Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Review Second Edition PDF Full Chapter PDF
Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Review Second Edition PDF Full Chapter PDF
https://ebookmass.com/product/adult-gerontology-nurse-
practitioner-certification-intensive-review-third-edition-fast-
facts-and-practice-questions-ebook-pdf-version/
https://ebookmass.com/product/family-nurse-practitioner-
certification-prep-plus-proven-strategies-content-review-online-
practice-kaplan-test-prep-ebook-pdf/
https://ebookmass.com/product/nurse-practitioner-certification-
examination-and-practice-preparation-5th-edition-ebook-pdf/
https://ebookmass.com/product/family-practice-and-adult-
gerontology-primary-care-nurse-practitioner-certification-
examination-review-questions-and-strategies-print-replica-ebook-
Lippincott Certification Review: Medical Surgical
Nursing 6th Edition, (Ebook PDF)
https://ebookmass.com/product/lippincott-certification-review-
medical-surgical-nursing-6th-edition-ebook-pdf/
https://ebookmass.com/product/pharmacy-technician-certification-
exam-review-book-only-3rd-edition-ebook-pdf/
https://ebookmass.com/product/psychotherapy-for-the-advanced-
practice-psychiatric-nurse-second-edition-a/
https://ebookmass.com/product/stroke-certification-study-guide-
for-nurses-qa-review-exam-success-book-ebook-pdf-version/
https://ebookmass.com/product/nurse-anesthesia-6th-edition-ebook-
pdf-version/
Contents
ti0015
Contributors ix
p0135 Foreword Linda Roussel, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, CNL xiii
p0140 Preface xv
p0145 Acknowledgments xvii
p0150 Share Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Review, Second Edition
p0155 Section I: B
ecoming Familiar With the CNL Role and
Certification Exam
p0160 1. The Clinical Nurse Leader Journey for Clinicians and Academics 3
Teri Moser Woo
p0165 2. Making the Best Use of This Book 15
Cynthia R. King and Sally O’Toole Gerard
p0170 3. Information for Taking the Certification Exam 19
Cynthia R. King
p0175 4. Test-Taking Skills 27
Cynthia R. King
p0180 Section II: Key Certification Topics: Nursing Leadership
p0185 5. Horizontal Leadership 37
Jodi A. Erickson and Teri Moser Woo
p0190 6. Interdisciplinary Communication and Collaboration Skills 43
Denise M. Bourassa
p0195 7. Advocacy and the Clinical Nurse Leader 55
Jonathan P. Auld
p0200 8. Integration of the Clinical Nurse Leader Role 61
Cynthia R. King
p0205 9. Lateral Integration 71
September T. Nelson
vii
viii Contents
0 Glossary 263
5 Appendix A: Exam Content Outline 279
0
Appendix B: Reflection Questions for the Chapters 289
5
0
Appendix C: Multiple-Choice Questions and Case Studies 295
Appendix D: Answers and Rationale 357
Index 441
Contributors
ti0020
p0555
p0550 Soraya Rosenfield, MSN, RN, CNL
Staff Nurse
Stamford Hospital
p0560 Stamford, Connecticut
p0785 I am pleased to provide a foreword for the second edition of the Clinical
Nurse Leader Certification Review by Cynthia R. King and Sally O’Toole
Gerard. Drs. King and Gerard continue to provide an excellent review, rein-
forcing major skills and responsibilities of this advanced nursing practice
role. This book will be most useful for students as they prepare for certifi-
cation. The new revision provides an in-depth review, illustrated by exam-
ples on content that underpin the c linical nurse leader role. Competencies
and curricular expectations for clinical nurse leader education and practice
are integrated in the presentation of key areas of focus, including risk miti-
gation, lateral integration, interprofessional skills, care coordination, and
evidence-based practice. I know that students and faculty will appreciate
the authors’ attention to detail as they continue to reach for this text as a
resource for successful certification preparation.
xiii
Preface
ti0040
p0800 Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Review is written by experts on the new
clinical nurse leader (CNL) role. The book is written for nurses who have
completed a qualified CNL program and are ready to take the certifica-
tion exam, as a guide for faculty on how to design a review course, and as
a resource for use during the CNL program. Because of the changes and
additions to the “new” topics in the certification exam, this book may be
especially helpful for faculty preparing the CNL curriculum and CNL review
courses. This second edition has been enhanced to serve as a quality resource
for all of these purposes, with new chapters, a glossary, and new multiple-
choice questions and case studies.
p0805 Chapter 1 describes the history and journey of developing the CNL role.
