The Yellow God | Page 6

the late Sir William
Vernon, G.C.B. I believe that he was engaged to be married to his sister
years ago, only she died or something. So the Major ought to be able to
get round him if anybody can. Only the worst of it is I don't altogether
trust that young gentleman. It suited us to give him a share in the
business because he is an engineer who knows the country, and this
Sahara scheme was his notion, a very good one in a way, and for other
reasons. Now he shows signs of kicking over the traces, wants to know
too much, is developing a conscience, and so forth. As though the
promoters of speculative companies had any business with consciences.

Ah! here he comes."
Sir Robert seated himself at his desk and resumed his calculations upon
a half-sheet of note-paper, and that moment a clear, hearty voice was
heard speaking to the clerks in the outer office. Then came the sound of
a strong, firm footstep, the door opened and Major Alan Vernon
appeared.
He was still quite a young man, not more than thirty-two or three years
of age, though he lacked the ultra robust and rubicund appearance
which is typical of so many Englishmen of his class at this period of
life. A heavy bout of blackwater fever acquired on service in West
Africa, which would have killed anyone of weaker constitution, had
robbed his face of its bloom and left it much sallower, if more
interesting than once it had been. For in a way there was interest about
the face; also a certain charm. It was a good and honest face with a
rather eager, rather puzzled look, that of a man who has imagination
and ideas and who searches for the truth but fails to find it. As for the
charm, it lay for the most part in the pleasant, open smile and in the
frank but rather round brown eyes overhung by a somewhat massive
forehead which projected a little, or perhaps the severe illness already
alluded to had caused the rest of the face to sink. Though thin, the man
was bigly built, with broad shoulders and well-developed limbs,
measuring a trifle under six feet in height.
Such was the outward appearance of Alan Vernon. As for his mind, it
was able enough in certain fashions, for instance those of engineering,
and the soldier-like faculties to which it had been trained; frank and
kindly also, but in other respects not quick, perhaps from its
unsuspiciousness. Alan Vernon was a man slow to discover ill and
slower still to believe in it even when it seemed to be discovered, a
weakness that may have gone far to account for his presence in the
office of those eminent and brilliant financiers, Messrs. Aylward &
Champers-Haswell. Just now he looked a little worried, like a fish out
of water, or rather a fish which has begun to suspect the quality of the
water, something in its smell or taste.
"Jeffreys tells me that you want to see me, Sir Robert," he said in his

low and pleasant voice, looking at the baronet rather anxiously.
"Yes, my dear Vernon, I wish to ask you to do something, if you kindly
will, although it is not quite in your line. Old Jackson, the editor of
/The Judge/, is a friend of yours, isn't he?"
"He was a friend of my father's, and I used to know him slightly."
"Well, that's near enough. As I daresay you have heard, he is an
unreasonable old beggar, and has taken a dislike to our Sahara scheme.
Someone has set him against it and he refuses to receive advertisements,
threatens criticisms, etc. Now the opposition of /The Judge/ or any
other paper won't kill us, and if necessary we can fight, but at the same
time it is always wise to agree with your enemy while he is in the way,
and in short--would you mind going down and explaining his mistake
to him?"
Before answering Major Vernon walked to the window leisurely and
looked out.
"I don't like asking favours from family friends," he replied at length,
"and, as you said, I think it isn't quite my line. Though of course if it
has anything to do with the engineering possibilities, I shall be most
happy to see him," he added, brightening.
"I don't know what it has to do with; that is what I shall be obliged if
you will find out," answered Sir Robert with some asperity. "One can't
divide a matter of this sort into watertight compartments. It is true that
in so important a concern each of us has charge of his own division, but
the fact remains that we are jointly and severally responsible for