Mr. Dovedale's Half Sovereign.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 3036, 27 July 1893, Page 2

Mr. Dovedale's Half Sovereign.

Mr. Dovedale was seated in his armchair over the fire after dinner one evening reading the newspaper, while his wife doted placidly in her armchair opposite to him* when the servant entered and said^ " Please, sir, the Rev. Mr. Cadger would ' like to speak to you." " Who V exclaimed , Mr. Dovedale, vaguely. " Where have you lefthim, Maria 1" inquired Mrs. Dovedale, alert and vigilant in an instant. " Please, ma'am, in the hall, ma'am." " Josiab, go out directly. Don't leave him alone with the umbrellas. Go and see what he wants," exclaimed Mrs. Dovedale, briskly; "and, Josiah, whateveryou do, don't let him come in here !" •«*£■ '"< Mr. Dovedale, a little flustered and nervous, hurried from the room, and found a stout, flabby, red-faced individual in seedy clerical attire standing inside the hall door, with a hat in one hand and an umbrella in the other, bowing obsequiously and smiling an unctuous smile. "Mr. Dovedale ?" said the visitor, in a confidential tone. "Yes,sir. Your name is—", "The Rev. Mr. Cadger," said the visitor, advancing in a friendly way, and speaking with an educated accent; v may Itm* the favour of a few minutes' conversation! , « Will you step in here, please T said Mr. Dovedale, leading the way to the draw-ing-room and striking a match m n<r entered. . ,"'4 "Not a pleasant evening, Mr. Dovedale, for walking about, but duty must be per- f formed at any personal inconvenience." said Mr. Cadger in sonorous tones, while Mr. Dovedale proceeded to light the gas. " I have been making calls in the neighbourhood, and I ventured to—— What a charming house you have, Mr. Dovedale, perfectly charming." " May I inquire—■ began Mr. Dovedale, nervously- " I want to interest you, sir," said Mr. Cadger, gently, Mm an excellent work which I am carrying on in the poor and populous neighbourhood of Islington. Religion* and intellectual Sunday evenings for the poor, Mr. Dovedale. We have a hall, and we find magic-lanterns and dissolving views a great attraction. You have heard of the good work perhaps, »ir." " I can't say that I have," said Mr. Dovedale, looking doubtfully at the sleek red-faced gentleman, who sat smilingly on his chair. " Dear me ? It is well known, however,"' said the Rev. Mr. Cadger, quite unabashed. "We attract considerable congregations, and our influence is spreading. But the work is expensive—very expensive. It absorbs a deal of money, Mr. Dovedale.» "No doubt," said Mr. Dovedale, uneasily. " Aye, and it is not easy to get. We have to seek for it, Mr. Dovedale—to seek for it —by waiting upon the wealthy and the benevolent. lam sure, Bir, that you will assist us," said the reverend gentleman, with a persuasive smile. All this while Mr. Dovedale, foreseeing what was coming, had been steeling his heart to give a negative answer. He was not too well off, and he had many calls upon his purse. Moreover, the manners and appearance of the Rev. Mr. Cadger, did not impress him favourably. As he sat there, with his sleek, expectant smile, his dirty white tie, his vast fiery countenance, and his genera lly disreputable aspect, he looked the personification of a beggiqg impostor. Nevertheless, Mr. Dovedale could not summon up courage to act upon his convictions, He was one of those weakminded, good-natured, easy-going persons who can never preserve their firmness and their temper at the same time. Jn order to resist successfully Mr. Cadger's appeal it would have been necessary for Mr, Dovedale to put himself in a passion, and to work up his feelings to a pitch of virtuous indignation. For a.few momenti Mr. Dovedale was inclined to do this, but the easy assurance of his visitor rather bewildered him. He took the crumpled, soiled prospectus which the Rev. Mr. Cadger handed to him with a flourish, and commenced nervously to read it, while his visitor kept up a pleasant flow of conversation about the weather, the state of the crops, and other common-place subjects. As, Mr. Cadger talked, Mr. Dovedale's icjeas feebly resolved