Chapter 2 helps individuals and groups make the best use of this book,
while Chapters 3 and 4 provide information on the actual certification exam
and how to prepare for it. The remaining chapters cover the key topics out-
lined in the new Examination Outline (Appendix A). Chapters 5 through
9 are grouped in the content outline under Nursing Leadership. Chapters
10 through 14 are grouped under Clinical Outcomes Management. The last
chapters, 15 through 21, fall under Care Environment Management.
p0810 Of those chapters more specifically related to nursing leadership,
Chapter 5 focuses on topics related to horizontal leadership, while
Chapter 6 describes interdisciplinary collaboration and communication
skills. Chapter 7 identifies key concepts related to health care advocacy
and how CNLs serve as advocates. Chapter 8 outlines the specifics of how
CNLs must integrate their new role into their health care setting. Chapter 9
is the last chapter related to nursing leadership in this section and describes
the CNL’s role in lateral integration of care services.
p0815 In the section devoted to clinical outcomes management, Chapter 10
discusses management of illnesses and diseases, while Chapter 11 focuses
on knowledge management as a role for CNLs. Other areas of importance
for CNLs are health promotion and disease prevention, which are outlined
in Chapter 12. Chapter 13 describes the importance of using the latest
evidence in practice by learning about and implementing evidence-based
practice (EBP) in any of the key roles in which CNLs might be serving. The
key components of advanced clinical assessment that CNLs need to be able
to implement in practice are included in Chapter 14.
xv
xvi Preface
p0820 Care environment management is the last major section of the exam
outline for CNLs. This section opens with Chapter 15, which focuses on
team coordination. CNLs have a key role as members of a variety of inter-
disciplinary teams, influencing outcomes and managing costs. Chapter 16
describes health finance and economics, while Chapter 17 identifies health
systems versus the specific microsystems in which CNLs work. In addition
to being involved in outcomes, it is expected that CNLs be involved in
health care policy (Chapter 18). The CNL role was developed specifically
to help with quality and safety issues related to patient care. Chapter 19
focuses on quality management, which is equal in importance to health
care informatics, the topic of Chapter 20. Finally, Chapter 21 discusses eth-
ics and ethical principles.
p0825 Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Review also includes four appen-
dices. Appendix A contains the overall exam content, while Appendix B
contains reflection questions to help nurses prepare for this exam.
Appendix C includes multiple-choice questions and unfolding case stud-
ies, while Appendix D contains the correct answers for these questions
and the rationale for the correct answers. In this new edition, a glossary
of key terms has been added.
Cynthia R. King
Sally O’Toole Gerard
Acknowledgments
ti0045
p0830
Cyndy King would like to thank her parents, Martha R. King and the late
Dr. John A. King, for encouraging a career in nursing and for their love
and support. She would also like to thank all her mentors, colleagues,
students, and the patients and their families, who have added to her love
of nursing and lifelong learning. Cyndy also thanks her late husband,
Michael A. Knaus, who believed in this book and who always provided love
and support. Lastly, special thanks to Dr. Carla Gene Rapp, who worked
collaboratively with the editors to oversee the multiple-choice questions
and case studies in this second edition.
p0835 Sally O’Toole Gerard would like to acknowledge the generosity of
her colleagues who have mentored her in the wonderful journey of inter
professional improvement work. She would especially like to thank her
CNL graduates, who are wonderful ambassadors of what this education was
envisioned to create: creative, intelligent, collaborative leaders. In a ddition,
she acknowledges that the support of her husband, Bill, and her children,
Jack, Christian, and Holly, is the key to all good things.
xvii
Share
Clinical Nurse Leader Certification Review, Second Edition
I
ti0005 Becoming Familiar With the CNL
Role and Certification Exam
1
ti0010 The Clinical Nurse Leader Journey for
Clinicians and Academics
Teri Moser Woo
p0005 The clinical nurse leader (CNL) role evolved out of a partnership between
nursing education and practice leaders to address the need for master’s-
educated nurses in a complex, changing health care delivery environment.
