WHEN Inman entered the kitchen and saw Baldwin seated in his chair upon the hearth—a whipped, miserable dog with no spirit left in him—his anger blazed forth with such sudden fierceness that the inspector, who had found him cool and level-headed as they discussed the disaster on the journey home, opened his eyes in amazement; and the detective, a shrewd, kindly-looking man with little of the official about him, observed the newcomer with keen professional interest.

Sobered and at the same time stunned by the magnitude of the disaster that had overtaken him, Baldwin had remained all day in his chair upon the hearth, oblivious for the most part to what was taking place around him, and requiring to be roused like a dazed and drunken man when the police plied him with questions.

Neither food nor drink had passed his lips since breakfast, though Nancy’s heart had softened at sight of his dejection and she had made him a cup of tea, and set it upon the grate at his side. It was there still, untouched, an hour later, and Nancy sat and watched him, with her baby on her knee, too humane and sympathetic to return to her room and leave Keturah to face the trouble alone, for though the older woman’s eyes were now dry they were red and swollen with the waters that had passed over them before the fountain became exhausted.

At first sight of the pitiable, abject figure a black scowl leaped to Inman’s brow and he crossed over to the rug and in a voice of carefully-suppressed passion exclaimed:

“So this is what comes of your whisky-drinking, you drunken brute! You’ve ruined me as well as yourself; foul-mouthed devil that you are!”

Baldwin raised his eyes but there was no sense of fear or resentment to be seen in them, only hopeless misery. He was too utterly prostrated, too benumbed by this culminating stroke of fate to feel the lash of Inman’s tongue, much less to writhe under it, and all he could say was:

“Every penny ta’en! Every penny!”

“And whose fault is that?” Inman almost hissed. “Whose fault is it that it wasn’t banked yesterday? Didn’t I warn you? Didn’t Jones? But you were master and I was man, and there was that cursed bottle of rum to finish! It serves me right for being fool enough to lend my money to a drunken sot like you. I might as well have dropped three hundred pounds down the drain, for your miserable bits o’ scrap metal’ll never fetch two hundred!”

“Who’s ta’en it, I can’t think,” the other soliloquised wearily with his eyes on Inman; “but every penny’s gone!”

Inman turned away with an impatient exclamation, and seeing the detective, growled an apology for his outburst.

The man with the keen, kindly eyes was looking on him with what appeared to be mild curiosity.

“I should like a few words with you in the office,” he said, and the three men left the house.

“Yon man hasn’t much to learn from you and me, Harker,” said the inspector, as the two officials motored back to headquarters a couple of hours later. “The way he pumped those two women would have done credit to a K.C.; and as for the old man—there won’t be much blood left in him, I fancy, when that chap’s finished squeezing.”

“It strikes me we’ve a deal to learn from this manager, or what he calls himself,” said Mr. Harker dryly. He had made very few remarks so far, though he had asked many questions.

“He’s evidently inclined to suspect this young fellow with the peculiar handle to his name,” continued the inspector.

“Or, anyhow, very anxious that other people should suspect him!” From Mr. Harker’s caustic tone it was easy to infer that Inman’s zeal had left no favourable impression. “But he’s wasting his powder and shot. The two men aren’t on good terms. Inman married this Jagger Drake’s sweetheart, and it hasn’t turned out a love match, I understand. Since then Jagger has thrashed our friend, and he’s still sore about it. There’s more life in a hole like this than most folk think, Martin. All the same, Jagger Drake hasn’t helped himself to this swag!”

It was evident that Detective Harker had been making good use of his opportunities.

“Have you formed a theory?”

“Not a workable one, so far. To be quite frank, I could think the business had been cooked, but I can’t at present see why or how. If I’m right there’s only one man who can throw light on the subject, and he won’t.”

“Meaning Inman?” The inspector’s voice betrayed quite as much scepticism as interest.

