ELEANOR RELENTS
Jordan, who waited some time on board the _Shasta_, saw no more of Jimmy
that night. This was, however, in one respect a relief to him, since
Eleanor, who was evidently very angry with her brother, insisted on
remaining as long as possible in the expectation that he would come back
again. It was, in fact, only when the hour at which she had arranged to
meet Mrs. Forster arrived that she very reluctantly permitted Jordan to
take her ashore, and he felt easier when he handed her into Forster's
wagon. It did not seem to him that a further meeting between her and her
brother would be likely to afford much pleasure to anybody. He had been
at work some little time in his office next morning when Jimmy walked
in, and, sitting down, looked at him quietly.
"I have no doubt that you know why I have kept out of your way so long,"
he said.
"Well," replied Jordan dryly, "I can guess. What did you say to Merril?"
"I told him what had happened, and left him to act upon it. Now I'm
quite prepared to resign the command of the _Shasta_."
"If it's necessary, we'll talk about that later. In the meanwhile we'll
get our salvage claim in. Leeson should be here at any moment. I saw him
last night."
He set to work, but there were two or three points it was necessary to
discuss with Jimmy, and he was still busy when there was a rattle of
wheels in the street outside, which was followed by the sound of voices
on the stairway. Jordan laid down his pen with a gesture of
embarrassment and dismay.
"It's Forster, and he has brought Eleanor along," he said. "I'm 'most
afraid you're going to have trouble, Jimmy."
"It's more than probable," and Jimmy smiled somewhat grimly. "I'm quite
prepared for it."
Then the door opened, and Eleanor, Forster and Leeson came in. The girl
sat down without a glance at her brother, and the rancher turned to
Jordan.
"Miss Wheelock has acquainted me with the substance of what Jimmy told
you yesterday, and I came to ask what course you expect to take," he
said. "I may say that she seems as anxious to hear it as I am."
Eleanor smiled. "It is not exactly Mr. Forster's fault that I am here,"
she said. "The fact is, I insisted on coming. He was perfectly willing
to leave me behind."
Jordan's face was more expressive of resignation than pleasure, but he
took up his pen again.
"This is a statement of the services rendered the _Adelaide_, and a
claim in respect of them," he said. "I am going to take it along to
Merril's office in a few minutes, and one or more of you can come with
me."
They went out together, but when they reached Merril's office Jordan and
Jimmy alone went in. They found a good many other people waiting there,
and had some little difficulty in securing attention, while the clerk to
whom Jordan spoke appeared anxious and embarrassed.
"Mr. Merril is not here," he said. "He went out of town last night, and
executed a trust deed before he left. Mr. Cathcart, one of the trustees,
is now inside."
Jordan looked at Jimmy. "I don't mind admitting that I expected this,"
he said. Then he turned to the clerk: "Take our names in."
They were shown into the inner office, where a gray-haired gentleman
listened gravely to what they had to say. Then he took the salvage claim
from Jordan, and laid it beneath a pile of other papers.
"It will be considered in its turn," he said. "I do not know whether we
shall attempt to contest it, or whether there will be funds to meet it,
but I may be able to tell you more to-morrow, and would ask you to take
no further steps until you have seen me. I am at liberty to say that Mr.
Merril's affairs appear to be considerably involved."
Jordan promised to wait, and when he turned toward the door, the
trustee, who took up an envelope, made a sign to Jimmy.
"I was instructed to hand you this, Captain Wheelock, and to tell you
that Miss Merril leaves for Toronto by to-day's express, on the
understanding that you make no attempt to communicate with her. It
contains her address."
Jimmy went out with his thoughts confused. All that had come about was,
he felt, the result of his action, but he realized that in any case the
crisis could not have been much longer delayed. They found the others
awaiting them, and when Forster had quietly but firmly insisted on
escorting Eleanor into a dry-goods store and leaving her there, they
went back together to Jordan's office, where the latter related what he
had heard.
"To be quite straight, I must admit that I had a notion of what Jimmy
meant to do last night, and took no steps to restrain him," he said. "If
I had done so, Merril would not have got away. We are both in your
hands, but, while you may think differently, I am not sure that what has
happened is a serious misfortune from a business point of view."
Forster said nothing, and there was a few moments' awkward silence until
old Leeson spoke.
"Considering everything, I guess you're right," he said. "Cathcart's a
straight man, and as they can't sell the _Adelaide_ without permission
from us, we'll get some of our money, although it's hardly likely the
estate will realize enough to go around. Seems to me that's more than we
should have done if Merril had kept hold. Well, it's not my proposition
that we turn you out."
He stopped a moment, and glanced at Jimmy with a little dry smile.
"Captain Wheelock has gone 'way further than he should have done without
our sanction, but I guess it will meet the case if we leave him to his
sister. It's a sure thing Miss Wheelock is far from pleased with him.
