He looked at him calmly,but in her set,white face he seemed to read already his sentence!
"Do you think it worth while,Mr.Trent?There is so much,as you put it,to be explained,that the task,even to a man of your versatility,seems hopeless!""I shall not trouble you long,"he said."At least one man's word should be as good as another's -and you have listened to what my enemy "-he motioned towards Francis -"has to say."Francis shrugged his shoulders.
"I can assure you,"he interrupted,"that I have no feeling of enmity towards you in the slightest.My opinion you know.I have never troubled to conceal it.But I deny that I am prejudiced by any personal feeling."Trent ignored his speech.
"What I have to say to you,"he continued addressing Ernestine,"Iwant to say before you see your father.I won't take up your time.
I won't waste words.I take you back ten years to when I met him at Attra and we became partners in a certain enterprise.Your father at that time was a harmless wreck of a man who was fast killing himself with brandy.He had some money,I had none.With it we bought the necessary outfit and presents for my enterprise and started for Bekwando.The whole of the work fell to my share,and with great trouble I succeeded in obtaining the concessions we were working for.Your father spent all his time drinking,and playing cards,when I would play with him.The agreement as to the sharing of the profits was drawn up,it is true,by me,but at that time he made no word of complaint.I had no relations,he described himself as cut off wholly from his.It was here Francis first came on the scene.He found your father half drunk,and when he read the agreement it was plain what he thought.He thought that I was letting your father kill himself that the whole thing might be mine.
He has probably told you so.I deny it.I did all I could to keep him sober!
"On our homeward way your father was ill and our bearers deserted us.We were pursued by the natives,who repented their concession,and I had to fight them more than once,half a dozen strong,with your father unconscious at my feet.It is true that I left him in the bush,but it was at his bidding and I believed him dying.It was my only chance and I took it.I escaped and reached Attra.
Then,to raise money to reach England,I had to borrow from a man named Da Souza,and afterwards,in London,to start the Company,Ihad to make him my partner in the profits of the concession.One day I quarrelled with him -it was just at the time I met you -and then,for the first time,I heard of your father's being alive.Iwent out to Africa to bring him back and Da Souza followed me in abject fear,for as my partner he lost half if your father's claim was good.I found your father infirm and only half sane.I did all I could for him whilst I worked in the interior,and meant to bring him back to England with me when I came.unfortunately he recovered a little and suddenly seized upon the idea of visiting England.He left before me and fell into the hands of Da Souza,who had the best possible reasons in the world for keeping him in the background.I rescued him from them in time to save him from death and brought him to my own house,sent for doctors and nurses,and,when he was fit for you to see,I should have sent for you.
