Dick o' the Fens: A Tale of the Great East Swamp by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  THE DOCTOR'S DICTUM.

  Dick leaped up and came to the window as soon as he heard the beating ofthe horse's hoofs; and to his great joy, as the mounted man turned thecorner he saw that it was the doctor, whom he ran down to meet.

  "Hah, my lad! here is a bad business!" exclaimed the doctor as hedismounted. "Well, come, they cannot say this was your doing. Youwouldn't shoot your own father, eh?"

  "Oh, pray, come up, sir, and don't talk," cried Dick excitedly. "Poorfather is dying!"

  "Oh, no," said the doctor; "we must not let him die."

  "But be quick, sir! You are so long!" cried Dick.

  "Don't be impatient, my lad," said the doctor smiling. "We folks haveto be calm and quiet in all we do. Now show me the way."

  Dick led him to the room, the doctor beckoning Hickathrift to follow;and as soon as he reached the injured man's side he quietly sent MrsWinthorpe and Dick to wait in the next room, retaining the greatwheelwright to help him move his patient.

  The time seemed interminable, and as mother and son sat waiting, everyword spoken in the next room sounded like a moan from the injured man.Mrs Winthorpe's face appeared to be that of a woman ten years older,and her agony was supreme; but like a true wife and tender mother--ah,how little we think of what a mother's patience and self-denial are whenwe are young!--she devoted her whole energies to administering comfortto her sorely-tried son.

  A dozen times over Dick felt that he could not keep the secret thattroubled him--that he must tell his mother his suspicions and ask heradvice; but so sure as he made up his mind to speak, the fear that hemight be wrong troubled him, and he forebore.

  Then began the whole struggle again, and at last he was nearer than everto confiding his horrible belief in their neighbour's treachery, whenthe doctor suddenly appeared.

  Dick rose from where he had been kneeling by his mother's side, and shestarted from her seat to grasp the doctor's hand.

  She did not speak, but her eyes asked the one great question of herheart, and then, as the doctor's hard sour face softened and he smiled,Mrs Winthorpe uttered a piteous sigh and clasped her hands together inthankfulness to Heaven.

  "Then he is not very bad, doctor?" cried Dick joyfully.

  "Yes, my boy, he is very bad indeed, and dangerously wounded," repliedthe doctor; "but, please God, I think I can pull him through."

  "Tell me--tell me!" faltered Mrs Winthorpe piteously.

  "It is a painful thing to tell a lady," said the doctor kindly; "but Iwill explain. Mrs Winthorpe, he has a terrible wound. The bullet haspassed obliquely through his chest; it was just within the skin at theback, and I have successfully extracted it. As far as I can tell thereis no important organ injured, but at present I am not quite sure.Still I think I may say he is in no immediate danger."

  Mrs Winthorpe could not trust herself to speak, but she looked herthanks and glided toward the other room.

  "Do not speak to him and do not let him speak," whispered the doctor."Everything depends upon keeping him perfectly still, so that nature maynot be interrupted in doing her portion of the work."

  Mrs Winthorpe bowed her head in acquiescence, and with a promise thathe would return later in the day the doctor departed.

  Dick found, a short time after, that the news had been carried to theworks at the drain, where Mr Marston was busy; and no sooner did thatgentleman hear of the state of affairs than he hurried over to offer hissympathy to Mrs Winthorpe and Dick.

  "I little thought that your father was to be a victim," he said to thelatter as soon as they were alone. "I have been trying my hand to fixthe guilt upon somebody, but so far I have failed. Come, Dick, you andI have not been very good friends lately, and I must confess that I havebeen disposed to think you knew something about these outrages."

  "Yes, I knew you suspected me, Mr Marston."

  "Not suspected you, but that you knew something about them; but I begyour pardon: I am sorry I ever thought such things; and I am sure youwill forgive me, for indeed I do not think you know anything of the kindnow."

  Dick quite started as he gazed in Mr Marston's face, so strangely thatthe engineer wondered, and then felt chilled once more and stood withoutspeaking.

  Mr Marston took a step up and down for a few moments and then turned toDick again.

  "Look here, my lad," he said. "I don't like for there to be anythingbetween us. I want to be friends with you, for I like you, RichardWinthorpe; but you keep on making yourself appear so guilty that yourepel me. Speak to me, Dick, and say out downright, like a man, thatyou know nothing about this last affair."