themselves into $ calculation of what was the smaUe.st "sum that-he could decently offer in onder to get rid of his importunate visitor, and in the end, much against his conscience^ he volunteered a donation of half a sovereign, - « The Rev. Mr. Cadger thanked him with exuberent effusion, and called down blessings upon his head, which, to Mr. poyedale.'g 'uneasy mind, sounded impious. Having escorted his yisitqr, who tp the last overflowed with conversation, to. thf hall door, Mr. Dovedale returned to the dining-room, feeling subdued and downcast, for the suspicion that the Rev. Mr. Cadger was not a worthy object of charity had been strengthened by the discovery at the moment of parting from him, that a distinctly spirituous flavour was perceptible in the immediate vicinity of the.' eyrie's person. . * '" Doyed^e found his wife siting wifj upright in her*chair when he rejoined lfer. and m the'chimney corner he perceivecf the whole collection of family umbrellas and waiking-sftoks, which had e'vfteptly been removed frpm the hall during hfjf absence by his thqughtfuj helpmaiff. These signs made Mr. Dovedale feel moil ill at ease than ever, and he sought th» refuge of his easy chair and newspaper with a hangdog expression. "Has he gone?" inquired Mrs. Dovedale, eyeing her husband sharply. "Yes," replied Mr. Dovedale, endeavouring to appear offkand. ti '■''•)" Josiah, that man is an impostor," said the : excellent 'lady? v with"- debistofe. £Dire<%l heard his voice, admiriog t% house and addressing you byimme/anaso ep, I fetched the um^las frpm%ehalW "Did you, my dearf 1 said Mr. Dovedaty turning his newspaper inside out with a, great boise. " Josiah. you didn't give hk| anything?" said Mr& Dovedale, in a peremptory tone. "My dear, I—• ? w nat, you did, Josiah ! r> exclaimed Mrs.' DpveaiA.9, with a^ran^p^rjeniaflTe^tation of surprise, which was extremely Irritating. " I gavfr him half a sovereign for his work/'j said Mr. Dovedale, hurriedly. " What!" ejaculated Mrs. Dovedale; "half a ■ ■■ No, you didn't really, Josiah 1 Tou are joking," « Yes, 1 did," said Mr. DpTedaie. Mtiiig annpyed.' «I didn't know hpW pise to get rid pf him. . Never saw suon' a fellow for talking. Besides, I daresay ho is doing a rreat deal of good." "NorV sense, Josiah; you don't care a pin for his,work. You gave the money because you were too weak and silly to refuse. You know you did," said Mrs. Dovedale, warming to her subject. "That isn't charity, Josiah ; it is downright wickedness and wastefulness." " I don't expect that tho lieeording AngeJ wiji place jblig item'to my eredifc," said Mr. D'ovedat*; with a faint laugh. "Half a sovereign! you actually gave that man half a sovereign ! And here have I been wanting half a sovereign for our maternity fund for ever co long, and haven't liked to ask ypu. pecause I knew thik is such an expeusive

quarter, and now you fling away the money—and it is worse than mere waste, Josiah—upon the first man from the street who has the impudence to come in and cay he admires your house," cried Mra. Dovedale, breathless with indignation. 14 My dear, you can have half a sovereign for your maternity fund," said Mr. Dovedale, with the delusive hope that he might thus purchase peace. " No, Josiah. You could not afford it before, and still less can you afford it now," said Mr?. Dovedale, mercilessly. " The maternity fund must wait—till goodness knows when. But I must say it is hard—very hard—that I should have to pinch and contrive, and deny myself and the dear children many little comforts, while you, from sheer weakness and folly, fling your money into the gutter." J Upon this text Mrs. Dovedale delivered Riv ng £ nd vig°rous homily with very telling eflect, while her husband sat fidgeting in his chair, endeavouring to appear calm and indifferent, but unable t> conceal his chagrin. He was wise enough not to attempt to argue the point, and, consequently, at the end of an hour or so the good lady was fain to stop from Bheer exhaustion, contenting herself during the remainder of the evening with looking up at frequent intervals from her book and firing off the words, "half a