"Well, you can"t do anything so friendly to me as to make everything pleasant for Miss Warren. How is her favorite, Old Plod?" I asked, following him into the barn.
"Old Plod be hanged! She hasn"t been near him in two weeks."
"What!" I exclaimed exultantly.
"What"s the matter with thee, Richard? Thee and Emily are both queer. I can"t make you out."
"Well, Reuben, we mean well; you mustn"t expect too much of people."
CHAPTER XVI
RICHARD
I came in to breakfast with Reuben, feeling that Dapple had been more of a gentleman than I had, for he had treated the maiden with gentleness and courtesy, while I had thought first of myself. She looked up at me as I entered so humbly and deprecatingly that I wished that I had bitten my tongue out rather than have spoken so harshly.
Straightforward Reuben went to the girl, and, holding out his hand, said:
"Emily, I want to ask thy forgiveness. I"ve been like a bear toward thee. Thee"s the bravest girl I ever saw. No country girl would have dared to do what thee did. I didn"t need to have Richard lecture me and tell me that; but I thought thee was kind of down on Richard, and I"ve a way of standing by my friends."
With a face like a peony she turned and took both of the boy"s hands as she said warmly:
"Thank you, Reuben. I"d take a much greater risk to win your friendship, and if you"ll give it to me I"ll be very proud of it. You are going to make a genuine man."
"Yes, Reuben, thee"ll make a man," said his mother, with a low laugh.
"Thee is as blind as a man already."
I looked at her instantly, but she dropped her eyes demurely to her plate. I saw that Mr. Hearn was watching me, and so did not look at Miss Warren.
"Well," said he irritably, "I don"t like such escapades; and Emily, if anything of the kind happens again, I"ll have to take you to a safer place."
His face was flushed, but hers was very pale.
"It won"t happen again," she said quietly, without looking up.
"Richard," said Mr. Yocomb, as if glad to change the subject, "I"ve got to drive across the country on some business. I will have to be gone all day. Would thee like to go with me?"
"Certainly. I"ll go with you to the ends of the earth."
"That would be too far away from mother. Thee always pulls me back very soon, doesn"t thee?"
"Well, I know thee comes," replied his wife. "Don"t tire Richard out; he isn"t strong yet."
"Richard," said Mr. Yocomb, as we were driving up a long hill, "I want to congratulate thee on thy course toward Emily Warren. Thee"s a strong-minded, sensible man. I saw that thee was greatly taken with her at first, and no wonder. Besides, I couldn"t help hearing what thee said when out of thy mind. Mother and I kept the children away then, and Doctor Bates had the wink from me to be discreet; but thee"s been a sensible man since thee got up, and put the whole thing away from thee very bravely."
"Mr. Yocomb, I won"t play the hypocrite with you. I love her better than my own soul."
"Thee does?" he said, in strong surprise.
"Yes, and I ought to have gone away long ago, I fear. How could I see her as she appeared this morning, and not almost worship her?"
The old gentleman gave a long, low whistle. "I guess mother meant me when she said men were blind."
I was silent, not daring, of course, to say that I hoped she meant me, but what I had heard and seen that morning had done much to confirm my hope.
"Well," said the old gentleman, "I can scarcely blame thee, since she is what she is, and I can"t help saying, too, that I think thee would make her happier than that man can, with all his money. I don"t think he appreciates her. She will be only a part of his great possessions."
"Well, Mr. Yocomb, I"ve but these requests to make. Keep this to yourself, and don"t interpose any obstacles to my going next Monday.
Don"t worry about me. I"ll keep up; and a man who will have to work as I must won"t have time to mope. I won"t play the weak fool, for I"d rather have your respect and Mrs. Yocomb"s than all Mr. Hearn"s millions; and Miss Warren"s respect is absolutely essential to me."
"Then thee thinks that mother and--and Emily know?"
"Who can hide anything from such women! They look through us as if we were gla.s.s."
"Mother"s sermon meant more for thee than I thought."
"Yes, I felt as if it were preached for me. I hope I may be the better for it some day; but I"ve too big a fight on my hands now to do much else. You will now understand why I wish to get away so soon, and why I can"t come back till I"ve gained a strength that is not bodily. I wouldn"t like you to misunderstand me, after your marvellous kindness, and so I"m frank. Besides, you"re the kind of man that would thaw an icicle. Your nature is large and gentle, and I don"t mind letting you know."
"Richard, we"re getting very frank, and I"m going to be more so. I don"t like the way Mr. Hearn sits and looks at Adah."
"Oh, you needn"t worry about him. Mr. Hearn is respectability itself; but he"s wonderfully fond of good things and pretty things. His great house on Fifth Avenue is full of them, and he looks at Miss Adah as he would at a fine oil painting."
"Thee speaks charitably of him under the circ.u.mstances."
"I ought to try to do him justice, since I hate him so cordially."
"Well," said the old gentleman, laughing, "that"s a new way of putting it. Thee"s honest, Richard."
"If I wasn"t I"d have no business in your society."
"I"m worried about Emily," broke out my companion. "She was a little thin and worn from her long season of work when she came to us lately; but the first week she picked up daily. While thee was so sick she seemed more worried than any one, and I had much ado to get her to eat enough to keep a bird alive; but it"s been worse for the last two weeks. She has seemed much brighter lately for some reason, but the flesh just seems to drop off of her. She takes a wonderful hold of my feelings, and I can"t help troubling about her."
"Mr. Yocomb, your words torture me," I cried. "It is not my imagination then. Can she love that man?"
"Well, she has a queer way of showing it; but it is one of those things that an outsider can"t meddle with."
I was moody and silent the rest of the day, and Mr. Yocomb had the tact to leave me much to myself; but I was not under the necessity of acting my poor farce before him.
The evening was quite well advanced when we reached the farmhouse; but Mrs. Yocomb had a royal supper for us, and she said every one had insisted on waiting till we returned. Mr. Hearn had quite recovered his complacency, and I gathered from this fact that Miss Warren had been very devoted. Such was his usual aspect when everything was pleasing to him. But she who had added so much to his life had seemingly drained her own, for she looked so pale and thin that my heart ached. There were dark lines under her eyes, and she appeared exceedingly wearied, as if the day had been one long effort.
"She can"t love him," I thought. "It"s impossible. Confound him! he"s the blindest man of us all. Oh that I had her insight, that I might unravel this snarl at once, for it would kill me to see her looking like that much longer. What"s the use of my going away? I"ve been away all day; she has had the light of his smiling countenance uninterruptedly, and see how worn she is. Can it be that my hateful words hurt her, and that she is grieving about me only? It"s impossible. Unselfish regard for another could not go so far if her own heart was at rest. She is doing her best to laugh and talk and to seem cheerful, but her acting now is poorer than mine ever was. She is tired out; she seems like a soldier who is fighting mechanically after spirit, courage, and strength are gone."
Mr. Hearn informed Mr. Yocomb that important business would require his presence in New York for a few days. "It"s an enterprise that involves immense interests on both sides of the ocean, and there"s to be quite a gathering of capitalists. Your paper will be full of it before very long, Mr. Morton."
"I"m always glad to hear of any grist for our mill," I said. "Mrs.