Maxwell and Ferrari both went down to the gate, and Mrs. Belswin was left alone with Samson, the mother still being in the house.
"Don't go," she said, in a low tone.
"Oh, yes, I'll go," he replied in the same tone, "I tell nothing."
"What?" she said, uneasily; "do you know anything?"
Belk looked at her with his languid eyes, and stroked his golden beard slowly.
"I know what I know," he replied emphatically, and with this reply, which roused all her suspicions, Mrs. Belswin was forced to be content.
[CHAPTER XXXII.]
NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA.
'Neath the shining southern cross,
News of gain and news of loss,
Silver veining hidden rocks
Changes hourly shares and stocks:
By the magic power of shares,
Paupers turn to millionaires--
Millionaires to paupers change;
Transformation swift and strange.
Genii, no, nor fairy kings
Could not do such wond'rous things
As are daily done by scores,
On Australia's golden shores.
What passed between Maxwell and Samson Belk at their interview, Mrs. Belswin could never discover; but as Archie did not in any way change his manner towards her she was satisfied that her name had not transpired during the conversation, or if it had, Belk had said nothing detrimental to her in any way. As to Belk himself, she saw him when he came up to London, but he refused to tell her whether he had overheard the conversation between herself and Sir Rupert, and she was therefore forced to remain in a constant state of uneasiness. Although Belk denied that he had been out of the house after his return from the four o'clock interview, and supported this assertion by the evidence of his mother and the curate, yet Mrs. Belswin had a kind of half suspicion that he had been on the terrace on the night in question, and had heard more than he was willing to confess. But, then, she argued to herself that, if this were the case, he would certainly use his power over her to force her into marriage with him, whereas he did nothing of the sort, but behaved as if he knew absolutely nothing.