"What, dear?" I said, smiling.
She choked. "Oh ... my good, big man!"
("Laugh now," the wicked one prompted; and I laughed.)
"Good heavens, what a tale!... Who told you? Archie? Just you see if I don"t tweak that young man"s ears!"
In her infinite relief the poor woman broke down utterly. She shook with the mingled grat.i.tude and humiliation of my pardon.
"Louie Causton!" I scoffed. "You actually asked her that? Why, how she must have laughed!"
"Oh--you"re wonderful, Jeff!" Kitty adored me.
"Oh," I replied, quickly recollecting myself, "don"t think I"m not angry! I"ll give that young man a jacket-dusting! He shall have a wedding present from me he"ll remember, I promise you! Why, of all the mean tricks!..."
I went on. Presently Kitty had found me so wonderful that once more she could even toy a little with a peril.
"Louie wouldn"t tell me ... who ... she said she"d die first...." she half sobbed by-and-by.
I looked into her little puffed eyes. "Then," I said, smiling, "you"ve only the word of a not very trustworthy woman for it that after all ...
eh?"
A saint could hardly have cheapened the worshipping look she gave me.
"So," I resumed presently, "that was what ailed you all last night, when I was thinking all the time it was my uniform?"
"Yes--I tried hard to tell you, Jeff----"
"And does Archie really believe this tale himself, or is it just one of his little pleasantries?"
She didn"t know.
"Is he at the college this morning?"
"Yes."
"Good. Will you send him down to me if I walk back with you? I think we won"t lose any time over this."
"And you"ll give him a really severe talking-to?" she asked eagerly.
"I will," I promised. "Come----"
Twenty minutes later I was again in the doorway of the Business College, waiting for Archie to descend.
And as I waited I reflected how well-nigh irrevocably I had tied myself up with Kitty now. I think that up to then she would have stuck to me even had this of Miss Causton been true; but now she would never, never let me go. Perhaps I may here mention the plan I had at first had for getting rid of her when I should require her no longer. I had based that plan on the fascination the "compromising situation" of her favourite novels always had for her. I never knew anyone so self-conscious about her defencelessness, and I had worked it out that I had only to propose my own chamber for an a.s.signation and she would conceive herself to be looking into the bright face of danger indeed. All peril and all romance would lie for her in her setting foot on the lowest of my stairs....
And doubtless one glance at that naked room of mine (I had p.a.w.ned even my oil-stove) would, I had estimated, drive her away in instant and horrified fright.... I had not been above planning this.
But now she would never, never leave her big, wonderful man.
Yes. I had fettered myself fairly completely.
Holborn was noisy that morning, and between the sound of pa.s.sing vehicles and Archie"s own light tread I was not aware of his presence until he spoke. Instantly I saw that he thought he knew why I had come and had resolved to take one bull at least by the horns.
"I say, Jeff," he began at once, with embarra.s.sed sincerity--a sincere desire, that is, to be out of the mess he had landed himself in, "Kitty"s just told me. I know--I know you must be beastly angry with me--quite right too--I"m awfully sorry and--and ashamed. It was caddish.
But I really didn"t mean anything, and--and--and I thought you as much as said it yourself, you know----"
I judged it best not to speak just yet. I stood looking at him.
"You"re an awfully good sort," he went on, conciliatingly, "but--but--I really thought you _were_ a bit sweet on her (that was all I meant)--that time--you know--before I knew it was really Kitty. I simply said to Mackie--he watched you too at the party--I admit I was "on" a bit, and never thought it would end like this----"
Then I spoke. "You mean you didn"t think it would end in my getting the sack and being cut by everybody I know except yourself and Mackie? How did you think it would end, then?"
He jumped eagerly at a chance, ready to promise anything.
"I"ll see that"s all right, old boy--and Hitchc.o.c.k _was_ coming back anyway, you know--you only had the job while he was away----"
"Oh!" I said, with a nasty laugh. "And in your opinion that"s all?...
What about my character?" I demanded suddenly. "Eh?"
"I know," he said, with hanging head. "It was rotten of me--but I was "on"--I really was. And your character"s all right, Jeff, with anybody who knows you--they know what a first-rate sort you are----"
"Thank you," I said stiffly. "And what about--the partner in my guilt?"
"Oh, _her_!" the little animal said, as if _she_ could be left quite out of the question. Then apparently he felt the stirring of returning rect.i.tude. "Well, Jeff, I have apologised.... I don"t see what more I can do, except of course to see you all right...."
I noted the birth of the att.i.tude I wished to create. I began to appear to let him down by gradual degrees.
Exactly how much of it was appearance you see. I abhorred the little wretch. And his renewed apologies, promises, explanations!... He had been "on" he had "simply said" to Mackie; I "should have lost my job soon in any case"; and "he"d see I was all right!" ... That was all his sense of a hideous slander! And his almost rebellious "Well, I have apologised." Good heavens, he would be putting _me_ in the wrong presently!... Every muscle in my body was straining to be at him.
But that, I knew, would never, never do.
Presently I turned once more to him. All this, after all, was not in the least what I had come to talk to him about. It was only a screen.
"Very, well," I said at last. "What"s done"s done. We"ll leave that for the present. Now there"s something else I want to say to you. Do you know what it is?"
"How should I know?" he said, relieved that the subject was turned.
"Think...."
When Kitty had come down to see me an hour before she had done so in her hat and coat. She had had her confession to make, and had, I fancied, done me even in her attire the courtesy of hinting humbly that she was entirely at my disposal. But Archie evidently thought that our difference could be arranged in a five minutes" talk sandwiched in between two lessons. He had not even put his hat on. He stood, a small fair figure, red-waistcoated, bra.s.s-b.u.t.toned, hands in his pockets, leaning against the name-board of the tenants of the various floors of the building, while I, with one hand against the board, hung over him like a huge angel of good and evil, bidding him think.
"Think," I said again.
He suddenly realised what I meant. I could no more hold his eyes than I could have held those of a chidden dog. They cringed, evaded, even dared short defiances.
"Think," I said once more.
All at once he said, "I don"t know what you mean."