“That man is one of the finest actors I’ve ever met,” the detective answered quietly. “I should have suspected collusion between him and his master; but that’s out of the question—the old man is no actor. This job interests me, but it’ll have to be worked carefully. He’s a smart man who’s helped himself to this rhino, whoever he is. I expect his smartness’ll trip him up if we give him time.”

“They’re all a lot o’ bungling idiots,” Inman remarked to Nancy as the car moved away. “They see what you tell ’em and what can’t be missed. That Harker is half asleep. I suggested a Scotland Yard man to the inspector, but he seemed huffed, so I dropped it.”

His tone was surly, but Nancy distinguished another note in it that she did not quite understand; something between satisfaction and relief or a mixture of both; something infinitely less harsh than she had expected. She had been bracing herself for an angry encounter with her husband, for there had been no mistaking the look he shot her when his minute inquiries elicited the information that Hannah had spent the evening with her. It had been a silent promissory-note for settlement at the earliest opportunity, and had been accepted as such. Now that the favourable moment had come, she was surprised and also relieved to find that her husband’s mood had changed.

Inman had not forgotten, but it was his constant fate to be compelled by considerations of what was prudent in his own interests to defer the settlements from which he promised himself so much satisfaction. To hurt his wife and through her sufferings to cut her lover to the quick was one of the two absorbing passions that occupied his thoughts by day and night. But when he was about to strike, self-interest always held his arm. He had been sorely vexed that hitherto his threat to injure Jagger had come to naught; it humiliated him to think that his rival was laughing in his sleeve at the emptiness of the warning; but what could he do so long as the two passions were at variance? Nancy held the purse and the purse was deep. Until that had changed hands he was not master of the situation; revenge must be deferred.

It may be questioned whether the prospect of vengeance does not afford as great satisfaction as its accomplishment; it is at any rate certain that Inman’s soul nourished itself upon foretastes and that the kindlier note in his voice was the traitorous servant of his ill-intent.

There was a fire in the parlour and he took Nancy there, bidding Keturah get Baldwin off to bed. The baby was sleeping on the sofa, and Inman closed the door and stood with his back to the mantelpiece.

“What the deuce made you tell Hannah about the money?” he began. “I should have expected you to have more sense.”

“I didn’t; she told me!” Nancy looked up from her sewing to see what effect the denial had upon her husband.

“She told you!” The voice was incredulous, yet in spite of himself he believed her, knowing that Nancy would never purchase pardon with a lie.

“All the village knew it,” she repeated quietly.

He stared at the head that was bent down again upon her work, and turned over this new information in his mind.

“Then the devil must have been playing with the brass whilst I was at the ‘Royal’!”

She said neither yes nor no, and his mouth tightened. He would have liked to seize her by the shoulders and shake her out of her cold complacency. The entire absence of any sense of fear, of any apprehension of danger, stung him almost beyond his power of endurance; but once again the stronger passion of greed held him in check.

“Haven’t they found any clue?” Nancy asked, when there had been silence between them for some moments.

“They haven’t,” he answered suggestively. “They haven’t an idea between them. A set o’ wooden skittles, bowled over by any bungling prentice that tries his hand at burglary—that’s what they are. What clue there is they won’t see when it’s pointed out to ’em. At any rate, that fool of a detective won’t.”

“Then there is a clue?” she asked, and the hot blood rushed to her cheeks the more violently when she tried to restrain it. Her quick wit told her that it was Jagger whom he suspected; and indignant words were not far from her lips when her husband spoke.

“Whatever I think I’m not thinking out loud. If I hadn’t had so much sense before, what’s just happened ’ud have taught me. Somebody who knew it was there took it, that’s clear enough; and there are certain people who are going to be watched.”

She was very angry, yet common-sense came to her help and warned her that she would do well to restrain herself. After all, Jagger would easily free himself of such a ridiculous suspicion; and for her to show resentment would do him no good.

Inman guessed what was passing in his wife’s mind and added the incident to the other stored-up memories which rankled in his mind and punished him sorely; but for the moment nothing but gentleness could serve his purpose, and he went on in a softer tone.