This was developed in the early 2000s and was the first new nursing role
in 35 years.
ti0015 Background
p0010 In order to understand the need for a new nursing role, it is critical to
understand the health care environment and where the profession of nurs-
ing was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This section will describe the
health care background and the need for the CNL role.
3
4 I: Becoming Familiar With the CNL Role and Certification Exam
p0075 TABLE 1.1 Timeline of the Clinical Nurse Leader Role Development
t0005
1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System
published.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) forms Task Force on
Education and Regulation for Professional Nursing Practice #1 (TFER #1)
committee in response to IOM report and the nursing shortage to explore new
educational models and nursing roles.
2000 Buerhaus, Staiger, and Auerbach publish a RN workforce study projecting a 20%
shortage of RNs by 2020.
2002 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) formed Task Force on
Education and Regulation for Professional Nursing Practice #2 (TEFR #2) to
continue the work of TEFR #1. TEFR #2 outlined the competencies of the “New
Nurse” which led to the development of the draft white paper The Role of the
Clinical Nurse Leader in May 2003.
2003 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) published a draft white paper
The Role of the Clinical Nurse Leader based on the work of TEFR #2.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) hold a meeting of education
and practice partners to further define and refine the role of the clinical nurse
leader.
2004 AACN Clinical Nurse Leader Implementation Task Force formed to further define
the skills and competencies of the CNL role.
AACN sends a request for proposal (RFP) to all member schools, inviting them to
submit a proposal to develop a CNL master’s curriculum. Pilot programs were
required to include a plan by their practice partner to implement the CNL role.
2005 First pilot CNL programs begin.
2006 Initial pilot programs grow to 70 in the 2006–2007 academic year, enrolling 1,270
students.
2007 AACN published White Paper on the Education and Role of the Clinical Nurse
Leader which outlined CNL competencies and provided a curricular framework
for schools to utilize when developing a program.
First Clinical Nurse Leader certification exam is offered.
2008 First meetings of Clinical Nurse Leader Association (CNLA).
First national AACN-CNL Partnership Conference in Arizona, which evolved into an
annual CNL Summit.
2013 AACN publishes Competencies and Curricular Expectations for the Clinical Nurse
LeaderSM Education and Practice updating the CNL competencies based on the
2011 Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing.
p0085 The nursing profession was experiencing its own pressures at the turn of
the century. Buerhaus, Staiger, and Auerbach (2000) published a report
predicting another 20% decrease of RNs by 2020. The average age of RNs
in 2000 was 44, and the number of students enrolled in baccalaureate
programs was not enough to replace the aging RN workforce (American
Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2007; U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 2010). The Joint Commission weighed in on the looming
nursing shortage, stating “the impending crisis in nurse staffing has the
potential to impact the very health and security of our society” (p. 5). The
Joint Commission recommended that the workplace be transformed, that
nursing education and clinical experience align, and health care organiza-
tions invest in high-quality nursing care (2002).
p0095 From the beginning, the CNL role has evolved out of a strong partner-
ship between nursing education and practice. In October 2003, the
AACN convened a meeting of education and practice partners to further
define and refine the role of the CNL (Table 1.1). The only requirement
to attend the meeting was that each educational program was required
to bring a practice partner to the meeting and over 100 potential educa-
tion/practice partnerships attended (Stanley, 2014). The Clinical Nurse
Leader Implementation Task Force formed in January 2004 was tasked
with the development of the skills and competencies of the CNL role
and comprised of members from both education and practice, including
the American Organization of Nurse Executives and the Veterans Health
Administration (Tornabeni & Miller, 2008). In 2004, the AACN sent a
request for proposal (RFP) to all member schools, inviting them to sub-
mit a proposal to develop a CNL master’s curriculum and were required
to include a plan by their practice partner to implement the CNL role on
at least one unit in the practice setting (Stanley, 2014). The requirement
for every CNL program to have a committed practice partner continues
into the present (AACN, n.d.).
