Chương Chương 27 · AMY BELDEN

.”

“Amy Belden! the name found written on a torn envelope by Mr.

Clavering’s servant girl in London?”

“Yes.”

I made no attempt to conceal my satisfaction. “Then we are upon the

verge of some discovery; Providence has interfered, and Eleanore

will be saved! But when did you get this word?”

“Last night, or rather this morning; Q brought it.”

“It was a message, then, to Q?”

“Yes, the result of his moleings while in R----, I suppose.”

“Whom was it signed by?”

“A respectable tinsmith who lives next door to Mrs. B.”

“And is this the first you knew of an Amy Belden living in R----?”

“Yes.”

“Widow or wife?”

“Don’t know; don’t know anything about her but her name.”

“But you have already sent Q to make inquiries?”

“No; the affair is a little too serious for him to manage alone. He

is not equal to great occasions, and might fail just for the lack

of a keen mind to direct him.”

“In short----”

“I wish you to go. Since I cannot be there myself, I know of no one

else sufficiently up in the affair to conduct it to a successful

issue. You see, it is not enough to find and identify the girl. The

present condition of things demands that the arrest of so important

a witness should be kept secret. Now, for a man to walk into a

strange house in a distant village, find a girl who is secreted

there, frighten her, cajole her, force her, as the case may be,

from her hiding-place to a detective’s office in New York, and

all without the knowledge of the next-door neighbor, if possible,

requires judgment, brains, genius. Then the woman who conceals her!

She must have her reasons for doing so; and they must be known.

Altogether, the affair is a delicate one. Do you think you can

manage it?”

“I should at least like to try.”

Mr. Gryce settled himself on the sofa. “To think what pleasure I am

losing on your account!” he grumbled, gazing reproachfully at his

helpless limbs. “But to business. How soon can you start?”

“Immediately.”

“Good! a train leaves the depot at 12.15. Take that. Once in R----,

it will be for you to decide upon the means of making Mrs. Belden’s

acquaintance without arousing her suspicions. Q, who will follow

you, will hold himself in readiness to render you any assistance

you may require. Only this thing is to be understood: as he will

doubtless go in disguise, you are not to recognize him, much less

interfere with him and his plans, till he gives you leave to do

so, by some preconcerted signal. You are to work in your way, and

he in his, till circumstances seem to call for mutual support and

countenance. I cannot even say whether you will see him or not;

he may find it necessary to keep out of the way; but you may be

sure of one thing, that he will know where you are, and that the

display of, well, let us say a red silk handkerchief--have you such

a thing?”

“I will get one.”

“Will be regarded by him as a sign that you desire his presence or

assistance, whether it be shown about your person or at the window

of your room.”

“And these are all the instructions you can give me?” I said, as he

paused.

“Yes, I don’t know of anything else. You must depend largely upon

your own discretion, and the exigencies of the moment. I cannot

tell you now what to do. Your own wit will be the best guide. Only,

if possible, let me either hear from you or see you by to-morrow at

this time.”

And he handed me a cipher in case I should wish to telegraph.

BOOK III. HANNAH

Chapter 27. AMY BELDEN

“A merrier man

Within the limits of becoming mirth,

I never spent an hour’s talk withal.”

Love’s Labour’s Lost.

I had a client in R---- by the name of Monell; and it was from him

I had planned to learn the best way of approaching Mrs. Belden.

When, therefore, I was so fortunate as to meet him, almost on my

arrival, driving on the long road behind his famous trotter Alfred,

I regarded the encounter as a most auspicious beginning of a very

doubtful enterprise.

“Well, and how goes the day?” was his exclamation as, the first

greetings passed, we drove rapidly into town.