“Let it drop, lass. If I’m wronging anybody in my thoughts it’ll do ’em no harm. There may be naught in it, but it’s my duty to you as well as myself to look round and try to find a key ’at’ll fit t’ lock.

“But we’ll put it o’ one side; there’s other things have to be thought about, and you and me’ll have to make our minds up. Baldwin’ll be made bankrupt, that’s certain, but the shop’s yours, and the machinery’ll be mine—ours, I should say; what are we going to do about it?”

She glanced up questioningly. This tone of sympathetic plain speaking appealed to the best in her nature and partially deceived her. Like a flash the suggestion presented itself that life with this man need not after all be the intolerable burden she had feared, even though love might be wanting; that she had perhaps mistaken anxiety for coldness and absence of mind for callousness.

“Is it too late to save him?” she asked.

She looked up quickly as she spoke, and the sight of her husband’s face dismissed at once all her mocking fancies.

“To save——?” Inman’s mouth opened in astonishment; but immediately took on curves of disdain as he replied:

“Don’t talk like a fool, Nancy! We’ve thrown enough into that muck-heap, and now we’ve got to think about ourselves. Baldwin wouldn’t have considered twice about sending you to the devil—let him go there himself! He’ll be made bankrupt, I tell you, and there won’t be more’n a few shillings in the pound for his creditors. The question is, am I to take the business over, or what?”

He played with his silver watch-chain, waiting for an answer, but not looking into his wife’s face, and Nancy speedily made up her mind.

For better or worse she had tied herself to the man, and whatever his qualities as a husband, there could be no question of his business ability. If she were to thwart him by withholding her money, what purpose would she serve? Would she not indeed be sowing for herself the seeds of certain trouble? The more time her husband devoted to business the less there would be to spend with her. Let the machinery be kept running there, and the wheels of their domestic life would probably run smoothly.

“I don’t doubt but what you’ll make things hum,” she said, and although there was no enthusiasm in the tone, a look of satisfaction came into Inman’s eyes as he recognised the implication of the tense she had employed.

“Lend me the money,” he replied, “and I’ll make this the best country business in Craven. I’ll——But it’s no use dreaming dreams; I’ve thought this thing out and I know what I can do. I can make you rich in a few years, Nancy!”

“Can you?” Nancy had better have withheld the exclamation or have uttered it with less meaning, for its weary note told a story with which Inman was already too familiar; but the contraction of brow was only momentary, and he forced himself to laugh.

“Never mind! You shall see! And you shall have five per cent. for pin money as we go along.”

Nancy smiled, not realising what damage that runaway sigh had done her, not suspecting the volcanic anger that was hidden beneath her husband’s smooth words.

“Do as you like,” she said. “Leave me a couple of hundreds in the bank and you can have the rest.”

It was better than he had expected, but he veiled his gratification and appeared to hesitate.

“I shall be able to manage,” he said finally. “I should like to launch out, but we’ll talk it over again when I’ve had a chat with the bank manager. It ’ud pay you to sell your investments; but there’s always the property for additional security, of course. Besides, I’m not captain yet. Baldwin’s still on the bridge.”

He laughed and stretched himself. Nancy wondered if he would kiss her if only on the forehead, as he had been wont to do when she had happened to please him, though not since his child had come. She half hoped he would not; yet when he left the room with no word of farewell her spirits sank.

“He does hate me,” she said to herself. “Well, after all, it makes no difference. We must live as well as we can!”

A month later the business became Inman’s. He had not spared his master in the evidence he had been called upon to give, and Baldwin had been severely lectured by Registrar, Official Receiver and various crabbed lawyers, each of whom was at pains to point out that by refusing to take the advice of such a counsellor as his foreman—a counsellor, who, as the Official Receiver remarked, had been a veritable god-out-of-the-machine if Baldwin had not been too pig-headed and intemperate to make use of him—he had brought himself and his creditors into this unenviable position. The Registrar complimented Inman on his devotion to duty and expressed his sympathy with him in the loss of so much of his savings. It was true, he said, that bills of sale were not regarded with favour by the Court, but he quite recognised that in this case it had been regarded more or less as a formality, and the readiest, if not the only method of partially securing the loan.

