"Well, what if I was in love with her?"
Something about Claude leaped into flame. "Then I wouldn"t touch a cent of your money. I wouldn"t let her touch it. I wouldn"t let her look at it. I"d marry her on my own--I"ll be hanged if I wouldn"t. I"d marry her to-morrow. I"d get out of bed and marry her to-night. I"d--"
Thor forced his smile to a tenderer playfulness, sitting calmly astride of his chair, his left arm along the back, his right hand holding his pipe by the bowl. "So you wouldn"t let me have her?"
Claude lashed across the bed. "I"d see you hanged first. I"d see you d.a.m.ned. I"d see you d.a.m.ned to h.e.l.l. She"s mine, I tell you. I"m not going to give her up to any one--and to you least of all. Do you get that? Now you know."
"All right, Claude. Now I know."
"Yes, but I don"t know." Claude wriggled to the side of the bed, drawing as near to his brother as he could without getting out. "I don"t know.
I"ve asked you a question, and you haven"t answered it. And, by G.o.d!
you"ve got to answer it. Sooner than let any one else get her, I"ll marry her and starve. Now speak."
Thor got up heavily. He had the feeling with which the ancients submitted when they stood soberly and affirmed that it was useless to struggle against Fate. Fate was upon him. He saw it now. He had tried to elude her, but she had got him where he couldn"t move. She a.s.serted herself again when Claude, hanging half out of bed, his mouth feverish, his eyes burning, insisted, imperiously, "Say, you--_speak_!"
Thor spoke. He spoke from the middle of the floor, his pipe still in his hand. He spoke without premeditation, as though but uttering the words that Destiny had put into his mouth from all eternity.
"It"s all right, Claude. Calm down. I"m--I"m going to be married to Lois Willoughby."
But Claude was not yet convinced. "When?"
"Just as soon as we can fix things up after the tenth of next month--after I get the money."
"How long has that been settled?" Claude demanded, with lingering suspicion.
"It"s been settled for years, as far as I"m concerned. I can hardly remember the time when I didn"t intend--just what I"m going to do."
Claude let himself drop back again among the pillows.
"So now it"s all right, isn"t it?" Thor continued, making a move toward the door. "It"ll be Lois and I--and you and Rosie. And the money will go to Rosie. I insist on that. It"ll even things up. Five thousand a year.
Perhaps more. We"ll see."
He looked back from the door, but Claude, after his excitement, was lying white and silent, his eyes closed, his profile upturned. Thor was swept by compunction. It had always been part of the family tradition to respect Claude"s high-strung nerves. Nothing did him more harm than to be thwarted or stirred up. With a murmured good-night Thor turned out the light, opening and closing the door softly.
But in the pa.s.sage he heard the pad of bare feet behind him. Claude stood there in his pajamas.
"Say, Thor," he whispered, hoa.r.s.ely, "you"re top-hole--"pon my soul you are." He caught his brother"s hand, pulling it rather than shaking it, like a boy tugging at a bell-rope. "You"re a top-hole brother, Thor," he repeated, nervously, "and I"m a beast. I know you don"t care anything about Rosie. Of course you don"t. But I"ve got the jumps. I"ve been through such a lot during the months I"ve been meeting her that I"m on springs. But with you to back me up--"
"I"ll back you up all right, Claude. Just wade in and get married--and I guess our team will hold its own against all comers. Lois will be with us. She"s fond of Rosie--"
With another tug at his brother"s arm, and more inarticulate thanks, Claude darted back to his room again.
Thor closed his own door and locked it behind him. He was too far spent for more emotion. He had hardly the energy to throw off his clothes and turn out the light. Within five minutes of his final a.s.surance to Claude he was sleeping profoundly.
CHAPTER XV
Having slept soundly till after eight in the morning, Thor woke with an odd sense of pleasure. On regaining his faculties he was able to a.n.a.lyze it as the pleasure he had experienced in having Claude tugging at his arm. It meant that Claude was happy, and, Claude being happy, Rosie would be happy. Claude and Rosie were taken care of.
