XVI

Ernest was now so far convalescent as to be able to sit up for the
greater part of the day. He had been three months in prison, and, though
not strong enough to leave the infirmary, was beyond all fear of a
relapse. He was talking one day with Mr Hughes about his future, and
again expressed his intention of emigrating to Australia or New Zealand
with the money he should recover from Pryer. Whenever he spoke of this
he noticed that Mr Hughes looked grave and was silent: he had thought
that perhaps the chaplain wanted him to return to his profession, and
disapproved of his evident anxiety to turn to something else; now,
however, he asked Mr Hughes point blank why it was that he disapproved of
his idea of emigrating.

Mr Hughes endeavoured to evade him, but Ernest was not to be put off.
There was something in the chaplain's manner which suggested that he knew
more than Ernest did, but did not like to say it. This alarmed him so
much that he begged him not to keep him in suspense; after a little
hesitation Mr Hughes, thinking him now strong enough to stand it, broke
the news as gently as he could that the whole of Ernest's money had
disappeared.

The day after my return from Battersby I called on my solicitor, and was
told that he had written to Pryer, requiring him to refund the monies for
which he had given his I.O.U.'s. Pryer replied that he had given orders
to his broker to close his operations, which unfortunately had resulted
so far in heavy loss, and that the balance should be paid to my solicitor
on the following settling day, then about a week distant. When the time
came, we heard nothing from Pryer, and going to his lodgings found that
he had left with his few effects on the very day after he had heard from
us, and had not been seen since.

I had heard from Ernest the name of the broker who had been employed, and
went at once to see him. He told me Pryer had closed all his accounts
for cash on the day that Ernest had been sentenced, and had received 2315
pounds, which was all that remained of Ernest's original 5000 pounds.
With this he had decamped, nor had we enough clue as to his whereabouts
to be able to take any steps to recover the money. There was in fact
nothing to be done but to consider the whole as lost. I may say here
that neither I nor Ernest ever heard of Pryer again, nor have any idea
what became of him.

This placed me in a difficult position. I knew, of course, that in a few