The Secret of the Reef

“We’ll take it to the underwriters and press for all the salvage we can get. If they’re not inclined to be liberal, we’ll go to court.”

“And the sham box? Will you give them that?” Mrs. Jaques asked.

Jimmy had been expecting the question, and he saw that he must speak. He knew that a fraud had been plotted in connection with the wreck; but it was not his business to investigate the matter. He admitted that this view might be challenged, but he was determined to act upon it. Suspicion rested on Osborne; but Jimmy had made up his mind that, whatever happened, Ruth should not suffer on his account. No sorrow or hint of shame must rest on her. Moreover, he had, in a sense, made Clay a promise; the dying man had trusted him.

“I claim that case,” he said quietly. “I told Clay I’d give it to Osborne.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Jaques looked up.

“Well,” he said, “I’m not sure that’s not the best way out of it. What’s your idea, Mr. Bethune?”

“On the whole, I agree with you. Somebody may have meant to wreck the vessel, but we have no proof to offer; and, after all, it’s the gold that concerns us, and the underwriters who paid for it when lost will get it back. This ought to satisfy them; and I don’t see that it’s our part to go any further into the matter.” He smiled as he added: “I’ll admit it’s a course that seems likely to save us a good deal of trouble.”

They decided to deposit the gold in the vaults of an express company in Victoria, and that Bethune should then open negotiations with the insurers.

“I guess I could sell the Cetacea for you at a moderate price,” Jaques said. “One of the boys here thinks of going into the deep-water fishery.”

“I’d be sorry to part with the boat, but we have no use for her,” Jimmy replied. “Our idea is that if we can get enough from the insurance people we might make a venture in the towing and transport line. A small wooden, propeller tug wouldn’t cost very much; and we might even begin with a big launch or two.”

“It ought to pay,” declared Jaques. “The coasting trade’s pretty good; in fact, I often have to wait some time before I can get my truck brought up.”

“It’s only beginning,” Bethune said. “The coastline of this province is still practically undeveloped, but it’s studded with splendid natural harbors, and the extension of the new railroads to the sea will give trade a big impetus. The men who get in first will make their profit. Of course, I’m looking forward a few years to the time when the narrow waters will be covered with steamboats, but in the meanwhile there’s a living to be picked up by towing booms for the sawmills and collecting small freight among the northern settlements.”

He spoke with enthusiasm, and Jaques looked eager.

“I guess you’re right. First of all, you have to see the underwriters; then if you have any use for a few more dollars, let me know. I might help you in several ways.”

They talked the project over, though Bethune and Jaques took the leading part, and Jimmy sat by Mrs. Jaques in a state of quiet content. At the cost of much hardship and toil, he had done what he had undertaken, and now a promising future was opening up. He had confidence in Bethune’s judgment; the path they were starting on might lead to fortune. The thought of Ruth Osborne beckoned Jimmy forward. He was determined that none of the obstacles they would no doubt meet with should turn him aside. He had not his partner’s versatile genius, but he was endowed with a cool courage and a stubborn tenacity which were likely to carry him far.

With a gesture his hostess indicated her husband and Bethune.

“They’re getting keen, but I must say that Tom’s not often mistaken in business matters. He seems to think your prospects are good.”

“We must try to make them good,” Jimmy responded. “It was a fortunate thing for us that we met your husband. We were in a very tight place when he helped us.”

“I’ve wondered why you didn’t go to sea again before that happened. It would have been the easiest way out of your troubles.”

Jimmy grew confidential.

“I had a strong reason for not wishing to leave the province.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Mrs. Jaques, and beamed upon him. “I understand. I hope you have made a wise choice. Falling in love is rather a serous thing. I suppose she’s pretty?”

“She’s beautiful!”

Mrs. Jaques smiled.

“So you stayed in Vancouver on her account! She would naturally wish to keep you.”

“I have no reason for believing that,” Jimmy answered with a downcast expression.

“You mean – ”

Mrs. Jaques gave him a searching look before she finished her sentence:

“ – that you don’t know whether she is fond of you or not?”

Jimmy hesitated, and the blood crept into his face as he thought of the night he had helped Ruth out of the launch.

“It may be a long time before I find out,” he said. “The trouble is that she’s a rich man’s daughter.”

