At Sunwich Port, Complete

“Well, wot’s to be done, then?” inquired the staring Mr. Kybird.

“Send ‘em up to London and ‘ave ‘em married by special license,” said Mr. Smith, speaking rapidly—“to-morrow, if possible; if not, the day after. Go and pitch a tale to Teddy tonight, and make ‘im understand it’s to be done on the strict q.t.”

“Special licenses cost money,” said Mr. Kybird. “I ‘ave ‘eard it’s a matter o’ thirty pounds or thereabouts.”

Mr. Nathan Smith rose, and his eyes were almost expressive. He nodded good-night to the ladies and crossed to the door. Mrs. Kybird suddenly seized him by the coat and held him.

“Don’t be in a ‘urry, Nat,” she pleaded. “We ain’t all as clever as you are.”

“Talk about looking a gift-’orse in the mouth—” began the indignant Mr. Smith.

“Sit down,” urged Mr. Kybird. “You can’t expect us to be as quick in seeing things as wot you are.”

He pushed his partly mollified friend into his chair again, and taking a seat next him began to view the affair with enthusiasm. “‘Melia shall turn young Nugent off tonight,” he said, firmly.

“That’s right,” said the other; “go and do a few more silly things like that and we shall be ‘appy. If you’d got a ‘ead instead of wot you ‘ave got, you wouldn’t talk of giving the show away like that. Nobody must know or guess about anything until young Teddy is married to ‘Melia and got the money.”

“It seems something like deceitfulness,” said Miss Kybird, who had been listening to the plans for her future with admirable composure.

“It’s for Teddy’s own sake,” said Nathan Smith. “Everybody knows ‘e’s half crazy after you.”

“I don’t know that I don’t like ‘im best, even without the money,” said Miss Kybird, calmly. “Nobody could ‘ave been more attentive than ‘im. I believe that ‘e’d marry me if ‘e ‘ad a hundred thousand, but it looks better your way.”

“Better all round,” said Nathan Smith, with at approving nod. “Now, Dan’l, ‘op round to Teddy and whistle ‘im back, and mind ‘e’s to keep it a dead secret on account o’ trouble with young Nugent. D’ye twig?”

The admiring Mr. Kybird said that he was a wonder, and, in the discussion on ways and means which followed, sat listening with growing respect to the managing abilities both of his friend and his wife. Difficulties were only mentioned for the purpose of being satisfactorily solved, and he noticed with keen appreciation that the prospect of a ten thousand pound son-in-law was already adding to that lady’s dignity. She sniffed haughtily as she spoke of “that Nugent lot”; and the manner in which she promised Mr. Smith that he should not lose by his services would have graced a duchess.

“I didn’t expect to lose by it,” said the boarding-master, pointedly. “Come over and ‘ave a glass at the Chequers, Dan, and then you can go along and see Teddy.”

CHAPTER XXIII

The summer evening was well advanced when Mr. Kybird and his old friend parted. The former gentleman was in almost a sentimental mood, and the boarding-master, satisfied that his pupil was in a particularly appropriate frame of mind for the object of his visit, renewed his instructions about binding Mr. Silk to secrecy, and departed on business of his own.

Mr. Kybird walked slowly towards Fullalove Alley with his head sunk in meditation. He was anxious to find Mr. Silk alone, as otherwise the difficulty of his errand would be considerably increased, Mrs. Silk’s intelligence being by no means obscured by any ungovernable affection for the Kybird family. If she was at home he would have to invent some pretext for luring Teddy into the privacy of the open air.

The lamp was lit in the front room by the time he reached the house, and the shadows of geraniums which had won through several winters formed a straggling pattern on the holland blind. Mr. Kybird, first making an unsuccessful attempt to peep round the edges of this decoration, tapped gently on the door, and in response to a command to “Come in,” turned the handle and looked into the room. To his relief, he saw that Mr. Silk was alone.

“Good evening, Teddy,” he said, with a genial smile, as he entered slowly and closed the door behind him. “I ‘ope I see you well?”

“I’m quite well,” returned Mr. Silk, gazing at him with unconcealed surprise.

“I’m glad to ‘ear it,” said Mr. Kybird, in a somewhat reproachful voice, “for your sake; for every-body’s sake, though, p’r’aps, I did expect to find you looking a little bit down. Ah! it’s the wimmen that ‘ave the ‘arts after all.”

Mr. Silk coughed. “What d’ye mean?” he inquired, somewhat puzzled.