sovereign," like a minute-gun, with varied emphasis and exasperating persistency. "I shall send this precious prospectus to the Mendicity Inquiry Society," said his wife the very last thing that night, " and, unless I am very much mistaken, Josiah, the report we shall get will make you feel heartily ashamed of yourself." This prospect did not cause poor Mr. Dovedale any additional discomfiture, for he was, in truth* already sufficiently humiliated and crestfallen. The lecture he had listened to had galled him exceedingly, but it had not been needed to convince him of his foolishness. The only effect of it had been to stir up in his breast a spirit of angry indignation against the Eev. Mr. Cadger, and* when his wife spoke of applying to the Mendicity Inquiry Society, Mr. Dovedale secretly resolved to investigate the matter privately on his own account. Like many other easy-going persons, Mr. Dovedale possessed a good deal of latent energy and determination, and the unconscious Mr. Cadger was likely to make the unpleasant discovery that an easy dupe may prove a formidable Nemesis. Mr. Dovedale said nothing to his wife about his plans, but the very next after* noon he left his office early, and made the journey to Islington wiih the eagerness of a sleuthhound upon the track of his quarry. Islington was to him an unknown region, beingfar distant from the fashion- j able suburb in which he resided; but he ! contrived, by dint of patient inquiries, to unearth the Rev. Mr. Cadger, and to find out a good deal about him. The information he obtained unhappily verified his worst anticipations. It appeared that the Rev. Mr. Cadger had arrived in the district a few months ago, and had hired a ramshackle building which was by courtesy termed a hall,! where he gave certain quasi-religious entertainments, as stated in his prospectus, at uncertain intervals. But it was evident that the undertaking existed merely to give colourable pretext to the Bey. Mr. Cadger's, begging expedition^, and 'tej furnish him with means- of subsistence. His congregation consisted of stray passers-by, who were attracted by idle j curiosity, and his so called "work" was ! practically nil. The poor knew him not, gaprnfully at the mention p.f his nameiwa In'ghall. Already the Ilex Mr. Cadger' had acquired a very doubtful reputation for sobriety and personal integrity, and the general consensus of opinion wp that, tg put it mildly, he was utterly uncleaerving ©f sympathy or- support. Having ascertained these interesting particulars, Mr. Dovedale proceeded to carry out the next step in his programme, which was to denounce the Rev. Mr. Cadger to his face before giving publicity through the Press to the discoveries he had made. Mr. Dovedale was a very furious little gentleman when his blood was up, and he thirsted for the opportunity of unburdening his virtuous indignation. He accordingly gresenj^d himself* 4t Mi;, padgeiils abode, whiclj w.as situated in a dreary little street of a depressing afld poverty-stricken aspect.' A PQQr djudgfi of a maid-of all-work opened the door xo -him, and confessed, with manifest reluctance and hesitation, that her master was at home. She ushered Mr. Dovedale into the front parlour, which reeked with stale tpbacco-Bmpke and other' unsavoury ftdp.urs, and disappeared with precipitation, as though she were wry much started §iid alarmed. Before he could recover his presence of mind, Mr. Dovedale heard her roice in the adjoining room, which was divided off by folding doors, "Hi! Please, sir. Mr. Cadger, sir!" „. This announcement was uttered in a shrill sibillant tone, as though addressed to a slumberer, and, being succeeded by a ' gcuflling, intermingled yrifa half-ssfifjecj Ejaculations and incoherent raiittbrihgg; 1 it Conveyed'tio Mr; Dotfedale's tiiind 1 the im^ pression that the Rev. Mr. Cadger was enjoying his siesta, from which he declined $j b.e groused,. $1$ fejyani;, apparently,, SQOii gay<> up thf attempt as hopeless, for sne presently Retreated to the fewer regiqns, ana the only. 4aunq whioh came from the adjoining Apartment was an oocasioml snowDr. Dovgdale sat and waited patiently for a few minutes, with rapidly-increasing indignation. He not unnaturally resented the prospect of being left where he was for an indefinite time, and he was further incensed by the suspicion that the Rev. P^SW was drunk. 