A Tangled Skein

Front matter

A TANGLED SKEIN HY ALBANY FONBLANQUE, Jun. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON : TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 18G2. {The rigid qf Translation is reserved.'] Now ready at all the Libraries, in One Vol. 8vo, THE PUBLIC LIFE OF LORD A1ACAULAY. By FREDERICS: ARNOLD, B.A., Os Christ Church, Orford. "The value of this book consists in the care with which the writer has collected together much of what Lord Macaulay wrote and spoke which is either not known or not easily accessible to the general reader. . . . He conscientiously and impartially studies the subject of his monograph from documentary authority, and thus produces a volume which cannot fail to be read with interest.'' — The Examiner. Now ready at every Library, in One Vol. MY PRIVATE NOTE-BOOK; Or, Recollections of an Old Reporter.

By W. H. WATTS, Author of " Oddities of London Life," &c. CONTENTS OF VOL. III. CHAP. PAGE I. THE MARRIAGE REGISTERS 1 II. NANCY 20 HI. DEALS WITH PUZZLES, OR AT LEAST ONE SORT OF THEM — WOMEN 52 IV. HOWEVER 80 V. IN WHICH POOR GRACE LEE's NEW-BORN HOPES ARE SHIPWRECKED 114 VI. A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF BY SETTLE MENT 130 VII THE HARDEST KNOT OF ALL 167 VIII. DISENTANGLEMENT 191 IX. EXPLANATIONS 219 X. WINDING UP ON THE REEL 253 XI. WHICH ENDS THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY

Chapter I. The Marriage Registers

It must be confessed that tbe little district church did not contain any object of interest to Mr. Lagger, with the exception of the place where the registry books had been huddled away by the old clerk, and, in his own mind, he felt perfectly convinced that it was not a safe repository for them. Appealed to, how ever, on this point, he could by no means admit the excuse advanced by Ferrers for their removal. "Now you just answer me this question," he said. "Is this 'ere a Church of England Es-tablishment, or is it not?" " Church of England, no doubt." "AVell, then, a Church of England Es-tablishment has a parson, to do what the prayer- VOL. III. B book orders him to do, and a clerk to say A-men to what he sez, and wardens, dooly chosen, to take charge of and be responsible for this, that, and t'other, necessary for the celebration of this, that, and t'other service — that's what a Church of England Es-tablishment has.

Now what are you ? Are you the parson, or the clerk, or tlie two churchwardens of this 'ere Es-tablishment?" " The clerk." " Very good ! Then you stick to your A-men, and let the others stick to their business." " But I thought—1 " You thought ! What call has a parish clerk got to think ? AVait till you're a parson, or two churchwardens, and then you may think, and welcome." " Mr. Thomas thoroughly approved of wbat I did." "And what right had he to meddle with them books any more than you ? Now don't you go argufying the point with me, young fellow, or you'll find yourself in the wron" box," said Air. Lagger, severely. "You've bin and eom-mitted a mistake, to say the least of it. You prove to me that you ain't bin and done woss, and I'm not the man to be hard upon you. Now tell me. The marriage registry book now in use — where's that ?"

" In the vestry." " How long does it go back ?" " I cannot say exactly ; about twenty or thirty years. " Well, then, you go and fetch it, for I must re-port upon 'em alL You've bin in the habit of carrying the books to your place, so no one wont notice your taking this. Cut along, and I'll wait for you outside." This conversation had taken place at the foot of the belfry tower, in a sort of vault below the level of the church floor, in which the bell was rung with a long rope, and where — in a sort of cupboard rough-hewn in the wall — the old books had been discovered. Mr. Lagger found his way out again into the churchyard, where he was soon joined by the new clerk, carrying the required volume under liis arm. " That's right," said the detective : " now come along home, and let's overhaul these books while there's daylight to see what's what.

There ain't no one to hear you, so you need not ask me to tea ; only when we come b to your lodgings, you sez to your landlord or his good lady, whichever you meets fust— sez you, ' Mr. AATiat's-his-name, or Mrs. What's her-name, this gentleman's an old acquaintance of mine (which is true, you know), and he's come to have a chat over old times.' True agin — for them registers go back to the days of our godfathers and godmothers in our baptism, and afore then." "I have done no wrong," rephed Ferrers, " and see no occasion for this secrecy and deceit." " Werry well ! — werry well ! Then you bring down the books to the parsonage, and we'll have a public in-quiry ; only, of course, I must tell the parson the reason why it is to be held." Ferrers turned deadly pale again, and gnawed his nether lip till the blood trickled.