“What is his name? Your confidence is safe.”

“Osborne.”

Mrs. Jaques showed her surprise, and Jimmy laughed.

“Oh, of course you think I’m mad. Now and then I feel sure of it myself.”

She studied him quietly for a moment. He was handsome, and had an honest, good-humored face, but there was a hint of force in it. He looked reliable, a man to trust, and Mrs. Jaques had a warm liking for him.

“No,” she said; “I don’t think so. Perhaps you’re rash; but, after all, daring’s better than cautious timidity – it carries one farther. Of course, there will be difficulties; but I wouldn’t despair. This a country where a bold man has many chances.”

“Thank you,” murmured Jimmy. “You have made me hopeful.” He looked up abruptly as Bethune addressed him. “Oh, yes,” he said hastily. “Quite so.”

“Quite so!” exclaimed Bethune. “My impression is that you haven’t heard a word I said.”

“I believe that’s possible,” Mrs. Jaques laughed. “However, he has a good excuse. You can’t blame him for talking to me.”

The party broke up soon afterward, and the next morning the sloop sailed for Victoria. Jimmy spent several anxious days in the city before he got a telegram from Bethune informing him that he had come to terms with the underwriters. They were more liberal than Jimmy had hoped, and he thought there should be money enough to launch the new venture in a modest way. He gave the express company orders to deliver the gold, and then set off to visit Osborne.

It was evening when he reached the house. He entered it longing to see Ruth and wondering how she would greet him, but disturbed about his meeting with her father. He was shown at once into the library, and Osborne rose to receive him.

“Aynsley Clay told me that you would call, and I am glad you have done so,” he said cordially. “I hope you will stay for a few days.”

“Thanks, I’m afraid not,” Jimmy answered. “Perhaps I had better get my business done. I really came because Clay asked it; he made me promise to bring you something. I left it in the hall.”

Osborne rang a bell and a square package neatly sewed up in canvas was brought in. Jimmy placed it on the table as soon as they were alone, and began to cut the stitches.

“I don’t know whether you’ll be surprised or not,” he said, as he uncovered a strong wooden box which showed signs of having long been soaked in water.

“That!” exclaimed Osborne, dropping into the nearest chair. “Who found that box?”

“I did – in the steamer’s strong-room.”

Beads of perspiration stood on Osborne’s forehead, and he was breathing with difficulty.

“Do you know – what it contains?” he gasped.

“Yes,” Jimmy answered quietly. “It isn’t gold. Some of the stuff is still inside but I took the rest out to save weight.”

Osborne leaned back in his chair, limp from the shock.

“When did you find it?” he asked.

“About eight months ago, roughly speaking.”

“And Clay knew about it all along?”

“No. We didn’t tell him until a week before his death.”

“That sounds curious,” Osborne said suspiciously. “Since you were silent so long, why did you speak about the thing at last?”

“It looked as if we might have trouble. Clay could have prevented our working, and when he came off to talk matters over we told him about the case. In the end, he lent us his diver and all the assistance he could.”

“And was that the only concession he made?”

“Yes,” said Jimmy with a flush. “It was all we demanded and all we got. It would simplify things if you took that for granted.”

“I suppose you know you were easily satisfied?” Osborne’s tone was ironical.

Jimmy made no response.

“Am I to understand that the case is mine absolutely, to do what I like with?” Osborne asked.

“Yes. You may regard it as a gift from Clay.”

“Who knows anything about the matter besides yourself?”

“My two partners, and a storekeeper who financed us, and his wife. They’re to be trusted. I’ll answer for them.”

“Well,” said Osborne quietly, “you’ll allow me to remark that you and your friends seem to have acted in a very honorable manner. That Clay should send me the case was, in a sense, characteristic of him; but I had no claim on you. If you won’t resent it, I should like to thank you for the line you have taken.”

“I haven’t finished my errand yet. You probably know that we salved a quantity of the gold, but you cannot have heard that we recovered and have accounted for every package that was insured.”

Osborne looked puzzled. He indicated the box on the table.

“You mean counting this one?”

“No; we found a duplicate, containing gold of rather more than the declared weight, on which the underwriters have paid our salvage claim.”

Osborne started, and his face expressed blank astonishment.

