Wynnum

Front matter

a WYNNUM WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. Uniform with this Volume. THE DIS-HONOXJRABLE. An Australian Story of Modern Days. AN AUSTRALIAN BUSH TRACK. [Shortly. London : Sampson Low, Makston & Company, Ltd., And all Colonial Booksellers. WYNNUM BY J. D. HENNESSEY, ADTHOR OF "THE DIS-HONOURABLE," "AN AUSTRALIAN BUSH TRACK," ETC. LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, MAKSTON & COMPANY LIMITED, St. IBunsstan'sS pousse, Fetteb Lane, Fleet Street, E.C. 1896. [All rights reserved.') LONDON : PRINTED BT WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED. STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. A Street in the Antique ... ... ... 1 II. Footsteps in the Dark ... ... .'.. 10 III. Wynnum sees Visions ... ... ... 16 IV. Ant Day but Sunday ... ... ... 22 V. The Stoey of the Pictures on the Walls ... 34 VI. An Unexpected Meeting ... ... 44 VII.

Mtrtam is Quite Disagreeable ... ... 59 VIII. Trissie's Story or the "Golden Cross" 65 IX. Wynnum holds the Fort ... ... ... 71 X. " She is Fooling thee " ... ... 89 XI. Dead, but not Murdered ... ... ... 101 XII. Wynnum's Flight ... ... ... Ill XIII. Miriam sates the Family Honour ... ... 127 XIV. Behind the Scenes in Bleak Street ... 138 XV. At the Price of the Knowledge of Sin ... 149 XVI. The Rugged Path of Loye ... ... 162 XVII. A Swell Money -Lender ... ... ... 172 XVIII. Jack Ferrars ... ... ... ... 189 XIX. The Influence of a Child ... ... ... 206 XX. Wynnum becomes a Hero ... ... VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE XXI. " Hope deferred maketh the Heart Sick "... 234 XXII. Wicked Wynnum White ... ... 246 XXIII. Wanted, a Hundred Pounds ... ... 263 XXIV. No Friend like a Woman ... ... 276 XXV.

An Auction Sale in Tokenhouse Yard ... 289 XXVI. A Question of Microbes ... ... 301 XXVII. Outward Bound for Australia ... ... WYNNUM. CHAPTEE I. A STREET IN THE ANTIQUE. The old and well-known name of White had been first painted over the shop in Chester Street twenty years before; but as young Wynnum looked up and read it by the light of the street gas-lamp he had to choke down a bit of a sigh, for he knew that it would soon be painted out. The name had been done in black and gold block letters, and displayed on either side was the further information — Cabinetmaker, Upholsterer, and Undertaker. The last branch of the business, it may be said, however, was a sinecure, for there had not been a single funeral conducted during the whole of the twenty years. It was painted up originally, and had been re painted and gilded [once every five years or so, because it looked well, and savoured of older days ; for it was regarded as being the privilege only of very old-established London firms thus to designate J3 WYNNUM. 2 themselves — firms which dated their origin from a time previous to undertaking being carried on as a distinct and separate business.

Chapter II. Footsteps In The Dark

No one would wish to analyze too closely the springs of action which guided the conduct of Charles Edward White ; he was like many another business man — overburdened. His family was large and expensive, and he lacked the moral courage to "grasp his nettle." He would, for instance, wander aimlessly about the city — presumably on business — for half a day rather than face a pressing creditor. It was not so much that he lacked principle or industry, or appli cation to his business ; but he was weak and un fortunate, and that which would have made a strong man stronger, crushed and demoralized his whole nature. Like many another weak and unfortunate man, he at last decided to flee from the ills he could not conquer, and about a fortnight after the sale referred to, he left Chester Street for good.

He was the last of the family to go, except Wynnum ; and putting a couple of sovereigns into his son's hand, he left him at the Cannon Street Railway FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK. 11 Station, to join his family on board the Golden Cross at Gravesend, outward bound for Australia. After the train had moved off, Wynnum turned his steps back to the old shop in Chester Street, with a strangely heavy heart. He was master there now, for the whole of his kith and kin had left him — left him to keep guard, and cover their retreat if possible untd the Golden Cross, with its freight of living souls, should get well out to sea. So when Wynnum let himself into the deserted furniture-shop and dwelling-house, he knew that for a lad of nineteen he had no easy task before him. It was Saturday night, and the Golden Cross would not sail from Gravesend before Monday ; and he must keep that shop open — although it would be almost entirely emptied of its stock — and he must hoodwink the public, and his father's creditors and landlord, at any rate until the following Wednesday ; and the question which troubled him was, how it could be done.

