"Bessie will be relieved, too, and just as glad as I am. Do you
know, there's a heart of gold in that girl. She's never had a dog's
chance yet. Not much education, I admit, but such spirit, such
character! Such a woman too--you said so yourself, remember."
A still darker memory of something the Governor had said came to
Stowell. "Didn't you say Bessie had written to me?" he asked.
"Yes, she did, yesterday; but I destroyed her letter."
"Do you know, I wrote to Bessie to-day, and I destroyed my letter
also."
"No? What fun if your letters had crossed in the post," said Gell,
and tossing his cap into the air, he broke into still louder peals of
laughter.
Again Stowell felt immense relief. It was impossible that Bessie
could have told him. And if she hadn't, why should he? Why injure
the girl in Gell's eyes? Why tarnish his faith in her? It was the
woman's secret, therefore he must never reveal it--never in this
world.
They were walking on. Gell with a high step was kicking up the
withered leaves.
"What about your people?" asked Stowell.
"Ah, that's what I've got to find out. I'm going home now to tell
them. My mother is always advising me to marry and settle down, but
of course she'll jib at Bessie, and the sisters will follow suit. As
for my father, he has only one son, as he says, and I must have a
better allowance. He cut it down after that affair in the Courts,
you know."
They were at the gate to the road, and pulling it open, Gell said:
"Phew! How different I feel from what I did when I was coming in
here half an hour ago! I thought you would kick me out the minute I
had told you. But now we're going to be better friends than ever,
aren't we?"
"Good-bye and good luck, old fellow," said Stowell.
"Good-bye, and God bless you, old chap," said Gell.
Stowell stood at the gate and watched him going off with long
strides, his shoulders working vigorously.
"Never again! We can never be the same friends again," thought
Stowell, as he turned back to the house.
He was feeling like a man who in a moment of passion has secretly
wronged his life-long friend and can never look straight into his
eyes again.
But the sense of a barrier between Gell and himself was soon wiped
out by the memory of Fenella. He was free to love her at last! No
more hypocrisy! No more self-denial! No more struggles between
passion and duty! The past was dead. Life from that day forward was
beginning again for all of them.
"Was that Alick Gell in the wood with you?" asked Janet, who had come
to the door to call Stowell in to tea.
"Yes."
"Goodness me! He must be a happy boy. He was laughing enough,
anyway."