Half buried in the debris of a miniature landslide, he sat at the foot of the bluff, which reared its convex face behind and over him.
Immediately above his head a ragged break in its profile showed where the sand, held together solely by beach gra.s.s, had given way beneath the weight of the antagonists.
A little distance from him the other man was picking himself up, apparently unhurt but completely surfeited. Without delay, with not even so much as a glance at Whitaker, he staggered off for a few paces, then settled into a heavy, lumbering trot westward along the beach.
This conduct was so inconsistent with his late belligerent humour that Whitaker felt inclined to rub his eyes a second time. He had antic.i.p.ated--as soon as in condition to reason at all--nothing less than an immediate resumption of hostilities. Yet here was the fellow running away. Incomprehensible!
And yet, save at the first blush, not so incomprehensible: the chief of the man"s desire had been unquestionably to see without being seen; his rage at being detected had led him to a misstep; now he was reverting to his original plan with all possible expedition. He did not wish the woman to recognize him; therefore he was putting himself out of her way.
For she was approaching.
When Whitaker caught sight of her, she was already close at hand. She had been running. Now as their glances met, hers keenly inquiring of Whitaker"s still bewildered eyes, she pulled up abruptly and stood astare. He saw, or fancied, something closely akin to fright and consternation in her look. The flush in her cheeks gave way to a swift pallor. The hands trembled that drew her beach-cloak close about her.
She seemed to make an ineffectual effort to speak.
On his part, Whitaker tried to get up. A keen twinge in his ankle, however, wrung an involuntary grunt from him, and with a wry grimace he sank back.
"Oh!" cried the woman, impulsively. "You"re hurt!" She advanced a pace, solicitous and sympathetic.
"Oh, not much," Whitaker replied in a tone more of hope than of a.s.surance. He felt tenderly of the injured member. "Only my ankle--twisted it a few days ago, and now again. It"ll be all right in a moment or two."
Her gaze travelled from him to the edge of the bluff.
"I didn"t see--I mean, I heard something, and turned, and saw you trying to sit up and the other man rising."
"Sorry we startled you," Whitaker mumbled, wondering how the deuce he was going to get home. His examination of the ankle hadn"t proved greatly encouraging.
"But I--ah--how did it happen?"
"A mere misunderstanding," he said lightly. "I mistook the gentleman for some one I knew. He resented it, so we started to sc.r.a.p like a couple of schoolboys. Then ... I wish to Heaven it had been his leg instead of mine!"
"But still I hardly understand...."
She was now more composed. The colour had returned to her face. She stood with head inclined a trifle forward, gaze intent beneath delicate brows; most distractingly pretty, he thought, in spite of the ankle--which really didn"t hurt much unless moved.
"Well, you see, I--ah--I"m visiting Ember--the cottage next to yours, I believe. That is, if I"m not mistaken, you have the Fiske place?"
She nodded.
"And so, this morning, it struck me as a fine young idea to swim over here and have a look at the beach. I--ah--you rather showed me the way, with your motor-boat. I mean I saw you start out."
He felt better after that: open confession is a great help when one feels senselessly guilty. He ventured an engaging smile and noted with relief that it failed either to terrify or to enrage the young woman.
On the other hand, she said encouragingly: "I see."
"And then I found that chap watching you--"
That startled her. "How do you mean--watching me?"
"Why--ah--that"s what he seemed to be doing. He was lying at full length up there, half hidden--to all appearances watching you from behind a screen of beach gra.s.s."
"But--I don"t understand--why should he have been watching me?"
"I"m sure I don"t know, if you don"t."
She shook her head: "You must be mistaken."
"Daresay. I generally am when I jump at conclusions. Anyway, he didn"t like it much when I called him out of his name. I gathered, in fact, that he was considerably put out. Silly, wasn"t it?"
"Rather!" she agreed gravely.
For a moment or two they eyed one another in silence, Whitaker wondering just how much of a fool she was thinking him and dubiously considering various expedients to ingratiate himself. She was really quite too charming to be neglected, after so auspicious an inauguration of their acquaintance. Momentarily he was becoming more convinced that she was exceptional. Certain he was he had never met any woman quite like her--not even the fair but false Miss Carstairs of whom he had once fancied himself so hopelessly enamoured. Here he divined an uncommon intelligence conjoined with matchless loveliness. Testimony to the former quality he acquired from eyes serenely violet and thoughtful. As for the latter, he reflected that few professional beauties could have stood, as this woman did, the acid test of that mercilessly brilliant morning.
"I don"t seem to think of anything useful to say," he ventured. "Can you help me out? Unless you"d be interested to know that my name"s Whitaker--Hugh Whitaker--?"
She acknowledged the information merely by a brief nod. "It seems to me," she said seriously, "that the pressing question is, what are you going to do about that ankle? Shall you be able to walk?"
"Hard to say," he grumbled, a trifle dashed. He experimented gingerly, moving his foot this way and that and shutting his teeth on groans that the test would surely have evoked had he been alone. ""Fraid not. Still, one can try."
"It isn"t sprained?"
"Oh, no--just badly wrenched. And, as I said, this is the second time within a week."
With infinite pains and the aid of both hands and his sound foot, he lifted himself and contrived to stand erect for an instant, then bore a little weight on the hurt ankle--and blenched, paling visibly beneath his ineradicable tan.
"I don"t suppose," he said with effort--"they grow--crutches--on this neck of land?"
And he was about to collapse again upon the sands when, without warning, he found the woman had moved to his side and caught his hand, almost brusquely pa.s.sing his arm across her shoulders, so that she received no little of his weight.
"Oh, I say--!" he protested feebly.
"Don"t say anything," she replied shortly. "I"m very strong--quite able to help you to the boat. Please don"t consider me at all; just see if we can"t manage this way."
"But I"ve no right to impose--"
"Don"t be silly! Please do as I say. Won"t you try to walk?"
He endeavoured to withdraw his arm, an effort rendered futile by her cool, firm grasp on his fingers.
"Please!" she said--not altogether patiently.
He eyed her askance. There was in this incredible situation a certain piquancy, definitely provocative, transcending the claims his injury made upon his interest. Last night for the first time he had seen this woman and from a distance had thought her desirable; now, within twelve hours, he found himself with an arm round her neck!
He thought it a tremendously interesting neck, slender, not thin, and straight and strong, a milk-white column from the frilled collar of her bathing-cloak to the shimmering tendrils that cl.u.s.tered behind her ears.
Nor was the ear she presented to his inspection an everyday ear, lacking its individual allure. He considered that it owned its distinctive personality, not unworthy of any man"s studious attention.
He saw her face, of course, en profile: her head bowed, downcast lashes long upon her cheeks, her mouth set in a mould of gravity, her brows seriously contracted--signifying preoccupation with the problem of the moment.
And then suddenly she turned her head and intercepted his whole-hearted stare. For a thought wonder glimmered in the violet eyes; then they flashed disconcertingly; finally they became utterly cold and disdainful.
"Well?" she demanded in a frigid voice.