There was something more than that, moreover, which troubled him, for it was a piece of business which he did not relish, that he — " The Family Conscience," as they had called him — should be expected to do this acting of a lie. He had, however, all Sunday to think about it, so he wisely resolved to go to bed. But he must first look over the premises, for he had been absent half the day. WYNNUM. 12 Few things are more haunting than the echoes of a deserted house, out of which have trooped young and old, whom the ties of love and kindred have made one's friends. Not even the cat had been left behind, for she had been carried off to the ship surreptitiously by one of the youngsters. He was all alone, not only in that-house, but in London. For twenty long years his father and family had lived and worked there in the heart of the metro polis.

They had every one of them grown up in the place ; to Wynnum it seemed like treason thus to desert the old home. The dwelling-house was a four-storied budding over the shop, facing the front street, and was of very old construction. At the back, built more recently, there stretched for some distance the two storied warehouse and workshops. He lit the gas as he passed along, for the flicker ing candle-light seemed dim, and its beams were uncertain. He went first into his father's counting house, where books and papers were strewn about in great disorder. Then climbing the staircase into the cabinetmakers' workshop, he looked carefully around. There was nothing of much value there, and the benches and various appliances of the business were untouched. It looked just as it had looked as long as Wynnum could remember, and he almost imagined himself labouring under some strange delusion.

The very tool-chests stood at the head FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK. 13 of the benches. Surely on Monday morning the men would be there at work again as usual. That was old Bernie's bench, and that Shorter's, and that Maguire's; here the apprentices worked, and over there Isaac Rex and the French-polishers. It was like a grim dream to think that they had all been discharged several days before — that was, except Rex, who, as an old and trusted employee in the secret, was coming in for a few days to open the shop and help keep things straight. Wynnum turned out the gas and went down into the lower shop, and was passing on to the dwelling house, when he thought he heard something, or some one. His heart beat: quickly, until he could almost hear it audibly thumping against his ribs. As he turned the lights rapidly out, and retreated towards the dwelling-house, he felt sure that some one was following him, but he dared not turn round again to see.

He bolted the dividing door between the dwelling-house and the business premises with a sharp snap, and sprang up the stairs to his bed room, and, locking the door, prepared himself for sleep. What a blessing, he thought, that to-morrow was Sunday. It would take him the whole day to think ! But who was that downstairs ? Was it any one, or only his fancy ? He lay awake for a long time, thinking and listening. As he did so a strange thing happened. WYNNUM. 14 Down in the street a gas-lamp stood by the side of the house, at the dividing line between the Whites' shop and the next-door neighbour's, and its light glanced quite brightly through the uublinded window upon the ceding of the room, and was re flected upon an old-fashioned pier-glass which stood upon the mantelpiece. This had been bought, like other furniture in the room, cheaply at a sale, and was not worth much ; but it caught the reflection of the gas-light in the street, and glittered strangely before Wynnum's eyes.

He had drawn up the blinds to let the light in for company. It was only gas-light, and dull and yellow at that ; but it was light, and light is always company to the well disposed. He lay looking at the bright spot on the pier glass fur some time, when he suddenly started, and staring up into the corner of the room, he gazed there in amazement. There was looking out upon him from the corner, just below the cornice, his mother's face! The light from the looking-glass was somehow reflected back exactly upon that corner of the room. The wall-paper had been pushed aside, and was hanging down for fully half a yard, and it was behind this that there looked down upon him that human face. Many people would have sprung up on the spur of the moment to investigate, but Wynnum could FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK. 15 not have done it just then to have saved his life.

It was not lack of courage, but of the power to will. He had never feared his mother, nor, indeed, loved her very much ; the passion had never been awakened. A mother's love springs up naturally out of the warm bed of physical pain, self-sacrifice, and self denial ; but the child's is not spontaneous, and has to be planted in the heart with patience before it takes root and grows. Some chddren — in very well regulated families too — are never taught to love. But the face neither moved, nor smiled, nor spoke ; and Wynnum lay there looking at it, and from it to the glass, thinking how strange it was that the reflection of the light should strike that particular corner ; but his eyes always turned again to catch the eyes of the face, until at last he seemed to have lost all power to remove them. He was being mesmerized by the strangely staring eyes that looked down upon him. WYNNUM. 16

Chapter III. Wynnum Sees Visions

The exercise of that subtle power by which one person obtains mastery over the senses of another, is said to have a soothing and not unpleasant sensation for the subject operated upon ; and while Wynnum had no power to resist the mysterious influence rained upon him through those strangely human eyes, he really had no wish to do so. He had gone through so much that day ! He realized that possibly upon his tact and skdl depended the whole future welfare of the White family. His father had taken care to impress upon him the fact that he was liable to be arrested as a fraudulent debtor, if it was known that he was running away from his creditors. He would, of course, pay every penny eventually, for there was money to be made in Australia ! " Wynnum," said he, as they parted, " you must do your best for us, my lad."

