"Ah, well! It"s as well he didn"t attempt it in that case," said Sir Kersley. "He will stand a better chance with us. And what about Captain Ratcliffe and Olga? Will they go straight home?"
"No," said, Max. He paused a moment, then said rather shortly, "I had a line from Dr. Jim. He says she won"t leave Noel. He and Mrs. Ratcliffe are coming up to meet them, but he expects to go back alone."
"Captain and Mrs. Ratcliffe will stay in town with Olga, then?" asked Sir Kersley.
"I believe so."
Sir Kersley"s grey eyes regarded him thoughtfully. "And she is still in the dark with regard to Miss Campion"s death?" he asked, after a moment.
Max"s eyes came swiftly downwards, meeting his look with something of the effect of a challenge. "Yes, absolutely," he said.
"It"s an extraordinary case," observed Sir Kersley.
Max said nothing whatever. He took his pipe from his pocket, and began to fill it with a face of sardonic composure.
"I wonder if she ever asks herself how it came about," said Sir Kersley.
"Why should she?" said Max gruffly.
"My dear fellow, she must have wondered how it happened--why all details were kept from her--and so on."
"Why should she?" said Max again aggressively. "The subject is a painful one. She is willing enough to avoid it. Of course," he paused momentarily, "Noel doesn"t know about that affair either. No one knows besides ourselves, but Dr. Jim and Nick."
"In my opinion Noel ought to know," said Sir Kersley, with quiet decision. "It would be a terrible thing for Olga if some day--after they were married--she remembered, and he were in ignorance of it."
Again Max"s hand pressed his friend"s shoulder, but this time the pressure was one of warning. "Kersley," he said, "I"ve been into all that. I"ve weighed every possible contingency that might arise. And I have decided against telling Noel. As you say, it would be a terrible thing if she ever remembered; but if Noel is left in ignorance, the chances are she never will remember. To tell him would be to put a shadow between them which he would never forget and she would in time come to be aware of. It would wreck their happiness sooner or later. No; in Heaven"s name, leave them in peace!"
"I think you are wrong," Sir Kersley said. He was looking straight up into Max"s face with eyes of shrewd kindliness. "I think it is extremely improbable that she never will remember. And I think, moreover, that it is hardly to be desired that she should not."
"I disagree with you!" said Max harshly.
"Yes, my dear fellow, I know you do. You are no impartial judge. You want--very naturally--to save her from any suffering. And I don"t think you will succeed. If you could have persuaded her to marry you, you might have done it. Forewarned is forearmed; you would have known how to safeguard her. But utter ignorance is no safeguard at all. I don"t think she would thank you for it--if she knew."
Max"s mouth twisted in its most cynical smile. "I wonder," he said.
Sir Kersley said no more. Beyond the bare fact of his brief engagement and its rupture, Max had confided in him not at all. He had left him to infer that she had been caught by a nearer attraction in his absence--an inference which her present engagement to his brother had seemed to confirm. And Sir Kersley had been far too considerate to probe for further enlightenment. But he was not privately by any means satisfied with regard to the matter of Max"s long and fruitless journey. He was not accustomed to seeing Max beaten, and the spectacle hurt him.
He urged his opinion no further, for it was evident that Max was firmly determined to withstand it; but when Max had gone he sat and contemplated the matter with a troubled frown. There seemed to be something he had not fathomed behind Max"s silence.
As for Max he departed for the docks with that air of grimness that had somewhat grown on him of late. Though bound upon a welcoming errand, he knew that it was not going to be a particularly easy one.
He was somewhat late in arriving, and the great steamer had already come to her moorings. Among the waiting crowd he discerned Dr. Jim and Muriel, but he did not make his way to them. He knew they would meet later, and he was not feeling sociable that afternoon.
So he stood aloof and waited, searching the many faces that lined the deck-rails for the one face that alone he longed to see. He spied her at last, and was conscious of a momentary pang that he fiercely stifled.
She was standing there at the rail above him, waving her handkerchief to Dr. Jim. Nick was on one side of her, also madly waving and yelling with futile energy. On the other side stood Noel. And at sight of him Max"s grim face softened to tenderness.
"There"s grit in the boy," he murmured.
For Noel, with a black shade covering his bandaged eyes, was obviously as merry as any there. He was holding Peggy Musgrave perched on his shoulder, and his thin, brown face was upturned and laughing. There seemed to be some joke going on between them, for Peggy was also chuckling vigorously, and as Max watched she slipped a caressing hand round Noel"s chin and tenderly kissed him.
Daisy and Will Musgrave were standing next to them, but they were plainly not thinking of Peggy or her cavalier. They were very close together and hand in hand.
It was nearly an hour later that Max joined the party as they came ash.o.r.e. Noel"s pleasure at meeting him was very obvious. He gripped him by both hands.
"Old chap, you"re a brick to come and meet me!" he said. "I was thinking of asking Trevor, but I"d ten times sooner have you."
"Trevor"s away," Max said. "I"ve come to take possession of you altogether. I suppose you"ve no objection?"
"Objection!" laughed Noel. He pushed his hand through his brother"s arm.
"You"ll have to pilot me," he said. "I"m getting used to things, but I can"t find my way in a crowd yet."
And then came the meeting with Olga. It was very brief. For barely the fraction of a second her hand lay in Max"s. Her greeting was quite inaudible.
Noel turned to her. "Olga, Max wants me to clear out at once with him.
You"re going to Marriot"s with Nick of course. I shall come round and see you to-night."
"Perhaps Olga will come and see you instead," said Max. "Is Dr. Jim spending the night in town? Bring him to dine! I will speak to him, shall I?"
He pa.s.sed on and made the arrangement with Dr. Jim, not waiting for her reply.
Then came a general rallying of the party, introductions and good-byes, fervent embraces from Peggy, good wishes and invitations on all sides, and at last the final departure of the two Wyndhams in Sir Kersley Whitton"s motor.
Noel removed his hat and leaned back with a sigh. "It"s been a ripping voyage," he said. "But I"m deuced glad it"s over." He added with a laugh, as Max made no comment. "I shall miss Peggy though. She"s been blind man"s dog to me all through."
"Let us hope you won"t need a dog to lead you about much longer!" said Max.
Whereat Noel"s hand came out gropingly, with a certain diffidence. "Oh, man," he said, "I haven"t dared to think of that!"
Max grasped the hand. "I"ll do my best for you, old chap," he said. "But you"ll need a thundering lot of patience."
"I"ve been cultivating that," said Noel. "The only thing I can"t stand is not to know the truth."
"I shan"t keep you in the dark," said Max. "It"s not my way."
He was as good as his word. A few hours later he made his first examination of the injury, and curtly gave it as his opinion that it was not beyond remedy.
"I don"t profess to be infallible," he said. "But there certainly seems to be just a chance that the sight has not been absolutely destroyed.
I"m afraid you"ll have a good deal to go through if it is to be restored, though. It will be a tough job for all concerned."
"Oh, I"m not afraid of that," said Noel st.u.r.dily. "I"ve the very best of reasons for sticking to it."
"Ah!" said Max, with his twisted smile. "I haven"t congratulated you yet."
Noel turned with a quick movement. "I say, Max," he said, with a touch of embarra.s.sment, "you weren"t quite straight with me over that, were you?"
"I don"t know what you mean," said Max in a voice that was utterly devoid of expression.
Noel"s face was red, but he stuck to his point. "You didn"t tell me why she broke with you," he said.