She made no reply.
"That is what you were going to say, isn"t it?"
"Yes, I started to say that," she answered, "and then I thought better of it."
She spoke calmly; but she was oddly disquieted by his fixed gaze, and angry with herself for feeling it.
"I will tell you," said he, "how I happen to be acting in both capacities."
The marks of his internal struggle broke through upon his face. For the first time, it occurred to Sharlee, as she looked at the new markings about his straight-cut mouth, that this old young man whom she had commonly seen so matter-of-fact and self-contained, might be a person of stronger emotions than her own. After all, what did she really know about him?
As if to answer her, his controlled voice spoke.
"Mr. Surface is my father. I am his son."
She smothered a little cry. "_Your father_!"
"My name," he said, with a face of stone, "is Henry G. Surface, Jr."
"Your father!" she echoed lifelessly.
Shocked and stunned, she turned her head hurriedly away; her elbow rested on the broad chair-arm, and her chin sank into her hand.
Surface"s son looked at her. It was many months since he had learned to look at her as at a woman, and that is knowledge that is not unlearned.
His eyes rested upon her piled-up ma.s.s of crinkly brown hair; upon the dark curtain of lashes lying on her cheek; upon the firm line of the cheek, which swept so smoothly into the white neck; upon the rounded bosom, now rising and falling so fast; upon the whole pretty little person which could so stir him now to undreamed depths of his being....
No altruism here, Fifi; no self-denial to want to make _her_ happy.
He began speaking quietly.
"I can"t tell you now how I found out all this. It is a long story; you will hear it all some day. But the facts are all clear. I have been to New York and seen Tim Queed. It is--strange, is it not? Do you remember that afternoon in my office, when I showed you the letters from him? We little thought--"
"Oh me!" said Sharlee. "Oh me!"
She rose hastily and walked away from him, unable to bear the look on his face. For a pretense of doing something, she went to the fire and poked aimlessly at the glowing coals.
As on the afternoon of which he spoke, waves of pity for the little Doctor"s worse than fatherlessness swept through her; only these waves were a thousand times bigger and stormier than those. How hardly he himself had taken his sonship she read in the strange sadness of his face. She dared not let him see how desperately sorry for him she felt; the most perfunctory phrase might betray her. Her knowledge of his falseness stood between them like a wall; blindly she struggled to keep it staunch, not letting her rushing pity undermine and crumble it. He had been false to her, like his father. Father and son, they had deceived and betrayed her; honor and truth were not in them.
"So you see," the son was saying, "I have a close personal interest in this question of the money. Naturally it--means a good deal to me to--have as much of it as possible restored. Of course there is a great deal which--he took, and which--we are not in position to restore at present. I will explain later what is to be done about that--"
"Oh, don"t!" she begged. "I never want to see or hear of it again."
Suddenly she turned upon him, aware that her self-control was going, but unable for her life to repress the sympathy for him which welled up overwhelmingly from her heart.
"Won"t you tell me something more about it? Please do! Where is he? Have you seen him--?"
"I cannot tell you--"
"Oh, I will keep your confidence. You asked me if I would. I will--won"t you tell me? Is he here--in the city--?"
"You must not ask me these questions," he said with some evidence of agitation.
But even as he spoke, he saw knowledge dawn painfully on her face. His shelter, after all, was too small; once her glance turned that way, once her mind started upon conjectures, discovery had been inevitable.
"Oh!" she cried, in a choked voice.... "It is Professor Nicolovius!"
He looked at her steadily; no change pa.s.sed over his face. When all was said, he was glad to have the whole truth out; and he knew the secret to be as safe with her as with himself.
"No one must know," he said sadly, "until his death. That is not far away, I think."
She dropped into a chair, and suddenly buried her face in her hands.
Surface"s son had risen with her, but he did not resume his seat. He stood looking down at her bowed head, and the expression in his eyes, if she had looked up and captured it, might have taken her completely by surprise.
His chance, indeed, had summoned him, though not for the perfect sacrifice. Circ.u.mstance had crushed out most of the joy of giving. For, first, she had suspected him, which nothing could ever blot out; and now, when she knew the truth about him, there could hardly be much left for him to give. It needed no treacherous editorial to make her hate the son of his father; their friendship was over in any case.
Still, it was his opportunity to do for her something genuine and large; to pay in part the debt he owed her--the personal and living debt, which was so much greater than the dead thing of princ.i.p.al and interest.
No, no. It was not endurable that this proud little lady, who kept her head so high, should find at the last moment, this stain upon her lover"s honor.
She dropped her hands and lifted a white face.
"And you--" she began unsteadily, but checked herself and went on in a calmer voice. "And you--after what he has done to you, too--you are going to stand by him--take his name--accept that inheritance--_be_ his son?"
"What else is there for me to do?"
Their eyes met, and hers were hurriedly averted.
"Don"t you think," he said, "that that is the only thing to do?"
Again she found it impossible to endure the knowledge of his fixed gaze.
She rose once more and stood at the mantel, her forehead leaned against her hand upon it, staring unseeingly down into the fire.
"How can I tell you how fine a thing you are doing--how big--and splendid--when--"
A dark red color flooded his face from neck to forehead; it receded almost violently leaving him whiter than before.
"Not at all! Not in the least!" he said, with all his old impatience. "I could not escape if I would."
She seemed not to hear him. "How can I tell you that--and about how sorry I am--when all the time it seems that I can think only of--something else!"
"You are speaking of the reformatory," he said, with bracing directness.
There followed a strained silence.
"Oh," broke from her--"how could you bear to do it?"
"Don"t you see that we cannot possibly discuss it? It is a question of one"s honor--isn"t it? It is impossible that such a thing could be argued about."
"But--surely you have something to say--some explanation to make! Tell me. You will not find me--a hard judge."