Paid in His Own Coin. A novel

Front matter

PAID IN HIS OWN COIN. A NO VEL. BY EDWARD J. GOODMAN, AUTHOR OK 'TOO CURIOUS.' ' To eat the bitter bread of his own bakin%, And lie upon tlie bed of his oivn making.' IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON : RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON, publishers in (Drbinitrn to g^cr the OJutcn. i888. All Rights Reserved.} CONTENTS OF VOL. II. CHAPTER PAGE I. IN A NEW HOME - - - I II. AN APPEAL - - - 21 III. PLOTTING - - 41 IV. IN PRINT - - - - 62 A'. CRITICISM - - - 83 VI. FRIENDS IN NEED - - - 99 VII. THE POET'S PROGRESS- - - II) VIII. DOCTOR AND PATIENT- - 1 37 IX. TROUBLES - - - - - 1 59 X. AN ACCIDENT - - - - l8l XI. GOVERNESS AND PUPIL - - 204 XII. A BUNCH OF KEYS - - - - 226 XIII. PREPARING FOR ACTION - - - 247 XIV. THE FRENCH LADY'S-MAID - - 27

Chapter I. In

A NEW HOME. ' |j|||||||jANE,' said Dr. Wynd one even- 1^^111 iaSi as he sat with his wife in :^M?^\ their dismal front parlour, and after a somewhat long and gloomy silence on his part, ' we shall have to leave this place.' ' Indeed !' exclaimed Mrs. Wynd. ' Why ?' ' Why ?' echoed her husband pettishly ; ' how can you ask the question ? Don't you know, can't you see, how I am insulted day after day by the low, ignorant boors of the neighbourhood ? The house is stared at as though it were a show, while I can hardly vol. ii. walk through the streets Avithout hearing insolent and sneering remarks being made about me. Many a time I have felt tempted to knock down the scoundrels who uttered them.' So he had ; but the 'scoundrels' he referred to were, as a rule, of somewhat tender years and of agile limbs.

Towards offenders of maturer growth he felt more merciful. 'It is a great pity and a great shame,' cried Mrs. Wynd ; ' and it is cruel to treat you so, as I told Mrs. Biddlecombe.' ' Mrs. Biddlecombe !' exclaimed Dr. Wynd bitterly ; ' and what good did you do Avith her, or with that miserable creature Sleet, or that canting, psalm-singing humbug, Mrs. Bethel ? You told me yourself that they only listened to you civilly ; but not one among them had the good feeling or the sense to do me justice.' ' I am sure I did my best Avith them, Abel,' said his wife. ' Your best ? Bah !' cried the doctor. ' But there, it is useless to talk about such wretches. We must get aAvay from them, and as soon as possible — that's certain.' ' But what can we do ?' asked Mrs. Wynd. ' Why, take another house somewhere else — as far off from this hole as possible.' ' I am sure I would be very glad to go,' said Mrs. Wynd. ' It is as painful for me to stay here as it can be to you.' ' But I don't know where to look for a house — not such a one as I want,' observed Dr. Wynd. ' The rents they ask are simply monstrous, and I shan't easily get a place as cheap as this.' ' Perhaps Mr. Crayke Avould help you,' sup-ojested his wife. ' Ah, yes !' replied the doctor ; ' I have thought of that.

He is a useful fellow, is Crayke, and a very good friend. I don't know what I should do without him. He doesn't talk much, but he is a capital listener. I wonder Avhether he will look in to-night.' ' Perhaps he may,' observed Mrs. Wynd ; ' I hope he will.' Oliver Crayke was, indeed, by this time a constant visitor at Dr. Wynd's house, calling upon him at all hours of the day, and had, indeed, become quite domesticated in the household. He proved, in fact, as the doctor said, a good listener, that best of all companions, and would sit for hours patiently hearing Dr. Wynd's talk — chiefly about him self, his sufferings, and his past professional experiences. Jane, too, Avas glad to see him, 19 — and got to like him, as her husband always seemed more kind in manner to her when he was present, and to herself Mr. Crayke was always courteous and attentive.

