"Yes, I was."
Dorian adjusted the log in the grate. "Carlia, when shall we go home?"
he asked.
"How can I go home?"
"A very simple matter. We ride on the stage to the railroad, and then--"
"O! I do not mean that. How can I face my folks, and everybody?"
"Of course, people will be inquisitive, and there will be a lot of speculation; but never mind that. Your father and mother will be mighty glad to get you back home, and I am sure your father will see to it that you--that you"ll have no more cause to run away from home."
"What--what?"
"Why, he"ll see that you do not have so much work--man"s work, to do.
Yes, regular downright drudgery it was. Why, I hardly blame you for running away, that is, taking a brief vacation." He went on talking, she looking silently into the fire. "But now," he said finally, "you have had a good rest, and you are ready to go home."
She sat rigidly looking at the glow in the grate. He kept on talking cheerfully, optimistically, as if he wished to prevent the gloom of night to overwhelm them. Then, presently, the girl seemed to shake herself free from some benumbing influence, as she turned to him and said:
"Dorian, why, really why have you gone to all this trouble to find me?"
"Why, we all wanted to know what had become of you. Your father is a changed man because of your disappearance, and your mother is nearly broken hearted."
"Yes, I suppose so; but is that all?"
"Isn"t that enough?"
"No."
"Well, I--I--"
"Dorian, you"re neither dull nor stupid, except in this. Why did not someone else do this hunting for a lost girl? Why should it be you?"
Dorian arose, walked to the window and looked out into the wintry night.
He saw the shine of the everlasting stars in the deep blue. He sensed the girl"s pleading eyes sinking into his soul as if to search him out.
He glimpsed the shadowy specter lurking in her background. And yet, as he fixed his eyes on the heavens, his mind cleared, his purpose strengthened. As he turned, there was a grim smile on his face. He walked back to the fire-place and seated himself on the arm of Carlia"s chair.
"Carlia," he said, "I may be stupid--I am stupid--I"ve always been stupid with you. I know it. I confess it to you. I have not always acted toward you as one who loves you. I don"t know why--lay it to my stupidity. But, Carlia, I do love you. I have always loved you. Yes, ever since we were children playing in the fields and by the creek and the ditches. I know now what that feeling was. I loved you then, I love you now."
The girl arose mechanically from her chair, reached out as if for support to the mantle. "Why, Oh, why did you not tell me before--before"--she cried, then swayed as if to a fall. Dorian caught her and placed her back in the seat. He took her cold hands, but in a moment, she pulled them away.
"Dorian, please sit down in this other chair, won"t you?"
Dorian did as she wanted him to do, but he turned the chair to face her.
"I want you to believe me, Carlia."
"I am trying to believe you."
"Is it so hard as all that?"
"What I fear is that you are doing all this for me out of the goodness of your heart. Listen, let me say what I want to say--I believe I can now.... You"re the best man I know. I have never met anyone as good as you, no, not even my father--n.o.body. You"re far above me. You always have been willing to sacrifice yourself for others; and now--what I fear is that you are just doing this, saying this, out of the goodness of your heart and not because you really--really love me."
"Carlia, stop--don"t."
"I know you, Dorian. I"ve heard you and Uncle Zed talk, sometimes when you thought I was not listening. I know your high ideals of service, how you believe it is necessary for the higher to reach down to help and save the lower. Oh, I know, Dorian; and it is this that I think of. You cannot love poor me for my sake, but you are doing this for fear of not doing your duty. Hush--Listen! Not that I don"t honor you for your high ideals--they are n.o.ble, and belong to just such as I believe you are.
Yes, I have always, even as a child, looked up to you as someone big and strong and good--Yes, I have always worshiped you, loved you! There, you know it, but what"s the use!"
Dorian moved his chair close to her, then said:
"You are mistaken, of course, in placing my goodness so high, though I"ve always tried to do the right by everybody. That I have failed with you is evidence that I am not so perfect as you say. But now, let"s forget everything else but the fact that we love each other. Can"t we be happy in that?"
The roses faded from Carlia"s cheeks, though coaxed to stay by the firelight.
"My dear," he continued, "we"ll go home, and I"ll try to make up to you my failings. I think I can do that, Carlia, when you become my wife."
"I can"t, Dorian, Oh, I can"t be that."
"Why not Carlia?"
"I can"t marry you. I"m not--No, Dorian."
"In time, Carlia. We will have to wait, of course; but some day"--he took her hands, and she did not seem to have power to resist--"some day"
he said fervently, "you are going to be mine for time and for eternity."
They looked into each others faces without fear. Then: "Go now, Dorian"
she said. "I can"t stand any more tonight. Please go."
"Yes; I"ll go. Tomorrow, the stage comes again this way, and we"ll go with it. That"s settled. Goodnight."
They both arose. He still held her hands.
"Goodnight," he repeated, and kissed her gently on the cheek.
CHAPTER NINETEEN.
The sudden return of Carlia Duke to her home created as much talk as her disappearance had done. Dorian was besieged with enquirers whom he smilingly told that he had just come across her taking a little vacation up in the hills. What, in the hills in the depths of winter? Why, yes; none but those who have tried it know the comfort and the real rest one may obtain shut out by the snow from the world, in the solitude of the hills. He told as little as possible of the details of his search, even to Carlia"s parents. Any unpleasant disclosures would have to come from her to them, he reasoned. Not being able to get Dorian talking about the case, the good people of Greenstreet soon exhausted their own knowledge of the matter, so in a short time, the gossip resumed its every-day trend.
Hardly a day pa.s.sed without Dorian spending some time with Carlia. She would not go to Sunday School or to Mutual, and it was some time before he could convince her that it was a matter of wisdom as well as of right that she should attend some of the public ward meetings. Frequently, he took his book to the Duke home and read aloud to Carlia. This she enjoyed very much. Sometimes the book was a first cla.s.s novel, but oftener it was a scientific text or a religions treatise. Carlia listened attentively to his discussion of deep problems, and he was agreeably surprised to learn that she could readily follow him in the discussion of these themes; so that the long winter evenings spent with her either at her home or at his own became a source of great inspiration to the young man who had not lost sight or the mission a.s.signed to him by the beloved Uncle Zed. Dorian talked freely to Carlia on how he might best fulfill the high destiny which seemed to lay before him; and Carlia entered enthusiastically into his plans.
"Fine, fine," she would say. "Carry it out. You can do it."
"With your help, Carlia."
"I"ll gladly help you all I can; but that is so little; what can I do?"