" Have it your own way," he said at last, in a half choking voice. " I am in your power. God help me !" " A7ou help yourself. God made you a reasonable being, not a pig or a idiot, that you should be helped along." " Follow me, and I'll do as you desire." "Not a bit of it. Old friends just met, arter a separ-ation, don't march along in single file. You take my arm, and carry this 'ere butterfly-net ; and look pleasant too — that's about how old friends should <jo along:." Ferrers shuddered, as he felt the grasp of the detective tighten on his arm. He con ducted him down the lane in silence, and they were soon seated in the new clerk's pleasant, but homely quarters, with the heavy registers spread out upon the table. " Before we begin this 'ere in-quiry," said Lagger, " tell me one tbing. You gev a wrong name when you was took up ; didn't you now?"

" No, Clarke was my right name — an honest one once." " Clarke, eh, so it was !" said the detective, slapping his thigh. " Forgery at the Old Bailey, three years' penal servitude, Mr. Justice Wightman ; I know ; you'd a dozen witnesses to character, you had; but the judges, they're always down hard and heavy upon forgers. You may smash a man's skull in (so as you don't quite kill him) for twelve months, but if you forges his name you catches it hot. This ain't nothing to the purpose, thouorh. Let's get on with the registers." A TANGLED SKEIN. The books were sadly the worse for damp and mildew, but so much care and ingenuity had been expended by the new clerk upon their restoration, that the bindings were firm, and the contents perfectly legible. There were three in all, the one in use making the fourth.

" This," said Ferrers, drawing forward one of a smaller size, and more ancientlooking manufacture than the others, " is the first." " How am I to know that," asked Lagger. "Because it commences in April, 1697 — the month in wliich the church was first consecrated." " And how am I to know that ?" " I will show you the deed by which it was endowed." " What ! you've bin and took the deeds away too ! I say, young fellow, you've bin going it !" " I took away everything that hole con tained. A crack in the external wall had widened, and the rain came in, and the recess was half full of water when I opened the door. If I had waited till I could get leave from the wardens, the entire contents might have been destroyed." "And what odds was it to you if they had been?" " None to me, certainly ; but it might have been of the most vital importance to some one else."

" Humph — m !" mused the detective, turning over the pages of the old book, " this seems to be all square enough, and not so badly mended either." " When does the next begin?" " The first entry is the 22nd September, 174S, Elizabeth Carter and Herbert Went worth." " Good ! go on a page or two. Stop ! there's something scratched out." " Yes, but if you look to the bottom of the page, you will find a note explaining why this was done. The woman gave her mother's maiden name, as they sometimes do still, in these parts, when the father is dead. The clergyman found out her mistake, and corrected it. The note is in the same hand-writing as the entry, and signed with his initials." " This book seems as if it had been well nigh all to pieces," resumed Lagger, turning over page after page ; " but how do jrou know that the leases you have stuck in belong to A TANGLED SKEIN. the places where you have bin and stuck _ __>} em r " I compared the dates of the several en tries, and sometimes an entry ran from one page into the next, and so guided me."

"They ought to have bin drawed up in a regular form, and numbered." " You will find that that is done, when you come to the time when the Act of Parliament was passed, which — " " Now don't you go jabbering to me about Acts of Parliament," interrupted Lagger — " just as if I didn't know the law !" " Here, then, you find it complied with," said Ferrers, opening the third volume. " I suppose it was not thought worth while to have a new book, as this was not quite filled up ; so the few entries under the new system have been made in a form ruled by hand. The book now in use is printed, but the entries run on regularly from the first — year after year." The detective continued to make his feigned scrutiny with much apparent care, dwelling upon an entry here and there, in order that when he came to that which alone he cared to see, no susnicion might be aroused as to his motive in closely scanning its details.

Habit had made him careful, and long experience as a hunter of criminal men, had taught him what remote and trifling mistakes will some times suffice to put the quarry on his guard, and lengthen, if not break off, the chase. " Jist so," he said, as he came to the more formal entries ; "Number — When married — Name and Surname — Age — Condition — Rank or Profession — Residence at time of marriage — Fa ther or mother's surname — Rank or Profession of father. Eight ! AVhen you marry," observed the detective, shaking his forefinger at the new clerk, " it ain't sufficient for you to know who was your wife's father and mother, and what they was ; or for your wife to know who was your father and mother, and what they was. The law steps in and sez, ' Des-cribe your selves, every one of you. I want to know all about the lot,' that's what the law sez ! 'I ain't a-going,' sez the law, ' to have you making a row when you get tired of each otlier, or any one else making a row for you when you're dead, and saying, " This 'ere John Smith was John Smith, but he wasn't the identical John Smith as married Mary Bvown!"