Now, there's a point or two I want to mention."
The others seemed relieved at this, and when Leeson had said his say
Forster went away with him. Then Jordan glanced at Jimmy with
apprehension in his eyes as Eleanor came in. She stood still, looking
at them with the portentous red flush burning in her cheek.
"What I foresaw all along has happened. Jimmy has betrayed you to save
that girl," she said.
Then she turned to Jimmy, flicking her glove in her hand as though she
would have struck him with it. "Jimmy," she said incisively, "you are no
longer a brother of mine. Neither Charley nor I will speak to you
again."
Jordan straightened himself resolutely. "Stop there, Eleanor!" he said.
"If you won't speak to him I can't compel you to, but, in this one
thing, at least, you can't compel me. Jimmy was my friend before I met
you, and I'm standing by him now. Anyway, what has he done?"
"Ah!" said the girl, with an audible indrawing of her breath, "he has
spoiled everything. If he hadn't played the traitor Merril would never
have got away. Oh!" and her anger shook her, "I can never forgive him!"
Once more she turned to her brother. "There is no longer any tie between
us. You have broken it, and that is the last and only thing I have to
say to you."
Jimmy rose, and quietly reached for his hat. "Then," he said, "there is
nothing to be gained by pointing out what my views are. We can only wait
until you see things differently."
He went out, and Eleanor sank somewhat limply into a chair.
"Charley," she said, "it's a little horrible, but he is a weak coward,
and I hate him. You had better break off our engagement; I'm not fit to
marry anybody."
"That's the one thing that holds in spite of everything," and Jordan
looked at her gravely with trouble in his face. "Go quietly, Eleanor. It
will straighten out in time."
The girl sat still for a while saying nothing, and then she rose with a
little shiver. "Find Forster, and if he is not going back, get a team,"
she said. "I want Mrs. Forster. I can't stay in the city."
Jordan went out with her, and, though he had a good deal to do, was not
sorry when he failed to find Forster and it became necessary for him to
drive her back to the ranch. Eleanor, however, said very little to him
during the journey, and he had sense enough to confine his attention to
his team. He had also little time to think of anything that did not
concern his business when he returned to the city, for the _Shasta_ had
to be got ready to go back to sea, and the _Adelaide_ arrived early on
the following day. The skipper went with him to interview Merril's
trustee, and the latter announced that no steps would be taken to
contest the salvage claim when he heard what he had to say. However, he
added dryly that it would probably be advisable for the _Shasta_ Company
to consider the compromise proposition he would shortly make. Jordan,
who fancied he was right in this, went away without having found it
necessary to hand him the engineer's confession, and was glad he had not
offered to produce it when he ransacked his office for it a few days
later.
"I certainly had the thing the morning Forster and Eleanor were here,"
he said. "Jimmy laid it down, and I don't remember having seen him take
it up again. Still, I suppose he must have done so."
Jimmy had, however, gone north again by that time, and the compromise
had been agreed to before he came back again. The _Shasta_ had also made
several other successful trips when he had occasion to call at Victoria
on his southward run, and seeing the _Sorata_ in the harbor rowed off to
her. He spent that evening in her little forecastle with Valentine, who
was busy with deep-water fishing-lines. The latter wore an old blue
shirt and canvas trousers stained with paint and grease, and he laid
down a big hank of line when at length Jimmy, who had been whipping on
hooks for him, inquired what plans he had.
"So you're not going back to the West Coast to drum up cargo for us?" he
said.
"No," said Valentine. "Although they didn't intimate it, I don't think
your people have any more use for me. They have the trade in their
hands, and the boat they put on instead of yours is coming down full
every time. In fact, I believe they're buying another one, as well as a
big passenger carrier for your northern trip."
Jimmy looked astonished. "It's the first I've heard of it--but, of
course, it's a little while since I was in Vancouver. Where did they
raise the money?"
"I believe they got some of it from Cathcart on the salvage claim, and
Leeson and two or three of his friends raised the rest. The _Adelaide_
and Merril's house were sold at auction. I heard it from Jordan, who was
over here a week ago, and it's scarcely necessary to say that he's going
to send you in the new boat. He seems to have some notion of trying to
get into the South Sea trade, too, and I shouldn't wonder if eventually
you're made general supervisor of the _Shasta_ Company's growing fleet."
Jimmy was sensible of a thrill of satisfaction, but he changed the
subject. "You have given up your chartering?"
"I have," said Valentine, with a curious smile. "The people who hired my
boat had an unsettling effect on me, and now I'm going to try the
halibut fishing with a couple of Siwash hands. Austerly's was my last
charter--I don't think I shall ever take another."
Jimmy nodded, for he felt that he understood. "Well," he said, "in one
way it wouldn't be nice to see anybody else occupying that after-cabin.