“Your part in it goes pretty smoothly,” I returned; and thinking I

could never hope to win his attention to my own affairs till I had

satisfied him in regard to his, I told him all I could concerning

the law-suit then pending; a subject so prolific of question

and answer, that we had driven twice round the town before he

remembered he had a letter to post. As it was an important one,

admitting of no delay, we hasted at once to the post-office, where

he went in, leaving me outside to watch the rather meagre stream

of goers and comers who at that time of day make the post-office

of a country town their place of rendezvous. Among these, for some

reason, I especially noted one middle-aged woman; why, I cannot

say; her appearance was anything but remarkable. And yet when she

came out, with two letters in her hand, one in a large and one in

a small envelope, and meeting my eye hastily drew them under her

shawl, I found myself wondering what was in her letters and who she

could be, that the casual glance of a stranger should unconsciously

move her to an action so suspicious. But Mr. Monell’s reappearance

at the same moment, diverted my attention, and in the interest of

the conversation that followed, I soon forgot both the woman and

her letters. For determined that he should have no opportunity to

revert to that endless topic, a law case, I exclaimed with the

first crack of the whip,--“There, I knew there was something I

wanted to ask you. It is this: Are you acquainted with any one is

this town by the name of Belden?”

“There is a widow Belden in town; I don’t know of any other.”

“Is her first name Amy?”

“Yes, Mrs. Amy Belden.”

“That is the one,” said I. “Who is she, what is she, and what is

the extent of your acquaintance with her?”

“Well,” said he, “ I cannot conceive why you should be interested

in such an antiquated piece of commonplace goodness as she is, but

seeing you ask, I have no objection to telling you that she is the

very respectable relict of a deceased cabinetmaker of this town;

that she lives in a little house down the street there, and that

if you have any forlorn old tramp to be lodged over night, or any

destitute family of little ones to be looked after, she is the

one to go to. As to knowing her, I know her as I do a dozen other

members of our church there up over the hill. When I see her I

speak to her, and that is all.”

“A respectable widow, you say. Any family?”

“No; lives alone, has a little income, I believe; must have, to

put the money on the plate she always does; but spends her time in

plain sewing and such deeds of charity, as one with small means

but willing heart can find the opportunity of doing in a town like

this. But why in the name of wonders do you ask?”

“Business,” said I, “business. Mrs. Belden--don’t mention it by

the way--has got mixed up in a case of mine, and I felt it due to

my curiosity if not to my purse, to find out something about her.

And I am not satisfied yet. The fact is I would give something,

Monell, for the opportunity of studying this woman’s character. Now

couldn’t you manage to get me introduced into her house in some way

that would make it possible and proper for me to converse with her

at my leisure? Business would thank you if you could.”

“Well, I don’t know; I suppose it could be done. She used to take

lodgers in the summer when the hotel was full, and might be induced

to give a bed to a friend of mine who is very anxious to be near

the post-office on account of a business telegram he is expecting,

and which when it comes will demand his immediate attention.” And

Mr. Monell gave me a sly wink of his eye, little imagining how near

the mark he had struck.

“You need not say that. Tell her I have a peculiar dislike to

sleeping in a public house, and that you know of no one better

fitted to accommodate me, for the short time I desire to be in

town, than herself.”

“And what will be said of my hospitality in allowing you under

these circumstances to remain in any other house than my own?”

“I don’t know; very hard things, no doubt; but I guess your

hospitality can stand it.”

“Well, if you persist, we will see what can be done.” And driving

up to a neat white cottage of homely, but sufficiently attractive

appearance, he stopped.

“This is her house,” said he, jumping to the ground; “let’s go in

and see what we can do.”

Glancing up at the windows, which were all closed save the two

on the veranda overlooking the street, I thought to myself, “If

she has anybody in hiding here, whose presence in the house she

desires to keep secret, it is folly to hope she will take me in,

however well recommended I may come.” But, yielding to the example

of my friend, I alighted in my turn and followed him up the short,

grass-bordered walk to the front door.

“As she has no servant, she will come to the door herself, so be

ready,” he remarked as he knocked.

I had barely time to observe that the curtains to the window at

my left suddenly dropped, when a hasty step made itself heard

within, and a quick hand drew open the door; and I saw before

me the woman whom I had observed at the post-office, and whose

action with the letters had struck me as peculiar. I recognized

her at first glance, though she was differently dressed, and had

evidently passed through some worry or excitement that had altered

the expression of her countenance, and made her manner what it was

not at that time, strained and a trifle uncertain. But I saw no

reason for thinking she remembered me. On the contrary, the look

she directed towards me had nothing but inquiry in it, and when Mr.

Monell pushed me forward with the remark, “A friend of mine; in

fact my lawyer from New York,” she dropped a hurried old-fashioned

curtsey whose only expression was a manifest desire to appear

sensible of the honor conferred upon her, through the mist of a

certain trouble that confused everything about her.

