The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1929-09-12, Page 3••••1.
THE EXETER TIMES,ADVOCATZ
SFIIIMM3110.111
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mama.. 0
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Atiraclei
by -
ANNA S, SWAN
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anniiillowiimmilimminumminiminimmimmonimmorri
It was a, pleasant room with two
long windows -fitted with double
glass, looking down upon the boan
street. The place was comfortable,
yet without superflous luxury, and
everything- required to expediate the
affairs of a busy man was In ova,
ei•ence—the. speaking tube, the elec-
tric bell, the telephone on the desk.
It, was all very novel to Harry
Kerr, whose experience hitherto had
not included .anything relating to
cbmmerce. His one idea of. premises
for professional or eusiness purpos-
es was the =Sty old office of Wea-
ver Laidlaw in the. High Street of
)3ordwick, with a mass of untidy
papers lying on the table and black
deed boxes ranged round the walls.
Mere everything was snick, and span
with na loose papers, but, instead,
a nest of drawers labelled and num-.
bared, ready for immediate eefer-
+mice.
"My father is sixty-nine, but he
travels from Dorking every day.
Why, here he is, I do believe! Good
morning, father. You're very early
to -day surely,"
Harry turned sharply round to
beliold a very small gentleman with
an enormous head, and with feat -
mese so decidedly Jewish that any
doubt .as to Maurice's nationality
quickly %disappeared. He was garbed
in a very long and roomy fur-ltned
and fur -trimmed overcoat, and he
'wore a pair of gold spectacles.
"There's an important Board
meeting at eleven, boy. Have you
forgotten it? .And I want time to
idigeet, the business before they come
Who is, this?"
"Young Mr. Riddell -Kerr, tilde
Bentley's antest find," Lionel ans-
wered with. a smile, but whether
facetious or- merely casual, Harry
could not dectde.
, The keen haSi%lt-like eyes of Maur -
ice's pore fixed themselves almost
mercilesslyon the lad's face.
"Good -morning, sir." Then turn-
ing to. his son, he added, "He has
come at a somewhat inopportune
mothent,•.for nobody will have time
to attend :t2 him. Where's Jack?"
"In his mein, I suppose."
"You had better take him in there
then. I want you here, and if jack
is not disengaged you can turn hini
on to Jellies Grsief, Why isn't your
-Uncle Bentley here to father his
ownproteges?"
Toe this querulous inquiry Maurice
entidep.o reply, but, grasping the
*act, thflt his father- was worried, he
drew Hatay atit of the room.
"You needn't mind the old chola
Be's a bit irritable, especially of a
morning when he has to get up. earl -
ler than usual. I forgot about the
hig,meeting to -day, but he =An t
kno Sie ,that 1 forgot, It would be the
unpardonable sin."
'Don't you get on -with him then?'
"Oh, ::eair to .middling. I can't live
at homeasenot all the time, at least.
You'll find out why presently. ,A
vertain aniount of liberty is essen-
tial to the 'decent enjoyment as well
as the development of a man. The
mistake too many fathers make is
to ltedp their sons in waddling clo-
thes tilt the mischief is done. I took
good carp that my father did not
melee that.mistake .with me. We had
a stiff fight for it at the beginning.
Be has the- patriarchal idea, you see,
that he should he the autocratic
head of his own home, but I didn't
fallin with it. It's well enough for
the Wijinen, believe me. They need
a certliin amount of control over
their ritivements, but a man must
live his own life."
"It's a. Carious fact, but I never
teard sucli.a question discussed be-
fore. Of course: you are right, how-
ever. I begin 'to feel as if I knew
mottling."
"That feeling is the foundation of
.all knowledge. If you start on that
absamption you'll soon master eV-
erything. It's the lendable of things
that eaets up half the average man's
life. Weil, hero's the paragon's room
and I see! nisnoble head against the
Wan screen---ean.: object leasen and a
sagraeproach t1 all'Iate-comers."
He stopped before the door mark-
ed Mr. john,,C4rrington, and knock-
ed. :leek's clear, Well -modulated
voice immediately invited their ent-
Ta rice,
"Mr, Kerr, leek," sail Lionel a
Seine hastily, whet he. had said
good -morning: "And now. if you'll
otenee ene nmejr t„ Wel and
lave
a look at my own letters,"
jackaCarehigton rose and greeted
Vevey with a quiet cordiality width
.truck ie sincere nate at 'Welcome,
"I had forgotten that you wero
ttliecteirAnst night' There has .beeti
treMentipus rush .of Weide-since I
do me :back...and to -day we have One
of the moat impOrtant tloard meet -
4110 eonneSted With our businese.
