The Story of Antony Grace Part 85

Mr Jabez paused, and took a pinch of snuff.

"Do, sir, I'd--I'd--I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd take a partner who had money."

Hallett shook his head sadly.

"Who would advance money to such a dreamer as I am?" he said sadly.

"Lots of people, as soon as they saw money in it."

Hallett shook his head.

"You take a very sanguine view of the matter, Mr Rowle."

"Not half so sanguine as you, sir. Why, you must have spent years of labour, and a great deal of money, over that model."

"I have," said Hallett sadly.

"Then don't call me sanguine," cried Mr Jabez, flying to his snuff-box again. "I ask, here, Hallett, how much would it take to produce that thing, patent it, and the rest of it?"

"I cannot say," replied Hallett quietly, and with the same sad smile upon his face. "It is one of those things which keen on crying, 'More!

more!' I dare say it would require 300 pounds or 400 pounds to produce the first machine, and then I have no doubt more would have to be spent in perfecting it."

"Yes, I dare say," said Mr Jabez coolly, as he uncovered and once more began to examine the model; "I tell you what, Hallett, I think I know your man."

"What, a capitalist?"

"No, sir; a man with a selfish desire to share in the child of your brains."

"Indeed!"

"Yes; he hasn't much money, but I'll be bound to say that he would find enough to carry out your plans for, say, one-third of the profits."

"Mr Rowle, are you serious?" said Hallett earnestly.

"I never joke about business matters, Mr Hallett. As I said before, sir, that's a great invention; and if you'll let me, I'll find the money for carrying it on, conditionally that I take one-third of the profits the invention makes."

"You will! Mr Rowle!" cried Hallett incredulously.

"I will, sir; and there's my hand upon it."

"But do you understand the magnitude of the affair, sir?" cried Hallett, whose face flushed and eyes glittered with excitement.

"Quite so," replied the old gentleman, diving again into his snuff-box.

"The first thing is, sir, to draw out a proper doc.u.ment between us--we can do that without the lawyers. Then proper drawings must be made, with description, and the thing must be patented."

"But that will take nearly a hundred pounds!" cried Hallett, panting; while I sat there hugging myself with delight.

"You can have my cheque for a hundred pounds, Mr Hallett, as soon as we have settled the preliminaries; and I bind myself to go on finding the necessary cash for construction as you go on. And now, sir, it's pretty well my bed-time, and I want to be off. Do nothing rashly. This day week I'll come here again for your answer, which I hope will be _yes_; for I think it will be a good stroke of business for both of us. Now good-night. Antony Grace, will you show me the way down to the door?"

They shook hands, and I saw the old gentleman to the street.

"There, my boy, wasn't that done well?" he chuckled. "But look here, Antony Grace," he added seriously; "I'd have done it without Miss Carr, that I would, for I believe in that machine. Good-night, boy, I'll come on next week and--hang it, look at that fellow who just pa.s.sed. He's as like John Lister as two peas."

The old man went off, and I returned to my room, where I found Hallett waiting for me in a state of intense excitement.

"Antony," he exclaimed, "it is too good to be true. It is fortune at last--success. Good heavens! it makes me turn giddy. Mother--Linny,"

he cried, in a low pa.s.sionate wail, "at last there is suns.h.i.+ne breaking through the clouds."

"I pray Heaven there may be, Hallett," I exclaimed; "but I have something to say to you."

"What is it?" he cried. "Has the old man repented?"

"Oh, no; you may be sure of him, Hallett. He is delighted at the opportunity, and thinks it will lead to fortune."

"What do you mean, then?"

"John Lister is hanging about this street."

"Why? How? what makes you say that?"

"I saw him pa.s.s the door, just now."

His brow darkened, and involuntarily he uttered his sister's name.

"No," I said; "I don't believe it of her. He is only trying to meet with her once more. I am sure Linny does not know it."

"You are right, Antony; she cannot know it. We can trust her now. Let us go and sit upstairs."

As we entered the room, Linny raised her eyes from the book which she was reading, and her calm ingenuous look was sufficient to disarm suspicion; but, all the same, Hallett and I both felt that the wolf was prowling about the fold, and that it behoved us to see that he had no further chance of carrying off our lamb.

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE.

MR LISTER IS MOVED ON.

We had good reason to know that John Lister was hovering about the place, for I saw him several times, and found that in Hallett's absence and mine he had called and endeavoured to see Linny; but she had always refused, and on Mary being warned, he received such a rebuff that he did not call again. Still, however, he hung about, making the poor girl's life wretched, for at last she dared not go to the window for fear of being seen.

Both Hallett and I wondered whether his pertinacity would make any impression. While we were in a state of doubt, it fell to my lot one evening to become Linny's escort to a distant part of London, and we were on our way back, when suddenly I felt her hand tighten upon my arm.

"Quick, Antony," she whispered, "he is there!"

"He is there?" I said wonderingly, for I did not comprehend her; but the next moment I caught sight of Lister coming towards us, and evidently fixing her with his eyes.

There was a meaning smile upon his lip, and, apparently intending to ignore me, he was about to speak, when, with a gesture of horror, she shrank from him, turned her head aside, and begged me to hurry home.

"We'll go home," I said; "but we will not hurry;" and I turned and met Lister's contemptuous stare, as he followed us at a little distance till we had reached the house.