“I came to see you, Teddy, on a very delikit business,” said Mr. Kybird, taking a seat and gazing diffidently at his hat as he swung it between his hands; “though, as man to man, I’m on’y doing of my dooty. But if you don’t want to ‘ear wot I’ve got to say, say so, and Dan’l Kybird’ll darken your door no more.”

“How can I know whether I want to ‘ear it or not when I don’t know wot it is?” said Mr. Silk, judiciously.

Mr. Kybird sat biting his thumb-nail, then he looked up suddenly. “‘Melia,” he said, with an outburst of desperate frankness, “‘Melia is crying ‘er eyes out.”

Mr. Silk, with a smothered exclamation, started up from his chair and regarded him eagerly.

“If she knew I’d been ‘ere,” pursued Mr. Kybird, “she’d I don’t know wot she wouldn’t do. That’s ‘er pride; but I’ve got my pride too; the pride of a father’s ‘art.”

“What—what’s she crying about?” inquired Mr. Silk, in an unsteady voice.

“She’s been looking poorly for some time,” continued the veracious Mr. Kybird, “and crying. When I tell you that part o’ the wedding-dress wot she was making ‘ad to be taken away from ‘er because o’ the tears she dropped on it, you may ‘ave some idea of wot things are like. She’s never forgot you, Teddy, and it was on’y your quick temper that day that made ‘er take on with young Nugent. She’s got a temper, too, but she give ‘er love once, and, being my daughter, she couldn’t give it agin.”

He stole a glance at his listener. Mr. Silk, very pale and upright, was standing on the hearthrug, shaking all over with nervous excitement. Twice he tried to speak and failed.

“That’s ‘ow it is, Teddy,” sighed Mr. Kybird, rising as though to depart. “I’ve done my dooty. It was a ‘ard thing to do, but I’ve done it.”

“Do you mean,” said Mr. Silk, recovering his voice at last, “do you mean that Amelia would marry me after all?”

“Do I mean?” repeated Mr. Kybird, naturally indignant that his very plain speaking should be deemed capable of any misconstruction. “Am I speaking to a stock or a stone, Teddy?”

Mr. Silk took a deep breath, and buttoned up his coat, as though preparing to meet Mr. Nugent there and then in deadly encounter for the person of Miss Kybird. The colour was back in his cheeks by this time, and his eyes were unusually bright. He took a step towards Mr. Kybird and, pressing his hand warmly, pushed him back into his seat again.

“There’s ‘er pride to consider, Teddy,” said the latter gentleman, with the whisper of a conspirator.

“She can’t stand being talked about all over the town and pointed at.”

“Let me see anybody a-pointing at ‘er,” said the truculent Mr. Silk; “let me see ‘em, that’s all.”

“That’s the way to talk, Teddy,” said Mr. Kybird, gazing at him with admiration.

“Talk!” said the heroic Mr. Silk. “I’ll do more than talk.” He clenched his fists and paced boldly up and down the hearthrug.

“You leave things to me,” said Mr. Kybird, with a confidential wink. “I’ll see that it’s all right. All I ask of you is to keep it a dead secret; even your mother mustn’t know.”

“I’ll be as secret as the grave,” said the overjoyed Mr. Silk.

“There’s lots o’ things to be taken into consideration,” said Mr. Kybird, truthfully; “it might be as well for you to be married immediate.”

“Immediate?” said the astonished Mr. Silk.

“She ‘asn’t got the nerve to send young Nugent about ‘is business,” explained Mr. Kybird; “she feels sorry for ‘im, pore fellow; but ‘e’s got a loving and affectionate ‘art, and she can’t bear ‘im making love to ‘er. You can understand what it is, can’t you?”

“I can imagine it,” said Mr. Silk, gloomily, and he flushed crimson as the possibilities suggested by the remark occurred to him.

“I’ve been thinking it over for some time,” resumed Mr. Kybird; “twisting it and turning it all ways, and the only thing I can see for it is for you to be married on the strict q.t. Of course, if you don’t like—”

“Like!” repeated the transported Mr. Silk.

“I’ll go and be married now, if you like.”

Mr. Kybird shook his head at such haste, and then softening a little observed that it did him credit. He proceeded to improve the occasion by anecdotes of his own courting some thirty years before, and was in the middle of a thrilling account of the manner in which he had bearded the whole of his future wife’s family, when a quick step outside, which paused at the door, brought him to a sudden halt.