“We have come to ask a favor, Mrs. Belden; but may we not come in?

“said my client in a round, hearty voice well calculated to recall

a person’s thoughts into their proper channel. “I have heard many

times of your cosy home, and am glad of this opportunity of seeing

it.” And with a blind disregard to the look of surprised resistance

with which she met his advance, he stepped gallantly into the

little room whose cheery red carpet and bright picture-hung walls

showed invitingly through the half-open door at our left.

Finding her premises thus invaded by a sort of French _coup

d’etat_, Mrs. Belden made the best of the situation, and pressing

me to enter also, devoted herself to hospitality. As for Mr.

Monell, he quite blossomed out in his endeavors to make himself

agreeable; so much so, that I shortly found myself laughing at

his sallies, though my heart was full of anxiety lest, after all,

our efforts should fail of the success they certainly merited.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Belden softened more and more, joining in the

conversation with an ease hardly to be expected from one in her

humble circumstances. Indeed, I soon saw she was no common woman.

There was a refinement in her speech and manner, which, combined

with her motherly presence and gentle air, was very pleasing. The

last woman in the world to suspect of any underhanded proceeding,

if she had not shown a peculiar hesitation when Mr. Monell broached

the subject of my entertainment there.

“I don’t know, sir; I would be glad, but,” and she turned a very

scrutinizing look upon me, “the fact is, I have not taken lodgers

of late, and I have got out of the way of the whole thing, and am

afraid I cannot make him comfortable. In short, you will have to

excuse me.”

“But we can’t,” returned Mr. Monell. “What, entice a fellow into

a room like this”--and he cast a hearty admiring glance round the

apartment which, for all its simplicity, both its warm coloring

and general air of cosiness amply merited, “and then turn a cold

shoulder upon him when he humbly entreats the honor of staying a

single night in the enjoyment of its attractions? No, no, Mrs.

Belden; I know you too well for that. Lazarus himself couldn’t

come to your door and be turned away; much less a good-hearted,

clever-headed young gentleman like my friend here.”

“You are very good,” she began, an almost weak love of praise

showing itself for a moment in her eyes; “but I have no room

prepared. I have been house-cleaning, and everything is topsy-turvy

Mrs. Wright, now, over the way----”

“My young friend is going to stop here,” Mr. Mouell broke in, with

frank positiveness. “If I cannot have him at my own house,--and for

certain reasons it is not advisable,--I shall at least have the

satisfaction of knowing he is in the charge of the best housekeeper

in R----.”

“Yes,” I put in, but without too great a show of interest; “I

should be sorry, once introduced here, to be obliged to go

elsewhere.”

The troubled eye wavered away from us to the door.

“I was never called inhospitable,” she commenced; “but everything

in such disorder. What time would you like to come?”

“I was in hopes I might remain now,” I replied; “I have some

letters to write, and ask nothing better than for leave to sit here

and write them.”

At the word letters I saw her hand go to her pocket in a movement

which must have been involuntary, for her countenance did not

change, and she made the quick reply:

“Well, you may. If you can put up with such poor accommodations as

I can offer, it shall not be said I refused you what Mr. Monell is

pleased to call a favor.”

And, complete in her reception as she had been in her resistance,

she gave us a pleasant smile, and, ignoring my thanks, bustled out

with Mr. Monell to the buggy, where she received my bag and what

was, doubtless, more to her taste, the compliments he was now more

than ever ready to bestow upon her.

“I will see that a room is got ready for you in a very short space

of time,” she said, upon re-entering. “Meanwhile, make yourself

at home here; and if you wish to write, why I think you will find

everything for the purpose in these drawers.” And wheeling up a

table to the easy chair in which I sat, she pointed to the small

compartments beneath, with an air of such manifest desire to have

me make use of anything and everything she had, that I found myself

wondering over my position with a sort of startled embarrassment

that was not remote from shame.

“Thank you; I have materials of my own,” said I, and hastened to

open my bag and bring out the writing-case, which I always carried

with me.

“Then I will leave you,” said she; and with a quick bend and a

short, hurried look out of the window, she hastily quitted the room.

I could hear her steps cross the hall, go up two or three stairs,

pause, go up the rest of the flight, pause again, and then pass on.

I was left on the first floor alone.