The girl gave a final angry flick at an imaginary crumb and flounced off in the direction of the kitchen. The next moment her shrill voice was heard addressing the cook.
"Mr. Grey wants his breakfast--sharp, Molly. Dish it up. If it ain"t done it"s his look-out. There"s no pleasing some folks. I s"pose Mr.
Chillingwood"ll be along d"rectly. Better put something on for him or there"ll be a row. What"s that--steak? That ain"t no good for Mr.
Robb. He wants pork chops. He never eats anything else for breakfast.
Says he"s used to pork."
The girl returned to the breakfast room bearing Grey"s steak and some potatoes. Coffee followed quickly, and the officer attacked his victuals hungrily. Then Robb Chillingwood appeared.
Leslie Grey was about to rate the girl for her remarks to the cook, but Robb interrupted him.
"Well, how does the bridegroom feel?" he asked cheerily.
"Shut up!"
"What"s the matter? Cranky on your wedding morning?" pursued the town clerk irrepressibly.
"I wish to goodness you"d keep your mouth shut. Why don"t you go and proclaim my affairs from the steps of your beastly Town Hall?" Grey glanced meaningly in the direction of the waitress standing in open-mouthed astonishment beside one of the tables.
Robb laughed and his eyes twinkled mischievously. He turned sharply on the girl.
"Why, didn"t you know that Mr. Grey was going to be married to-day?"
he asked, with a.s.sumed solemnity. "Well, I"m blessed," as the girl shook her head and giggled. "You neglect your duty, Nellie, my girl.
What are you here for but to "sling hash" and learn all the gossip and scandal concerning the boarders? Yes, Mr. Grey is going to get married to-day, and I--I am to be his best man. Now be off, and fetch my "mutton"--which is pork."
The girl ran off to do as she was bid, and also to convey the news to her friends in the kitchen. Robb sat down beside his companion and chuckled softly as he gazed at Grey"s ill-humoured face, and listened to the shrieks of laughter which were borne on the atmosphere of cooking from beyond the baize door.
Grey choked down his indignation. For once he understood that protest would not serve him. Everything about his marriage had been kept quiet in Ainsley up till now, not because there was any need for it, but Robb had acceded to his expressed wishes. The latter, however, felt himself in no way bound to keep silence on this, the eventful day.
Robb attacked some toast as a preliminary, while the other devoured his steak. Then Grey looked up from his plate. His face had cleared; his ill-humour had been replaced by a look of keen earnestness.
"It"s a beastly nuisance that this is my wedding day," he began. "Yes, I mean it," as Robb looked up in horrified astonishment. "I don"t mean anything derogatory to anybody. I just state an obvious fact. You would understand if you knew all."
"But, d.a.m.n it, man, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for saying such a thing. You are marrying one of the best and sweetest girls in Southern Manitoba, and yet--why, it"s enough to choke a man off his feed." Chillingwood was angry.
"Don"t be a fool. You haven"t many brains, I know, but use the few you possess now, and listen to me. A week ago, yes; a week hence, yes. But for the next three days I have some dangerous work on hand that must be done. Work of my department."
"Ah, dirty work, I suppose, or there"d be no "must" or "danger" about it."
Grey shrugged.
"Call it what you like. Since you"ve left the service I notice you look at things differently," he said. "Anyway, it"s good enough for me to be determined to see it through in spite of my wedding. d.a.m.n it, there"s always some obstacle or other cropping up at inopportune moments in my life. However--I wish I knew whether I could still trust you to do something for me. It would simplify matters considerably."
Robb looked serious. He might not be possessed of many brains, as Grey had suggested--although Grey"s opinions were generally warped--but he thought well before he replied. And when he spoke he showed considerable decision and foresight.
"You can trust me all right enough if the matter is clean and honest.
I"ll do nothing dirty for you or anybody else. I"ve seen too much."
"Oh, it"s clean enough. I don"t dirty my hands with dishonest dealings. I simply do my duty."
"But your sense of duty is an exaggerated one--peculiar. I notice that it takes the form of any practices which you consider will advance your personal interests."