Besides, Jane Wynd, as we know, readily formed attachments even to the most unsympathetic persons. Sarah herself was a little suspicious of him at first ; she said ' he gave her the creeps ;' but at last she got accustomed to him, and came to regard him quite as one of the family. She would ask him to step in and wait when, as not unfrequently happened, he chanced to call while both her master and mistress were out. And he did step in and wait ; but he did not sit idle. He never lost a chance of pursuing his silent researches, examining every part of the premises to Avhich he could gain access, testing drawers and cupboards, prying into books and papers, and making himself master, as fully as he could by such investigations, of every detail of the doctor's affairs. But nothing came of it ; he could discover nothing that threw the least light on the problem which he desired to solve — the means by which Abel Wynd had accom plished his purpose in the matter of Stephen Musgrave's death.

While Dr. and Mrs. Wynd were specu lating as to the probability of their receiving a visit from Oliver Crayke, that gentleman himself appeared, and the doctor took an early opportunity of laying before him his proposal to remove from Garnet Place. Could Mr. Crayke give him any advice as to the choice of a new residence ? Oliver Crayke reflected a few moments, and then inquired : ' Would you object to the south side of the Thames ?' ' Not at all,' replied Dr. Wynd. ' And Mrs. Wynd ?' asked the visitor. ' I would go anywhere my husband wishes,' said Jane meekly. ' Do you know,' asked Dr. Wynd, ' of any houses in your neighbourhood likely to suit me ?' ' I do,' replied Mr. Crayke. ' Cheap ?' asked Dr. Wynd. ' Very,' was the reply. ' Would you think it too much trouble to make some inquiries ?' said the doctor. ' Certainly not,' answered Mr. Crayke. ' I wish you would, then,' said Wynd.

And he did. He brought accounts of many cheap houses to let, yet nothing he proposed was cheap enough to meet the doctor's extremely moderate views. ' We only Avant a very small house,' he said ; ' six rooms or so would be enough. What is the use of spending money on rent ?' This last remark suggested, or rather con firmed, an idea that had long ago occurred to his disinterested friend. ' How would it suit you,' Oliver Crayke asked, ' to live entirely rent free ?' ' That Avould suit me very well indeed,' replied Dr. Wynd, Avith a laugh, pleased at the very notion. ' But where could I find such free quarters ?' ' In my own house,' said Mr. Crayke gravely. ' In your house?' echoed the doctor, in a tone of great surprise. Hitherto Oliver Crayke had never made any reference to his place of abode.

All the Wynds kneAv about it was that he lived a long way off, on the Surrey side of the Thames ; but the matter was of little interest to them, and they had asked no questions. ' Yes,' said their friend, ' my house is much too large for me, and I would be glad to have you, with your servant, as my guests.' ' You are very good,' observed Dr. Wynd tempted by the offer. 'Not at all,' replied Mr. Crayke. ' I am a lonely man, and the advantage of your society would amply repay me for the accommodation.' ' Is the house — the part you do not occupy — in good repair ?' asked Dr. Wynd cau tiously. ' Not very,' answered his visitor. ' But I would be glad to put it into perfect repair, entirely at my own expense.' Abel Wynd Avas astonished. The prospect quite ' made his mouth water.' ' What do you think of that, my dear ?' he asked of his wife. ' I think it is very kind, very generous, of Mr. Crayke,' replied Mrs. Wynd.

So Dr. Wynd eagerly accepted the hos pitable proposal, and arranged to accompany Oliver Crayke to his residence and select the apartments to be devoted to the use of himself and his wife, and see what alterations and repairs might be necessary. The first sight of Gore House, however, caused a considerable change in his view of the proposal. The gloomy look of the dark walls which surrounded the neglected garden, and gave the place the aspect of a prison, in itself daunted him. Then the dreary appearance of the dilapidated interior, with its dimly lighted passages, decayed flooring, mouldy wainscots, and creaking staircases ; its many uncanny nooks and corners, which seemed contrived expressly to serve as ambushes in which robbers and mur derers might lie in wait for their prey, and the general air of ghostly gloom that per vaded the Avhole building, chilled his blood and made him shudder from head to foot.

