England -- Fiction; Strikes and lockouts -- Fiction
THE SEPARATION OF HUNTER AND HUNTER.
Austin Clay sat at his desk at Hunter and Hunter's, sorting the morning
letters, which little matter of employment formed part of his duties. It
was the morning subsequent to the commotion in Daffodil's Delight. His
thoughts were running more on that than on the letters, when the
postmark 'Ketterford' on two of them caught his eye.
The one was addressed to himself, the other to 'Mr. Lewis Hunter,' and
the handwriting of both was the same. Disposing of the rest of the
letters as usual, placing those for the Messrs. Hunter in their room,
against they should arrive, and dealing out any others there might be
for the hands employed in the firm, according to their address, he
proceeded to open his own.
To the very end of it Austin read; and then, and not till then, he began
to suspect that it could not be meant for him. No name whatever was
mentioned in the letter; it began abruptly, and it ended abruptly; not
so much as 'Sir,' or 'Dear Sir,' was it complimented with, and it was
simply signed 'A. G.' He read it a second time, and then its awful
meaning flashed upon him, and a red flush rose to his brow and settled
there, as if burnt into it with a branding iron. He had become possessed
of a dangerous secret.
There was no doubt that the letter was written by Miss Gwinn to Mr.
Hunter. By some extraordinary mischance, she had misdirected it.
Possibly the letter now lying on Mr. Hunter's desk, might be for Austin.
Though, what could she be writing about to him?
He sat down. He was quite overcome with the revelation; it was, indeed,
of a terrible nature, and he would have given much not to have become
cognizant of it. 'Bills!' 'Money!' So that had been Mr. Hunter's excuse
for the mystery! No wonder he sought to turn suspicion into any channel
but the real one.
Austin was poring over the letter like one in a nightmare, when Mr.
Hunter interrupted him. He crushed it into his pocket with all the
aspect of a guilty man; any one might have taken him in his confusion so
to be. Not for himself was he confused, but he feared lest Mr. Hunter
should discover the letter. Although certainly written for him, Austin
did not dare hand it to him, for it would never do to let Mr. Hunter
know that he possessed the secret. Mr. Hunter had come in, holding out
the other letter from Ketterford.
'This letter is for you, Mr. Clay. It has been addressed to me by
mistake, I conclude.'
Austin took it, and glanced his eyes over it. It contained a few abrupt
lines, and a smaller note, sealed, was inside it.
'My brother is in London, Austin Clay. I have reason to think he
will be calling upon the Messrs. Hunter. Will you watch for him,
and give him the inclosed note? Had he told me where he should put
up in town, I should have had no occasion to trouble you.
A. GWINN.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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