Brindlebury, fully dressed, was lying flat on his back on the bed, with his legs crossed in the air; a cigarette was in his mouth (one of Burton"s cigarettes), a reading-lamp was at his elbow, and he was engaged in the perusal of a new novel which Crane had received the day before, and had strangely missed ever since. On the floor near-by was a tray, empty indeed, but bearing unmistakable signs of having been well filled only recently.
Crane took the cigarette from Brindlebury"s mouth, and the book from his hand.
"Now," he said, "I"ll give you five minutes to get your things together and get out." There were no signs that packing had ever been contemplated; all Brindlebury"s belongings were undisturbed.
The boy looked at Crane. He would like to have answered, but he could not think of anything to say, so he got up slowly and tried to smooth his hair which was very much rumpled.
"I"m not positive I have such a thing as a bag," he observed at length, but a little search revealed one in the closet. It was marked "B.
Revelly."
"A token of respect from your late employer, I suppose," said Crane.
The boy did not answer. He was rather sulkily putting on his clothes. He was not a neat packer. A tooth-brush and some pipe tobacco, a wet sponge and some clean shirts, boots and pajamas were indiscriminately mixed.
The five minutes, unmarked by any conversation, had almost elapsed when light steps were heard in the hallway, and a voice exclaimed:
"Did you have a good dinner, honey?" and Jane-Ellen came spinning into the room, all the demureness gone from her manner.
At the sight of her employer, she stopped, and her hand went up to her mouth with a gesture expressive of the utmost horror. Brindlebury did not stop packing. He was now filling in the corners with shaving soap and socks.
His sister turned to Crane.
"Oh, sir," she wailed, "we"ve acted very wrongly."
"Jane-Ellen," replied Crane, "that really doesn"t go. It was a good manner, and you worked it well, but it is now, if you will forgive my saying so, old stuff. I cannot look upon you as a foolishly fond sister, trying to protect an erring brother. I think it far more likely that you are the organizer of this efficient little plan to keep him here un.o.bserved, eating my food, reading my books, and smoking, if I am not greatly mistaken, my cigarettes."
"Oh, Brin, do you take Mr. Crane"s cigarettes?" said Jane-Ellen.
"Not unless I"m out of my own," said her brother.
"Without clearing his own honesty, he impugns my taste," said Crane.
It was plain that Jane-Ellen was going to make another effort to improve the situation. She was thinking hard. At last she began:
[Ill.u.s.tration: At the sight of Crane, Jane-Ellen stopped with a gesture of the utmost horror]
"I don"t defend what we"ve done, sir, but if you would have let me see you alone this afternoon, I was going to ask that Brindlebury might stay just for this one night. Only I couldn"t speak before Mr. Tucker, I"m so afraid of him."
"There you go again," said Burton. "You"re not telling the truth. You"re not in the least afraid of Tucker."
"Well, not as much as I am of you, sir."
"Jane-Ellen," said Crane, "I believe you are a very naughty girl." He was surprised to find that every trace of ill temper had left him.
"I know what you mean, sir," said the cook, and this time her voice had a certain commonplace tone. "And it"s true. I haven"t always been perfectly honest with you, but a servant can"t be candid and open, sir; you know, yourself, it wouldn"t do."
"I"d like to see it tried," returned Crane.
"Well, I"m honest now, sir," she went on, "in asking you to let Brin stay. He"ll apologize, I"m sure--"
"I will not," said the boy, still packing.
But his sister hardly noticed the interruption.
"He will do what I tell him when he comes to think it over, if you will only relent. Don"t you think you are just a little hard on him? He is my brother, and it would make me so happy if you would let him stay."
The desire to make others happy is not a crime, yet Crane felt nothing but shame at the obvious weakening of his own resolution under the peculiarly melting voice of Jane-Ellen. He glanced at the boy, he thought of Tucker, he looked long at Jane-Ellen. Who knows what might have happened if his eyes, which he decided he must wrench away from hers, had not suddenly fallen upon a small object lying undisguised on Brindlebury"s dressing-table.
It was the pearl set miniature.
All three saw it almost at the same instant. The hands of all went out toward it, but Crane"s reached it first. He took it up.
"Have you any explanation to offer, Brindlebury?" he said.
"I can explain," exclaimed Jane-Ellen.
"I"m sure you can," Crane answered. "The only question is, shall I believe your explanation."
"He took it because it reminded him of me. That"s the only reason he wanted it."
Crane looked from the miniature to the cook. He knew that this was also the only reason why he himself wanted it.
"Jane-Ellen," he said, "go downstairs and order the motor to come to the side door at once."
"Mr. Crane, you"re not going to have Brin arrested?"
He shook his head.
"I ought to, perhaps, but I am not going to. I"m going to take him in the motor to what I consider a safe distance, and drop him."
"Just like a stray cat," gasped Brindlebury"s sister.
"Cats usually come back," said the boy, with a return of his normal spirits.
"Cats have nine lives," replied Crane, significantly.
Something about the tone of this remark put an end to the conversation.
Jane-Ellen obediently left the room. Brindlebury struggled frantically to strap his bulging bag, and succeeded only with the a.s.sistance of Crane.
When they went downstairs, the motor was already ticking quietly at the side door. No one was visible, except Jane-Ellen, who was wistfully watching it.
Brindlebury got in, and set his bag upright between his knees; Crane got in, and had actually released the brake, when, looking up at the cook still standing there, he found himself saying:
"Do you want to come, too, Jane-Ellen, to see the last of your brother?"
Of course she did; she looked hastily about and then turned toward the stairs, but Crane stopped her.
"No," he said, "don"t go up. There"s a coat of mine there in the coat closet. Take that."