University of Virginia Library

51. CHAPTER LI.
CONSPIRACY.

The reader may imagine with what impatience
Miss Shaw awaited intelligence from Mr. Gray.
She had more faith than he in the spiritual telegraph
as a means of transmitting intelligence,
and this faith she kept alive by frequent visits
to Mrs. Rhodes. But at times reason and the
influences of early education asserted their power
over her mind. The whole theory of communicating
by spiritual telegraph seemed so
strange, so utterly unaccountable, so utterly at
variance with the principles of physical law as
they had been understood and interpreted by
the master minds of the world, that she could
hardly believe its pretended intelligence would
be verified by facts.

Mr. Gray was scarcely out of sight when Mr.
Hopp appeared at her side. Mr. Hopp was more
persistent and determined than ever. He urged
his suit now with her mother's full sanction.
He was supported by Dr. Fox, who, in the character
of a worldly spiritual adviser, hinted at
the desirability of a settlement in life on such
a basis as Mr Hoop could offer. He also spoke
of the peculiarity of Regina's relation to Mr.
Gray—of the frail nature of her resources and
the impropriety of her accepting from a comparative
stranger pecuniary aid.

“Mr. Gray extends us no aid,” she had replied
warmly. “In his judgment one half of the profits of
the business are as much ours as if papa were alive.
I am sure he does not think he is placing us under the
slightest obligation.”

“Perhaps he does not think so, but others do.”

“Who can understand this better than Mr. Gray
and ourselves?”

“No one, of course. But you look at it from one
standpoint—the world from another.”

“The world! What does the world say?”

“That such acts of disinterested generosity are very
rare in young men of this age.”

“Is that a reason why we should believe in them?”

“My dear Miss Shaw, the first object of a young
lady should be to preserve her entire independence.
She cannot accept even friendly assistance from a
young gentleman without compromising her reputation.”

A flush stole into Regina's cheek.

“Pardon me if I speak plainly,” resumed Dr. Fox.

“I have ventured to speak with you on this subject at
the request of your mother.”

“Do you advise me to accept Mr. Hopp's offer of
marriage?”

“Most assuredly I do.”

“But I do not love Mr. Hopp. I am not sure that I
do not dislike him.”

“Love, my dear young lady, is a sentiment upon
which young ladies are apt to place too much value.
A girl often thinks she loves a man of whom she
knows nothing, and who is unworthy of her lightest
regard. A woman should select a good man for a husband,
and if her heart is pure and her mind properly
disciplined, she will learn to love him. In this instance
it is your duty as a Christian to consider your
mother's wishes. She does not see Mr. Gray with
your eyes. His relations to that unfortunate girl—
Mliss, the mystery that surrounds her death, the
doubt if Mr. Gray was not the cause of it, all serve to
awaken a mother's apprehensions.”

Regina listened in silence. She knew more than she
could tell.

“Mr. Hopp,” pursued the clergyman, “is in every
respect a desirable match. Still young, as men view
men—he has achieved a fine position. It not a really
rich man, he has a reputation in his profession that is
better than money.”

“Pardon me,” said the young lady; “is the circumstance
of Mr. Hopp's being a successful lawyer any
reason why I should accept him as a husband?”

“Not, perhaps, in itself, but the man is unobjectionable
and has loved you for years.”

“Then you really advise me to accept him.”

“I certainly do. It will make your mother happy.”

“Well,” answered the young lady; “I'll think of it.”
Dr. Fox took his departure.

“Mliss was right,” murmored Regina. “Dr. Fox
is a meddling old fool, but I am not brave enough to
tell him so.”

This was one of many conversations on the same
subject. There were Mr. Hopp himself, Dr. Fox, and
her mother—all urging the same suit.

When Mr. Gray had been absent twenty-five days'
Miss Shaw received a telegram from him announcing
his arrival in New York.

The next day she received another dispatch stating
that the Sea Nymph was daily expected.

Three days later she received a third dispatch, in
which Mr. Gray simply said, “Mliss is with me.”

On the same afternoon, Bob, who had been absent
nearly a week, made his appearance with some suspicious
marks on his face resembling those which Regina
had seen before.

“O, Bob!” she exclaimed, reproachfully, “you've
been fighting again.”

Bob gravely led his sister into her room and threw
himself into an easy chair.

“Did I ever promise you to give up my wild way
and be a man?”

“No; but I wish you would.”

“Well, I promise you now. I've had my last fight.
Going to shake the whole crowd,”

“Miss Brooks and all?”

“Miss Brooks has shaken me. Set the trap and she
fell into it. Had to fight the new fellow just to show
that I wasn't afraid, but I took care to stand on solid
ground. It's all over, and I'm going to be a man.”

“O, Bob, I'm so glad.”

“Heard from Gray yet?”

Regina showed him the first two telegrams.

“What makes Gray think Mliss is aboard the Sea
Nymph?”

“He heard she was through the same source
from which he received information of her being at
Valparaiso.”

“This is all a mystery to me. If she went to Buenos
Ayres, how could Gray know she had taken passage
for New York?”

“If you'll come with me to-night I'll tell you all I
know.”

“Of course I'll go with you. I'll go everywhere
with you if you'll send Hopp about his business.”

“Would you like to have me marry Mr. Hopp?”

“Marry Mr. Hopp? If you do I'll disown you.”

“Mamma wants I should. You know we are poor.”

“Not so very poor. We've got nearly four thousand
dollars between us, and the office makes heaps of
coin.”

“True; but four thousand dollars is very little to
live on, and we don't know how long the office will coin
money for us.”

“It will make money for us as long as it makes
money for Mr. Gray. I'm going in with him.”

Regina laughed.

