A PROPOSAL FROM PEPIN
Dorothy approached Pepin as if to shake hands, but the
dwarf artfully pretended that there was something the
matter with Antoine's leading-rein, and ignored her. He
had never before realised how really dangerous a despised
female could he.
"Pepin Quesnelle," said Dorothy, "it was asking a great
deal when I sent for you, but I knew you would come. You
saved the life of Sergeant Pasmore when Riel was going
to shoot him, and I want to--"
"Bah, Mam'selle! But it is nonsense you talk like that,
so! The right--that is the thing. What is goodness after
all if one can only be good when there is nothing that
pulls the other way--no temptations, no dangers? It is
good to pray to God, but what good is prayer without the
desire deep down in the heart to do, and the doing? The
good deed--that is the thing. So! As for that Pasmore,
villain that he is--"
"He is a good man. Why do you say such a thing?"
"Bah! he is _coquin_ blockhead, pudding-head; still, I
love him much"--Dorothy visibly relented--"and he is
brave man, and to be brave is not to be afraid of the
devil, and that is much, _nest ce pas?_ But what is it
you want me for to do? The good mother is down at Croisettes
and sends her love--Bah! what a foolish thing it is
that women send!"
"Your mother is a good woman, Pepin, and I am glad to
have her love; as for you--"
"Mam'selle, Mam'selle! Pardon! but I am not loving--you
will please confine your remarks to my mother"--there
was visible alarm in Pepin's face; he did not know what
this forward girl might not be tempted to say--"What I
can do for to serve you, that is the question? I have
hear that your father and Sergeant Pasmore--that
pudding-head--and the others are all right. The thing is
for you to get 'way."
Pepin, who in reality had a sincere regard for Sergeant
Pasmore, had merely spoken of him in an uncomplimentary
fashion because he saw it would annoy Dorothy. He must
use any weapon he could to repel the attacks of the enemy.
As for Dorothy, the delusion that the dwarf was labouring
under was now obvious, and she hardly knew whether to be
amused or annoyed; it was such an absurd situation. She
must hasten to disillusion him.
"I don't think anything very serious can happen to me
here, Pepin. They will be too afraid to harm me, seeing
that they must know the British are so near. It is my
father and the others that I am concerned about And
Sergeant Pasmore--"
The girl hesitated. Could she bring herself to speak
about it, and to this dwarf? But she realised that she
must hesitate at nothing when the lives of those who were
dear to her hung in the balance; and she knew that he
was chivalrous. Pepin tilted his head to one side, and,
looking up suspiciously, asked--
"_Bien!_ and this Sergeant Pasmore, have you also designs
on him? Eh? What?"
"Designs! The idea!--but, of course, how can you know?
No, and I will tell you, Pepin Quesnelle, for I believe
you are a good man, and you have been our friend, and we
are in your debt--"
"Bah! Debt! What is that? I am a man, Mam'selle, and beg
you will not talk about debt! Pouf!" He shrugged his
shoulders and spread out his great hands.
"Very well, this Sergeant Pasmore, I love him, and I have
promised to be his wife."
She drew herself up proudly now, and felt that she could
have said so before the whole world.
"_Parbleu!_" exclaimed Pepin, who did not seem to hail
the news with any particular satisfaction. "You are quite
sure it was not any one else you wanted to marry? What?
You are quite sure?"
"Of course, who could there be?"
"Perhaps Mam'selle aspired. But who can tell? After all,
a woman must take whom she can get I dare say that he
will do just as well as another."
Pepin Quesnelle, now that his own safety was assured,
did not seem to value it as he thought he would. After
all, if the girl's nose did "stop short too soon," it
was by no means an unpretty one; its sauciness was
decidedly taking, and if he saw mischief lurking away
back in her eyes, he admitted it was an uncommonly lovable
sort of mischief. Being only human, he now began to wish
for what he had despised.
