Blackthorn Farm

It was a glorious summer morning. The sun had torn aside the grey mantle from the face of London. The roofs and s

were letters, bills, advertisements-principally from tipsters and bookmakers-and the examination papers w

had intended going down to the hall to

If he failed ruin faced him, and disgrace. His father had warned him that the money he h

Rupert himself had only just realised it. And

taked honour and love on a horse he had never even seen. If it won he was saved. He could face his

t lo

ther in Devonshire enclosing a cheque

e, reminding him that he had promised t

five pounds only. It was drawn by Reginald Crichton, of Post Bridge

ds! Quite a lot of money-to his father; probably he did not s

aside the accumulation of u

t savoured of the melodramatic. Yet here was ruin facin

like a thief in the night. And at

upert l

be married. As Miss Strode's income-including two matinees-was exactly the same as Rupert's, marriage was out of the question. Being young and ligh

it was of his father he was thinking, and of his sister Marjorie. His father, the old yeoman farmer who had pinched and scraped for seven years now, deny

he saw in the mirror. A vision rose before his eyes of Blackthorn Farm, his humble home in the middle of the wild mo

sage of time the homestead decayed and threatened to crumble to dust and di

ever since he had left Taunton Grammar School. It was two years since John Dale had even seen his first-born, and his heart thrilled with pride and expectation when he thought of the homecoming. It would make up for all the years of grind

eginald Crichton, of Post Bridge Hall, who had gradually bought up all the land lying in t

ckthorn. It would just sink into oblivion and disappear, and there would be nothing left but memory-and the everlasting morass and

ing-room bringing with her the sunshine and the breath of summer. The vision that had been conjured befo

by, and advanced to m

d. "What do you think of my new frock?-and isn

how beautiful you are," he whispered. "You loo

upert, and she valued his opinion as much or more than she

fe had taught her that love was to be given, not sold. Unfortunately, she had given it to a penniless young man whose herita

the train," she cried. "I wish we could mo

y and emptied the contents of

evens' already, you know. It'll cost a couple of pounds to get on to t

ho! I believe I'd walk through your Devonshire bogs if you asked me. But I

, I suppose I shall get a job somewhere and the old man will be so pleased that he'll forgive me....

, again, he saw the queer eerie little farmhouse lying tucked between the granite tors: on one side of it the Dart purred to the sea; stretching away to the left a few fields surrounded by stone walls and the cattle standing in the green gras

n? His body grew suddenly cold, he shudd

Ruby stepped forward

he stammered. "But, of course it will.

they ran downstairs. At the front door the landlady of the lodgings met him.

ve something to-day, sir. I'm

pay you to-night without

slipped his arm through Ruby's. Hailing a pas

*

th the cries of the multitude. The great race of the day was due to start. Paulus w

n saying. "I shall win enough, Ruby, t

ce a trifle uneasily: "You mean if it were to win? Wou

moment of tense excitement, he realise

g his father would never face. The blasting of the old man's hopes. All that

othing," he said, forcing a smile. And he began to fight h

to me, I'll do it. You always say I'm

"All right. If you smile at the beggar lik

Ring. Rupert saw the long black plume of her French hat nodding in the breez

reat chorus rent th

on the stand and putting up

left. It was not Paulus, so he did

ots against the blue sky. The great human ant-hill was still now, silent, too. The

rowd began to murmur now. A strange sound as if emanating from t

nt the scene was blotted from his eyes. And again he saw the black Devon moorlands, neither purple heather nor golden gorse now, just granite tors and bo

monkey to a pea

s shouted, then another. The field had strung out,

ns! I'll b

put down his glasses. Then he heard his own

challenged by a rank outsider, Ambuscade. Neck and neck they ran, first one, then the other, getting the advantage. Rupert was conscious of Ruby clinging to his arm. He was conscious of the grea

g-post was reached. Thunder-clap

... Paulus! Pa

nging to his arm. He waved his hat in the air and he laughed as he shouted. He was saved, and for a mome

s more of tension until the numbers went up and they saw o

nt ago she had been hanging on his arm. He heard the "All right" called and he realised she had gone to draw the money from the bookmaker. A

" he whispered. "There's no

the railway station, caught the first train returni

him on the table. He picked

"It's the result of the exam. I told one of my pa

t and taken him in her arms, heedless now of the damage to her French toilet. Her black, sweetly-scented hair brushe

ad f

o. "I'm rich now. I can pay my bills; we ca

, his dreams, his ambitions for you? Oh! don't think I'm a prig, but he'll be disappoin

. "You don't know what you're

m the street interrupted him. They

and now I can afford to take it. If I hadn't won this money I couldn't have. I should have had to go home and stop there, shut up in that crumbling hole in the midst o

ran shrieking

. Sensational result! All

oor. "Let's get a paper an

pert. Tell me honestly, how much you

go on working until I pass. And I'll send the guv'nor that last fiver he posted me, old Crichton's cheque. Those brutes at Po

a passing newsboy, who thrust a paper into Rupert's hands. Chucking him sixpence Rupert made h

?" sh

our, grow deadly white. The paper began to shiver and tremble betwe

econd-then in huge black

t course. An enquiry was held and Paulus was disqualified. The outsider, A

the chair in front of the writing-table. He stretched his arms out, sweep

d to raise him. "Rupert-per

d laying him on the bed loosened his collar. She found some brandy and forced a little between his lips. Then she sat beside him,

ll all come right, Rupert. I-I love you,

sively. "Leave me," he whispered. "For

down she commenced to pick up the papers scattered on the floor. Among them she found the cheque Rupert had received that morning from his father, the ch

he had a few pounds in her purse which she had drawn over Paulus before the objection was made. A few pounds in the Post Office Savings-bank. Between them they might collect twenty o

faced him she knew how much she loved h

d commenced to walk to and fro up and down the pavement trying to think what she would do. Twelve pounds in her purse and a cheque for five pounds in her g

closely. And she remembered Reginald Crichton's name. She had heard

e sitting-room. Then she stopped short, frozen with terror. Rupert was standing at the writing-table. The blinds wer