p0100 The strong alliance between practice and education has been crucial
to the success of implementing the CNL role. The academic partner solic-
its and incorporates input from the practice partner when developing
the curriculum to educate CNL students. Likewise, the practice partner
utilizes input from their academic partner to redesign care and imple-
ment the CNL role (Harris, Stanley, & Rosseter, 2011). Sherman (2008)
interviewed chief nursing officers (CNOs) to identify the five factors that
influence the CNO decision to involve their organization in the CNL pro-
ject. The five factors are: (a) organizational needs, (b) desire to improve
patient care, (c) opportunity to redesign care delivery, (d) promote pro-
fessional development of RN staff, and (e) enhance physician–nurse rela-
tionships. One major nationwide practice partner has been the Veterans
Health Administration (VHA), who was an early adopter of the CNL role
with 50 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) sites participating in the
initial pilot projects in 2004 (Ott et al., 2009). Based on the positive prac-
tice outcomes, the VHA developed a plan to implement the CNL role in all
VAMCs by 2016 (Ott et al., 2009).
1: The Clinical Nurse Leader Journey for Clinicians and Academics 7
p0145 The AACN (2007) outlined CNL competencies and provided a curricular
framework for schools to utilize when developing a program. The CNL cur-
riculum builds on a liberal education as the basis for developing clinical
judgment and professional values as the foundation for practice. The values
deemed essential for the CNL include altruism, accountability, human dig-
nity, integrity, and social justice. The 2007 white paper outlined the compe-
tencies for the CNL to include (AACN, 2007):
p0150 • Critical thinking
p0155 • Communication
p0160 • Assessment
p0165 • Nursing technology and resource management
p0170 • Health promotion
8 I: Becoming Familiar With the CNL Role and Certification Exam
maximum outcomes for patients and families. The CNL competencies are
well matched with the need for high-quality, cost-effective care across the
care continuum ( Jeffers & Astroth, 2013). The CNL is educated to work
in a team to provide high-quality integrated care in an accountable-care
environment. The patient-centered medical home team can benefit from
a CNL working with the patient and family to address health issues sur-
rounding chronic illness. The nurse shortage is looming and the need for
nurses educated to improve quality and safety will grow as the shortage
deepens.
p0280 The CNL role will likely spread globally as the need to improve quality
and decrease cost is universal. Coordinating, managing, and evaluating care
across the care continuum are nursing competencies that are needed world-
wide (Baernholdt & Cottingham, 2011). The AACN and CNC are working
with a group of faculty from Japan to develop a CNL education program at
Tsukaba University (AACN, 2015).
ti0085 Conclusion
p0285 In a short 15 years, the CNL role evolved out of an identified crisis in health
care to an active part of the health care team. Integrating CNLs into health
care settings has demonstrated improved patient care outcomes across
the care continuum. The clinical nurse leader role is fulfilling the vision
of becoming the “new nurse” of the 21st century.
ti0090 Resources
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (n.d.). Join the Clinical Nurse Leader
(CNL) initiative. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/cnl/
cnl-certification/pdf/RFP.pdf
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2007). White paper on the education and
role of the clinical nurse leader. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges
of Nursing.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2013). Competencies and curricular expec-
tations for the clinical nurse leaderSM education and practice. Washington, DC:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2015). CNL & CNC news: CNL faculty prepar-
ing for CNL exam in Japan. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl
Baernholdt, M., & Cottingham, S. (2011). The clinical nurse leader—New nursing role with
global implications. International Nursing Review, 58, 74–78.
Bender, M. (2014). The current evidence base for the clinical nurse leader: A narrative
review of the literature. Journal of Professional Nursing, 30(2), 110–123.
Buerhaus, P., Staiger, D. O., & Auerbach, D. I. (2000). Implications of an aging registered
nurse workforce. Journal of the American Medical Association, 283, 22, 2948–2954.
12 I: Becoming Familiar With the CNL Role and Certification Exam
Clinical Nurse Leader Association. (2015). CNLA history. Retrieved from http://www
.cnlassociation.org/CNLA-history
Commission on Nurse Certification. (2014). History of CNL certification. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/cnl/cnl-certification/pdf/History.pdf
Commission on Nurse Certification. (2015a). Certified Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL®) talking
points. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl/pdf/CNL-Talking-Points.pdf
Commission on Nurse Certification. (2015b). CNL certification exam data. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/cnl/cnl-certification/pdf/CNLStats.pdf
Fang, D., Htut, A. M., & Bednash, G. D. (2008). 2007–2008 enrollment and graduations
in baccalaureate and graduate programs in nursing. Washington, DC: American
Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Goudreau, K. A. (2008). Confusion, concern, or complimentary function: The overlap-
ping roles of the clinical nurse specialist and the clinical nurse leader. Nursing
Administration Quarterly, 32(4), 301–307.
