"I don"t know what to do, and you must help me," Mrs. Nettlepoint said to me that evening, as soon as I went in to see her.
"I"ll do what I can--but what"s the matter?"
"She has been crying here and going on--she has quite upset me."
"Crying? She doesn"t look like that."
"Exactly, and that"s what startled me. She came in to see me this afternoon, as she has done before, and we talked about the weather and the run of the ship and the manners of the stewardess and little commonplaces like that, and then suddenly, in the midst of it, as she sat there, _a propos_ of nothing, she burst into tears. I asked her what ailed her and tried to comfort her, but she didn"t explain; she only said it was nothing, the effect of the sea, of leaving home. I asked her if it had anything to do with her prospects, with her marriage; whether she found as that drew near that her heart was not in it; I told her that she mustn"t be nervous, that I could enter into that--in short I said what I could. All that she replied was that she _was_ nervous, very nervous, but that it was already over; and then she jumped up and kissed me and went away. Does she look as if she had been crying?" Mrs.
Nettlepoint asked.
"How can I tell, when she never quits that horrid veil? It"s as if she were ashamed to show her face."
"She"s keeping it for Liverpool. But I don"t like such incidents," said Mrs. Nettlepoint. "I shall go upstairs."
"And is that where you want me to help you?"
"Oh, your arm and that sort of thing, yes. But something more. I feel as if something were going to happen."
"That"s exactly what I said to Jasper this morning."
"And what did he say?"
"He only looked innocent, as if he thought I meant a fog or a storm."
"Heaven forbid--it isn"t that! I shall never be good-natured again,"
Mrs. Nettlepoint went on; "never have a girl put upon me that way. You always pay for it, there are always tiresome complications. What I am afraid of is after we get there. She"ll throw up her engagement; there will be dreadful scenes; I shall be mixed up with them and have to look after her and keep her with me. I shall have to stay there with her till she can be sent back, or even take her up to London. _Voyez-vous ca?_"
I listened respectfully to this and then I said: "You are afraid of your son."
"Afraid of him?"
"There are things you might say to him--and with your manner; because you have one when you choose."
"Very likely, but what is my manner to his? Besides, I have said everything to him. That is I have said the great thing, that he is making her immensely talked about."
"And of course in answer to that he has asked you how you know, and you have told him I have told you."
"I had to; and he says it"s none of your business."
"I wish he would say that to my face."
"He"ll do so perfectly, if you give him a chance. That"s where you can help me. Quarrel with him--he"s rather good at a quarrel, and that will divert him and draw him off."
"Then I"m ready to discuss the matter with him for the rest of the voyage."
"Very well; I count on you. But he"ll ask you, as he asks me, what the deuce you want him to do."
"To go to bed," I replied, laughing.
"Oh, it isn"t a joke."
"That"s exactly what I told you at first."
"Yes, but don"t exult; I hate people who exult. Jasper wants to know why he should mind her being talked about if she doesn"t mind it herself."
"I"ll tell him why," I replied; and Mrs. Nettlepoint said she should be exceedingly obliged to me and repeated that she would come upstairs.
I looked for Jasper above that same evening, but circ.u.mstances did not favour my quest. I found him--that is I discovered that he was again ensconced behind the lifeboat with Miss Mavis; but there was a needless violence in breaking into their communion, and I put off our interview till the next day. Then I took the first opportunity, at breakfast, to make sure of it. He was in the saloon when I went in and was preparing to leave the table; but I stopped him and asked if he would give me a quarter of an hour on deck a little later--there was something particular I wanted to say to him. He said, "Oh yes, if you like," with just a visible surprise, but no look of an uncomfortable consciousness.
When I had finished my breakfast I found him smoking on the forward-deck and I immediately began: "I am going to say something that you won"t at all like; to ask you a question that you will think impertinent."
"Impertinent? that"s bad."
"I am a good deal older than you and I am a friend--of many years--of your mother. There"s nothing I like less than to be meddlesome, but I think these things give me a certain right--a sort of privilege. For the rest, my inquiry will speak for itself."
"Why so many preliminaries?" the young man asked, smiling.
We looked into each other"s eyes a moment. What indeed was his mother"s manner--her best manner--compared with his? "Are you prepared to be responsible?"
"To you?"
"Dear no--to the young lady herself. I am speaking of course of Miss Mavis."
"Ah yes, my mother tells me you have her greatly on your mind."
"So has your mother herself--now."
"She is so good as to say so--to oblige you."
"She would oblige me a great deal more by rea.s.suring me. I am aware that you know I have told her that Miss Mavis is greatly talked about."
"Yes, but what on earth does it matter?"
"It matters as a sign."
"A sign of what?"
"That she is in a false position."
Jasper puffed his cigar, with his eyes on the horizon. "I don"t know whether it"s _your_ business, what you are attempting to discuss; but it really appears to me it is none of mine. What have I to do with the tattle with which a pack of old women console themselves for not being sea-sick?"
"Do you call it tattle that Miss Mavis is in love with you?"
"Drivelling."
"Then you are very ungrateful. The tattle of a pack of old women has this importance, that she suspects or knows that it exists, and that nice girls are for the most part very sensitive to that sort of thing.
To be prepared not to heed it in this case she must have a reason, and the reason must be the one I have taken the liberty to call your attention to."
"In love with me in six days, just like that?" said Jasper, smoking.