Herb of Grace | Page 9

the boy was too much fuddled by champagne to guess
that.
"They made me drunk, sir," groaned Cedric; "and there was a
professional sharper there--Wright has just told me so--and he will not
let me off. If they found out things at headquarters I should be
rusticated, and I am only in my first term. The Proctor has vowed to
make an example of the next fellow caught gambling, and they say he
always keeps his word."
"How much do you owe?" asked Malcolm; and when Cedric in a low
voice mentioned the sum, Malcolm gave a whistle of dismay. No
wonder he was in despair.
"If I had not drunk too much, I should have stopped playing when I saw
I was losing," went on Cedric in a contrite tone; "but they plied me with
liquor, and I got reckless, and then I knew no more till I found myself
in bed with my clothes on."
Cedric was not shirking the truth certainly. The young prodigal already
realised the nature of the husks given to him; he was so low and abject
in his abasement that a word of rebuke would have seemed cruel. One
thing was certain, that matters were serious--gambling and drunkenness
were no light offences.

Malcolm had already been put into possession of the youth's domestic
history. His name was Cedric Templeton; his parents were dead, and he
was dependent on his half-sisters; his father had had heavy losses, and
Cedric's inheritance had been small. The first Mrs. Templeton had
brought her husband great wealth, but the money had been settled on
the daughters. Mr. Templeton's second wife was a penniless girl. She
had died two or three years after Cedric's birth, and Dinah, the elder
sister, had mothered him.
"You must put a good face on it and write to your sister," continued
Malcolm. "If you take my advice, Templeton, you will keep nothing
back--' the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth'--and hang
the consequences." Malcolm finished his sentence with a touch of
impatience, for the boy's scared face almost frightened him.
"No, no, no!" returned Cedric vehemently. "I would sooner drown
myself a hundred times over. Look here," plucking at Malcolm's coat-
sleeve with his feverish, restless hand, "you don't understand--you don't
know Dinah; she would break her heart, and Elizabeth too. They are
such good women, they don't allow for a fellow's temptation; and--and
I have broken my word."
"How do you mean, my dear lad?"
"I gave them my sacred promise not to play for money. I don't know
why Dinah was always so afraid of that. They never thought of the
other thing," and Cedric hung his head in shame--"they would not
believe it was possible; it was always debt and not paying one's bills
that Dinah feared."
"Your sister was right, Templeton," returned Malcolm somewhat
sternly. "Wait a moment, I must think over things and see what is to be
done;" and then he rose from the bench and paced slowly up and down.
"A hundred and twenty pounds lost in a single night to a professional
card-sharper," he thought. "The rogues ought to be shown up, only this
would involve the end of the lad's university career." Malcolm knew
the Proctor well--not even a first offence would receive a merciful
verdict.

If only the boy would throw himself upon his sisters' compassion--
women were so soft-hearted and forgave so easily. But Cedric had
refused this; he had even used strong language when his adviser
pressed it.
"Obstinate young beggar," he growled; "it would serve him right to let
him get out of the mess by himself;" and then he relented from his
severity, and rapidly added up some sums in his head. The result of his
calculation was satisfactory. He had just that amount lying idle at his
banker's. His mother made him a liberal allowance, and he was
beginning to turn an honest penny by literary work. At that time he was
still an occupant of his mother's house, so his expenses were not great.
"Yes, I will risk it," he thought, with one of those sudden impulses that
took other people as well as himself by surprise, and then he walked
quickly up to Cedric.
"Look here, Templeton," he exclaimed, "I have made up my mind to go
bail for the whole amount. It is too late now to do anything, but
to-morrow I will see those fellows and give them a bit of my mind.
Your friend the card-sharper will have to make tracks. Anyhow, I will
pay up."
"Good heavens, Mr. Herrick, you don't mean--you don't mean;" but
here Cedric could not utter a word more, for his voice was choked with
sobs. Malcolm could just gather a few incoherent expressions--
"benefactor"--"God bless him"--"eternal