T ain't a-g-oins: to stand none of those little games,' sez the law, and so I tell you ; consequently the law will make you des cribe yourself and your fam'ly, and your lovely bride's fam'ly too, so tbat there may be no mistake about it, — that's what the law does." " I am perfectly aware of the regulation and its intention," said the new clerk, humbly. " AVerry well, then ; don't you get a-trying to e-wade 'em, or else you'll catch it hot, and so I teU you." This warning was delivered by Air. Lagger with much severity of tone and gesture, as though the new clerk were on the point of leaving the room to contract a marriage in defiance of the legal forms. Ferrers could not help smiling — troubled and anxious as he was. " When I marry," he rephed, " you may depend upon it that I shall observe all due formalities."

" You'd better," said the unrelenting Lag ger; "but where are we now? Oh, Alarch, 1834, when you enter the certificates properly ; hem ! not many of 'em ; January, '35 — more people married about Christmas time, I see, than any otber season of the year. April, four entries — one a week. April's got a page to itself. AVell done, April, 1S35" (the detective was getting gay), " and the merry month of May's only got one. I wonder now," he con tinued, quoting from the entry, " what has be come of Georgina Bosser, who was nineteen years of age, and a spinster, the daughter of Aiark Bosser, of this parish, farmer — and who married AVilliam Cox, widower of full age, whose governor's name was likewise Bill, and farriers the pair on 'em? I wonder how that there young gal got along with her second-hand article?

Did he get a-naggin' at her about the virtues of the dear departed, or are they a comfortable old couple ? Lord ! if any book writing gentleman could put down here what all these couples said they'd do, and what they intended to do, and after all what they really done — what a rum story-book a marriage register would be ! But let's get on — let's get on. June, 1835, has one, two — ah, and here the book ends. Hand over tbe last volume, young man," said Lagger, leaning back in his chair and whistling a tune, and " let's get along with June, 1835." The new clerk removed the books through which the scrutineer had passed, and spread the last open at the first page before him. Air. Lagger was in no hurry to look at it. He examined his boots, he examined his fingernails, he examined nothing at all, very fixedly, out of the window; at last his attention returned to bis task.

" And so," he remarked, in the most casual of tones, " this 'ere new book — leastwise this 'ere book which is the one in use now — begins in June, 1835 : good ! How many entries was there in the last one for this month of June, 1S35 ?" " Two ; one on the 2nd, and the other on the 9th," replied Ferrers, referring to the older volume. " And here we have — AVhat were the names in the other two?" asked Lagger, quickly. " Job Stokes and Hannah Barnardiston, on the 2nd, and Jane Crofter and Charles Shel mordine, of Alanchester, on the 9th." "And the numbers — the numbers?" de manded the detective, his face getting flushed, and his manner full of excitement, in spite of him. " Stokes' marriage is No. 54." " Shelmordine's, then, is 55?" " Of course ! It is the last entry in the book. The next will be that where your hand is now."

" That," replied the detective, sternly, but in lifferent tone from his assumed severity of a few moments before, " that is dated July 28th." "Well,— what then?" " AVhere are the entries of marriages which took place in the mean time ?" " There were none, I suppose," replied the new clerk. " You find only one for May. Why should you suppose that there should be more than two in June ?" " There were four marriages celebrated in June and July which are not entered in this book, or of which the certificates have been destroyed," replied the detective, decisively. "How can you possibly think that?" said Ferrers, smiling incredulously, but turning a little pale. " Excuse me saying so, but guess work — " " Goes for notliing of itself," said Lagger, looking at him hard and full in the face ; " but it leads to a good deal, as you shall find, my fine fellow.

I guessed there was some'at wrong about you, and likewise about these books, pretty much as a beagle guesses there's a hare cutting along somewhere when he comes upon her scent. Guesses is scent to me ; and here" (bringing his fist down upon the first page of the newest book, with a thump which made the old table creak again), " here's my game run into and chopped up." " I cannot see anything to complain of there," rephed Ferrers ; " there is not an era sure or a blot, and every particular filled in as regularly as can be. What fault do you find ?" " The last entry in the other book is num bered 55 ; the first in this is numbered 60. There are four certificates in every page, con sequently a whole page is wanting !" " Good God !" exclaimed Ferrers, "it is so, indeed ! But you do not think that I — You cannot accuse me of — of — " " For the present," rephed the detective, in his quietest manner, " I say a whole page is wanting.