“But it sounds impossible! I can’t understand – ”

“It’s puzzling,” Jimmy agreed. “There’s obviously a mystery; but, after talking the thing over, my partners and I decided that we wouldn’t try to unravel it.”

“Perhaps you are wise. You are certainly considerate. But, still, I don’t see – Did you find the thing in the strong-room?”

“Not in the room. Clay showed me where to cut a hole in the roof. He crawled through and brought out the box. I imagine it was hidden among the deckbeams, but we hadn’t time to examine the place.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Osborne; for a light dawned on him as he remembered his partner’s determined attempt to break through the cabin floor on the night of the wreck. “Perhaps you are right. So the insurance people paid your claim and asked no questions. Did they seem satisfied?”

“Yes. I think the matter’s closed.”

There was keen relief in Osborne’s face, and the slackness of his pose suggested the sudden relaxing of a heavy strain. He sat very still for a few moments and then got up.

“Mr. Farquhar,” he said, “you must guess the satisfaction with which I have heard your news. Indeed, I feel that I must think over it quietly. If you will excuse me for a while, Miss Dexter and my daughter will be glad to entertain you.”

“But I must get back as soon as possible,” Jimmy objected, feeling that to stay, as he longed to do, would be embarrassing both to himself and to his host.

“You can’t leave before to-morrow,” said Osborne, smiling. “There’s no night boat now, the launch is under repairs, and my car’s in town. I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with our hospitality.”

He rang the bell, and when Jimmy left him he sat down with knitted brows. He wondered where Clay had got the gold. Then suddenly his fist clenched tightly and his frown grew deeper: he remembered that somebody had worked out the alluvial mine before they reached it. There was cause for grave suspicion there, particularly as the case had been put on board secretly, without appearing on the ship’s papers, which would have brought it to Osborne’s knowledge.

The box of gold, however, was not of the first importance. Clay, on his deathbed, perhaps by way of making reparation, had sent him a gift which had banished the apprehensions that had haunted him for years. Whatever Clay had done, Osborne could forgive him now. At last he was a free man: the only evidence against him was in his hands, and he meant to destroy it at once. After all, he had bitterly regretted his one great offense; and his partner’s last act had been to save him from its consequences.

CHAPTER XXXII – THE BARRIERS GO DOWN

When Jimmy was shown into the large, cool drawing-room, he stood awkwardly still, with a thrill of keen satisfaction and an effort for self-control. He had so far seen little of Osborne’s house, and the beauty of the room had its effect on him. Curtains, rugs, furniture and pictures formed harmonies of soft color and delicate design, which seemed to him a fitting environment for the occupant of the room.

Ruth wore a clinging evening dress, and Jimmy had hitherto seen her only in traveling and outing clothes. He could not have told how the dress was cut, nor have described its shade, but he knew it was exactly what she ought to wear. The way it hung about her hinted at the graceful lines of her figure; it matched the purity of her coloring and showed up the gloss of her hair. But although the effect was admirable, it was daunting, in a sense. She was wonderfully beautiful and in her proper place; he felt himself rough and awkward, and was conscious of his disadvantages.

Then, as she came toward him, his heart began beating hard. He thought of their last meeting with embarrassment. He had expected to find some change of manner in her that would, so to speak, keep him at a distance. There was, however, no hint of this. It looked as if she had not forgotten how he had helped her from the launch, but had somehow recognized it and its consequences. He was not a clever reader of other people’s minds, but he knew that they were nearer than they had ever been before.

As she gave him her hand Ruth smiled up at him, but she spoke in a very matter-of-fact voice.

“I am glad you have come at last. It is pleasant to know that you have got back safely.” She pouted prettily. “No doubt you had some business with my father, which explains the visit.”

“It gave me an excuse for doing what I wished.”

“Did you need an excuse? We gave you an open invitation.”

“I felt that I did,” Jimmy answered slowly; and Ruth understood. He was diffident but proud, and shrank from entering her circle by favor. She preferred that he should regard her, however, not as the daughter of a rich man but as an attractive woman.

“You are too retiring,” she rebuked him smilingly. “But I shall not begin by finding fault. I want you to tell me some of your exciting adventures. Aynsley Clay was here, but he could not tell us much about you – and he was, of course, in trouble.”