Harris, J. L., Stanley, J., & Rosseter, R. (2011). The clinical nurse leader: Addressing health-
care challenges through partnerships and innovation. Journal of Nursing Regulation,
2(2), 40–46.
Institute of Medicine. (1999). To err is human: Building a safer health system. Washington,
DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved from: http://iom.nationalacademies.org/
Reports/1999/to-err-is-human-building-a-safer-health-system.aspx
Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the
21st century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://iom.
nationalacademies.org/Reports/2001/Crossing-the-Quality-Chasm-A-New-Health-
System-for-the-21st-Century.aspx
Jeffers, B. R., & Astroth, K. S. (2013). The clinical nurse leader: Prepared for an era of
healthcare reform. Nursing Forum, 48(3), 223–229.
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. (2002). Health care at
the crossroads: Strategies for addressing the evolving nursing crisis. Chicago: Author.
Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/health_care_at_the_
crossroads.pdf
Jukkala, A., Greenwood, R., Ladner, K., & Hopkins, L. (2010). The clinical nurse leader
and rural hospital safety and quality. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health
Care, 10(2). Retrieved from http://rnojournal.binghamton.edu/index.php/RNO/
article/view/45
Long, K. A. (2003). Brief history of the CNL. American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/cnl/about/history
Moore, L. W., & Leahy, C. (2012). Implementing the new clinical nurse leader role while
gleaning insights from the past. Journal of Professional Nursing, 28(3), 139–146.
Murphy, E. A. (2014). Healthcare reform—A new role for changing times: Embracing the
clinical nurse leader role—A strategic partnership to drive outcomes. Nurse Leader,
12(4), 53–57.
O’Grady, E. L., & VanGraafeiland, B. (2012). Bridging the gap in care for children through
the clinical nurse leader. Pediatric Nursing, 38(3), 155–167.
Ott, K. M., Haddock, K. S., Fox, S. E., Shinn, J. K., Walters, S. E., Hardin, J. W., … Harris,
J. L. (2009). The Clinical Nurse LeaderSM: Impact on practice outcomes in the Veterans
Health Administration. Nursing Economics, 27(6), 363–383.
Sherman, R. O. (2008). Factors influencing organizational participation in the Clinical Nurse
LeaderSM project. Nursing Economics, 26(4), 236–249.
Stanley, J. M. (2014). Introducing the clinical nurse leader: Past, present, and future. In
J. L. Harris, L. Roussel, & P. L. Thomas (Eds.), Initiating and sustaining the clinical
nurse leader role: A practical guide (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
1: The Clinical Nurse Leader Journey for Clinicians and Academics 13
Tornabeni, J., & Miller, J. F. (2008). The power of partnership to shape the future of nursing:
The evolution of the clinical nurse leader. Journal of Nursing Management, 16,
608–613.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). The registered nurse population:
Findings from the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services
Administration. Retrieved from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurveys/
rnsurveyfinal.pdf
Wilson, L., Orff, S., Gerry, T., Shirley, B. R., Tabor, D., Caiazzo, K., & Rouleau, D. (2013).
Evolution of an innovative role: The clinical nurse leader. Journal of Nursing
Management, 21, 175–181.
2
Making the Best Use of This Book
Cynthia R. King and Sally O’Toole Gerard
It must have been half-past six and near the time of ebb, when the
spectral dark which engulphed us knew a change. The fog, lying low
on the water, grew slowly diaphanous, waxing from a weak dawn,
like heaven seen through dying lids, to a sweet and solemn
lightness. For long we were too exhausted, body and mind, to
consider what this portended. The lightness increased; and suddenly
high over the bank shone a little red spark like a lantern. We lifted
our dazed heads; we stirred stiffly where we sat. O God! O God!
what did it mean?
Swiftly it broadened, glowing like a rising fire. It mounted, or the
haze shrunk beneath it—who could tell? In a moment it was free,
and we knew it, in wonder and thankfulness, for the moon.
