CHAPTER XI

Of all the chief actors in the Bakewell Comedy, Master Ripton Thompson

awaited the fearful morning which was to decide Tom's fate, in

dolefullest mood, and suffered the gravest mental terrors. Adrian, on

parting with him, had taken casual occasion to speak of the position of

the criminal in modern Europe, assuring him that International Treaty now

did what Universal Empire had aforetime done, and that among Atlantic

barbarians now, as among the Scythians of old, an offender would find

precarious refuge and an emissary haunting him.

In the paternal home, under the roofs of Law, and removed from the

influence of his conscienceless young chief, the staggering nature of the

act he had put his hand to, its awful felonious aspect, overwhelmed

Ripton. He saw it now for the first time. "Why, it's next to murder!" he

cried out to his amazed soul, and wandered about the house with a prickly

skin. Thoughts of America, and commencing life afresh as an innocent

gentleman, had crossed his disordered brain. He wrote to his friend

Richard, proposing to collect disposable funds, and embark, in case of

Tom's breaking his word, or of accidental discovery. He dared not confide

the secret to his family, as his leader had sternly enjoined him to avoid

any weakness of that kind; and, being by nature honest and communicative,

the restriction was painful, and melancholy fell upon the boy. Mama

Thompson attributed it to love.

The daughters of parchment rallied him concerning Miss Clare Forey. His

hourly letters to Raynham, and silence as to everything and everybody

there, his nervousness, and unwonted propensity to sudden inflammation of

the cheeks, were set down for sure signs of the passion. Miss Letitia

Thompson, the pretty and least parchmenty one, destined by her Papa for

the heir of Raynham, and perfectly aware of her brilliant future, up to

which she had, since Ripton's departure, dressed and grimaced, and

studied cadences (the latter with such success, though not yet fifteen,

that she languished to her maid, and melted the small factotum

footman)--Miss Letty, whose insatiable thirst for intimations about the

young heir Ripton could not satisfy, tormented him daily in revenge, and

once, quite unconsciously, gave the lad a fearful turn; for after dinner,

when Mr. Thompson read the paper by the fire, preparatory to sleeping at

his accustomed post, and Mama Thompson and her submissive female brood

sat tasking the swift intricacies of the needle, and emulating them with

the tongue, Miss Letty stole behind Ripton's chair, and introduced

between him and his book the Latin initial letter, large and illuminated,

of the theme she supposed to be absorbing him, as it did herself. The

unexpected vision of this accusing Captain of the Alphabet, this

resplendent and haunting A. fronting him bodily, threw Ripton straight

back in his chair, while Guilt, with her ancient indecision what colours

to assume on detection, flew from red to white, from white to red, across

his fallen chaps. Letty laughed triumphantly. Amor, the word she had in

mind, certainly has a connection with Arson.

But the delivery of a letter into Master Ripton's hands, furnished her

with other and likelier appearances to study. For scarce had Ripton

plunged his head into the missive than he gave way to violent transports,

such as the healthy-minded little damsel, for all her languishing

cadences, deemed she really could express were a downright declaration to

be made to her. The boy did not stop at table. Quickly recollecting the

presence of his family, he rushed to his own room. And now the girl's

ingenuity was taxed to gain possession of that letter. She succeeded, of

course, she being a huntress with few scruples and the game unguarded.

With the eyes of amazement she read this foreign matter:

"Dear Ripton,--If Tom had been committed I would have shot old Blaize.

Do you know my father was behind us that night when Clare saw the ghost

and heard all we said before the fire burst out. It is no use trying to

conceal anything from him. Well as you are in an awful state I will tell

you all about it. After you left Ripton I had a conversation with Austin

and he persuaded me to go down to old Blaize and ask him to help off Tom.

I went for I would have done anything for Tom after what he said to

Austin and I defied the old churl to do his worst. Then he said if my

father paid the money and nobody had tampered with his witnesses he would

not mind if Tom did get off and he had his chief witness in called the

Bantam very like his master I think and the Bantam began winking at me

tremendously as you say, and said he had sworn he saw Tom Bakewell but

not upon oath. He meant not on the Bible. He could swear to it but not

on the Bible. I burst out laughing and you should have seen the rage old

Blaize was in. It was splendid fun. Then we had a consultation at home

Austin Rady my father Uncle Algernon who has come down to us again and

your friend in prosperity and adversity R.D.F. My father said he would

go down to old Blaize and give him the word of a gentleman we had not

tampered with his witnesses and when he was gone we were all talking and

Rady says he must not see the farmer. I am as certain as I live that it

was Rady bribed the Bantam. Well I ran and caught up my father and told

him not to go in to old Blaize but I would and eat my words and tell him

the truth. He waited for me in the lane. Never mind what passed between

me and old Blaize. He made me beg and pray of him not to press it

against Tom and then to complete it he brought in a little girl a niece

of his and says to me, she's your best friend after all and told me to

thank her. A little girl twelve years of age. What business had she to

mix herself up in my matters. Depend upon it Ripton, wherever there is

mischief there are girls I think. She had the insolence to notice my

face, and ask me not to be unhappy. I was polite of course but I would

not look at her. Well the morning came and Tom was had up before Sir

Miles Papworth. It was Sir Miles gout gave us the time or Tom would have

been had up before we could do anything. Adrian did not want me to go

but my father said I should accompany him and held my hand all the time.

