第82章

SirPatrickre-directedAnneSilvester’slettertoArnold，atthePosteRestante，Baden。Asecondletter，whichhadarrivedthatmorning(addressedtoArnoldinalegalhandwriting，andbearingthepost-markofEdinburgh)，wasforwardedinthesameway，andatthesametime。

TwodayslaterHamFarmwasdesertedbytheguests。LadyLundiehadgonebacktoWindygates。Theresthadseparatedintheirdifferentdirections。SirPatrick，whoalsocontemplatedreturningtoScotland，remainedbehindforaweek——asolitaryprisonerinhisowncountryhouse。Accumulatedarrearsofbusiness，withwhichitwasimpossibleforhisstewardtodealsingle-handed，obligedhimtoremainathisestatesinKentforthattime。Toamanwithoutatasteforpartridge-shootingtheordealwasatryingone。SirPatrickgotthroughthedaywiththehelpofhisbusinessandhisbooks。Intheeveningtherectorofaneighboringparishdroveovertodinner，andengagedhishostatthenoblebutobsoletegameofPiquet。Theyarrangedtomeetateachother’shousesonalternatedays。Therectorwasanadmirableplayer；andSirPatrick，thoughabornPresbyterian，blessedtheChurchofEnglandfromthebottomofhisheart。

Threemoredayspassed。BusinessatHamFarmbegantodrawtoanend。ThetimeforSirPatrick’sjourneytoScotlandcamenearer。

ThetwopartnersatPiquetagreedtomeetforafinalgame，onthenextnight，attherector’shouse。But(letustakecomfortinrememberingit)oursuperiorsinChurchandStateareascompletelyatthemercyofcircumstancesasthehumblestandthepoorestofus。ThatlastgameofPiquetbetweenthebaronetandtheparsonwasnevertobeplayed。

OntheafternoonofthefourthdaySirPatrickcameinfromadrive，andfoundaletterfromArnoldwaitingforhim，whichhadbeendeliveredbythesecondpost。

Judgedbyexternalsonly，itwasaletterofanunusuallyperplexing——possiblyalsoofanunusuallyinteresting——kind。

Arnoldwasoneofthelastpersonsintheworldwhomanyofhisfriendswouldhavesuspectedofbeingalengthycorrespondent。

Here，nevertheless，wasaletterfromhim，ofthreetimesthecustomarybulkandweight——and，apparently，ofmorethancommonimportance，inthematterofnews，besides。Atthetoptheenvelopewasmarked“_Immediate。_。“Andatoneside(alsounderlined)wastheominousword，“_Private。_。“

“Nothingwrong，Ihope？“thoughtSirPatrick。

Heopenedtheenvelope。

Twoinclosuresfelloutonthetable。Helookedatthemforamoment。TheywerethetwoletterswhichhehadforwardedtoBaden。Thethirdletterremaininginhishandandoccupyingadoublesheet，wasfromArnoldhimself。SirPatrickreadArnold’sletterfirst。Itwasdated“Baden，“anditbeganasfollows：

“MyDearSirPatrick，——Don’tbealarmed，ifyoucanpossiblyhelpit。Iaminaterriblemess。“

SirPatricklookedupforamomentfromtheletter。Givenayoungmanwhodatesfrom“Baden，“anddeclareshimselftobein“aterriblemess，“asrepresentingthecircumstancesofthecase——whatistheinterpretationtobeplacedonthem？SirPatrickdrewtheinevitableconclusion。Arnoldhadbeengambling。

Heshookhishead，andwentonwiththeletter。

“Imustsay，dreadfulasitis，thatIamnottoblame——nor