A Christmas Visitor Read Online Free PDF Page A

brother’s death. Terrible tragedy.”
    “Thank you,” Benjamin said briefly. “You remember Henry Rathbone, don’t you?”
    “Can’t say that I do,” Colgrave answered, looking Henry up and down, trying to place his lean figure and mild, aquiline face. “How do you do, Mr. Rathbone.”
    Henry replied, finding it difficult to smile. Colgrave was broad, tending to fat a little, although he was no more than forty at the most. He had dark brown hair and a clever, thoughtful face, somewhat guarded in expression.
    “Come in, gentlemen,” Colgrave invited, ushering them through a wood-paneled hall decorated with fine portraits of men and women who were presumably his ancestors. The fire was already burning well in his study and the room was warm. The shelves that lined the walls were stocked with leather-bound, gold-lettered books. “What may I do for you?” Colgrave asked. “Anything I can, to be of assistance. You will be returning to the east? Palestine, isn’t it? Must be fascinating.” This was directed to Benjamin. He considered Henry to be of no importance, merely a friend brought for company, and perhaps that was close enough to the truth.
    “Not until I have cleared my brother’s name,” Benjamin said bluntly.
    “Oh!” Colgrave let out his breath. “Yes. Fearful business.” His face tightened in distaste. “Gower isa complete outsider, quite appalling. The man is a fraud, a cheat, and now slanders the name of a good man. Pity we can’t set the dogs on him.” He gave a slight shrug of his heavy shoulders.
    “If it were as simple as that, I should not need your help,” Benjamin retorted. “You saw the original deeds that he is saying were genuine.”
    Colgrave raised his eyebrows.
    “Of course. They were so badly forged I don’t know how anyone believed them for a moment, except that I suppose many of us are not familiar with such papers, and we are not in the habit of suspecting our neighbors of such a stupid crime.”
    “But you would swear that they were forged?” Benjamin pressed.
    “My dear fellow, I did! In court. Not that it rested on my testimony alone, of course. There was an expert from Kendal, came and also swore they were complete forgeries from beginning to end. We all knew that.” He waved his hand. “This will blow over, you know. No one with any sense at all believes Gower. The only ones who ever listen to him are newcomers.There are half a dozen families, one or two with money, I admit, who weren’t here at the time, so they don’t understand.”
    “Who are they?” Benjamin asked.
    “Leave it alone for a while,” Colgrave said soothingly. “I’ll speak to them on your behalf, and tell them the truth of the thing. Go now, in hot blood, and you’ll only make enemies of them. No one likes to be shown up for a fool, you know?”
    “A fool?” Benjamin asked.
    “Certainly, a fool. Who but a fool would believe a convicted forger like Ashton Gower? They’ll learn the truth of him soon enough. Wait until he loses that foul temper of his with them! Or borrows a horse and brings it home lame, as he did with poor Bennion, or tries to borrow money we all know he’ll never return. Then they’ll wish they’d had more sense than to give him a moment’s credence. As angry as you are, quite rightly, of course, you’ll make enemies of them now.”
    Henry disliked having to agree with Colgrave, but honesty gave him no choice. They excused themselvesand left, but as soon as they were outside Benjamin turned around.
    “Before we get the horses, I want to go to the churchyard.” He took a deep breath, his face bleak and half turned away. “I must see Judah’s grave.”
    “Of course,” Henry agreed. “So must I. Or would you rather be alone?”
    Benjamin hesitated.
    “I’ll wait,” Henry said quickly. “I can go later. I’ll fetch the horses, then we don’t have to go back.”
    Benjamin nodded, unwilling to commit himself to speech, but his gratitude was in his