Baldwin, too broken already on the wheel of fortune to suffer any further pain from the hard blow he received, left the Court an undischarged bankrupt, and Inman by arrangement with the Official Receiver, obtained the goodwill of the business at a merely nominal figure, and the goodwill of the unsecured creditors for nothing at all.

It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve before the last formality was completed that left Inman master of the wrecked ship, and he hurried home to deal promptly with his predecessor.

The evening meal was being cleared away when he got down from the trap in which he had been driven from the station and strode into the kitchen. Nancy rose in order to brew some fresh tea, and he recognised her purpose.

“Sit still, Nancy,” he said. There was a changed note in his voice that only Baldwin failed to recognise. “Keturah’ll have to work for her living if she stops on here, and there’s no need for my wife to bark if we keep a dog. Get up, Keturah, and mash my tea.”

“I’ll make it myself, James,” said Nancy, as Keturah seemed paralysed by this unexpected attack; but Inman bade her be seated.

“Keturah’ll either do as she’s told,” he said, with an ugly look about his mouth and an ominous glitter in his eyes; “or she’ll find fresh lodgings along with her brother. Baldwin leaves here to-night, and I’m not very particular if Keturah goes with him—they’ve both eaten the bread o’ idleness long enough at my expense. You needn’t open your mouth, Nancy,” he went on with a rough composure that was more discomfiting than anger. “I’m master here, and master I’m going to be. Keturah can stop, I say, if she likes, and I’ll pay her wages; but she stops as servant. There’ll be no more whining and crying about ‘fine ladies’—I’ll see to that. Baldwin finds fresh quarters and finds ’em to-night. I’ve no use for him.”

Keturah’s apron was over her face by this time, but harsh words and hard looks put new spirit into Baldwin, who for the first time in all these weeks rose to his feet in a passion and called to his help the oaths he had neglected in his dejection.

It was to no purpose. Inman pushed him from him with a rough touch that was almost a blow.

“Carry your dirty talk outside, you hound!” he said. Then with a sneer that disfigured his face, he added: “I’ve taken over your motto with the business, Baldwin—‘all for my-sen.’ Both the motto and the business are good, but they’ve got to be worked with gumption, d’you see? And they’re going to be. You’re in my way now, and you’ve got to get out. I’m going to do by you what you’d ha’ done by me. Does that get past your thick skull?”

Keturah was wailing aloud, and he turned on her fiercely and bade her be silent. Nancy, white, and with lips tightly compressed, was gripping the sides of her chair, her eyes fixed on her husband, her brain busily employed in considering what was best to be done, and reaching no conclusion.

Baldwin’s rebellion had been a mere gust, and the storm subsided as quickly as it had arisen.

“Where can I go?” he faltered, as he looked dully into the eyes that were turned contemptuously upon him.

“To hell—or the Union! Who else’ll have you?”

“James!” Nancy faced her husband with hot indignation flashing from the eyes that looked fearlessly into his. “How can you say such things, and on Christmas Eve, too! You’ve punished him enough—only a brute ’ud kick a man so hard when he’s down!”

She turned to Baldwin, and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Take no notice of him,” said she soothingly. “He doesn’t mean it! He’s just getting a bit of his own back!”

“Don’t I?” said her husband, as he disengaged her hand with a grip that hurt. “I’ll show you whether I mean it or not. Get away to the other baby and leave the brute to his work—get away, I say!”

She had clenched her free fist and beaten the hand that held her; but she was powerless, and he raised her from her feet and almost flung her into the parlour.

“I’m master here,” he said. “There isn’t room for two. You’d better shut yourself in for your own comfort.”

A little while later Baldwin knocked timidly at Maniwel’s door.