  Dick looked at him wildly, but remained silent.

  "Come!" said Mr Marston sternly, and he fixed the lad with his eye;"there has been a dastardly outrage committed and your father nearlymurdered. Tell me plainly whether you know whose hand fired the shot."

  No answer.

  "Dick, my good lad, I tell you once more that I do not suspect you--onlythat you know who was the guilty party."

  Still no answer.

  "It is your duty to speak, boy," cried Mr Marston angrily. "You arenot afraid to speak out?"

  "I--I don't know," said Dick.

  "Then you confess that you do know who fired at your father?"

  "I did not confess," said Dick slowly. "I cannot say. I only think Iknow."

  "Then who was it?"

  No answer.

  "Dick, I command you to speak," cried Mr Marston, catching his arm andholding him tightly.

  "I don't know," said Dick.

  "You do know, cried Mr Marston angrily, and I will have an answer. Noman's life is safe, and these proceedings must be stopped."

  For answer Dick wrested himself free.

  "I don't know for certain," he said determinedly, "and I'm not going tosay who it is I suspect, when I may be wrong."

  "But if the person suspected is innocent, he can very well prove it.Ah, here is Tom Tallington! Come, Tom, my lad, you can help me herewith your old companion."

  "No," cried Dick angrily, "don't ask him."

  "I shall ask him," said Mr Marston firmly. "Look here, Tom; our friendDick here either knows or suspects who it was that fired that shot; andif he knows that, he can tell who fired the other shots, and perhaps didall the other mischief."

  "Do you know, Dick?" cried Tom excitedly.

  "I don't know for certain, I only suspect," said Dick sadly.

  "And I want him to speak out, my lad, while he persists in trying tohide it."

  "He won't," said Tom. "He thinks it is being a bit of a coward to telltales; but he knows it is right to tell, don't you, Dick?"

  "No," said the latter sternly.

  "You do, now," said Tom. "Come, I say, let's know who it was. Here,shall I call father?"

  "No, no," cried Dick excitedly, "and I won't say a word. I cannot. Itis impossible."

  "You are a strange lad, Dick Winthorpe," said the engineer, looking atthem curiously.

  "Oh, but he will speak, Mr Marston! I can get him to," cried Tom."Come, Dick, say who it was."

  Dick stared at him wildly, for there was something so horrible to him inthis boy trying now to make him state what would result in his father'simprisonment and death, that Tom seemed for the moment in his eyes quitean unnatural young monster at whose presence he was ready to shudder.

  "How can you be so obstinate!" cried Tom. "You shall tell. Who wasit?"

  Dick turned from him in horror, and would have hurried away, but MrMarston caught his arm.

  "Stop a moment, Dick Winthorpe," he said. "I must have a few words withyou before we part. It is plain enough that all these outrages aredirected against the persons who are connected with the drainage scheme,and that their lives are in danger. Now I am one of these persons, andto gratify the petty revenge of a set of ignorant prejudiced people whocannot see the good of the work upon which we are engaged, I decline tohave myself made a target. I ask you, then, who this was. Will youspeak?" r />
  Dick shook his head.

  "Well, then, I am afraid you will be forced to speak. I consider it tobe my duty to have these outrages investigated, and to do this I shallwrite up to town. The man or men who will be sent down will be of adifferent class to the unfortunate constable who was watching here.Now, come, why not speak?"

  "Mr Marston!" cried Dick hoarsely.

  "Yes! Ah, that is better! Now, come, Dick; we began by being friends.Let us be greater friends than ever, as we shall be, I am sure."

  "No, no," cried Dick passionately. "I want to be good friends, but Icannot speak to you. I don't know anything for certain, I onlysuspect."

  "Then whom do you suspect?"

  "Yes; who is it?" cried Tom angrily.

  "Hold your tongue!" said Dick so fiercely that Tom shrank away.

  "I say you shall speak out," retorted the lad, recovering himself.

  "For your father's sake speak out, my lad," said Mr Marston.

  Dick shook his head and turned away, to go back into the wheelwright'scottage, where, suffering from a pain and anguish of mind to which hehad before been a stranger, he sought refuge at his mother's side, andshared her toil of watching his father as he lay there between life anddeath.