Where were you when you found you'd lost them ? Were the money and the bracelet in the same parcel?" " Yes ; Hamlet's man tied them up together. I asked him to do it for safety, and I put the parcel in here, and buttoned both my coats from top to bottom, and I never dreamed of any thing wrong tdl I was at Mr. Eardley's door; and then, when I put my hand into my bosom to take them out, they were gone !

" " And what did you do? Did you ted them? Does Mr. Eard ley know it — or Mr. Featherstone?" "Do! I went back again — like a madman, as I was — over every inch of ground, backwards and forwards, a dozen times. But what was the use of it?" " Were there many people about ? " " No, very few. There was one person about though, and not far from me, I suspect, when I dropped it. He may liave. picked it up for any thing I know?" " Who?" " That fellow — d n him — Vaughan Edmonstone ! " " He ! what in the world could he be doing out in such a night as this?" " God knows ! no good, I'll be sworn. But, oh woman ! what am I to do about this parcel?" " You must go to ad the police-offices — you should have gone there at once." " So I should ; I'd go directly. A man that I spoke to in a chemist's shop, suggested that it might have blown away!"

" It would be too heavy." "I don't know that. The wind was enough to blow me away. But I'll go to Bow-street at once; and to Marlborough street." '• I'll tell you what, George, d the wind's so high it might have been blown down an area." " It might, certainly. But no, no ! somebody'll have picked it up. The white paper was easily seen near a lamp, or a person i night kick it with his foot. A pretty find it'd be to some rascal or another." " I'll tell you what : I'll put on my bonnet and go out with you." " What's the use of that?" " And, as soon as you've been to the pohce, we'll go to the place where you think you dropped it, so that we may be there when the morning breaks, and have the first chance of seeing it, if it is any where there; and we can look down the areas before the servants are stirring in the morning."

" It's of no use, none in the world ! you'll only get your death of cold, and we shad have another doctor's bdl to pay. You'd better go to bed." " There's no telling what's of use, George; ancl I can't sit here alone in all this anxiety and misery, and as for going to bed, I couldn't do it!" " But, my good woman, you don't know what a night it is. It's not fit for a dog to be out in!" " Well, George, I shall go. I can't stay here, I tell you ; and two pair of eyes are better than one. You must just wait one moment whilst I fetch my boots." So George dropped into a chad that was behind him, and in an attitude of the utmost despondency contemplated the bitterness of bis destiny. It was bitter certainly. Once in his hfe aheady he had been ruined ; flung down from a state of prosperity — modest prosperity, such as fided his soul with content— by no fault of his own; and now again, when he had found friends, and the dawn of better fortunes was breaking, here was a catastrophe that would sink him alto gether; for, taking the very best view of the case, he was hable to the imputation of an unpardonable amount of carelessness ; but few, he was well aware, would limit their ideas of his culpabdity to that.

If the packet did not turn up somewhere, and prove his innocence by its reappearance, he felt certain he should be suspected of having embezzled it. No character — that is, no character of a man in his situation of hfe — could withstand two such assaults as this and the one that preceded it. Yes; he should be ruined — this time irretrievably; cast off by the friends that had clung to him, and the patron that had sus tained him, and sink into utter poverty and shame; for as well be guilty as be thought so by all the world. And his poor wife, dearly loved in spite of her httle faults; and his cherished, beautdul Leonie, their only child — must sink with him ! How he condemned himsed now, that he had not put on his best coat, the lining of which was entde — foohsh, foohsh economy ! or that he had undertaken to deliver the things at all, (and the worst of it was that he had volunteered the service;) or that, having done so, he had not sent for a coach and driven to Cavendish Square, instead of going on foot.

How easy, how simple, how natural, to have done so, instead of carrying such valuables about the streets by night ! Any body in the world but himsed would have thought of it. But it was too late now to make these reflections — the misfortune had happened, and he feared it was d-reparable ; for how many dishonest people are prowling about the streets of London by night, ready to pounce on any prey — and what a prey was there! When his wde came down, well cloaked and clogged, they set forth to face the storm, which, however, had now somewhat sub sided. The rain still fell heavily; but the wind had faden, and the two got along much better than he had expected. He went first to Marlborough-street, and there told his tale. " Walable was it?" inquired the officer on duty. " Worth seven or eight hundred pounds, I suppose.

There were bank-notes to the amount of five hundred, and a diamond bracelet worth two or three hundred more." " Done up in white paper?" " Yes, and sealed with Hamlet the jewellers seal." " Any name or address on it ? " " Not on the outside paper, but on the inside it was directed to F. Feather-stone, Esquire." " What o'clock did you say it was when you dropped it?" " About nine o'clock, as near as might be." The officer turned his eye up to the clock ; "Why, that's upwards of four hours agone! why didn't you come here before?" " I did not think of it, I was so confused and distracted. I went backwards and forwards over the ground hoping to find it> and then I went home to ted my wde, and she suggested I should come here." George Lockwood was a timid man, easily disconcerted, and there was something in the officer's question, and an expression in his eye, that disconcerted him now, and his countenance denoted it.

" People can't always think of the best thing to do at such a time, when their mind's so agitated," said Mrs. Lockwood. Particulars of this information were then taken down, and George and his wde quitted the office and proceeded to Bow street; but, as he turned to go, he heard some remark made behind him in a low voice, and he felt that the eye of suspicion was on him. " I told you so !" he said; " I shall be suspected of embezzhng the property, and probably be taken up and flung into jail." " Nonsense ! " returned his wife. " Mr. Eardley wouldn't do such a thing." "Why not? He stood my friend once, when few men would have done it, and when appearances were as bad as they could be against me." " Much more than they are now," said his wife. " Yes ; but you can't expect a man to go on always hfting up a broken reed that can't stand upright.