The sudden sight of the hideous dAvarf, Jabez, who happened to emerge abruptly from one of these hiding-places, further excited his alarm, and he AA'as not at all reassured even by Oliver Crayke's declaration that the quaint monster was perfectly harmless. So it ended by the doctor telling his friend that he would 'consider' his proposal and consult with his wife about it, and he left, very glad indeed to get out of such a horrible den. Chancing to notice in a shop-window hard by some small article of clothing which he required and which was marked at a low price, he entered and made a purchase, and took the opportunity to ask the shopkeeper if he knew anything about Gore House. IN A NE W HOME. 9 ' Do I knoAv anything about Gore House ?' echoed the tradesman ; adding, in a low and awe-struck tone: ' I should think I do, and so does everybody about here.' And then, to the doctor's utter terror, the shopkeeper told him the history of the ghastly mansion, of the deeds of blood formerly committed Avithin its walls, and the rumours of its being haunted that were current.

He, the tradesman, could not think how such a respectable gentleman as Mr. Crayke could come to live in such a place. ' But there's no accounting for tastes, you know, sir ; and besides, they say he bought it Arery cheap.' The alarming information he had thus ac quired was quite enough for Dr. Wynd, and the next time Oliver Crayke called on him, he thanked him for his offer, and declined it on the ground that he thought the house too damp and draughty to agree with his wife in her delicate state of health. If Dr. Wynd Avas disappointed by the result of his investigation, so also was Oliver Crayke by his decision. He had half formed a strange plan in his crazy brain which he fancied the residence of the Wynds in his house might enable him to carry out. Supposing, he reflected, either or both of them happened to die while under his roof, and in circumstances casting strong suspicion on himself, yet precluding all possibility of proof, here might be a ' case ' such as he had long dreamed of.

It was a plan which would re quire some ingenuity to work out, and he did not quite see his way to its execution. Still, it might be worth thinking over, and at any rate, the fact of his having Dr. Wynd and all his movable possessions within his own Avails would greatly facilitate his search for that which he so eagerly desired to discover. However, the silly fly had refused to enter the spider's web, so the plan must be aban doned for one more feasible. Thus Oliver Crayke resumed his untiring efforts to accommodate his exacting friend, and at last he succeeded. He discoA^ered a small house in a by-street at Brixton, which the doctor inspected, and, the rent being ex ceptionally moderate, declared to be exactly^ Avhat he wanted. Arrangements havino been made to take the place on agreement, Dr. Wynd proceeded to prepare for re moval to his neAV quarters.

He actually tried to sell his practice, but, as might have been expected, failed to obtain any offer for it. Yet he would not give up all hope of pursuing his profession. He would still keep a surgery, even if he could not get patients. So he resolved not to part with his stock of drugs and professional apparatus, and determined to set up his red lamp and brass plate outside his new abode. If these failed to tempt the public to employ him, he reflected that after all he was inde pendent of practice, and could liA^e on his wife's property. Besides, he meant to enjoy life in his own way, and it was satisfactory to know that he had now ample means for gratifying his peculiar tastes. In the process of ' moving ' Oliver Crayke's friendly aid was rendered in a surprisingly practical manner. No personal labour, no duty, hoAvever humble, seemed too much for him.

He helped to carry the furniture downstairs ; he assisted in taking up carpets and taking down curtains ; and he was most zealous in that necessary work of house moving which consists in overhauling drawers and cupboards and other receptacles, and sorting out their contents for preservation or destruction, according to circumstances. It is true that Dr. Wynd preferred as a rule to perform this last task unaided, and sometimes seemed to wish to do it alone and unin terrupted ; but Mr. Crayke Avas nearly always at his elbow ready to tender his services if required, and occasionally startled the doctor by his sudden appearance when he was not supposed to be near. By means of this assiduous attention he made two discoveries. In the first place he satisfied himself that Dr. Wynd had some thing to conceal, though Avhat it was and Avhere it was hidden he Avas unable to ascertain.