Of course, the notion is a fanciful one, but I shouldn't like to think
of it myself."
Again the curious little smile flickered into Valentine's eyes. "It is
scarcely likely to happen. I think you will understand my views when I
show you the room."
Jimmy went aft with him through the saloon, and Valentine, unlocking a
door beneath the companion slide, opened it gently. The fashion in which
he did it had its significance, and Jimmy understood altogether as he
looked into the little room. It was immaculate. Bulkhead and paneling
gleamed with snowy paint, the berths with their varnished ledges were
filled with spotless linen, and there was not a speck on the deck
beneath. A few fresh sprays of balsam that hung beneath the beams
diffused a faint aromatic fragrance.
"Those," said Valentine gravely, "are to keep out the smell of the
halibut. I shouldn't like it to come in here. She had the lower berth.
The top one was Miss Merril's."
Jimmy felt the blood rise to his face. Valentine's manner was very
quiet, and there was not the slightest trace of sentimentality in it,
but Jimmy felt that he knew what he was thinking. Besides, Anthea had
slept in that little snowy berth. They turned away without a word, when
Valentine carefully fastened the door, and the latter had sat down again
in the forecastle before Jimmy spoke.
"Have you heard anything of Miss Austerly lately?" he asked.
Valentine lighted the lamp beneath the beams, for it was growing dark,
and taking something from a box in the upper berth stood still a moment
with it in his hands. They were scarred and hardened by physical toil,
and the man was big and bronzed and very quiet, though every line of his
face and figure was stamped with the wholesome vigor of the sea.
"I see you do not know," he said. "This is the letter Austerly sent me.
As you will notice, it was at her request. She would not have minded
your reading it."
Jimmy started as he saw that the envelope had a broad black edge, and
his companion nodded gravely.
"Yes," he said, "there is neither tide nor fog where she has gone.
There, at least, we are told, the sea is glassy."
Jimmy took the letter out of the envelope, and once or twice his eyes
grew a trifle hazy as he read. Then he handed it back to Valentine,
almost reverently.
"I am sorry," was all he said.
Valentine looked at him with the little grave smile still in his eyes.
"I do not think there is any need for that. What had this world but pain
to offer her? She has slipped away, but she has left something
behind--something one can hold on by. What there is out yonder we do not
know--but perhaps we shall not be sorry when we slip out beyond the
shrouding mists some day."
Neither of them said much more, and shortly afterward Jimmy went back to
the _Shasta_. Next morning he stood on his bridge watching the _Sorata_
slide out of harbor. Valentine, sitting at her tiller, waved his hat to
him, and Jimmy was glad that he had hurled a blast of the whistle after
him when some months later he heard that the _Sorata_ and her skipper
had gone down together in a wild westerly gale.
In the meanwhile he proceeded to Vancouver, and after an interview with
Jordan, who formally offered him command of the big new boat, took the
first east-going train and reached Toronto five days later. An hour
after he got there he hired a pulling skiff at the water-front, and
drove her out with sturdy strokes into the blue lake across which a
little cutter was creeping a mile or so away. He came up with her, hot
and breathless, and the girl at the tiller rose quietly when he swung
himself on deck, though there was a depth of tenderness in her eyes.
"Jimmy!" she said, "why didn't you tell me?"
Jimmy laughed. "You should have expected me," he said. "The six months
are up."
Anthea turned to the young man and the girl who were sitting in the
cockpit. "Captain Wheelock. My cousin Muriel, and Graham Hoyle."
The young man smiled at Jimmy, who was, however, conscious that the girl
was surveying him with critical curiosity. Then she asked him a question
concerning his journey, and they discussed the Canadian railroads for
the next ten minutes, until she flashed a suggestive glance at the young
man.
"What a beautiful morning for a row!" she said.
Hoyle rose to his feet. "I dare say I could pull you ashore in Captain
Wheelock's boat," he said. "There's just wind enough to bring the yacht
after us if he gets the topsail up."
Jimmy did not get the topsail up when they rowed away, but sat down on
the coaming with his arm around Anthea's shoulder.
"I have just two weeks before I go north in our big new boat," he said.
"It isn't very long, but I want to take you with me."
He was some little time overruling Anthea's objections one by one, and
then she turned and looked up at him with a flush in her face.
"Jimmy," she said, "I suppose you realize that I haven't a dollar. Some
provision was to have been made for me--but I felt I couldn't profit by
the arrangement."
Jimmy laughed. "If it's any consolation to you, I haven't very much,
either. Still, I think I'm going to get it. I was creeping through the
blinding fog six months ago, but the mists have blown away and the sky
is brightening to windward now."
Then he turned and pointed to the strip of dusky blue that moved across
the gleaming lake. "If anything more is wanted, there's the fair wind."