'His evident &3ure to-grasp'thelirinounce'nient that a yj&itor had called was highly suggesUye oj a"nd th^e nature and tone of the reyei*fud gehtlehjan's ' mut|ere(J remariks lef| Y«ry little, xwxa, for. doubt, ]&r, Etoyedaja, feardty knew- how %o, act in thja emergency, but his anger and disgust were prompting ••■•-. -♦i^nalv to invade the Rev. Mr, Cadger" in Ins den, when the noise of the opening of the hall door with a latchkey arrested his attention. He heard a Roman's «botssp in* \YM passage, andjhett a startled voice exclaimed, " Qb, James, what have you done V There was such an agonised intensity in the tone in which these words were uttered that Iflr. D.Qvedale involuntarily hel^ hw |rfia|tb,. Thei sp.eskec''a^nied alrnqßll ipeechleas from emotion and noiirorl an<j the apparently stood silent in the doorway for a few seconds, too overcome to speak again. " James, you have struck our poor boy—and with a knife in your hand. His face is bleeding. You might have killed him. James, you might have murdered our child." '■ A. kind of desperate energy seemed to animate the speaker ajt she uttered, 'the*j) Woidia.' MX Dovedale heard, Tasr cross tM *bom quickly, and presently the Rev. Mft Cadger's voice—coming in jerks, as though he were being violently shaken—• inquired sleepily what was the mrttw, t^Qi| hskye b,een drinking agaiii, J^mfes,'

Do you not hear what I say. You har« struck poor Arthur with a knife, and it if a mercy that the poor child was not killed Think of it, James ! Think what you have done. Our little Arthur—the last of them all, James. You, his father, might have murdered him." This touching appeal spoken in a voice which vibrated with misery, apparently had no particular effect upon the Rev. Mr. Cadger, for the poor woman proceeded with a sort of bittei resignation. j I'Oi course, you did not mean it, and you do not realise it now But the evil is done, James ; and how can you expect the , hoy to love or respect you again ? Until to-day I have successfully managed to conceal from him the—the shame of our lives. It has been hard work, for you have often used him badly; but he believed what I, his mother, told him, and I prevented ill-natured gossip from reaching him. But he confided in mo just now, James. Oh ! the language you must have used to him, and tho things you must have said! And, then, that cruel blow, James—that cruel blow !" Here it was evident that the poor woman broke down utterly, for Mr. Dovedale heard her stifled sobs in the silence which ensued. The Rev. Mr. Cadger seemed vaguely moved to make some attempt at consoling her, for he commenced to hiccough forth incoherent expressions of endearment, diversified, alas ! with an oath or two. 13ut his companion evidently paid no heed to him, for, in the midst of his maudlin utterances, she exclaimed abruptly, "He shall not return here, James. I have made up my mind to that. rFor his own good I will send him away—far away!—where he will —forget us. Better he should forget us," added the speaker, in a low, hurried, tremulous voice, " than — than —— " v Where will you be sending the boy to V inquired the Rev. Mr. Cadger, half scoffingly, half defiantly. "To his undo—my brother Kobert, in Australia. Robert will take him for my sake. It will be a bitter parting for me, and I had hoped But it is impossible ! How to raise the money I know not, but go he shall before he has learnt to hate and despise us, James, if I have to pawn the dress off my back and the wedding-ring off my finger," said the speaker, firmly. Although the Rev. Mr. Cadger had evidently been somewhat sobered by the scene, it is to be hoped that he was still unconscious of what he was saying, for he suddenly flew into a violent passion, and assailed his wife in language which made Mr. Dovedale's ears tingle and his blood boil. The gist of his brutal tirade was that he would not consent to the boy being sent away, but that