Bear and forbear

“Colonel Wimpleton, there has been a misunderstanding between us,” said the major, with dignity. “I feel that I am not without blame.”

“I don’t demand any apology,” added the colonel.

“I wish to make an explanation. If after that you are not satisfied, I will not complain.”

“I don’t ask any explanation.”

“But I desire to make one, if you will do me the favor to hear it,” continued Major Toppleton, taking from his pocket the check he had drawn the day before, and handing it to the colonel.

“It is too late,” said the latter, as he glanced at the check.

It was written yesterday at eleven o’clock, and the money was in the bank to cash it. If I failed to say yesterday morning that your note should be paid whether mine was or not, I failed to say all that I felt and all that I intended.”

“You didn’t say that,” replied the colonel, relaxing the frown upon his brow a little. “You simply told me you had a note to pay, but would see what you could do.”

“I ought to have said more, for I meant more. When I found you had gone, I went express to Ucayga, and raised the money for you, returning to Middleport at eleven.”

“Did you really raise the money for me?”

“I did, as I intended to do from the first.”

Colonel Wimpleton’s face was changed, and had almost relaxed into a smile.

“I didn’t understand you,” said he. “When you said you had a note to pay, I took it as an excuse for not helping me out of my difficulty.”

“I certainly did not offer it as such. I was thinking only of the manner of raising the money for you. When I came back from Ucayga, I deposited the money I had brought with me, wrote this check, and hastened over to Centreport to find you. I failed to see you, but I was on the lookout for you all the rest of the day.”

Major Toppleton explained his position as fully as he had to me. The colonel was satisfied, for he could not be otherwise, when he found that the former had done all that a friend could do to aid him.

“Major, I wronged you, and I’m sorry for it,” said Colonel Wimpleton. “I ought to have given you credit for good intentions, at least. Wolf, you needn’t attend to that matter of which I spoke to you.”

I wanted to give three cheers, and I should have done so, if I had not wished to conceal from the major the length to which the colonel had carried his resentment. As it was, I vented my delight in a grand frolic with the bears.

“Colonel, I am sorry that I failed to tell you what I intended to do,” added the major. “I don’t blame you for the construction you put upon my words.”

“But I blame myself. It all looks plain enough to me now, though it did not before. Forgive me, major, and I promise never to misjudge you again.”

“And I hope you will forgive the stupid manner in which I answered you yesterday morning,” added Major Toppleton.

“Here is my hand, major.”

As they stepped forward to shake hands, they came near the two bears. Both of the bruins immediately abandoned their play, stood up, and each extended his paw to the magnate near to him. The two gentlemen laughed heartily as they saw the bears; but they shook hands with each other, and then with their humble imitators.

“This suggests some names for your pets, Wolf,” said Waddie, laughing.

“I thought of that before. This is Bear,” I replied, putting my hand on the head of my first acquaintance; “and this is Forbear,” I added, taking the other by the paw.

“Bear and Forbear,” said Colonel Wimpleton. “You have preached that sermon to me once, Wolf; but I was not in the humor to hear it. I appreciate the two bears better now.”

“And you will bear with me next time I make a blunder, and seem to stand in a doubtful position,” added Major Toppleton.

“Most assuredly I will, if you forbear, as you did to-day, when I made rude and ungentlemanly speeches to you.”

“I think those two bears will make a team which will drag any man through the world with peace and comfort,” I ventured to add.

“You are right, Wolf. I must have those two bears,” said the colonel.

“Well, sir, my mother and sisters are afraid of them, and I don’t know that I shall be able to keep them here.”

“I meant bear and forbear,” laughed the colonel.

“Those are the names of these bears.”

“Well, I should be very happy to have the live bears, for whenever I see them, they will remind me of the lesson I have learned to-day.”

“You have a nice place for them over in your grounds; and I suppose I can see them there whenever I wish.”

“Certainly you can.”

“If they should get loose when I am away, they would frighten the whole neighborhood, for we have no man to see to them,” I added.

My mother and my sisters would be delighted to get rid of them; and I was afraid they might do mischief in my absence. Besides, there was such a striking fitness in presenting them to the magnate of Centreport under the circumstances, that I could not have resisted the inclination to dispose of them in this manner, even if they had not promised to be a nuisance to me. It was a fortunate circumstance that the explanation and reconciliation had taken place in the presence of the bears, for the association would always be remembered by the colonel.

I presented the bears to him.

The two magnates departed together, and Waddie and I were to remove Bear and Forbear to their new home.