These were his last words ; and the load of respon sibility which pressed upon Wynnum's heart was WYNNUM SEES VISIONS. 17 great. Whatever would happen to the others, he thought, if his father was arrested ! It was a respon sibility, too, which he had to carry entirely by him self — and he was little more than a boy. It was a relief to feel himself for a time less his own master, and the mainstay of others. Lying there, partially mesmerized, it was as though he actually had some one himself to lean upon. Outside in the street it was raining and blowing, and the lamp-light flickered on the pier-glass. As he turned his eyes back upon it they seemed to become fixed, and there passed swiftly before and around him a series of panoramic pictures represent ing bygone days. This, it should be explained, was preceded by a curious bodily sensation, as though everything was receding from him, and he was actually falling back into the past, and growing less and less, until he lay again an infant in the nurse's arms.

But he knew and understood everything. It seemed to him that he existed in a dual form. He had compassed the impossible, for he felt himself to consciously exist in two places at the same time. He lay there in the nurse's arms, a delicate infant with finely moulded limbs, the firstborn son in a large family of girls. He knew that his father, Charles Edward White, was a fairly well-to-do man of business, and that there was general rejoicing because he had been born a son. He heard his mother say petulantly to the nurse, c WYNNUM. 18 " His name is to be Wynnum — only that, without either Charles or Edward. I never heard such nonsense ; you might as well call him Jerusalem or Jericho ; but his father will have it so. Fancy Wynnum for a Christian name ! Probably the clergyman will refuse to baptize him, and very right and proper too !

I hope he may ! " Fair-haired girls passed around him in the pier glass. They were his sisters, but the boy had robbed them all of beauty. The friends of the family — every one of them — said he ought to have been another girl. One scene specially arrested his attention and impressed itself upon him. He saw himself a boy of six years old, sitting with his mother and sisters in the pew they occupied in the old-fashioned Presbyterian Church, which was down a queer, secluded sort of cul-de-sac. There were stained-glass windows on each side of the pulpit, about which it must be said there had been trouble in the congregation, for some of the white-haired elders had objected to the innovation. Painted windows, said the stern Scotch Londoners, were not in keeping with the simple spiritual form of worship, which had been handed down to them by their forefathers; besides, such things savoured of idolatry !

They were memorial windows, however, to be presented by a wealthy member of the congregation, and money carried the day. WYNNUM SEES VISIONS. 19 The large windows were elaborate representations of two Scripture scenes, but below them on either side, projecting from the coloured glass bordering, were two round pictures. In one a Bible saint was looking on a book (strange ! it was a modern-looking book, not a scroll of parchment), and by his side, glaring around upon the congregation, was a fearful looking animal. The corresponding saint, on the other side of the pulpit, kept company with a bull ; but it was the first animal that specially confronted Wynnum when he sat in church on Sundays, and became a part of the boy's childish creed. He asked both his father and mother and sisters to tell him all about it ; but the first pretended to be too busy, and the others said they did not know.

So Wynnum listened in his childish way to the minister's sermons, hoping to hear something about this fearful animal which stared coldly down upon him every Sunday morning. On one occasion he heard the minister tell of Elisha and the bears, and he thought that that was what it was intended for ; but it seemed to him too ugly, even to be a bear. It did not quite fit in with the story of how David killed a lion and a bear, for the animal in the painted window was alive. But one Sunday he heard the minister preach an awe-inspiring sermon of how " the devil goeth about as a roaring lion, seek ing whom he may devour." " It is no doubt the bear he refers to," said Wynnum, and henceforth the WYNNUM. 20 animal was established as a portion of Wynnum's childish creed ; and, when the rest of the family followed the usual custom of bowing their heads for a moment when they first took their seats in church, Wynnum followed their example, although, no doubt, ministers, elders, congregation, and even his own family, would have been horrified had they known the truth — Wynnum always prayed to the bear.

" Please, bear, help me to be a good boy, and don't eat me up." It was a queer sort of religion that, even for a child ; but revolting as it seems, there was something about it which tinctured Wynnum's thoughts of God when he came to be a man. But was the child's idea of God altogether dissimilar to that of multitudes of people ? As the years passed the family fell upon less prosperous times. He heard his father say that a partner had cheated him. But that is a thing very commonly said or imagined, and might or might not have been true. More boys and girls were added, and some died. So the time fled past, and Wynnum saw himself a young man. Handsome, almost womanly in the delicate con tour of his limbs, and finely-chiselled face; with high brow, large eyes, and firm red lips ; it puzzled men who prided themselves on breed, how the son of a mere master mechanic came to be possessed of these things.