In the next place, Avhile Avalking alone about the denuded consulting-room, now stripped of its carpet, he chanced to place his foot on a loose board. Kneeling upon the ground, he tried the plank, and found that it was not secured to the rasters beloAv. Then, taking out his pocket-knife, he lifted the board, discovering that it could be removed bodily. He peered closely into the cavity beneath, aiding himself in his examination by the light of a wax match which he found in the room, and in the thick dust below the flooring he distinctly traced the marks of fingers that had evidently not long ago been drawn to and fro as though in search of some hidden object. The investigation Avas but the work of a few minutes, for hearing Dr. Wynd's step descending the stairs, he hastily replaced the loose plank, and rose, showing no sign that the doctor could have regarded as suspicious when he entered the apartment.

He had seen enough for his purpose. The object or objects which Dr. Wynd was con cealing had once been put away for a time in this very likely hiding-place. Of that he was convinced. Equally indefatigable and obliging was Oliver Crayke at the new house at Brixton when the work of getting in and arranging the furniture and other movables had to be done. Sarah was astonished at his industry and devotion. ' Lord !' she exclaimed to her mistress. ' How Mr. Crayke do work ! He couldn't do more if you paid him by the hour.' ' Yes,' replied Mrs. Wynd ; ' he is certainly very good-natured.' And when Mr. Crayke came again, she told him so. ' Not at all,' he answered. ' I like it. It gives me something to do.' It need hardly be said that this statement was strictly accurate, though not quite in the sense in which it presented itself to the mind of the doctor's Avise.

By means of the assistance he was rendering, Oliver Crayke became familiar with every nook and corner of the Wynds' neAV residence— from the coal-cellar to the attic, from the street-door step to the last flag in the back yard ; he knew the nature and purpose of every article and object in the house, and where it was placed or kept. He studied these things so minutely and so carefully, that he could have gone blindfolded all over the premises, and identified everything it contained by touch, without making a mistake. The house at Brixton Avas a small one, situated in a by-street inhabited by middle class people of moderate means, and of a type very common in that part of the Metropolis. It was a corner-house at the end of a row built of plain brick, and destitute of any ex ternal ornament.

There was a little strip of scrubby grass in front, with a ragged bush or two to set it off, and at the back was a paved yard, adorned only by a dust-bin. Within there were two sitting-rooms, or, rather, there was one apartment separated by fold ing doors, and on the opposite side of the passage was a wing built out for the very purpose that Dr. Wynd required, containing a consulting-room and surgery, fitted up with the necessary shelves and other fixtures. Here he set up his red lamp over the side door, and on the railing outside he fixed his old brass plate, inscribed, ' Dr. Abel Wynd, Surgeon and Accoucheur.' The rest of the house comprised a kitchen and scullery in the rear of the premises, and two bedrooms on the first-floor, and an attic above. Thus the accommodation was limited, but sufficient, and the rent being remarkably low, the estab lishment was all that its parsimonious owner could desire.

And it had other advantages. Its situation suited Dr. Wynd for more reasons than one. In the first place, Brixton was far distant from his old abode, and, personally, he was quite unknown there. Then it brought him nearer to his faithful friend, Oliver Crayke, Avhose companionship was so congenial to him, and who had proved so useful to him in many ways. But, above all, it Avas within easy reach of Eden Villa, and therefore facilitated the visits of Helen Musgrave, which were for him the most precious events of his daily life. For Helen, anxious to watch over her beloved cousin, and shield her from any harm that might threaten her, was frequently at the house of the Wynds. Now, thought Dr. Wynd, she could come to see them oftener than ever, and she could not come too often for him. He delighted in her society ; he gloated over the sight of her beauty, gazing upon her with greedy eyes whenever he thought she was not looking at him, and giving free rein to the hope that inspired him, preposterous as it was, that she might one day be his own.