She was in her first quarter—a child moon, swelling into
maidenhood. Slowly, slowly she rose, while we watched her,
gloating, absorbed. Gradually the blush with which she had first
observed us, sole spectators of her girlish disrobing, faded into a
white glow of pity. Her tresses fell from her neck upon the sea, the
mist parting to let them by, and were extended to us, “Climb to me by
them,” she seemed to whisper; “here is the way to hope.” And lo! full
in the midst of that shining path rode a little boat.
There was a man in it, a solitary fisherman trawling for soles. The
agony of the moment gave us life and voice. We screamed to him;
we waved; we made every frantic demonstration that was possible to
us in our condition. He heard and saw us—and he sat as if stricken.
Ghostly, leisurely, we drifted past, and the boat faded and became a
phantom behind us.
We could not believe it. We never ceased to cry out. It was too
hideous, too cruel for truth. Harry, with a dying effort, half rose. I
don’t know what desperate thought was in his mind.
“Hush!” I suddenly implored; and we all became stone.
There was a little knock and paddle coming to us out of the mist.
In a moment the boat forged into sight, approached us, and hung off.
“Who be ye?” said a fearful voice.
We answered all together in a babble.
“Nay, let me speak alone,” said Joshua; and he hailed the man
clearly.
“We went to visit the wreck on the sands; we were abandoned
there by a scoundrel, and we have been floating on this spar ever
since.”
Still the man was not convinced. We could hear him distinctly spit
into the water. It is so his class exorcises all demons.
“What might be your names, now?” he asked cunningly.
Here was a poser for the devil.
“First of all, Master Richard Bowen,” began Joshua.
“Hey!” interrupted the boatman, with all his voice of wonder; and
he sculled rapidly up, and alongside. “Master!” He peered through
the mist. “Lord have mercy on ’s, ’tis himself trewthfully!”
“Old Jacob!” I cried, in a faint voice between laughing and sobbing.
“Old Jacob, help us off this before we die!”
And after that I remember nothing.
CHAPTER XIII.
RAMPICK SPEAKS.
We were all sitting very sombrely in the gloaming, when Mr. Sant
came in to us. There was no need to question anything but his face.
“Yes,” he said, “it is over. God give him mercy!”
By common consent we would speak no more on the subject until
nature had been restored. There was a scent of battle, not to speak
of eggs and bacon, in the air, which inspired us somehow to brace
up our loins before the ordeal. Tea was on the table, and we sat
down to it, and presently were doing justice to Uncle Jenico’s
plentiful fare. Then, refreshed and reinvigorated, we pulled our chairs
to the fire, and the ball began.
“Now, Mr. Pilbrow,” opened the rector, cautiously, “what is your
next move?”
“To find and search my brother Abel’s body,” answered Joshua,
prompt and perfectly cool. “What is yours?”
“To go straight to the squire, and put the whole matter into the
hands of the law,” said Mr. Sant.
“You will give me a day or two first?”
“No!”
“One day?”
“No.”
Joshua scrambled to his feet, and went to and fro.
“This is intolerable, sir. It is my brother who was done to death,
and the cause is mine.”
“It is the cleansing of my parish, sir, and the cause is mine.”
“I must secure my treasure first, sir.”
“Your treasure be——!”
I am sorry to say Mr. Sant went the whole length of the expression.
“Your parish,” said Joshua, viciously, “has postponed its cleansing
six years. A couple of days longer won’t spoil it.”
“It would spoil my conscience in my own eyes, Mr. Pilbrow. I do not
compound a felony, now I know of it, for an hour.”
“Then go at once, sir, to be consistent, and, to satisfy your
conscience, defraud this orphan, your pupil, of his just
indemnification.”
The clergyman rose to his feet.
“Indemnification? For what, sir?” he said, very sternly.
“For the loss of his fortune, of his father, sir,” said Joshua, as
resolutely; “who, to vindicate the truth, died and left him bankrupt of
his legitimate expectations.”
Uncle Jenico, shifting nervously in his seat, put in a pacifying
word. The truth is, the dear old fellow had been in a suppressed
state of excitement ever since our visitor’s first dark allusion to his
mission on these coasts had begun to shadow itself out into some
form and substance.