I don't accuse nobody of nothing, but I must have this 'ere page. AVhere is it?" " I cannot tell you. I have never seen it. Never till this moment noticed that there was a gap in the dates." " And yet you noticed the dates in the other parts?" " Because there were a lot of loose pages which I had to fit in at thenproper places." "Where did you put them? You may have forgotten this one." " No ; I am perfectly certain that I fixed them all." " All that you brought from the church, perhaps ; but it may be in that hole this very moment." " Impossible ! I searched it thoroughly. Besides, it was only about the middle of the third book, where it was open, — having fallen from the shelf, — that the leaves were loose. If you look at the end, you will see that they are all intact. Look at the back, under the binding, and you will see for yourself that what I say is true."

" Then how do you ac-count for the gap in the numbers?" " Probably the clergyman, or his clerk, made a mistake. These entries in the commence ment of the new book are in the latter's hand writing. He was an old man even then. He might have forgotten the number of the last entry, or made a guess at it, to save the trouble of referring back. Oh, really," added the new clerk, with an attempt at a laugh, " there are a dozen ways of accounting for such a trivial error." " It ain't trivial," replied the detective, sternly ; " and it's not to be accounted for anyhow. I know there is another page some where or other, and it's for you to find it." " For me ? I have nothing whatever to do with it." " Now, you jest attend to me," said Lagger ; " I ain't a-going to be too hard upon you, and I ain't a-going to shirk my duty.

If you'd a let these 'ere books alone, and stuck to your A-men, as you ought to have done, you would have had nothing to do with it ; but you goes a-meddling with things as don't concern you ; as usual, you burns your fingers. Suppose I goes to tbe parson, or the two church wardens, and sez, ' There's an entry as I knows was made, and which I can't find in your books,'— what will they say? They'd say, ' The clerk's a been and meddled with these volumes. He's routed 'em out of their proper place. He's took 'em, and a lot of them loose leaves home ; and we can't be held res-ponsible for any fraud he's com-mitted.' ' "Fraud! AVhat possible interest could I have in suppressing anything?" " I ain't here to answer your questions," replied the detective ; " I'm here to ex-amine these books, and to re-port upon their con dition.

Now, what I says, I means ; and what I means, I sticks to ; and what I sticks to is this 'ere : — You find these 'ere missing entries. Not a word. I wont hear it. Be they made on a leaf torn out of either book, or be they contained in another odd book, or a piece of odd paper, — you find 'em, or you discover who's got 'em." " But how am I to do this ?" " That's your business," replied the detective, rising, and taking up his hat. " You have no authority to require me to make such a hopeless search," said Ferrers, moodily ; " and I refuse to attempt it." " Wery well, ivery well ; then I must make it ni}Tself." " That will be far the better way." " Ex-actly. So come along with me to Air. Thomas, and listen whilst I tell him why I'm a-going to ask a lot of seemingly impertinent questions in his parish.

You young nmny hammer ! Don't you see that you can make in quiries without suspicion agin you, having al ready took to meddlin' with the books ? It's one way or the other, you know ; — either you have stole these entries, and destroyed 'em, or you haven't." VOL. III. c " I swear to you most solemnly that I have not." " AVell, then, if you haven't, you take the high hand, and you go to Air. Thomas and the wardens, and you say, ' Here's four entries wanting ; and it's your dooty to in-vestigate the case ; or else it's my dooty to write to the bishop, and ask him what he thinks of it." " But you say I had no right to look into the books." " And you said as Mr. Thomas ap-proved of your doing so." " According to you, he also is without authority to give such approbation." " Humph — m ! Never you mind.

You're on the popular side, and if you're wrong in re moving the books, the wardens are wrong in keeping 'em where they did, so they can't say nothing. Any way, you do what I tell you. It'll be better for you to be turned out for ex ceeding your dooty, than for being a convicted felon." " And if I fail in my search for the missing leaf? " asked tbe miserable Ferrers. " AVell, then I shall be o-bliged to form my own con-elusions as to how it come to be missing, that's all," was Dagger's reply. " No, I sha'n't take no tea," he said, in answer to a gesture from the new clerk ; " I never breaks bread with those as I has my eyes upon pro fessionally. You fill up a cup, and chuck the stuff out o' winder, dirty a plate, and make be lief as though I'd had some grub. And look here, — I shall stop at Macclesfield for a week.