We shall Mies My father from it,
mid I'nl osurpt4ed that I,6% didn't
rAwes et' mi.nu, T n'howe
that be is determined te get Out of,
the grind at last, or, if riot ttest, to
Jet It he semi at least that lie can
one without. So you arrivri last
IhiVo you Any relatives or.
zirlcues in LontionT"
"None, But Mr, Maurice met me,
and he bas shown pae the greatest
kindness."
"Lionel, you mean?"
Harry nodded. "He was at illuston.
when I arrived, and he took me to
his own piece in Ryder Street where
I have got a room."
Jack Carrington whistled.
"I -le did, eh? And do you think
that you will like to live there? It
will. be s, great change after S,St111-
don. I believe you would have been
wiser to have gone out a bit."
•"M.aurice seems to think not. We
talked it over, and that is really a
most comfortable house."
"Yes, but expensive—as such a
neighborhood is bound to be. Dia
Lionel arrange terms for you?"
Harry expained the arrangements
that had been come to that morning
and Jac Carrington seemed perplex-
ed by tile whole .attair.
"Pranky, I can't understand this
'Move on Lionel's part. I imagined
that you and he did not hit it oft in
Scotland. Lionel .certainly gave mc.
that impression."
"We didn't," said Harry, redden-
ing slightly. "That is to say, we
had a slight difference, but that has
all been cleared up, and I shall
never forget him kindness to me
last night and how good lie has been
this morning in explaining every-
thing."
"Well, I am glad that you have
found him so, because naturally you
will have to see a. good deal of him,
When my father is away I have to
do a good deal of his work, and as
Mr. 'Maurice, Senior, is constantly.
here it leaves Lionel free for other
things. The staff is wider his con-
trol. He is very capable. What
Lionel Maurice does not know 'about
this business, • Mr. Kerr, is hardly
worth knowing."
"He seems frightfullyclever, and
f feel a regular country Johnny,"
said Harry rather ruefully.
Jack' Carrington laugated.
'Has Lionel been rubbing it in?
He affects,the synical man -about -
town air, ad I .can't help feeling a
little sorry that you have elected to
pitch your camp in Ryder Street.
Still, it has nothing to do with me --
You aro entitled to please yourself.
The feeling of newness and strange-
ness will soon wear off. Lionel, I.
expect, will give you some routine
clerical work to begin with. 'reeve's
a very good chap here—James Greee
ley—who has been with my father
almost from the start. I should
advise you to, pay some attention to
him. He's very .straight,one of the
best men in the house."
Harry kicked his heels for a few
moments in silence, looking out up-
on the wonderful throng of the
street. The first influx of business
men was past, the early birds were
all on their perches, and the second
Hock were now on the wing. The
.sight of so many black coats and
hurrying forms engendered inthe
lad a curious feeling of depression.
"They all seem in a hurry, as if
they were running to catch the last
train," he said somewhat wistfully.
"Some .of them are," laughed, Jack
Carrington, "and they will never
come up with it either. It's a cur-
ious sight, and it is apt to be de-
pressing, but you'll soon get used
to the rush and become simply a
part of the big wheel, Well, I hope
you will come out to my eyrie on
Hampsead Heath and compare town
versus country. On Sunday, per-
haps, but we can talk of that later.
He turned to his work again with
the preoccupied air of a man who
has disposed of an interlude.
• Harry stood silent for a ireimaat,
watching him knit his brows over
masses of typewritten matter: them,
feeling himself very much the super-
flous man, he walked quietly out.
Nobody interferredwith him or ask-
ed: him any questions and just be-
fore the Board Meeting at ole .en
Lionel came to him as he stood idly
hi the outer office) envying the
clerks at their de.sks busily scratch-
ing.
"Oh, there you are. .Sorry it's
such a busy morning. Tom, where
is Mr. Greeley? Find him for me,.
will you?" -
"He's in Mr. 'Maurice's room, sir,"
"Oh, well, he'll bo out in a mhiute."
Presently Harry was . given into
the charge of a short, squat man
with stubbyegeey hair and a placid,
good natured face, illumined by ct
Pair of shrewd, but• not unkindly
grey eyes.
"Greeley," cried Maurice, address_
lug the man as he was passing
through.. "This is Mr. Harry Rid-
dell -Kerr. I believe that Mr. Car-
rington has written you about hini,
Mr. Kerr is going to join our staff,
Will you take him in charge now
till the meeting is over? You might
take hint around to the Exchange
and let him see a bit of lite. Bring
hini baek,-beee afterwards, and We'll
go clown to lunch at 4)o Keyeee's at
half -past one."