As for Dorothy, she could have rated Pepin roundly for
his conceit and his sentiments. But it was all too absurd,
and she must bear with him. She continued--
"Pepin Quesnelle, you have a good heart, I know, and you
can understand how it is. If I had not known that you
were not like other men, I would hardly have dared to
ask you to come all this long distance to me. I know what
you do is not for reward, so I am not afraid to ask you.
Will you find out about my father and Mr. Pasmore and
the others, and will you do what you can to save them?
I feel sure there is no man on the Saskatchewan can do
more than you."
Pepin drew himself up to his full height, smiled
complacently, and stroked his black moustache. His dark
eyes twinkled as he turned to gaze encouragingly at
Antoine, who with his tongue out was seated on his hind
quarters, watching him meditatively.
"Mam'selle has spoken the truth. I would be sorry to be
like other men--particularly your Pasmore"--he grinned
impishly as he saw the indignation on Dorothy's face--"but
that is not the thing. Pasmore is all right--in his own
way. He is even, what you might call, goodfellow. But
why is it you should fret for him? He is all right. And
even if anything should happen to him, it is not Pepin
that has the hard heart--he might even console Mam'selle.
He will not exactly promise that, but he may come to it.
Perhaps Mam'selle will remember in the house when the
good mother told how you would like to marry Pepin, and
he said you would not do. Well, Pepin has considered well
since then, and he has thought that if you tried to suit
him, you might"
"It is too great an honour, Pepin. If you expect any one
in this world to be as good and kind to you as your
mother, you will find you have made a great mistake.
Believe me, Pepin Quesnelle. I am a woman, and I know."
"_Bien! Oui_, the mother she is good, ver' good, and I
know there is right in what you say. So! Still, I think
you have improved since we first met, and the mother
likes you, so you need not think too much of that you
are not good enough, and if you should think better of
it--all may yet be well."
But Dorothy assured him that, seeing she had given her
word to Pasmore, and, moreover, seeing she loved him, it
would be a mistake to change her mind upon the subject.
This, however, was not exactly clear to Pepin, who could
not understand how any woman could be foolish enough to
stand in her own light when he, the great Pepin, who had
been so long the catch of the Saskatchewan, had graciously
signified his intention to accept her homage. Perhaps
she was one of those coy creatures who must have something
more than mere conventionalism put into an offer of
marriage, so under the circumstances it might be as well
for him to go through with the matter to the bitter end.
"Mam'selle," he said, "the honour Pepin does you is
stupendous; he is prepared to accept you--to make the
great sacrifice. He lays his heart at your feet--he
means you have laid your heart at his feet, and he stoops
to pick--"
"You'd better do nothing of the kind, Pepin Quesnelle.
It's all a mistake!--You utterly misunderstand--"
But Dorothy could say no more, for, despite her alarm,
the situation was too ludicrous for words. What further
complications might have arisen, it is difficult to say,
had not just then the astute Antoine come to the conclusion
that his master was developing some peculiar form of
madness and wanted a little brotherly attention. He
therefore came noiselessly behind him and with a show of
absent-mindedness poked his snout between his legs.
In another moment Pepin had landed on his back on top of
his four-footed friend, wherefrom he rolled helplessly
to earth. Dorothy ran forward to help him up, but the
dwarf could not see her proffered hand now--it was
Antoine he had to do business with. He was already creeping
on all-fours towards the interrupter. Dorothy's heart
was in her mouth when Pepin, with an unexpected movement,
threw his arms round the bear's neck and proceeded to
force its jaws apart with his powerful hands. He had no
twigs or old boots handy, but he meant to try the teeth
in its inside by administering earth or young rocks or
anything of a nature that could not exactly be called
nourishing. To add to the confusion, the Indian girl
fearful that something terrible was about to happen, at
once began to indulge in a weird uproar.
What would have happened it is difficult to say had not
their attention been suddenly claimed by a couple of
shots which rang out from the direction of the gorge.
Pepin released his hold on Antoine, and that resourceful
creature took the opportunity of revenging himself by
picking up his master's hat and trotting off with it in
his mouth. He meant to put it where Pepin intended to
put the little rocks.