“You a lawyer!” she said.

“Needn't laugh. There's lot's of outside work to
do; kind of detective business, that will suit me to a
dot. Gray and I have talked it over.”

“Have you?—indeed!”

“Yes; he wants me to come in. Didn't say so, but
I've an idea he thought you'd feel more content if our
family was represented in the firm.”

“That's like Mr. Gray.”

“Tell you what, Regie, Gray's a good fellow. Just
see how he's stuck to Mliss.”

“Yes,” assented Reginia, “he's been a good friend
to Mliss.”

“And now if he finds her and brings her back—”

“Well, if he finds her, of course he will bring her
back.”

“Come, Regie, sit down by me and open your
heart.”

Regina seated herself on a stool by her brother's
knee and waited for him to question her.

“Would you like to have Gray marry Mliss?” he
asked.

“If he wants to.”

“Would you like to have him want to?

“I don't know.”

“That's a fib, Regie; you do know.”

“Well, I shall not tell you.”

“Needn't. I understand all about it now. You and
I can work together like two mules.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I don't want Mr. Gray to marry Mliss
more than you do.”

“But I don't care whom Mr. Gray marries.”

“What a fraud you girls are. Why don't you own
up like a man?”

“Because I am not a man.”

“Well answered, little girl. You can't let any one
know you like Mr. Gray until Mr. Gray tells you he
likes you. That's what you get for being a woman.
Now, I don't hesitate to say that if Mliss comes back
I am going for her.”

“You mean—”

“I mean I am going for her. The fever's been
growing on me ever since I left here last spring. Mliss
is the only girl in the world that just fills the bill.”

“But Mliss thinks too much of Mr. Gray to think of
any one else.”

“Brother and sister—just like you and me. I've
always loved you better than all the other girls put
together, but I wouldn't marry you if you wasn't my
sister. Think I love you too well.”

“I hope you do.”

“Fact is, you've been a good sister to me, and I've
been a bad brother to you. You've never turned
against me when I was cutting up and disgracing the
family. You never let any one think you were ashamed
to own me for your brother.”

“That's true, Bob; I've always felt as if some day I
should be proud of you.”

“So you shall, Regie. But don't let us get away
from the case under consideration, as the lawyers say.
I want to propose an alliance offensive and defensive.”

“How fearfully legal you are. What do you
mean?”

“I mean that you've got a man on your hands that
you don't want, and I am in about the same fix, only
it ins't a man.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Regina. “Clytie!”

“The fact is, Regie, up in Red Mountain Clytie was
the prettiest girl in sight. Of course, I made love to
her. Couldn't help it. She's a dear little girl, and
would make some other man a mighty nice wife.”

Regina laughed.

“You are willing then to recommend her to—”

“To Mr. Hopp. She's just the girl for him.”

“But, Bob—”

“The thing can be managed. You've seen the
play called `Much Ado About Nothing.' You know
how the hoodlums came it over Beatrice and Benedict.”

“Yes; I understand.”

“Now we'll play the same game with some little
variations. I'll pretend to be jealous of Mr. Hopp,
and you must contrive to intimate that Mr. Hopp is
fond of Clytie. Then we'll manage to throw Clytie
and Hopp together as much as we can, and then
caution Mr. Hopp not to take advantage of Miss Morpher's
evident preference for himself. The man never
had a woman in love with him in his life, and he'll
jump at the game. Bet fifty dollars to one that we
make a match of it.”

“I'll take the bet, and try to lose,” cried Regina,
laughing. “What a head you have, Bob!”

“Pretty good. If the brain had not been of good quality,
it would have been pounded into a jelly long ago.
But neither you nor I have a right to be a fool with
such a father as we had.”

“That's true, Bob. Dear papa! if he was only alive
I should be perfectly happy.”

“The old gentleman went a rather rapid pace.
Could keep up his lick, and couldn't stop. The time
came when he was like that stage-driver—on a down
grade, and couldn't reach the brake.”

“But he was the best man that ever lived, for all
that.”

“Had a good heart. After all, that is the main
thing. Give me a fellow with a good heart, and I don't
mind if he cuts up a little rough at times. But about
our comedy. You agree to play the part of Hero?”

“O, yes. It will be glorious fun. And if you should
succeed—”

“You'll lose a beau that isn't worthy of you, and I
a girl that I am not worthy of. So you see the interests
of justice will be served.”

“In a somewhat indirect way.”

“What would you have? We cannot always accomplish
our purposes in a straightforward manner.
But we are doing the parties service. You are not going
to marry Mr. Hopp, and I am not going to Marry
Clytie. Now, as Mr. Hopp wants a wife and Clytie
wants a husband—why not make them think they
want each other?”

“I really begin to think we are doing them a service
instead of ourselves.”

“Of course we are. Isn't it better to give one girl a
husband than to take one from another?”

“I believe Mr. Hopp would suit her better than
you.”

“I am very sure she would suit Mr. Hopp better
than she would suit me. I want a girl with a dash
pepper in her composition.”

“You'll get pepper enough if you ever get Mliss.
But she is the bravest and truest-hearted girl I ever
knew.”

“She's a brick. Thought so when I first saw her,
poor little thing, dancing on the hill all by herself.
But what are you going to do with me this evening?”

“Take you to call on some friends of mine.”

“Making calls isn't much in my line, but I'll go if
you want me to.”

“I do want you to. Perhaps we may get news from
Mliss.”

“Then I'll go anyhow. Good-bye. I'll be back at
dinner.”

“Good-bye. You may tell Mr. Hopp to come, if you
like, and then we'll leave him and Clytie to amuse each
other.”

“Good! That's the first scene. We'll see if we
can't make them dance to our music.”