"I must go," said Henry huskily, looking stupidly down upon his brother, who lay quite still, his head resting on his arm.
"You will stay," I said; and I stood beside him while Gillespie filled a pail at the creek and laved Arthur"s wrists and temples with cool water. We worked a quarter of an hour before he gave any signs of life; but when he opened his eyes Henry flung himself down in a chair and mopped his forehead.
"He is not dead," he said, grinning foolishly.
"Where is Helen?" I demanded.
"She"s safe," he replied cunningly, nodding his head. "I suppose Pat has sent you to take her back. She may go, if you have brought my money." Cunning and greed, and the marks of drink, had made his face repulsive. Gillespie got Arthur to his feet a moment later, and I gave him brandy from a flask in the cupboard. His brother"s restoration seemed now to amuse Henry.
"It was a mere love-tap. You"re tougher than you look, Arthur. It"s the simple life down here in the woods. My own nerves are all gone."
He turned to me with the air of dominating the situation. "I"m glad you"ve come, you and our friend of b.u.t.ton fame. Rivals, gentlemen? A friendly rivalry for my daughter"s hand flatters the house of Holbrook.
Between ourselves I favor you, Mr. Donovan; the b.u.t.ton-making business is profitable, but d.a.m.ned vulgar. Now, Helen--"
"That will do!"--and I clapped my hand on his shoulder roughly. "I have business with you. Your sister is ready to settle with you; but she wishes to see Arthur first."
"No--no! She must not see him!" He leaped forward and caught hold of me. "She must not see him!"--and his cowardly fear angered me anew.
"You will do, Mr. Holbrook, very much as I tell you in this matter. I intend that your sister shall see her brother Arthur to-night, and time flies. This last play of yours, this flimsy trick of kidnapping, was sprung at a very unfortunate moment. It has delayed the settlement and done a grave injury to your daughter."
"Helen would have it; it was her idea!"
"If you speak of your daughter again in such a way I will break your neck and throw you into the creek!"
He stared a moment, then laughed aloud.
"So you are the one--are you? I really thought it was b.u.t.tons."
"I am the one, Mr. Holbrook. And now I am going to take your brother to your sister. She has asked for him, and she is waiting."
Arthur Holbrook came gravely toward us, and I have never been so struck with pity for a man as I was for him. There was a red circle on his brow where Henry"s knuckles had cut, but his eyes showed no anger; they were even kind with the tenderness that lies in the eyes of women who have suffered. He advanced a step nearer his brother and spoke slowly and distinctly.
"You have nothing to fear, Henry. I shall tell her nothing."
"But"--Henry glanced uneasily from Gillespie to me--"Gillespie"s notes.
They are here among you somewhere. You shall not give them to Pat. If she knew--"
"If she knew you would not get a cent," I said, wishing him to know that I knew.
He whirled upon me hotly.
"You tricked Helen to get them, and now, by G.o.d! I want them! I want them!" And he struck at me crazily. I knocked his arm away, but he flung himself upon me, clasping me with his arms. I caught his wrists and held him for a moment. I wished to be done with him and off to Glenarm with Arthur; and he wasted time.
"I have that packet you sent Helen to get--I have it--still unopened!
Your secret is as safe with me, Mr. Holbrook, as that other secret of yours with your Italian body-guard."
His face went white, then gray, and he would have fallen if I had not kept hold of him.
"Will you not be decent--reasonable--sane--for an hour, till we can present you as an honorable man to your sister? If you will not, your sailor shall deliver you to the law with his own hands. You delay matters--can"t you see that we are your friends, that we are trying to protect you, that we are ready to lie to your sister that we may be rid of you?"
I was beside myself with rage and impatient that time must be wasted on him. I did not hear steps on the deck, or Gillespie"s quick warning, and I had begun again, still holding Henry Holbrook close to me with one hand.
"We expect to deceive your sister--we will lie to her--lie to her--lie to her--"
"For G.o.d"s sake, stop!" cried Arthur Holbrook, clutching my arm.
I flung round and faced Miss Pat and Rosalind. They stood for a moment in the doorway; then Miss Pat advanced slowly toward us where we formed a little semi-circle, and as I dropped Henry"s wrists the brothers stood side by side. Arthur took a step forward, half murmuring his sister"s name; then he drew back and waited, his head bowed, his hands thrust into the side pockets of his coat. In the dead quiet I heard the babble of the creek outside, and when Miss Pat spoke her voice seemed to steal off and mingle with the subdued murmur of the stream.
"Gentlemen, what is it you wish to lie to me about?"
A brave little smile played about Miss Pat"s lips. She stood there in the light of the candles, all in white as I had left her on the terrace of Glenarm, in her lace cap, with only a light shawl about her shoulders. I felt that the situation might yet be saved, and I was about to speak when Henry, with some wild notion of justifying himself, broke out stridently:
"Yes; they meant to lie to you! They plotted against me and hounded me when I wished to see you peaceably and to make amends. They have now charged me with murder; they are ready to swear away my honor, my life.
I am glad you are here that you may see for yourself how they are against me."
He broke off a little grandly, as though convinced by his own words.
"Yes; father speaks the truth, as Mr. Donovan can tell you!"
I could have sworn that it was Rosalind who spoke; but there by Rosalind"s side in the doorway stood Helen. Her head was lifted, and she faced us all with her figure tense, her eyes blazing. Rosalind drew away a little, and I saw Gillespie touch her hand. It was as though a quicker sense than sight had on the instant undeceived him; but he did not look at Rosalind; his eyes were upon the angry girl who was about to speak again. Miss Pat glanced about, and her eyes rested on me.
"Larry, what were the lies you were going to tell me?" she asked, and smiled again.
"They were about father; he wished to involve him in dishonor. But he shall not, he shall not!" cried Helen.
"Is that true, Larry?" asked Miss Pat.
"I have done the best I could," I replied evasively.
Miss Pat scrutinized us all slowly as though studying our faces for the truth. Then she repeated:
"_But if either of my said sons shall have teen touched by dishonor through his own act, as honor is accounted, reckoned and valued among men_--" and ceased abruptly, looking from Arthur to Henry. "What was the truth about Gillespie?" she asked.
And Arthur would have spoken. I saw the word that would have saved his brother formed upon his lips.
Miss Pat alone seemed unmoved; I saw her hand open and shut at her side as she controlled herself, but her face was calm and her voice was steady when she turned appealingly to the canoe-maker.
"What is the truth, Arthur?" she asked quietly.
"Why go into this now? Why not let bygones be bygones?"--and for a moment I thought I had checked the swift current. It was Helen I wished to save now, from herself, from the avalanche she seemed doomed to bring down upon her head.
"I will hear what you have to say, Arthur," said Miss Pat; and I knew that there was no arresting the tide. I s.n.a.t.c.hed out the sealed envelope and turned with it to Arthur Holbrook; and he took it into his hands and turned it over quietly, though his hands trembled.
"Tell me the truth, gentlemen!"--and Miss Pat"s voice thrilled now with anger.
"Trickery, more trickery; those were stolen from Helen!" blurted Henry, his eyes on the envelope; but we were waiting for the canoe-maker to speak, and Henry"s words rang emptily in the shop.
Arthur looked at his brother; then he faced his sister.
"Henry is not guilty," he said calmly.