He loved her madly, with the base love of his evil, sensual nature, though, much as he longed to do so, he dared not attempt to convey to her any indication of his feelings. He supposed that she had not guessed his secret ; but she would have been no woman if she had not been quick to perceive that he entertained a certain admiration for her, though, doubtless, she was not aware of the full extent of his presumption. Still, those furtive glances, which he thought she had not observed, were enough to fill her Avith disgust and scorn, and she was only deterred by her anxiety for Jane's welfare from openly expressing the contempt she felt towards him. As it was, she could not always repress her feelings with regard to him, and he was treated to many a rebuke or snub, which he received with exemplary meekness, and with stammering excuses for the offences which had provoked her disapprobation.

Helen also seemed to take a certain malicious pleasure in inducing him to perform acts sorely against his inclination, and involving the expenditure of his dearly-loved money. She would every now and then suggest that he should make various improvements in the house, and supply small luxuries and conveniences chiefly for his wife's comfort. And she always kept him up to the mark in these matters, for she never failed to remind him of his promises whenever he had omitted to fulfil them. In fact, she practised a sort of petty tyranny over him, which at once plagued and pleased him — annoyed him because her demands caused expense ; gratified him because he fancied that he was gaining her favour by complying ith her requests. Helen, of course, often met Oliver Crayke at the Wynds'. She did not quite like the look of him at first, and regarded him with some suspicion.

But his quiet, unassuming manners, and a certain delicate consideration vol. 11. and deference which he seemed to shoAV towards Mrs. Wynd, conciliated her to some extent, and caused her to form a more favourable opinion of him. She could not understand what he saw in the doctor that he should be so fond of his society. However, she looked upon him as a rather eccentric person, but well-meaning, and wholly harmless, and regarded his frequent presence at the house of the Wynds as another guarantee or Jane's safety. Abel Wynd was less likely to carry out any design against his wife while such a witness of his actions was so constantly on the spot. So she always had a smile and a friendly word for Mr. Crayke, though his peculiarly reticent manner and his strange at tachment to the doctor forbade anything like intimacy between them.

Great, however, as was the influence which Helen Musgrave managed to exercise in this household, she found that it had its limit when she attempted to apply it for the purpose of securing to Jane Wynd a control over her own property. She had given Dr. Wynd more than one hint on this sub ject, but he always managed to evade her suggestions. He was fertile in excuses for his reluctance to break into ' dear Jane's capital,' and was lavish of his assurances that her interests were his and that he would do his utmost to protect and advance them. Jane, on her part, always echoed her hus band's declarations, and endeavoured, even in her confidential interviews with Helen, to avoid the topic of her monetary possessions. Helen was sure that she was subject to extreme pressure from her husband in this matter, but it was in vain that she attempted to ascertain what was the nature of that pressure and the manner in which it was applied. ' Do not ask me, Lennie,' Mrs. Wynd would say imploringly. ' Do not talk to him or to me about our money affairs.

If you insist on doing so, you will only cause dis sension and misery in the house.' ' Well, dear,' Helen replied, ' then I will not speak about it.' But her mind misgave her sorely on the subject. The cause of Jane Wynd's reticence may be explained at once. Her husband had taken an early opportunity to impress upon her that she must consider the whole of the property left her by her father as being placed absolutely at his disposal. He did not mean to spend it, but in his hands it must remain. 20 — ' You have ruined me,' he said, ' by your idle chatter, and this is the least compensa tion you can render me for the mischief you have done. What is yours is mine under the law, and never had a husband a better right to enjoy what has come by an accident to his wife. You understand that ?' ' I do, indeed,' replied the meek wife. ' I would not wish to spend a farthing of this money without your consent.

But may I not tell Helen and her family of this arrange ment ?' ' Not one word — at your peril !' exclaimed her husband. ' Let it be understood once for all that you do what you please with the property ; but, remember, what you please is Avhat I please.' ' It shall be so, Abel,' responded Jane, with a sigh. Hence, for a time at least, no further reference was made in Helen's presence by either husband or wife to Stephen Musgrave's bequest.

