"We"ll let it go. Why did you return for the men?"
"I thought the job was mine, sir. I was the company"s servant, and the captain was injured. If I"d told my story at the office and the _Commandancia_---- But you can see the obstacles!"
Don Arturo nodded. "I imagine I do see. You thought you could handle the thing better than Don Ramon and the Spanish officers? Rather a bold claim, was it not?"
"They"d have been embarra.s.sed by difficulties that did not bother me,"
Kit replied with some hesitation. "I thought speed and quietness important; the plan was to steal off and get to work."
He had stood in front of the table, but Don Arturo now indicated a chair.
"On the whole, I think your plan was good. All the same, if you stop with us, you must run no more risks like that. Your business is to carry out the company"s orders."
Kit"s heart beat, for his relief was keen. "Then I may go back, sir?"
"You will not go back on board the _correillo_, but Don Ramon is sending _Mossamedes_ to Cuba and has a post for you. At sea, your duties will be a purser"s; at the Cuban ports you will be the company"s agent. All the cargo is not sold and you will negotiate with the merchants. The post carries better pay, but Don Ramon will give you particulars. I believe Mr. Macallister will join the ship, and the _correillo_"s captain takes command."
Kit had not thought Don Arturo meant to promote him, and the blood came to his skin.
"Thank you, sir," he said. "I"ll try----"
Don Arturo smiled and looked at his watch.
"If you carry out your new duties with the resolution and honesty that marked your dealings with the Moors, I expect we shall be satisfied. In the meantime, they want you at the office."
Kit started for the office. He was promoted, and although his promotion was perhaps not marked, he thought the head of the line had studied him and meant to help his progress. Moreover, his supposition was accurate.
Soon after Kit had gone a page brought up Austin, and Don Arturo remarked: "I have just given Musgrave rather a better post."
"Then I expect he will make good. If he had joined me, I"d have given him the best post I"d got."
"Musgrave"s friends believe in him," Don Arturo replied. "But we must remember that caution is sometimes useful and the lad is young. I would sooner his promotion was gradual. But we have something else to talk about."
In the meantime, Kit went to the office and afterwards to a bench in the _alameda_. His post was better than he had thought, and he felt he had, so to speak, made a start. If he satisfied the company, he might go ahead fast, and this was important because it was bound up with something else. Since he saw Olivia he had pondered, and now he reviewed his efforts and ambitions. It was getting plain that when he fell in love with Olivia and tried to force himself above his proper level he was rash. She had refused him and, from her point of view, she was justified, but in a sense, his proposal was not regular, and he had declared if his fortunes mended, he would renew it in proper form. He owed Olivia this; the strange thing was he was rather conscious of his duty than keen.
To begin with, he must see Mrs. Austin, since he now meant to keep the rules. She was at home and when she received him he said: "You know we got the men, and I must thank you for lending me _Cayman_ and sending the schooner. If she had not arrived, I doubt if we could have brought _Cayman_ home."
"Oh, well!" said Mrs. Austin, "to find you have forgiven me is some relief, but after all I don"t deserve your thanks. You see, Miss Jordan sent the other boat!"
"Betty sent the _Lucia_?" Kit exclaimed.
"She bullied me and declared I had not used you well. While we talked about it my husband arrived and rather agreed with Betty"s argument.
Nevertheless, I imagine she doubted us, because soon afterwards she bullied Jefferson. She stated that if he did not go to your rescue, she would give up her post."
Kit coloured, and Mrs. Austin was amused by his embarra.s.sment.
"Perhaps I did not use you well," she resumed.
"From the beginning you were very kind," Kit broke out. "When I last saw you, I talked like a hot-tempered fool. I didn"t see all I owed you, I meant to force you to lend me the boat. The strange thing is, I hadn"t thought about Betty; but it was really she who helped. Betty is like that----"
He was quiet for a moment or two, but Mrs. Austin waited and he went on: "Well, I have done what I undertook, and Don Arturo has given me a better post. Perhaps the post is not very good, but I am going to ask Olivia if, when I have made some progress, she will marry me."
"Do you expect me to approve? Or do you feel I ought to know your plans?" Mrs. Austin asked.
"I think I want to be honest," Kit replied, rather dryly.
Mrs. Austin smiled. "Your honesty is obvious. Well, I don"t know that I would approve, but if you can persuade Olivia, I"ll try to be resigned."
"You don"t expect I can persuade her?"
"Perhaps I don"t. Do you?"
"I do not," said Kit. "For all that, I"m going to use some effort."
"You are an obstinate fellow," Mrs. Austin rejoined. "However, you will understand my not wishing you good luck. In fact, I rather think you don"t know your luck!"
Kit went off. He was puzzled. Sometimes Mrs. Austin"s remarks did puzzle him, but he began to see a light. But the light was dim. Full illumination had not yet come.
CHAPTER X
OLIVIA"S REFUSAL
After the five o"clock _comida_ Kit went to Jefferson"s office. There was no use in returning to Mrs. Austin"s, because it was an evening she received her friends, and Olivia would be surrounded by the guests.
Besides, he wanted to see Betty. He had not seen her yet, for when he went to the office she was occupied with Jefferson, and he did not know she had watched his arrival from the mole.
The room behind the arch was shady. A little cool breeze shook the curtain and one smelt heliotrope. Kit noted the smooth polished floor, the even rows of black boxes, and the neatly-sorted doc.u.ments on the big writing table. Tidiness is not the rule in Spain, but all was neat where Betty was about. Betty herself wore a plain white dress, and Kit thought she looked cool and businesslike. Turning her revolving chair, she gave him her hand with a friendly smile.
"I was very glad to know you had got back," she said.
"If you had not sent Jefferson we might not have got back yet."
"I expect you have seen Mrs. Austin, but you mustn"t exaggerate," Betty said calmly. "When you forced her to lend you _Cayman_, she knew she was doing what she ought."
"I imagined I forced her; now I doubt. She is kind and it looks as if I"m not as clever as I thought. Anyhow, I didn"t force her to send the other boat; if force was needed, you did that. When the _Lucia_ arrived we were worn out, but all the ballast must be brought off through the surf. It had been calm unusually long, we knew the wind would soon come, and if it blew fresh before we got the big anchor on board, _Cayman_ would be wrecked. I hardly durst think about the job."
"You had a bad time, Kit?"
"Perhaps I got as good a time as I deserved. When I arrived from Liverpool I was very raw, but didn"t know my rawness. People indulged me, and I went ahead, satisfied I could pull off all I undertook. I didn"t know I was used and cheated; no doubt Wolf and Yusuf laughed!
They"d got a dull, self-confident simpleton to play their crooked game.
Well, in a way, perhaps, it was lucky I lost the men. I began to see my level."
Betty mused. She rather liked Kit"s humiliation. Perhaps it was extravagant, for his rash return to Africa was very fine. Although his venture looked hopeless, he had gone. The strange thing was, when at length he saw Wolf had cheated him, he did not see another had done so.
Betty wanted to warn him, but knew she must not.
"You were sincere and nothing you did was shabby," she said. "Perhaps your luck was bad, but this is not important. You didn"t think about yourself; you were not daunted----"