Christopher and Breton did not speak until they reached Oxford Circus.
Here everything, flower-women, omnibuses, grey buildings, grimy men and women--was drowned in purple shadow. It might be only a moment"s beauty, but now beneath the evening star, frosted silver and alone in a blue heaven, sound advanced and receded with the quiet rhythm of water over sand. For an instant a black figure of an omnibus stood against the blue and held all the swell, the glow, the stir at a fixed point--then life was once more distributed.
Here, as they turned down Oxford Street Christopher broke silence. He put his arm through Breton"s:
"Well, Frank? Sulks not over yet?"
Breton broke away. "It"s all very well, but I suppose I"m to pretend that I like being insulted by any kind of fool who happens to turn up.
Good G.o.d, Chris, you"d think I was a child by the way you talk to me."
"And so you are a child," said Christopher impatiently, "and a thankless child too. Sometimes I wonder why I keep on bothering with you."
Christopher was, like other Scotchmen, a curious mixture of amiability and irascibility; his temper came from his pride and Breton had learnt, many years ago, to fear it. In fact, of all the things in life that he disliked doing, quarrelling with Christopher was the most agreeable.
Then there were stubbornness and tenacity that were hard indeed to deal with. But to-day he was reckless; the heat of the afternoon and now the beauty of the evening had both, in their different ways, contributed to his ill-temper. He knew, even now, that afterwards he would regret every word that he uttered, but he let his temper go.
"I wonder that you do bother," he said. "Let me alone and let me find my own way."
"Don"t be a fool," Christopher answered. "There"s nothing in the world for us to quarrel about, only I can"t bear to see you giving such a wrong impression of yourself to strangers--sulking there as though you were five years old----"
"All very well," retorted Breton; "you didn"t hear the way that fellow insulted me. I"ll wring his neck if I meet him again. I"ll----"
"Now, enough of that!" Christopher"s voice was stern. "You know quite well, Frank, that you"re hardly in a position to wring anyone"s neck.
You remember the account I gave you of my little dispute with your grandmother----"
"Thank you," said Breton fiercely. "You remind me rather frequently of the kind things you do for me."
And all the time something in him was whispering to him, "_What_ a fool you are to talk like this!"
Christopher"s voice now was cold: "That"s hardly fair of you. I"m turning up here----" They paused. Breton looked away from him up into the quiet blue recesses of the side street. Christopher went on: "I only mean that if I were you I should drop hanging on to the skirts of a family who don"t want you. I should set about and get some work to do, cut all those rotten people you go about with, and behave decently to strangers when you meet them. That"s all. Good night."
And Christopher was gone.
Breton stood there, for a moment, with the tide of his misery full upon him. Then he turned down Oxford Street and drove his way through the crowds of people who were coming up towards the Circus. He was alone, utterly alone in all the world. Everyone else had a home to go to, he alone had nowhere.
Only a few weeks ago he had come back to England, with money enough to keep him alive and a fine burning pa.s.sion of revenge. That family of his should lament the day of his birth, that old woman should be down on her knees, begging his mercy. Now how cold and wasted was that revenge! What a fool was he wincing at the ill-manners of a stranger, quarrelling with the best friend man ever had.
How evilly could Life desert a man and kill him with loneliness.
And then his mood changed; if Christopher and the rest intended to cast him off, let them. There were his old friends--men and women who had been ostracized by the world as he had been--they would know how to treat him.
He turned into the silence and peace of Saxton Square and there met Miss Rand, who was also walking home. The statue was wrapped in blue mist, the trees were fading into grey and the evening star seemed to have taken Saxton Square under its special protection.
"Good evening, Miss Rand."
"Good evening, Mr. Breton."
"Isn"t it a lovely evening?"
"Yes. But _hasn"t_ it been hot?"
Miss Rand did not look as though she could ever, under any possible circ.u.mstances, be hot, so neat and cool was she, but she said yes it had been.
"Isn"t it odd the way that as soon as it"s fine people begin to complain just as they do when it"s wet?"
"It gives them something to talk about--just as it"s giving us something now," said Miss Rand, laughing.
Breton looked at her and liked her. She seemed so strong and wise and safe. She would surely always give one the kind of sensible encouragement that one needed. She would be a good person in whom to confide.
They were on the top doorstep now.
"No. I"ve got a key." He let her pa.s.s him.
They stood for a moment in the hall together.
He spoke, as he always did, on the instant"s inspiration:
"Miss Rand?"
"Yes."
"I"m alone such a lot--in my evenings I mean. I wonder--might I come down sometimes and just talk a little? You don"t know how bad thinking too much is for me, and if I might----"
"Why, of course, Mr. Breton--whenever you like."
Seeing her now, he thought, just now, with her sudden colour she looked quite pretty.
"I expect you could advise me--help me in lots of ways----"
"If there"s anything mother or I can do, Mr. Breton, you"ve only got to ask--Good night----"
The door closed behind her.
He went up to his room, a less miserable man.
CHAPTER IX
THE GOLDEN CAGE
"She gives away because she overflows. She has her own feelings, her own standards; she doesn"t keep remembering that she must be proud."--_The Lesson of the Master._
I
Those weeks were, to Rachel, a golden time. She did not pretend to deny or examine their golden quality--they were far, far better than she had imagined anything could ever be, and that was enough. She had never, very definitely, imagined to herself this "coming out," but it had been, at any rate, behind its possible glories, a period of terror. "All those people" was the way that, with frightened eyes, she had contemplated it.
And now the kindness that there had been! All the London world had surely nothing to do but to pay her compliments, to surround her with courtesies, to flatter her every wish. Even Aunt Adela had under the general enthusiasm, blossomed a little into good-will, even Uncle Richard had remembered to wish her well, even the Duke had cracked applause, and as for Uncle John! ... he was like an amiable conjurer whose best (and also most difficult) trick had achieved an absolute triumph.