“Sant,” he said, “I think you must be reasonable. We don’t stand
first in this matter. The treasure——”
“Nonsense!” interrupted the clergyman loudly. “Do you credit a
word of the stuff!”
“To be sceptical without knowledge—the boast of fools!” cried
Joshua, repeating himself.
“Hush!” said Uncle Jenico. “Sant, hadn’t we better first learn from
Mr. Pilbrow how he proposes to act in event of the—the clew really
coming to light?”
The rector was silent.
“You are an adept in matters of conscience, sir,” said the
bookseller, bitterly and rather violently. “There was no question of
hurry when you wanted to use us to help you smuggle a soul into
salvation. I won’t say that, if I’d foreseen your intention, I should have
postponed my forgiveness till I’d gone to the hill and verified the
man’s words; but I do say that in acting on a generous impulse,
without a thought of possible consequences to myself, I was playing
a better Christian part than you, who had this damning sequel in your
mind all the time.”
Harry, very restless, cried out here sensibly enough—
“Aren’t we rather fighting in the dark? It mayn’t be Mr. Pilbrow’s
brother that was the supposed spy, after all, in which case there’s no
question of treasure. I think he’s the right to go and see first, before
any steps are taken. I beg your pardon, sir.”
Mr. Sant sighed, his brow lightened, and he patted the boy’s
shoulder approvingly.
“Good fellow!” he said. “No doubt it would be best to clear the air
of this fantastic stuff, before we begin to set our house in order.”
Then he turned to Joshua genially.
“I beg your pardon, Mr. Pilbrow. I was betrayed into some
unwarrantable heat. I confess we look at this matter from different
points of view; but that is not to say that mine is necessarily the right
one. Indeed, you have given me a lesson in Christianity, to which I
seem to make, I admit, a scurvy return.”
The little bookseller bowed, grimly still, but without answer.
“If then,” said the clergyman, biting under the irony that would
make itself felt in his words, “you find this clew—find this marvellous
deposit of wealth—there are laws of treasure-trove: you cannot think
for a moment that I will, that I can, counsel secrecy—allow Richard
to share in the profits of a felony——”
“Felony, sir!” cried Joshua.
“Is not that what a hoodwinking of the law would amount too? You
agree with me, Mr. Paxton?”
“Yes, yes—O yes, of course!” assented Uncle Jenico, faintly.
“Harkee, Mr. Parson!” cried Joshua, in a heat. “I throw the word in
your teeth. I am no suborner, sir, no, nor glorifier of my own
ignorance neither. Be sure I don’t know the law better than you,
before you tax me in advance with cheating it.”
“Well, well,” said Mr. Sant, smiling. “I don’t know the law on the
subject, I confess.”
“Then take this, sir, for your rebuke,” said the other, sourly; “and be
less apt—for a clergyman—to damn without book. The law of
England—I do know it, and have reason to—takes its definition of
treasure-trove from the jurist Paulus, who lays down that ‘vetus
depositio pecuniae cujus dominus ignoratur,’ that is to say, ancient
concealed treasure of which the lord of the soil is ignorant, becomes,
being discovered, the property of the Crown, if presumptively
deposited by some one who at the time intended to reclaim it.”
“Exactly,” put in Mr. Sant. “And yet, in the face of——”
“Will you permit me?” interrupted the bookseller, with a manner of
most frosty sarcasm. “For all your cloth, sir, I would not have you on
a jury, lest you stopped the case before hearing the other side.”
The rector muttered an apology. He really did look abashed.
“I say,” repeated Joshua, “that the Crown, to prove its title to
treasure-trove, must prove the depositor’s intention to reclaim first.
Where that is wanting, or where an intention to abandon can be
shown—as when the goods were thrown away in a panic, or for
other reason, to be rid of them—the treasure remains wholly and
solely in the possession of the finder.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Sant, plucking up heart. “And what benefit is
that alternative to you?”
“What benefit! To me!” cried Joshua. “Have you heard my story,
sir? Did you listen to it? Did you hear me quote the man Vining’s
confession that he had abandoned the price of his iniquity, and cast
it from him?”
Mr. Sant reflected. He was getting interested, I was sure, after all.
“’Tis a subtle legal point, I think,” said he. “I foresee, anyhow, fine
complications; even if you had evidence—which you have not—of
this intention to abandon.”