It ain't far for a young fellow like you to walk, so you come over next Thursday, and let me know wdiat you've done. You'll find me at the Stork Inn. T>'ye mind? Pout out them entries, or discover the man who's took 'em ; or, as sure as eggs is eggs, you'll never say A-men again after next Sunday." And with this, the detective took his leave. " You've been precious hard upon that young fellow, Sam Lagger, — precious hard," he mused, as he passed along ; but wdiat are you to do ? You must find that page ; and if you can get hold upon a likely cove to help you, why, — pro-fessionally, — you'd be an a§s not to squeeze him pretty tight. As to the mo-rality of the thing, — you jest wait, my man, till you're retired into private life, be fore you goes bothering yourself about morals." c

Chapter II. Nancy

Stephen Frankland, in the meantime, had arrived in London, and settled affairs with Alessrs. Puddle and Snap, whom he found most accommodating gentlemen, with almost a repugnance to ready money, when presented in the form of a payment in full of all de mands. They would take the captain's IO U; they would take the captain's guarantee ; they would take the captain's, bills, at six, twelve, eighteen months, — anything rather than his crisp new bank notes for the entire sum due on Sir George's acceptance. They would renew, tbey would extend, they Avould accept part payment, and leave the rest to run on, with interest, till it was quite convenient to the baronet, — anything rather than be paid and have been done with it. If people in diffi culties will borrow money — and there must be such a class as bill discounters, — what a blessing it is that these latter will sometimes put their business into the hands of such delight fully courteous gentlemen as Messrs. Puddle and Snap, attornies-at-law !

How fortunate for impecunious humanity that this respect able firm exercised such a great influence over their clients ! AVhy, they could make them do anything. " My dear sir," Puddle would say to some bewildered youngster who had received some peremptory demand, " never mind what that fellow, Smith, says. He's a vulgar fellow is Smith, and does not know how to deal with gentlemen. Let me have a couple of ten pound notes for him by the day after to morrow, and take my word for it that he will renew." Considerate Mr. Puddle ! " Proceed to execution ! " would exclaim Air. Snap, under similar circumstances, " not if I know it. If Brown wants to go on like this, he must find another solicitor ; I sha'n't distress a gentleman who means well. Give him a new bill for principal and interest, and let him wait."

Honest Mr. Snap ! These things, however, were done only for those who were sure to pay in the long run ; and since the re sult of such indulgences was that the original debt would be paid half a dozen times over, as in Sir George Tremlett's case, some one was no loser by them. In short, Messrs. Puddle and Snap farmed the turnpike on tbe road to ruin, and kept it in remarkably good travelling order. Our Steevie, like most young Indian officers, had gone a short stage upon that famous and much-frequented thoroughfare. He was a little behindhand with his agent; there were a few figures against his name on the wrong side of the book in a Calcutta bank. He had slightly anticipated the rents of liis small patrimony, and he had been obliged to clip somewhat further, to provide for the expenses of his visit to England, and return.

You know of his resolve not to touch a shilling of Brandron's money. How then did he procure those crisp new bank notes, the acceptance of which caused Mr. Puddle so much grief? Why, he went to Cuddy Lindsay, and said, — "Cuddy, I owe just a thousand pounds. Hitherto I have not quite managed to live upon my pay, and it will be three or four Years before my rents run off the mortgage on the farm at Durmston. I want a hundred directly. AVill you lend it me ?" And Cuddy made no reply whatever, but only asked him, " how he'd have it ?" when be had drawn a cheque for the amount, and ]3iit on his hat to get the cash from Twining's. But what a goose he was, observes the rea der, not to take the money from his mother, when she offered it to him, instead of telling a fib, and placing himself under an obligation to a mere friend !

Well, he is a goose ; I don't pretend to deny that : only don't talk about "mere friends" in that way; because there's manv a man who would rather be under a heavy obligation to a " mere friend" like hearty little Cuddy, than owe a shilling to such blood relations as Stephen Frankland had. Only fancy how delighted " dearest Francis" would have been when, in his sys tematic management of his mother's accounts, he discovered that Stephen was indebted to her for his father's release ! No ; he got the money he required from Cuddy, paid the greater part of it to Mr. Puddle, and then went off quietly and insured his life, so that his friend should not possibly lose by his prompt and kindly assistance. Nor was there the least shyness between them afterwards. Steevie took it quite for granted that he was welcome to the money till he could return it ; and Cuddy thought it the most natural thing in the world that his old schoolfellow should have asked him for it, and should keep it as long as be liked.