I shall be careful about getting into these scrapes again. When you have

done anything honourable you do not mind but getting among policemen and

magistrates makes you ashamed of yourself. Sir Miles was very attentive

to my father and me and dead against Tom. We sat beside him and Tom was

brought in, Sir Miles told my father that if there was one thing that

showed a low villain it was rick-burning. What do you think of that.

I looked him straight in the face and he said to me he was doing me a

service in getting Tom committed and clearing the country of such fellows

and Rady began laughing. I hate Rady. My father said his son was not in

haste to inherit and have estates of his own to watch and Sir Miles

laughed too. I thought we were discovered at first. Then they began the

examination of Tom. The Tinker was the first witness and he proved that

Tom had spoken against old Blaize and said something about burning his

rick. I wished I had stood in the lane to Bursley with him alone. Our

country lawyer we engaged for Tom cross-questioned him and then he said

he was not ready to swear to the exact words that had passed between him

and Tom. I should think not. Then came another who swore he had seen

Tom lurking about the farmer's grounds that night. Then came the Bantam

and I saw him look at Rady. I was tremendously excited and my father

kept pressing my hand. Just fancy my being brought to feel that a word

from that fellow would make me miserable for life and he must perjure

himself to help me. That comes of giving way to passion. My father says

when we do that we are calling in the devil as doctor. Well the Bantam

was told to state what he had seen and the moment he began Rady who was

close by me began to shake and he was laughing I knew though his face was

as grave as Sir Miles. You never heard such a rigmarole but I could not

laugh. He said he thought he was certain he had seen somebody by the

rick and it was Tom Bakewell who was the only man he knew who had a

grudge against Farmer Blaize and if the object had been a little bigger

he would not mind swearing to Tom and would swear to him for he was dead

certain it was Tom only what he saw looked smaller and it was pitch-dark

at the time. He was asked what time it was he saw the person steal away

from the rick and then he began to scratch his head and said supper-time.

Then they asked what time he had supper and he said nine o'clock by the

clock and we proved that at nine o'clock Tom was drinking in the

ale-house with the Tinker at Bursley and Sir Miles swore and said he was

afraid he could not commit Tom and when he heard that Tom looked up at me

and I say he is a noble fellow and no one shall sneer at Tom while I

live. Mind that. Well Sir Miles asked us to dine with him and Tom was

safe and I am to have him and educate him if I like for my servant and I

will. And I will give money to his mother and make her rich and he shall

never repent he knew me. I say Rip. The Bantam must have seen me. It

was when I went to stick in the lucifers. As we were all going home from

Sir Miles's at night he has lots of red-faced daughters but I did not

dance with them though they had music and were full of fun and I did not

care to I was so delighted and almost let it out. When we left and rode

home Rady said to my father the Bantam was not such a fool as he was

thought and my father said one must be in a state of great personal

exaltation to apply that epithet to any man and Rady shut his mouth and I

gave my pony a clap of the heel for joy. I think my father suspects what

Rady did and does not approve of it. And he need not have done it after

all and might have spoilt it. I have been obliged to order him not to

call me Ricky for he stops short at Rick so that everybody knows what he

means. My dear Austin is going to South America. My pony is in capital

condition. My father is the cleverest and best man in the world. Clare

is a little better. I am quite happy. I hope we shall meet soon my dear

Old Rip and we will not get into any more tremendous scrapes will we.--I

remain,

Your sworn friend,

"RICHARD DORIA FEVEREL."

"P.S. I am to have a nice River Yacht. Good-bye, Rip. Mind you learn to

box. Mind you are not to show this to any of your friends on pain of my

displeasure.

"N.B. Lady B. was so angry when I told her that I had not come to her

before. She would do anything in the world for me. I like her next best

to my father and Austin. Good-bye old Rip."

Poor little Letitia, after three perusals of this ingenuous epistle,

where the laws of punctuation were so disregarded, resigned it to one of

the pockets of her brother Ripton's best jacket, deeply smitten with the

careless composer. And so ended the last act of the Bakewell Comedy, in

which the curtain closes with Sir Austin's pointing out to his friends

the beneficial action of the System in it from beginning to end.