“Yes,” said Jimmy softly. “I’m sorry for him. He’s a man you soon feel a strong liking for; and there was a good deal to admire in his father. In fact, we were on very friendly terms during the last few days we spent at the wreck.”

Ruth was silent for a moment. Then:

“Tell me about the wreck,” she requested.

“It’s rather a long story, and you may find it tiresome.”

“I’ve asked you to tell it.”

Jimmy was glad of the opportunity, because he was determined that she should have no cause to doubt her father. There was much still unexplained, but she must not suspect this, for it was unthinkable that she should bear any trouble from which he could save her. Still, he saw that he must be careful, for there were points which needed delicate handling.

While he began the narrative Ruth studied him carefully. He looked very virile and handsome with his bronzed skin, his steady eyes, and his figure fined down by privation and toil. Indeed, he had somehow an air of distinction; but he had changed and developed since she first met him. This was a different man from the pleasant, easy-going steamship officer. He had grown alert and determined, but he had lost nothing of his sincerity. He could be trusted without reserve, and she felt that she liked him even better than before.

His story of their adventures in the North was deeply interesting to the girl; and she prompted him with leading questions now and then, for she was keenly anxious to learn the truth about the wreck. For the last few months she had been troubled by dark suspicions.

“But, in spite of everything, you reached the gold!” she exclaimed at last.

“Yes,” said Jimmy, seizing the opening he had waited for. “We got it all.”

“All!” For a moment Ruth was thrown off her guard by a shock of relief that was poignant in its intensity.

“I believe so,” Jimmy answered. “Anyway, we got every case that was insured. The underwriters seemed perfectly satisfied.”

A wave of color flushed Ruth’s face. She had, it seemed, tormented herself without a cause. Her father, whom she had suspected, was innocent. There was no dark secret attached to the wreck, as she had unjustly thought. Jimmy had banished her fears. The hardships he had borne had bought her release from a haunting dread.

She realized that he might wonder at her agitation, but, after all, this did not count. She was carried away by gratitude to him.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said, feeling the inadequacy of the words. “It makes a thrilling tale.”

“If it has pleased you, I’m content.”

“Pleased me! Well, I can assure you that it has done so.”

“Then I’m rewarded,” said Jimmy boldly, losing his head as he saw the gratitude in her eyes. “That’s all I wanted; finding the gold is less important.”

Ruth saw what was happening; his restraint was breaking down, and she meant to give it the last blow.

“And yet you must have been determined to get the gold, since all you had to face didn’t daunt you.”

“Yes,” said Jimmy with a steady look, “I wanted it badly, for a purpose.”

“Didn’t you want it for itself? That would have been a very natural thing.” Ruth hesitated. “But you haven’t mentioned your real reason.”

He gathered courage from the glance she gave him, though the next moment she turned her head.

“I’m half afraid, but it must be told. I was a steamboat mate without a ship, a laborer about the wharves and mills, and all the time I had a mad ambition locked up in my heart. Then my partner, Bethune, showed me a chance of realizing it, and I took that chance.”

“It must have been a strong ambition that sent you up to fight with the gales and ice.”

“It was. In fact, it was stronger than my judgment. I knew it was a forlorn hope, but I couldn’t give it up. You see, I had fallen in love with a girl.”

“Ah! I wonder when that happened? Was it one night when you met the Sound steamer with your launch?”

“Oh, no; long before that. It began one afternoon at Yokohama, when a girl in a dust-veil and the prettiest dress I’d ever seen came up the Empress’s gangway.”

“Then it must have been very sudden,” Ruth answered with a blush and a smile. “The veil was rather thick, and she didn’t speak to you.”

“That didn’t matter. She smiled her thanks, when I drew away a rope, and I’d never got so sweet and gracious a look. After that there were calm evenings when the Empress swung gently over the smooth heave and the girl left her friends and walked up and down the deck with me. I knew I was a presumptuous fool, but as soon as my watch was over I used to wait with an anxious heart, hoping that she might come.”

“And sometimes she didn’t.”

“Those were black nights,” said Jimmy. “While I waited I tried to think it would be better if I saw no more of her. But I knew all the time that I couldn’t take that prudent course.” He paused with an appealing gesture. “Ruth, haven’t I said enough?”