They ran back before it under a blaze of sunshine with the little frothy
ripples splashing merrily after them, and then Jimmy had to exert
himself again before he could induce Anthea's aunt to believe that it
was possible for her niece to be married at two weeks' notice. Still, he
accomplished it, and on the fifteenth day he and Anthea Wheelock stood
on the platform of a big dusty car as the Pacific express ran slowly
into the station at Vancouver.
Leeson stood waiting with Forster, and Jordan was already running toward
the car, but Jimmy's lips set tight when he saw Eleanor with Mrs.
Forster. In a moment or two Jordan handed Anthea down, and then stood
aside as Eleanor came impulsively forward. To her brother's
astonishment, she laid her hand on Anthea's shoulder and kissed her on
each cheek.
"Now," she said, "you will have to forgive me."
Jimmy did not hear what his wife said, for Mrs. Forster was greeting
him, and then Leeson and the rancher seized him; but five minutes later
Eleanor stood at his side.
"Yes," she said, "Anthea and I are going to be friends, and you daren't
be angry any longer, Jimmy."
They had dropped a little behind the others, who were moving along the
wharf, and Jimmy looked at her with a dry smile.
"I'm not," he said. "In fact, I don't think it was my temper that made
things unpleasant all the time. Still----"
"You didn't expect me to change?"
Her brother said nothing, and she looked up at him with a softness in
her eyes he never remembered seeing there.
"I'm going to marry Charley very soon," she said. "I couldn't have done
that while I hated anybody, and, after all, it was Merril who
roused--the wild cat--in me, and we have done with him altogether. They
wouldn't have him back in Vancouver, but there's a land-boom somewhere
in California, and Charley hears that he is already piling up money."
She stopped a moment, and thrust a folded paper into his hand. "That's
yours, but Anthea must never see it. Charley didn't know I had it, and I
meant to keep it in case Merril got rich again; but I don't want it now.
Please destroy it, Jimmy."
Jimmy glanced at the paper, and his expression changed when he saw that
it was the engineer's confession; but he laid his hand on his sister's
arm and pressed it, for he understood what the fact that she had parted
with that document signified. Then Leeson, who was a few paces in front
of them, turned and pointed to a big steamer with a tier of white
deck-houses lying out in the Inlet.
"The boat's waiting at the landing, and we'll go off," he said. "There's
a kind of wedding-lunch ready on board her."
Jimmy said they had purposed going straight to the house he had
commissioned Jordan to take for him, but the latter laughed, and Leeson
chuckled dryly.
"We held a meeting over the question, and fixed it up that the house you
wanted hadn't quite tone enough for the man who's to be Commodore of the
_Shasta_ fleet very soon," he said. "That's why we decided to put you
into my big one on the rise. Guess there's not a prettier house around
this city, but it has never been really lived in. I'm out most of every
day, and only want two rooms. Now, there's no use protesting; it's all
fixed ready, and you're going right in."
He turned, and touched Anthea's arm. "You'll stand by me. You can't
afford to have your husband kick against the man with the most money in
the _Shasta_ Company."
Jimmy's protests were very feeble. It had been his one trouble that
Anthea would have to live in a very different fashion from the one she
had been accustomed to, and he was relieved when she thanked the old
man.
Leeson smiled at her in a very kindly fashion. "Well," he said, "I've
been lonely for the last eight years since the boy who should have had
that house went down with my smartest boat, and I want to feel that
there's somebody under the same roof with me who will keep me from
growing too hard and old."
Then he stopped, and chuckled in his usual dry manner. "I was going to
make Jordan the proposition--only I got to thinking and my nerve failed
me. Guess I made my money hard in the free sealing days when we had
trouble with everybody all the time, but I felt I'd sooner not offend
Mrs. Jordan, and I might do it if I didn't fix things just as she told
me. She's a clever woman--but I don't want to have her on my trail."
Eleanor only glanced at him in whimsical reproach, and they moved on,
laughing, toward the waiting boat.
END
Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in the
original edition have been corrected.
In Chapter II, =the Tyee slowly crept on= was changed to =the _Tyee_ slowly
crept on=.
In Chapter VIII, a missing quotation mark was added before =I was there
two years=, and =the others gazed at the Sorata expressionlessly= was
changed to =the others gazed at the _Sorata_ expressionlessly=.
In Chapter XIV, a quotation mark was deleted after =Heave!=.
In Chapter XXII, =the Shasta did not move at all= was changed to =the
_Shasta_ did not move at all=, and =the Shasta heaved and rolled viciously=
was changed to =the _Shasta_ heaved and rolled viciously=.
In Chapter XXVIII, a duplicate quotation mark was removed after =that's
the only thing to put a move on you.=
In Chapter XXX, =Then I suppose I must sumbit= was changed to =Then I
suppose I must submit=.