MIAPTtil. XIV
7 •
Stinday 'Aft ertio,oh:
It 1iappitnie0. that Baby Vandom
Was het WeIV enough to•take poet in
the proposeeSunday CX(IttreOrt, and
it was in conSeqaence poespofted,
On Sunday afternoon Manistee des
patted WO Suarey to pay a brief.
Visit to his people, but ror somo.
reason not divulged he. did mot in-
vite Ilarry Rory to accompany him.
It was part of his plan that the
youth whore he desired to get last
Izi the toils stieuld taste the bitter-
ness as well ea the sweetness or
London life, that he should prove
its unexampled loneliness, whieli
more keenly felt on Sunday than on
.any ether day of the week. lalaurice
had apt forgotten the Bellendeu
Z.undays—tbe decorous procession to
the village church, the air of quiet,
.the total .stagnation which .came
over all mundane affairs.'
Tired with the novel experience
of the week, Harry slept late, and
the Much bells were ringing when
he came down to- breakfast. His
apology for his delinquency wily
provoked ft smile on Mrs. Briscoe's
placid face.
"Please don't say anything.
Gentlemen get up when they like
in my house. Why should I mind?
Mr, Maurice never has his breakfast
before tweve on Sundays,. ,and very
often then he deesn't take any
lunch,"
4'Treat me the same today, tnen,
Mrs..Briscoe.," raeliert Harry, great-
ly relSeved.
Accustomed to the regular routine
of life at EssendOn, to the conside
eration shown to the servants, he
confessed to himself that there was
something alluring about a lite in
which one could be a law to oneself,
and in which nothing seemed great-
ly to matter. His tempting break-
fast was eeady oa the table to the
moment of Ills. ordering, and the
Sunday paper lay tattled neatly by
his plate. So .lie passed a very
Pleasant hour,
Then he wrote a .long 'letter to
his mother, relatkeg in detail the
greater part of hie deluge during
his four days he had been in Lon-
don.
There were .oue or two items
which he discreetly omitted. But
it was a cheerful letter, though he
confided to her that the business,
which seemed so fast and intricate
a scheme of tillage operating in the
most distant parts of the world, was
still an unsolved mystery to him.
He expressed it as his conviction
that the Stock Exchange could net
be mastered in a day. hardly even in
a lifetime. He wrote ungrudgingly
of the great kinduees shown to him
by Lionel Maurice, and having thus
disposed of most of the facts of his
daily life for his mother's benefit,
he began to ask sundry questions
about Essendon and the neighbor-
hood, including the Priory. Had
she been at Bellenden since he left,
or had she seen any of the occu-
pants?
The first sharp eenge ef berme
sickness overtook him as lie wrote
t,11080 lines, and glancing at the
Cies*, he proceeded to picture the
actual happenings in that quiet vil-
lage of the dales and hills at the
hour when ha sat irt 1ii London
ledging, solitary and alone. He seem-
ed to hear the sweet uncertain tinkle
of the old church bo1i itt fancy be
KW again the little groups of fain
Mar figures about the headstones in
the kirkyard discussing the winter
prospects and all the homely news
of the countryside; he saw the farm-
er's gigs coming round to the lysit-
gate, and the old. cobs in the shabby
barouche patiently waiting to con-
vey his bather and mother home.
'Suddenly there swam before his
eyes a mist which did no dishonour
to his manhood. He wondered
whether he dared send a few lines
to Blanche, but he quickly conclud-
ed that he had not yet earned the
right. Ho did not know that she,
sitting in the big oak -lined Priory
pew in Kirk-Yetton Church, was
thinking of aim with a responsive
yearning in nor heart, She had in-
deed thought of little else since Ile
went away. But the Sahara of
tetic° separated these two at a time
when it was essential to their happL
nese and their welfare that they
should be together.
Harry nthished his letter home;
then he dashed off a few lines to
Griselda, writing to her with e, sines
ular frankness which astonished
him. And he implored her to write
him by return of post, telling him
all the things which his mother
would not dream of telling, even
if she knew them, but which he was
famishing to liear.
When these letters were safely
deposited in the nearest pillar -box
he felt .distinctly less homesick, and
he walked briskly on to Hyde Park
for the exercise which he felt lie
needed. Ile stayed out or doors as
long as he could, and returned to
Ryder Street soon after three. It
was a grey, dull day, and the gee
lamps were already lighted in those
parts of the City where it seemed
necessary. Indoors all was snug
comfort. Harry took off his boots,
got his pipe and a book and prepar-
ed to enjoy a quiet afternoon.
About four there was a ring at
the outer bell, but bells rang often
in Mrs. Briscoe's house, and he paid
no heed. Presently a maid-servaut
knocked at the door.
"A lady for Mr. Maurice, sir. Do
you know when he will be home?"
"To -night some time, but I am
not sure exactly when."
(To be continued)
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