the sooner the mother went the better, and he even tnreatened to turn her out of doom "James, I won't listen to what you are saying. Do you see, I am holding my fingers to my ear,s," said the poor woman in a tolerably composed voice, which denoted unhappy familiarity with such outbursts, as soon as her husband paused for want of breath. " You are not yourself to-day. As for leaving you—well, James, I always think of you as you used once to be, when things were different and our lives were brighter. I'll not leave you in the dark days, James ; may be you have more need of me than you think. I love you still, James, and that is why I don't want our child to grow up despising you." VVhat answer the Rev. Mr. Cadger returned to this touching expression of devotion and fidelity Mr. Dovedale did not hear, for the poor woman's words seemed suddenly fq catch him b.y the throat, producing a choking sensation, and a rush of sympathetic pity. The kind-hearted old gentleman rose abruptly from his chair and walked acrqss to thpfurjjbesf side of the room. jle was nervously meditating the possibility of stealing frp.ii) tho house unobserved.—rhis fei'QciQus'mQod. having completely evaporated^wheo he heard the voice of the servant girl speak* ing in the next room, and the next instant the parlour door opened and a lady appeared. She was thin, and pale, and grey-haired ; her face was lined and careworn, though still not uncomely ; there was an anxious, troubled, startled look a>bqut; the. bind, eyes, which were fixed inquiringly upon the Visitor; lier dress was very shabby, but neat'; her whole appearance bore an unmistakable stamp of refinement and gentleness. Mr. Dqygdale immediately, realised that she was the wife of the Rev. Mr. Cadger ; the mother of the wounded boy ; the self-sacrificing martyr to a brutal drunkard's downward course. * "I ana afraid that you have been, waitiqg a' Iphg time, sir, 1' sha said, m.ajjifes'tly ffis^ayqq at the presence of a possible listener to |he recent scene; " but the servant only just told me you were here." wlt wag my own fault, madam, for, to tell you the truth, I fell asleep in that armchair yonder, and only awoke the moment before you entered." Whatever qualms of conscience Mr. Dovedale may have felt at this barefaced falsehood, which, his gp,p,d n,atws impelled him to utter on the spur of the moment, they we're instantly allayed bjf the expression of intense retief whicfi poor Mrs. Cadger's face revealed at his words. Sh.g Beerned to recover her self-pospesßio.n on the spot, and niptipneq her visitor with a smile id "take "a seat. '"I must, then, apologise for my easy-chair being too seductive," she said. "But, s^ill, { am, afraid that you have been negleoted. You asked to see my husband, I believe. lam sorry to say that he is not at all well, and cannot be disturbed. May I inquire your business?' " - • . ' Mr. Dovedale was for an instant a little nonplussed by the inquiry, for nothing was now further from his mind thaj* to denounce the Rev. Mr". C^dger'.s imposture All his'righteous indignation against (he man had merged in the strong sympathy which he felt for the poor unhappy wjf^ who ejung sQpathetiicaUy. to. the remember* ance of brighter days in her present unhappy degradation. It was evident that the Rev. Mr. Cadger had commenced his married life under happier auspices, for he was a person of education and natural intelligence, and. the saddest part of his .c^§rs.eeme4t o%' P,QY@clale. to be #*© ttra^giflg Sown !6f Ms irihbderit and helples^ family.' • • '- ■ ■■■.■* Whether inspired by this tender vein of. sentiment, or emboldened by the success of his previous attempt at inventing a way j)uf of his difficulties, Mr, Dovedale, w.as seised wifch if sort qf reckless disregard Yqil •veracity, which impelled him to say :—• "Madam, I called only to express my interest and sympathy in the good work which your husband is doing among the poor in this district." "You are very kind and good, sir," said Mrs. Cadger, with manifest restraint. "If I cannot altogether concur in his methods, m.a,dam.s $ovedale; ;tWiddlin|; fciSwa'tchchain nervously,■'• I can'a't least appreciate* his intentions, • and—arid my object in calling, madam, was, in a word, to make a proposal which, I hope, will not offend you." ••' Offend me !" repealed M^rs! padger, looking nerypu6 and;il^"at ekse 1. fWelliyes,Ddadamj because anjr offer ql