“Not quite. Did you think, when you went to find the wreck, that your success would make me think of you with more favor?”

“If the wreck had been full of gold, it would not have made me your equal; but I knew what your friends would think. It would have been insufferable that you should have had to apologize to them for me.”

Ruth gave him a smile that sent a thrill through him.

“Dear,” he said suddenly, “I want you – that’s all in the world that matters.”

She yielded shyly when he gathered her to him; and the little gilt clock on the mantel, with its poised Cupid, seemed to tick exultantly in the silence that followed.

A half-hour had passed when they heard footsteps in the hall, and Osborne came in. He glanced at them sharply, and Jimmy’s triumphant air and Ruth’s blush confirmed his suspicions.

“Ah!” he said. “I imagine you have something to tell me?”

“That is true,” said Jimmy; and Ruth smiled at her father.

“There is no reason why you should object, and you needn’t pretend to be vexed!” she pouted.

“I think Mr. Farquhar and I must have a talk,” Osborne answered quietly.

He made Jimmy sit down when Ruth had left them.

“Now,” he began, “I’ll confess to some surprise, and though, from what I’ve seen and heard of you, I can find no fault of a personal nature, there are some drawbacks.”

“Nobody realizes that better than myself,” Jimmy answered ruefully. “In fact, I can honestly say that they seemed serious enough to prevent my hopes from ever being realized until half an hour ago. The only excuse I can make is that I love your daughter.”

“It’s a good one, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t quite cover all the ground. May I ask about your plans for the future?”

“I’m afraid they’re not very ambitious, but they may lead to something. My partners and I intend to start a small towing and transport business with the salvage money.”

Osborne asked for an outline of the scheme, and listened with interest while Jimmy supplied it. The venture had obviously been well thought out, and he believed it would succeed. Farquhar and his friends had carried out their salvage operations in spite of Clay’s opposition, which spoke well for their resourcefulness and determination. Knowing something of his late partner’s methods, he could imagine the difficulties they had had to meet.

“I think you have chosen a suitable time, because it looks as if we were about to see a big extension of the coasting trade,” he said. “There is, however, the disadvantage that you’ll have to start in a small way. Now it’s possible that I might find you some more capital.”

“No, thanks!” said Jimmy firmly. “We have made up our minds not to borrow.”

Osborne gave him a dry smile.

“I suppose that means that you don’t see your way to taking any help from me?”

Jimmy felt embarrassed. As a matter of fact, he still suspected Osborne of complicity in some scheme to make an unlawful profit out of the wreck; and in that sense his offer might be regarded as a bribe.

“We feel that it would be better if we stood, so to speak, on our own feet,” he said.

“Perhaps you’re right. However, I don’t think you need object if I’m able to put any business in your way; but this is not what I meant to talk about. I cannot consent to an engagement just now, but after you have been twelve months in business you may come to me again, and we’ll see what progress you are making.”

“And in the meanwhile?” Jimmy asked anxiously.

“You are both free; I make no other stipulation. If Miss Dexter approves, my house is open to you.”

A few minutes afterward Jimmy found Ruth in the hall.

“Well?” she asked. “Was he very formidable?”

“I believe I got off better than I deserved.” Jimmy told her what Osborne had insisted on.

“So you are free for another year! I wonder whether you’re fickle.”

“I’m bound hand and foot forever! What’s more, I’ll hug my chains. But your father hinted that if I wished to see you, I’d have to win your aunt’s approval.”

“That won’t be hard,” Ruth laughed. “If you have no confidence in your own merits, you can leave it to me. Now, perhaps, you had better come and see her.”

Miss Dexter spent some time talking to Jimmy, and he found her blunt questions embarrassing; but she afterward remarked to her niece: “I like your sailor. He looks honest, and that is the great thing. Still, for some reasons, I’m sorry you didn’t take Aynsley, whom I’m fond of. It’s curious how little that young man resembles his father.”

“Clay had his good points,” Ruth said warmly. “He was very generous, and, although I don’t quite understand the matter, I think he really lost his life because he wanted to clear himself of all suspicion for his son’s sake.”

“It’s possible; there was something very curious about the wreck. He was a brigand, my dear; perhaps a rather gallant and magnanimous one, but a brigand, for all that.”