"It ought to," she said hastily. "And, Duane, I"m going to make you take me into account. I"m going to exercise a man"s privilege with you by--by saying frankly--several things----"
"What things?"
The amused mockery in his voice gave her courage.
"For one thing, I"m going to tell you that people--gossip--that there are--are----"
"Rumours?" he asked in pretended anxiety.
"Yes.... About you and--of course they are silly and contemptible; but what"s the use of being attentive enough to a woman--careless enough to give colour to them?"
After an interval he said: "Perhaps you"ll tell me who beside myself these rumours concern?"
"You know, don"t you?"
"There might be several," he said coolly. "Who is it?"
For a moment a tiny flash of anger made her cheeks hot. Then she said:
"You know perfectly well it"s Rosalie. I think we have become good enough comrades for me to use a man"s privilege----"
"Men wouldn"t permit themselves that sort of privilege," he said, laughing.
"Aren"t men frank with their friends?" she demanded hotly.
"About as frank as women."
"I thought--" She hesitated, tingling with the old desire to hurt him, flick him in the raw, make him wince in his exasperating complacency.
Then, "I"ve said it anyhow. I"m trying to show an interest in you--as you asked me to do----"
He turned in the darkness, caught her hand:
"You dear little thing," he whispered, laughing.
CHAPTER VI
ADRIFT
During the week the guests at Roya-Neh were left very much to their own devices. n.o.body was asked to do anything; there were several good enough horses at their disposal, two motor cars, a power-boat, canoes, rods, and tennis courts and golf links. The chances are they wanted sea-bathing. Inland guests usually do.
Scott Seagrave, however, concerned himself little about his guests. All day long he moused about his new estate, field-gla.s.ses dangling, cap on the back of his head, pockets bulging with untidy odds and ends until the increasing carelessness of his attire and manners moved Kathleen Severn to protest.
"I don"t know what is the matter with you, Scott," she said. "You were always such a fastidious boy--even dandified. Doesn"t anybody ever cut your hair? Doesn"t somebody keep your clothes in order?"
"Yes, but I tear "em again," he replied, carefully examining a small dark-red newt which he held in the palm of one hand. "I say, Kathleen, look at this little creature. I was messing about under the ledges along Hurryon Brook, and found this amphibious gentleman occupying the ground-floor apartment of a flat stone."
Kathleen craned her dainty neck over the shoulder of his ragged shooting coat.
"He"s red enough to be poisonous, isn"t he? Oh, do be careful!"
"It"s only a young newt. Take him in your hand; he"s cool and clammy and rather agreeable."
"Scott, I won"t touch him!"
"Yes, you will!" He caught her by the arm; "I"m going to teach you not to be afraid of things outdoors. This lizard-like thing is perfectly harmless. Hold out your hand!"
"Oh, Scott, don"t make me----"
"Yes, I will. I thought you and I were going to be in thorough accord and sympathy and everything else."
"Yes, but you mustn"t bully me."
"I"m not. I merely want you to get over your absurd fear of live things, so that you and I can really enjoy ourselves. You said you would, Kathleen."
"Can"t we be in perfect sympathy and roam about and--and everything, unless I touch such things?"
He said reproachfully, balancing the little creature on his palm: "The fun is in being perfectly confident and fearless. You have no idea how I like all these things. You said you were going to like "em, too."
"I do--rather."
"Then take this one and pet it."
She glanced at the boy beside her, realising how completely their former relations were changing.
Long ago she had given all her heart to the Seagrave children--all the unspent pa.s.sion in her had become an unswerving devotion to them. And now, a woman still young, the devotion remained, but time was modifying it in a manner sometimes disquieting. She tried not to remember that now, in Scott, she had a man to deal with, and tried in vain; and dealt with him weakly, and he was beginning to do with her as he pleased.
"You do like to bully me, don"t you?" she said.
"I only want you to like to do what I like to do."
She stood silent a moment, then, with a shudder, held out her hand, fingers rigid and wide apart.
"Oh!" she protested, as he placed the small dark-red amphibian on the palm, where it crinkled up and lowered its head.
"That"s the idea!" he said, delighted. "Here, I"ll take it now. Some day you"ll be able to handle snakes if you"ll only have patience."
"But I don"t want to." She stood holding out the contaminated hand for a moment, then dropped on her knees and scrubbed it vigorously in the brook.
"You see," said Scott, squatting cheerfully beside her, "you and I don"t yet begin to realise the pleasure that there is in these woods and streams--hidden and waiting for us to discover it. I wouldn"t bother with any other woman, but you"ve always liked what I like, and its half the fun in having you see these things. Look here, Kathleen, I"m keeping a book of field notes." He extracted from his stuffed pockets a small leather-covered book, fished out a stylograph, and wrote the date while she watched over his shoulder.
"Discovered what seems to be a small dark-red newt under a stone near Hurryon Brook. Couldn"t make it bite me, so let Kathleen hold it. Query: Is it a land or water lizard, a salamander, or a newt; and what does it feed on and where does it deposit its eggs?"
Kathleen"s violet eyes wandered to the written page opposite.