assistance, pecuniary or otherwise, i verj liable to be taken amiss when the a distance is intended to be of a pen onal nature," said Mr. Dovedale, wit 'forced assurance. "Madam, I am interested. from what I have heard, in a little boj- of yours." "Yes !" exclaimed Mis Cad^ei with a start. | "Yes, and I have he,<r< from—from a mutual friend, a neigh benwho does not wish his name mentioned,' continued Mr. Dovedale, nervously avoid ing the poor lady's steady gaze, "that yo- \ and your husband have a plan of •=/ -din ; the lad abroad—to the Colonies. iVi^an I am a great believer in sending lads to tin Colonies. They lead a freer life, thej | breathe a freer air." • x Here he paused and glanced ncr at Mrs. Cadger, who was sitting, very pand silent, on her chair, her blue eye;fixed intently upon him* She bowed her head slightly as he turned towards her, but said nothing. "Madam, as I say, I applaud the intention of your husband and yourself," said Mr. Dovedale, " and I appreciate—as a parent—tbe-sacrince you are both making in parting with the little lad. But the drift of my remarks is this, that as your husband's benevolent—ahem ! —occupation naturally keeps him a poor man, I wish to claim the privilege—being interested in a vessel which sails for Australia in the course of the month—of being "allowed to—to procure a passage for the little lad. That, madam, is the object of my visit, and I hope you do not take it amiss." Mr. Dovedale arose hurriedly and nervously from hiscbair as he concluded, very red in the face, and feeling very much distressed. Mrs. Cadger also rose, and for a single moment stood silently facing him, her glisteningeyes looking him through and through, her white lipja trembling. Mr Dovedale painfully realised that his elaborate deception was a complete failure, and that he stood revealed as an eavesdropper and a spy. He turned away guiltily, and gathered Cp his hat and umbrella. " Sir, Ido not even know your name," said Mrs. Cadger, in a very thin, tremulous voice, "But I accept your generous offer, and tha,nk you from my heart for my child's sake." " Here is my name, with the address of my office," said Mr. Dovedale, fumbling with his card case, and letting fall his, umbrella. "Thank you," said the lady, simply, as she took the card from him. Then, with a sudden rush, the poor woman's pent-up feelings seemed to burst forth with uncontrollable force, and, as Mr. Dovedale nervously edged out of the door, she fell on her knees at his feet, and burst into a flood of tears a3 she seized his hand and kissed it. " God bless you S " she sobbed forth; " you have done t noble, generous act, and you have done it under His guidance." Ten days later, Mr. Dovedale's confidential clerk came in to him after having been absent all the morning. "It's all right, sir," said the man. "I saw the little lad off, and placed him in the charge of the stewardess. He was very brave and cheerful, and his mother was there. She was very much upset, poor lady, after the ship had started, but ehe was brave enough on board, except when I gave the boy the packet of books you sent him. She nearly broke, dgwn tb.e.'n.j sir, andsho made the little May promise to remember you always in his prayers." Mr. Dovedale went home that evening in a chastened and contented mood, and it so happened that after dinner the post brought thereportof the Mendicity Inquiry Society on the subject p| the Key. Mr. Cadger.. Jfc was a "startling record, and conclusively proved the man to be an impostor of the most dangerous description. '• There, Josiah ! Didn't I tell you so !" exclaimed Mrs. Dovedale, triumphantly ; " £1$ to. |ihiqk that ypu gave him half a sovereign, you will regret that half-sovereign all your life !" Bu.t Mr. Dovedale, though he seemed by his silence to acquiesce in the prediotion, privately did not think that he should.— "Truth.".,