Consequently Lois would be taken care of. Thor turned the idiom over with a vast content. It was the tune to which he bathed and dressed.
They would all three be taken care of. Those who were taken care of were as folded sheep. His mind could be at rest concerning them. It was something to have the mind at rest even at the cost of heartache.
There was, of course, one intention that before all others must be carried out. He would have to clinch the statement he had made, for the sake of appeasing and convincing Claude, concerning Lois Willoughby. It was something to be signed and sealed before Claude could see her or betray the daring a.s.sertion to his parents. Fortunately, the younger brother"s duties at the bank would deprive him of any such opportunity earlier than nightfall, so that Thor himself was free for the regular tasks of the day. He kept, therefore, his office hours during the forenoon, and visited his few patients after a hasty luncheon. There was one patient whom he omitted--whom he would leave henceforth to Dr.
Hilary.
It was but little after four when he arrived at the house at the corner of Willoughby"s Lane and County Street. Mrs. Willoughby met him in the hall, across which she happened to be bustling. She wore an ap.r.o.n, and struck him as curiously business-like. As he had never before seen her share in household tasks, her present aspect seemed to denote a change of heart.
"Oh, come in, Thor," she said, briskly. "I"m glad you"ve come. Go up and see poor Len. He"s so depressed. You"ll cheer him."
If there was a forced note in her bravery he did not perceive it. "I"m glad to see you"re not depressed," he observed as he took off his overcoat.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I"m going to die game."
"Which means--"
"That there"s fight in me yet."
"Fight?" His brows went up anxiously.
"Oh, not with your father. You needn"t be afraid of that. Besides, I see well enough it would be no use. If he says we"ve spent our money, he"s got everything fixed to make it look so, whether we"ve spent it or not.
No, I"m not going to spare him because he"s your father. I"m going to say what I think, and if you don"t like it you can lump it. I sha"n"t go to law. I"d get the worst of it if I did. But neither shall I be bottled up. So there!"
"It doesn"t matter what you say to me--" Thor began, with significant stress on the ultimate word.
"It may not matter what I say to you, but I can tell you it will matter what I say to other people."
Thor took no notice of that. "And if you"re not going to law, would it be indiscreet to ask what you are going to do?"
Bessie forced the note of bravery again, with a flash in her little eyes. "I"m going to live on my income; that"s what I"m going to do.
Thank the Lord I"ve some money left. I didn"t let Archie Masterman get his hands on all of it--not me. I"ve got some money left, and we"ve got this house. I"m going to let it. I"m going to let it to-morrow if I get the chance. I"m getting it ready now. And then we"re going abroad. Oh, I know lots of places where we can live--_pet.i.ts trous pas chers_; dear little places, too--where Len"ll have a chance to--to get better."
Thor made a big resolution. "If you"re going to let the house, why not let it to me?"
She knew what was coming, but it made her feel faint. Backing to one of the Regency chairs, she sank into it. It was in mere pretense that she said, "What do you want it for?"
"I want it because I want to marry Lois." He added, with an anxiety that sprang of his declaration to Claude, "Do you think she"ll take me?"
Bessie spoke with conviction. "She"ll take you unless she"s more of a fool than I think. Of course she"ll take you. Any woman in her senses would jump at you. I know I would." She dashed away a tear. "But look here, Thor," she hurried on, "if you marry Lois you won"t have the whole family on your back, you know. You won"t be marrying Len and me. I tell you right now because you"re the sort that"ll think he ought to do it.
Well, you won"t have to. I mean what I say when I tell you we"re going to live on our income--what"s left of it. We can, and we will, and we"re going to."
"Couldn"t we talk about all that when--?"
"When you"re married to Lois and have more of a right to speak? No.
We"ll talk about it now--and never any more. Len and I are going to have plenty--plenty. If you think I can"t manage--well, you"ll see."
"Oh, I know you"ve got lots of pluck, Mrs. Willoughby--"