Besides, I can't face him. I won't face him ; I could no more go and ted him I've lost the money and the bracelet than I could fly." " But he must know it to-morrow morning." " Yes, he must ! When he finds they're not come, he'd send for me." " But that will look very bad, George — waiting to be sent f >r. You must go of your own accord ; I wish you'd gone last night instead of coming home. But you must go in the morning, before he is out of bed." " Even d Mr. Eardly should believe me, Mr. Featherstone won't. Why should he? He knows nothing about me but that I've been suspected of fraud, and was discharged for it. Of course, he'll suppose I'm at my old tricks, and wid say so at once ; and how am I to prove otherwise?" " It's no use looking at the worst side of every thing, George ; and at what may never happen.

Things are bad enough as they are." " Bad enough, God knows!" echoed poor George, with a sigh. At Bow-street the interrogatories were much the same as at the other office; and, as the consciousness of standing in a questionable position had now gained strength from what had passed, the nervous, agitated demeanour of the stranger, struck suspicion at once into the minds of the officers. " Does the gentleman the things belong to know of the loss of them ? " they inquired. " Not yet ; it was too late to disturb him." " I thought you said it was only nine o'clock." " Yes, when I dropped them : but I went backwards and forwards over the ground, in hopes of finding the parcel." A smile of increduhty curled the hp of Tanner as he remarked, that " retracing your steps in the hope of finding a parcel dropped in a London street, was like looking for a swadow at Christmas.

You must advertise in the morning papers. You should have been at Tlie Times office before this; you'll be too late now." George said he would, and went away still more wounded and depressed than he was before ; and since it was no use going any where else then, as it wanted stid four hours of dayhght, they returned home, where he wrote the advertisement, which was to be sent on the following day to The Times; and after some persuasion induced his wife, who was cold, wet, and weary, to go to bed, promising to awaken her as soon as it was light enough to make any further efforts towards repairing then misfortune.

Chapter II

Catherine Eaedley, the daughter of a rich banker, a beauty and a fortune, was to be married to Sir Arthur Glenlyon. Her parents doated on her, and would have done any thing in the world to make her happy except let her marry the man she liked ; but since she had consented to marry one she did not, they gave her a superb trousseau and twenty thousand pounds down on the wedding-day, with the prospect of a great deal more thereafter. Besides these paternal bounties, she had considerable expectations from a rich uncle, who was in a bad state of health, and might die any minute. This uncle, whose name was Featherstone, was a brother of Mrs. Eardley's, and he had been residing for some years in the south of Europe for the sake of the climate ; but when he heard his pretty niece was about to be married, he determined to be present at the ceremony, and wrote home to that effect.

The time at which he should have arrived, however, passed, and he did not appear — a cdcumstance regretted on ad hands, since it was looked rrpon as certain that he would come down handsomely on the occasion; and it was even debated whether the wedding should not be postponed, great as the inconvenience of such a delay would be, considering the magnificence of the preparations and the rank of the guests invited to the dejeuner; when, on the very morning before that appointed for the ceremony, the old gentleman arrived in a post chaise, drawn by four smoking horses, from Portsmouth. To avoid the fatigue of land travelling, he had come by sea, and, as there were sailing vessels in those days, contrary winds had detained him. Here he was now, however — pale, thin, invahdish as ever; and of course very much fatigued.

It is unnecessary to remark that he was received with empressement — rich uncles always are; and as he was a very refined, gentlemanly, and generous old man, a widower and without children, he was really welcome to his relations. Mr. Eardley was out when he arrived, but his sister and niece were at home, and, after he had taken a potage and some jedy, the former recommended a httle repose. " You'd be too fatigued, Francis, to go to church with us to morrow morning d you do not lie down. You must go to your room, and keep yourself quiet tid the first dinner-bell, and then I'll wake you myself, or send Catherine to you ! " " Perhaps I'd better lie down a little before dinner," answered Mr. Featherstone ; " but I've got a httle business to do in the city first, and you must let me have your carriage."

" By all means; but you'd knock yourself up; indeed you wdl. Couldn't any body else do the business for you? Mr. Eardley won't be home till five o'clock; but I saw George Lock wood here a minute ago, and, if he's not gone, perhaps he could do what you want. I'll ring and ask if he's here still;" and Mrs. Earcdey not only rang the bell, but she went to the drawing room door and looked over the balustrade into the hall below, where, as they came up from luncheon, she had caught a glimpse of our friend George ; for she ready did not dke her brother to encounter the fatigue of a drive into the city ; and yet, as she had a shrewd guess as to the kind of business he wanted done, she did not wish it deferred. " If Mr Lockwood's not gone, beg he'd stay a minute, Mr. Featherstone wishes to speak to him," she said to the footman as he ascended the stads.

" Mr. Lockwood's in the housekeeper's room, ma'am." " Then bid him wait till I ring. Yes, Lockwood is here, and you'd better let him do any thing you want." " Wiat ! — Lockwood's in favour again, then, is he? I thought he was turned off." " So he was for a time, and very unjustly so, we beUeve. It's our opinion he had no more to do with that business than you had," said Mrs. Eardley, nodding her head significantly. " Why didn't he defend himsed more vigorously, then, at the time? why did he succumb to the accusation?" " From a romantic feeling of gratitude, we think. He owed every thing to Mr. Edmonstone, you know." " Gad ! It's carrying gratitude rather far, though, to take another man's forgery on your back." " Why, it might not have been easy to prove his innocence, you know. Besides, it wasn't a forgery."