“Which I have not,” repeated Joshua, “at present. And which I shall
never have, to the right effect, if your delicate conscience can
forestall me.”
“You are unnecessarily sarcastic, sir,” said the clergyman, gravely.
“You must give me the credit of my intentions. This Augean stable in
our midst—it must be cleaned out as soon as recognized, or I
become an accomplice in its condition. Why should any prompt
summoning of the sweeper—of our legal Hercules—affect your
position?”
“Because, sir,” said Joshua, vigorously, “he would, a thousand to
one, lay bare, in so drastic a process, the golden deposit
underneath, and so rob me of any title to its discovery.”
Mr. Sant grunted uneasily.
“The better title is certainly yours,” he conceded.
I believe there was enough of the imaginative boy yet left in him to
thrill and respond to this exciting legend of gold. Uncle Jenico felt the
change, and fell back, glistening, and softly rubbing his hands
together.
“Mr. Pilbrow,” said the clergyman, suddenly and decisively, “will
you tell me plainly what you propose?”
“I propose,” said Joshua, as instantly, “to visit, and identify, and
search the remains of my unhappy brother to-morrow; I propose to
take advantage of the letter which, I am convinced, will be found on
them, and which, by every right, is legally mine, to secure the
treasure. After that, sir, let in your Hercules with a fire-hose, if you
will. I shall be content for my part. Possession is eleven points in the
law, and for the twelfth I will go to pitch-and-toss with it.”
“Sant, that is certainly fair!” cried out Uncle Jenico, impulsively,
and immediately fell abashed.
A longish silence ensued.
“Very well,” said our dear rector at last. “I will agree to defer my
action till after to-morrow; but on condition that, once having secured
his wonderful haul, Mr. Pilbrow openly challenges the law to deprive
him of it. It is buying a pig in a poke, I believe; but I must guard
myself by insisting.”
He uttered a rather enjoying laugh, which he tried to make ironic.
“That’s capital,” said Uncle Jenico. “You don’t object to the
condition, Mr. Pilbrow?”
“No,” said Joshua, shortly. “I ask for complete secrecy in the mean
time—that is all. That man’s wife——”
“She will say nothing,” said Mr. Sant. “The honour of her poor
rogue is safe with her.”
Then we fell excitedly to discussing ways and means. The
embargo once off my conscience, I was eager to join in the search.
But here Uncle Jenico was quite absolute and imperative in vetoing
my taking any part in it. He would not, on any condition whatever,
have me descend into the hill again. I was disappointed; but he was
unshakable, and in the end I had to submit.
It was finally arranged that Mr. Sant, Joshua, and Harry should
meet early on the following morning, and complete their expedition, if
possible, before the village was awake. And, on this understanding,
at a latish hour we parted.
The next day was Christmas eve. I had never known one to drag
so wearily. Uncle Jenico and I were up betimes, and making a show
of following with serenity our customary occupations. But it was all a
transparent pretence. I took no more interest in my books, nor he in
his new invention, than if they had been prison tasks. We just
perspired for the return of one or other of the party to put an end to
our intolerable suspense; and that was the beginning and end of it.
At last a shadow danced on the window, and the door opened, and
Harry hurried in. In the first sight of his face we read momentous
news. I could hardly control myself as I said—
“Well?”
He had shut the door behind him, and stood there, breathing
quickly, his eyes like white pebbles.
“Harry,” I whispered, “was it Abel?”
“Yes.”
“And the letter was there?”
“Yes—in his pocket. He—I could hardly look—he seemed to fall to
pieces.”
“And—and it said where?”
“Yes. You’ll never believe.”
“Where?”
“In the well.”
“In the——”
“In the well. What fools we were never to think of that before! Of
course it stood at the end of the crypts once—the most natural place
for him to throw them into.”
His “them” seemed to hit me in the throat. I had forgotten about
the murdered priest. I stood gaping like an idiot, lost in the plain
marvel of the thing. I had forgotten Uncle Jenico, till his voice,
speaking in a queer, shaky way, recalled me to the thought of him.
“My wrench!” he said. “They will have sunk to the bottom. We shall
have to pull it down!”
“That’s just what we’re going to do,” said Harry “to-night, after
every one’s asleep.”
CHAPTER XV.
OUT OF THE DEPTHS.