“I didn’t know my father was coming here when we crossed the lake,” said Waddie. “I came to see you about another matter.”

“What’s that?”

Waddie blushed.

“I thought we ought to go down to Ruoara and call upon Miss Dornwood,” said he, with some hesitation.

“Of course you are moved in this matter by a sense of duty,” I laughingly replied.

“Not wholly, Wolf; but I should like to know how she is after her cruise.”

“No doubt you would.”

“You may laugh at me if you like, Wolf; but I think Miss Dornwood is a very pretty girl.”

“And a very good girl too, Waddie, which is more and better.”

“I’m going down to Ruoara, and wish you would go with me.”

“I will.”

“We must get the Belle, for the Raven, you know, is moored off High Bluff.”

We called upon Tom Walton to obtain the use of the boat, and then led the bears down to the shore of the lake, where the Belle was moored. “Bear” went on board very readily, but “Forbear” did not seem to like this mode of conveyance, and declined to take the place assigned to him. Waddie, impatient to reach Ruoara, was disposed to pitch him into the standing-room by force; but I entreated him to forbear. While he was hoisting the mainsail, I coaxed the animal; and seeing his brother so comfortable in the boat, he finally yielded his own inclination to mine, and went on board. I fastened them so that they could not fall overboard if they engaged in a frolic on the passage, and Waddie pushed off.

When the Belle began to jump on the waves in the Narrows, Forbear exhibited some signs of terror, and was inclined to make himself unhappy; but he soon took part in the game between Bear and myself, and we reached the Centreport shore without any difficulty. I found it was best to bear even with a bear, and to forbear as long as forbearance is a virtue—which is much longer than many people are willing to believe. We marched the interesting couple up to a rustic deer house, in the grounds of Colonel Wimpleton, which had been designated as their future abode. We made them comfortable, and then left them to enjoy life as they could, and to enforce the great moral lesson which their names illustrated.

“I meant to have been in Ruoara before this time,” said Waddie, as he led the way to the lake at a pace which was trying to my legs.

“What’s your hurry, Waddie?”

“I am afraid Mr. Overton will be there before us.”

“What if he is?”

“I wish to have Miss Dornwood and her friends understand all about her guardian before he sees her again.”

“She evidently understands him quite as well as any one else,” I replied, as we embarked in the Belle, and Waddie took the tiller.

“We have the benefit of Nick’s revelation, and I think that is enough to condemn him.”

“I don’t think Nick’s testimony is worth much, though I have no doubt it is all true. I agree with you that it will be well to have Mr. Pinkerton informed in regard to Nick’s trade with him.”

“I wonder what Mr. Pinkerton will do?” added Waddie.

“That will depend upon what Mr. Overton does. I judge, from the temper of Miss Dornwood, that she will refuse to live with her guardian again.”

“I hope we shall get there before he does.”

“Probably we shall. It was too late for him to come up in the afternoon boat when we left the Cataract House. It is not likely that he took the morning boat to-day, and we shall be in Ruoara before he can get there, if he takes the afternoon steamer.”

But Waddie was nervous and uneasy. He talked about Miss Dornwood during the rest of the passage, which, however, was not a long one. We landed at the wharf, and hastened to the house of the Pinkertons, where we were kindly welcomed by all, including Miss Dornwood. Mr. Overton had not been seen or heard from.

“I am very glad to see you again, Mr. Wimpleton,” said Miss Dornwood; “for I want to thank you and your friend again for the kind service you rendered me.”

“We were very glad of the opportunity to serve you,” replied Waddie, blushing; and I could not help realizing that my friend was “fatally insnared.”

“But where is my other friend, the skipper of the Belle, as you called him?” asked the young lady.

“He was shot in the arm yesterday by one of the bank robbers.”

“I am so sorry! We heard all about your capture of the robber.”

“There was a report this forenoon that the other robber had been caught,” said Mr. Pinkerton.

“Yes, sir; he was captured in the afternoon, at the Cataract House,” replied Waddie. “All the money has been recovered.”

“That’s very fortunate.”

“Who do you think the other robber was, Miss Dornwood?” asked Waddie.

“I have no suspicion.”

“Lord Palsgrave.”

“Lord Palsgrave!” exclaimed she, her cheeks reddening with confusion.

“And Lord Palsgrave turns out to be the son of the very worthy commander of the Ucayga—Nick Van Wolter.”

Of course we were obliged to tell the whole story, and by the time it was finished, dinner was ready; and before we had finished that, a servant announced Mr. and Mrs. Overton.

There was a prospect of a lively breeze.