Chapter II. An Appeal

T Avas hard work in the Musgrave household to ' make both ends meet,' and, in spite of all Helen's efforts to keep out of debt, it was often impossible to preserve an equilibrium between income and expenditure. Her own earnings as a daily governess, constituted as we have stated, the main support of the family, while those of the two youths, Ralph and Tom, did not go far to swell the common revenue. They lived very economically, thanks to Helen's clever management, though most of the members of the household fretted not a little under her thrifty care, and many a time complained of what they called her ' narrow views.' ' Ah !' Mrs. Musgrave would lament to her favourite daughter, ' Helen has no confidence in your father. You have, my love, and so have I, and I am sure that as soon as he has an opportunity of showing the world what is in him we shall all be prosperous.' ' I almost think,' said Tessie, a little pet tishly, ' that Helen does not want father to succeed and be rich.

If he did, she would not be able to make such a fuss about her exertions.' Poor Helen ! She who never directly or indirectly alluded to the sacrifice she Avas making for her family ! Even her mother could not fail to recognise the injustice of Tessie's remark. ' Well,' she said, ' I don't think that is her feeling. But, still, she might do more to help your father to get his book published. She can be active enough when she likes ; why does she not try to do something — go to publishers about his poem, or get someone to lend him the money to print it?' ' I know I would if I were she !' cried Tessie. ' I am sure you would, my darling,' replied her fond mother ; ' but you have not the power to do it.' ' No, I haven't,' said Tessie. The poet himself sometimes spoke a little querulously on the subject, and he complained also that Helen, in certain respects, did not treat him with the consideration due to his genius. ' She ought not to allow these bills to be run up,' he said, 'and leave me to be dunned and worried by those vulgar trades men.

They ought to have a proper time for calling for their accounts — when she is at home. She undertakes the management of the house, and she ought to attend to all these things. Only fancy, my dear, I was engaged the other day on a most important part of my sixth canto, and felt inspired — really inspired. Ideas, similes, thoughts poured upon my brain like summer rain upon a fertile meadow — I will make a note of that, by the way — when, in the midst of my poetic frenzy — you know the line, " the poet's eye in a fine frenzy rolling " — and mine was rolling in a fine frenzy, I can tell you — my medita tions were interrupted by Fanny, and just as I was in the midst of a splendid bit of descrip tive Avriting, I was stopped by the remark, " Please, sir, Mr. Butler has called to ask whether you will be good enough to let him have something on account."

Something on account! It was too disgusting. I was obliged to see the man. He Avas very insolent ; I lost my temper, was upset for the day, and could not write another line. It was really too bad !' Nothing could exceed the sympathetic in dignation with which Mrs. Musgrave and Tessie heard this sad story, and they consoled the persecuted poet by their assurance that they would certainly speak to Helen and en deavour to bring her to a proper sense of what was due to him, and beg her not to allow him to be so disturbed again. All Helen said when she heard of the tragic circumstance was : ' I am very sorry. Mr. Butler ought not to have called when he kneAv I must be out. I will see him about it, and tell the other people to come for money only on Saturday afternoons, when I am at home.' So no one was Avorried about money matters for some time but Helen herself.

Ralph heard of this little incident, and his remarks on the subject were not so filial as they might have been. ' It is an abominable shame,' he exclaimed, ' that all this trouble should fall on your shoulders, Helen, and you ought not to stand it!' ' Don't say that, Ralph !' pleaded Helen. ' But I Avill say it,' continued her brother. ' It is disgraceful that you should have not only to work, but to be bullied and badgered by these grocers and butchers. The governor ought to attend to it himself. He ought, as head of the family, to know that he should have something else to think of besides his precious " Emetic of Life."' For such, it must be said with deep regret, was the irreverent paraphrase which that un sympathetic young man was wont to apply to the title of his father's great work, and Helen was always in mortal terror lest it should come to the poet's ears. ' Ralph,' she said, ' you must not speak like that.