"It so happens that my "personal interests" are synonymous with the interests of those I serve. But all I require is the delivery of a letter in Winnipeg, at a certain time on a given date. I can"t trust the post for a very particular reason, and as for the telegraph, that wouldn"t answer my purpose. I could employ a messenger, but that would not do either--a disinterested messenger could be got at. You, I know, couldn"t be--er--influenced. If you fail me, then I must do it myself, which means that I must leave my bride shortly after the ceremony to-day, and not return to her until Friday, more than two days hence.
That"s how the matter stands. I will pay all your expenses and give you a substantial present to boot. Just for delivering a letter to the chief of police in Winnipeg. I will go and write it at once if you consent."
Robb shook his head doubtfully.
"I must know more than that. First, I must know, in confidence of course, the object of that letter. And, secondly, who is to be the victim of your machinations. Without these particulars you can count me "out." I"ll be no party to anything I might afterwards have cause to regret."
"That settles it then," replied Grey resentfully. "I can"t reveal the name of my "victim," as you so graphically put it. You happen to know him, I believe, and are on a friendly footing with him." He finished up with a callous laugh.
Robb"s eyes shone wickedly.
"By Jove, Grey, you"ve sunk pretty low in your efforts to regain your lost position. I always knew that you hadn"t a particle of feeling in your whole body for any one but yourself, but I didn"t think you"d treat me to a taste of your rotten ways. Were it not for the sake of Alice Gordon"s chum, the girl you are going to marry, I wouldn"t be your best man. You have become utterly impossible, and, after to-day"s event, I wash my hands of you. d.a.m.n it, you"re a skunk!"
Grey laughed loudly, but there was no mirth in his hilarity. It was a heartless, nervous laugh.
"Easy, Robb, don"t get on your high horse," he said presently. Then he became silent, and a sigh escaped him. "I had to make the suggestion,"
he went on, after a while. "You are the only man I dared to trust.
Confound it, if you must have it, I"m sorry!" The apology came out with a jerk; it seemed to have been literally wrung from him. "Try and forget it, Robb," he went on, more quietly, "we"ve known each other for so many years."
Robb was slightly mollified, but he was not likely to forget his companion"s proposition. He changed the subject.
"Talking of Winnipeg, you know I was up there on business the other day. I had a bit of a shock while I was walking about the depot waiting for the train to start."
"Oh." Grey was not paying much attention; he was absorbed in his own thoughts.
"Yes," Robb went on. "You remember Mr. Zachary Smith?"
His companion looked up with a violent start.
"Well, I guess. What of him? I"m not likely to forget him easily.
There is just one desire I have in life which dwarfs all others to insignificance, and that is to stand face to face with Mr. Zachary Smith," Grey finished up significantly.
"Ah! So I should suppose," Robb went on. "Those are my feelings to a nicety. But I didn"t quite realize my desire, and, besides, I wasn"t sure, anyhow. A man appeared, just for one moment, at the booking-office door as I happened to pa.s.s it. He stared at me, and I caught his eye. Then he beat a retreat before I had called his face to mind--you see, his appearance was quite changed. A moment later I remembered him, or thought I did, and gave chase. But I had lost him, couldn"t discover a trace of him, and nearly lost the train into the bargain. Mind, I am not positive of the fellow"s ident.i.ty, but I"d gamble a few dollars on the matter, anyway."
"Lord! I"d have missed fifty trains rather than have lost sight of him. Just our luck," Grey exclaimed violently.
"Well, if he"s in the district, we"ll come across him again. Perhaps you will have the next chance." Robb pushed his chair back.
"I hope so."
"It was he, right enough," Robb went on meditatively, his cheery face puckered into an expression of perplexity. "He was well dressed, too, in the garb of an ordinary citizen, and looked quite clean and respectable. His face had filled out; but it was his eyes that fixed me. You remember those two great, deep-sunken, cow-eyes of his----"
Robb broke off as he saw Grey start. "Why, what"s up?"
Grey shook himself; then he gazed straight before him. Nor did he heed his companion"s question. A strongly-marked pucker appeared between his eyebrows, and a look of uncertainty was upon his face. Robb again urged him.
"You haven"t seen him?" he asked.
"I don"t know," replied Grey.