They walked on, the spirit of good fellowship keeping step with them. If Georgiana had allowed herself to believe that Stuart was completely absorbed with the enchantments of the beautiful guest, she now discovered that, quite as he had said, the enchantment was by no means complete and he had not lost appreciation of the old friendship and what it meant to him. This was good to feel. It was all she wanted. If she had been guilty of a creeping sense of jealousy as she watched Stuart and Jeannette together, so evidently enjoying each other"s society to the full, it was because it made her suddenly and unpleasantly understand what it would be to her to live her days in this commonplace little village without Stuart at her right hand. But here he was, literally at her right hand, and he was making her walk with him, not a beggarly square or two out of her way, but a good three miles around a certain course which once entered upon could not be cut short by any crossroads. And all the way he was telling her, as he had always done, all manner of intimate things about his affairs, and asking her of hers.
Before the circuit had been made Georgiana had done that which an hour before she would have thought far from her intention, natural as such a procedure would have been a month ago, before Jeannette came--she had told Stuart of Mr. Jefferson"s offer. If the truth must be confessed, after suffering the mood which had only lately been dissipated, she could not resist producing the effect she knew, if Jimps were still Jimps, was bound to be produced. Such is woman!
Quite as she had foreseen, he was aroused on the instant. The generous sharing of Georgiana Warne with other aspirants for her favour had never been one of James Stuart"s characteristics, open-hearted though he was in every other way. He stopped short in the snowy path, regarding her sternly while she smiled in the darkness. This was balm for a heavy heart, indeed, this recognition she had of his disapproval even before he jerked out the quick words:
"Great Scott! You don"t mean to tell me you"d do it! Spend hours every day working with E. C. Jefferson? Not a bit of it. Not so you"d notice it! Tell him to go to thunder!"
"James McKenzie Stuart! What a tone to take! Why on earth should you object?" Georgiana"s tone was rich and sweet and astonished--it certainly sounded astonished.
"Because you"re my chum, my partner; and I won"t have you going into partnership with any other man--not much!"
"Partnership! Secretaries and stenographers aren"t partners----"
"Aren"t they, though! The most intimate sort. And a fellow like Jefferson, full of books and literary lore--he"d be breaking off work half his time to talk Montaigne and Samuel Johnson and--and Bernard Shaw with you. And you"d drink it all in with those eyes of yours and make him think----" Georgiana"s uncontrollable laughter halted but did not stop him. "What"s his work, anyhow? Writing a History of Art?"
growled Stuart, marching on, with Georgiana beside him bursting into fresh mirth with every step. Her heart was quite light enough now; no danger that she had lost her friend!
"I"ve no idea what it is, but it"s certainly not that. He seldom speaks of art in any form--except literary art, of course. I"ve an idea it"s scientific research of some sort."
"Then why isn"t he in a laboratory somewhere, boiling acids? Why isn"t he digging in city libraries or hunting scientific stuff over in Vienna?
Vienna"s the place for him. I wish him there fast enough," irritably continued this asperser of other men"s vocations.
"His research work has undoubtedly been done; he has pile upon pile of notebooks and papers on file. His handwriting is a fright; that"s probably what he wants me for--to make it legible to the printer."
"Let him send for a typist then; that"s what he needs if he writes an illegible fist. You can"t typewrite."
"I could learn, if necessary. I"ve often wished I could."
"You could learn! Yes, you could learn to come when E. C. Jefferson whistled, I"ve no doubt! Oh, I beg your pardon, George--you needn"t turn away. n.o.body could ever fancy you coming at any man"s whistle. I"m just seeing red, that"s all, at the thought of your going into a thing like this, that"s bound to throw you two into the closest sort of relations."
"That"s all nonsense, Jimps. You"re behaving like a little boy. And you know I can"t afford to lose a chance like this. You know how slow the rug-weaving is----"
"You don"t mean you"re still at that?"
"Of course I am. The prices are very good now, and I"m----"
"Then you certainly can"t lose them to go into copying ma.n.u.script by hand. Stick to the weaving; that"s my advice."
"Mr. Jefferson saw the loom to-day. He thinks it too hard work for me,"
suggested Georgiana slyly.
This was a telling shot, for Stuart had often expressed himself in similar fashion in the past. As was to have been expected, her companion became instantly more nettled than ever.
"Oh, he does, does he?" he said hotly. "I"d like to know what affair it is of his. You know well enough I"ve protested scores of times against that weaving----"
"And now you tell me to stick to it!"
He wheeled upon her. His tone changed: "George, I know I"m absolutely unreasonable. Of course I don"t want you pulling that back-breaking thing. I don"t want you to have to hustle for money any sort of way; that"s the truth. What I do want is--to keep you away from every other earthly beggar but myself!"
"O James Stuart, how absurd! That"s not a brotherly att.i.tude at all."
"The role of brother isn"t always entirely satisfying," retorted Stuart under his breath. "You know well enough you"ve only to say the word and I----"
"Jimps dear"--Georgiana"s voice was very gentle now--"remember we"ve left all that boy-and-girl sentimentalizing behind. It was quite settled long ago that you and I were to be brother and sister, "world without end." And I know you mean it as brotherly, all this fuss about my taking a bit of perfectly reasonable employment for just a little while."
"Little while? Do you know how long he expects to be at work on that confounded book?"
"No; do you?"
"He told me one night when we were smoking together that he had given himself a year to do this work in. He came in January; this is April.
Do you wonder I"m a bit upset at the notion of my best friend"s going into harness with him for a year?" Stuart"s tone was grim.
Georgiana, now in wild spirits with the relief from her fears, and the suddenly opening prospect of a long period of such work as she dearly loved, had some ado to keep her state of mind from showing. "It doesn"t follow," she said, outwardly sober, "that he intends to spend that whole year here."
"He will--if he gets you for a side partner. A man would be a fool not to."
"That"s a great tribute--from a brother," admitted Georgiana, smiling to herself. "But as far as our lodger is concerned, you need have no fear of any but the most businesslike relations, even though I worked beside him--as is quite improbable--for a year. He"s not that sort."
"Not what sort? Don"t you fool yourself. He"s human, if his mind is bent on writing a book. And you are--Georgiana!"
"Jimps, there"s a path in your brain that"s getting worn too deep to-night. Come--let"s hurry home. Jeannette will wonder what"s become of me."
"Let her wonder. George, are you going to do this thing?"
"Of course I am."
"No matter how I feel about it?"
"Why, Jimps--really, do you think you have any right----"
"Georgiana, I--love you!"
"No, Jimps, you don"t. Not so much as all that. You have a brotherly affection----"
"Brotherly affection doesn"t hurt; this does," was Stuart"s declaration.
"No, it doesn"t, my dear boy. You"re just made with a queer sort of jealous element in your composition, and when something happens to call it out you think it"s--something quite different," explained Georgiana rather lamely. "You know perfectly that you and I fit best as good friends; we should be awfully unhappy tied up together in any way. Why, we settled that long ago, as I reminded you just now."
"It seems to have come unsettled," Stuart muttered.
"Then we must settle it again. Truly--you mean everything to me as a brother, friend, chum--whichever you like, and I--well, I should feel pretty badly to lose you. But----"
"I wish you"d leave it there. I don"t fancy what you"re going on to say."
"Then I"ll not say it. Come, Jimps, give me your hand on the old compact."
"I will--on exactly one condition." Stuart stood still and faced her in a certain secluded spot just where the snowy path was on the point of turning into a wider, well-used thoroughfare.
"What is it? Make it a fair one."