He was well-educated for his position WYNNUM SEES VISIONS. 21 in life : h« knew the Latin Primer at ten, had written poetry at twelve, essays at thirteen, and two years later saw a letter of his actually inserted in the London Times, and felt himself to be almost a genius. This is but a meagre part of the vision of the pier glass, however, but it is enough to give the reader some idea of our hero's early life and surroundings. WYNNUM. 22

Chapter IV. Any Day But Sunday

The first thing which caught Wynnum's eye when morning dawned was the face. He looked at it, however, only for an instant, and then sprang upon the floor, for there was nothing supernatural about it in the daylight ; and yet it would be difficult to describe his astonishment. It was a nearly life-sized female face, exquisitely painted on canvas, behind the wall-paper of the room. A print which had hung near to it had been removed, and the many thicknesses of wall-paper had somehow been partially torn away. To Wynnum's knowledge no member of the family during all these years had dreamt of the existence of any painting behind the dull-figured wall-paper. He stood for a moment or two spell-bound with astonishment. In the beautiful features above him there was certainly some resemblance to his mother, but it was very slight ; the face was too refined and beautiful and ethereal to be that of Margaret White.

The painting of the eyes was extraordinary, they seemed so strangely fixed and staring. " It mesmerized me last night," Wynnum said thickly to himself. " I am sure it did. I wonder what more there is behind ? " To move a chair into the corner, and spring upon it and pull down more of the wall-covering was the work of a moment. A great painting was revealed, which evidently covered the entire side of the room. But the strange thing was, that the female face occupying the top corner seemed to have been painted there, through some whim of the artist, as though it had been put in as an after-thought, for it had nothing to do with the picture itself, which, as far as could be seen, was a fine landscape in oils, in an excellent state of preservation. " This is very remarkable ! Most remarkable !

" Wynnum repeated to himself in his excitement, as he hurriedly made his toilet. " How on earth came the thing there ? It must have been hidden away for over a hundred years. It may be a lost painting of one of the old masters, and worth thousands of pounds. The present landlord only bought the property about fifteen years ago. How fortunate it is that I have discovered it ; but I wonder what will be the best to do." After dressing, Wynnum made his way to a neighbouring coffee-house to get breakfast; it was known as an "all-night" house, and hot fragrant WYNNUM. 24 coffee and eggs and toast were soon in front of him. Such houses were frequently of doubtful reputation, but Wynnum was not well versed in such matters. He started, however, and almost upset his coffee, when a familiar voice at his elbow suddenly asked him for the loan of a shilling to see him through the day.

" Good morning, Rex," he said, starting round ; " you regularly frightened me. What on earth are you doing here? Sit down with me, and I will order you some breakfast." "I came over early, sir, thinking perhaps, although it's Sunday, you might want me. If you don't, I can go home again. I hope all are safely off, and well." " Yes, capital," replied Wynnum, briefly. The man spoke with studied respect, and ate his breakfast almost in silence. His young master's mind was filled with con flicting thoughts. It was a relief to have any one to talk to that he knew ; and yet he wanted to be alone to think over the whole situation, and also decide as to what he should do about the newly discovered picture. Isaac Rex, who had thus abruptly introduced himself to Wynnum, was one of a class of men seldom or never met with outside a big city.

By trade he was a French-polisher, as might be seen by looking at the fingers of his right hand, where the signs of his calling persistently lingered. He was a man of medium height, with black, thin, and slightly curling hair, small eyes, and sharp, thin, semi-Jewish nose, who might have been any age from forty to sixty. He was distinctly of a mongrel race, claiming no particular nationality, save that he was a Londoner. Cat-like in his litheness of limb, he was broad-shouldered, and yet dapper and neat about his legs and feet. He never raised his voice much above a whisper, knew how to keep a secret, and could walk home erect along a crowded footpath after drinking enough beer or brandy to make three other men blindly drunk. He got intoxicated sometimes, however, but it was in a way peculiar to his class.

It made him more disagreeable and reticent, and he would then drink anything, even methylated spirits of wine, until the naphtha in it almost drove him mad. There was nothing for it at such times but to send him home. The following morning he would come to his work at the proper hour, with a mysterious, self-satisfied smile, as though he had over-night discovered a gold-mine. It was generally believed that he was married, and that his wife and daughters were dressmakers, and that he spent almost the whole of his wages in drink ; but, although he had worked for Wynnum's father for nearly thirteen years, no one knew where he lived. If WYNNUM. asked, he would reply, "Oh, over the water," meaning thereby across the Thames. His curious fellow-workmen would sometimes reply sarcastically, " You mean over the beer."

There was one trait in his character to be specially mentioned. Not a day passed but about lunch-time he came to the counting-house, or waylaid the head of the firm, for the loan of a shilling. It was second nature to him. Again and again six separate shillings had been specially advanced to last out the week ; but it was of no use, he could not keep them, and a couple of days after he would be back again for the daily shilling loan. However, he always dressed neatly, spoke pleasantly and politely to strangers and customers, was shrewd, and knew when to speak and when to hold his tongue — things which have many a time, as in the case referred to, covered a multitude of sins. "I shall not want you to-day, Rex," said Wynnum; " but be over in time to take down the shutters at eight to-morrow morning."

" All right, sir. Wynnum was once more alone, and made his way as fast as possible back to the house, and to the room which contained the picture. He at once commenced a more careful examina tion of that portion of the landscape which he had already uncovered, and was surprised to find that it was curiously fastened to a rabbet, evidently made for its reception, by large silk loops which fastened upon dark, smooth wooden buttons. It was plain that the picture was stretched in this way upon the wall for convenience of removal. By ripping down the wall-paper from the ceiling and two sides, the great picture could have been unbuttoned from the wall in half an hour Or less, and rolled up for removal. In his curiosity to see the whole of the picture he was about to tear down the wall-paper, when he suddenly stopped, and stepped hurriedly back into the middle of the room.

" Good Heaven ! What am I about to do ! " he ejaculated. " The picture is not mine ! True, I have no knowledge of its ownership at present. It is not the landlord's ; he may have given two thousand pounds for the place, but he paid nothing in the purchase-money on account of this valuable picture. The money which it wrould bring would, no doubt, pay my father's debts two or three times over, and save the family honour ; but it would be saved by dishonour, although it might not be publicly known, and the dishonour would be on my soul only." In his distress and perplexity he paced to and fro, now glancing out of the windows upon the morning sunshine, which peeped down into the dingy old street and gladdened the sparrows, who sat pluming their feathers on the parapets of the WYNNUM. 28 houses on the opposite side of the way, and then again at the wall-paper, half-stripped from the side of the room, and the position of the picture, and the fixed, haunting eyes of that woman's face.

It is not often that even a young man feels creepy and uncanny in broad daylight, but the eyes of the picture perfectly fascinated him. He ejaculated, " Whatever is she looking at ? " He pulled a chair into the middle of the room and sat down in it and stared back at the picture. Had he remained in that position for many minutes he ivould have been hypnotised, and this story might never have been written. He wTenched his eyes away, however, and casting them upon the carpet, sat absorbed in thought. "What were those piercing eyes looking at? Why did the painter place that face just there, and make it look like that ? It could not have been by chance ! The hand of a master painted that face, and painted it for some special purpose." Thus ran Wynnum's thoughts as he tried to think it out. It was as though the artist had put his whole soul's purpose into those eyes and the expression of that face.

It seemed to be saying, "There! there! Look! look!" " What is it looking at ? " exclaimed Wynnum, as he wheeled his chair and turned himself toward where the painfully fixed gaze of those eyes rested. It was evident that they were looking at the wall just above the wainscoting of the opposite corner. " I wonder," cried he, leaping from the chair in his excitement, " whether there is anything behind the wall-paper on the other side of this room ! " He examined it carefully, and rapped it with his knuckles, but could see nothing unusual about the wall. Pressing his fingers, however, into the corner, and just above the varnished wainscoting, he felt that there was a beading running up the corner and along the wainscot, similar to that upon the other wall from which the papering had been torn.

Taking a pen-knife from his pocket he cut through nearly a dozen thicknesses of wall-paper, the accumulation of very many years of house renovation, and uncovered the beading. He did this with scrupulous care, which was explained a moment after by his saying aloud, " I do not intend to touch this picture or anything else which I may discover in this room — the things are not mine ; but I shall find out all I can, and then replace and fasten everything neatly up, and let it remain there a secret, probably known only to myself and God. Those eyes, however, are intended to convey the impression that they are looking at something, and I am convinced that there is some secret in that corner, and before I cover over the face again, perhaps for another hundred years, I mean to see." WYNNUM. 30 It was now about ten o'clock, and he hurried down to the workshops to get some tools to remove the beading and wall-paper as neatly as possible without defacing anything.