THE CONFIDENCE
A letter with the crest of a fox's head and the motto, _Sans Vertu_, upon
the back lay beside Maud's plate on the following morning. She took it up
with a smile at Jake who had just entered the room.
"From Charlie--probably about the new yacht. He told me the other day
that he wanted me to perform the christening ceremony."
"You have my permission," said Jake. "What does he propose to call her?"
"_The Blue Moon_, I believe. But he was in a freakish mood. He may have
changed his mind by this time."
Jake glanced round. "Where's the kid?"
"Who? Toby? I thought she went out early. Hasn't she been riding with
you?"
"No, she dodged me," said Jake. "Went off on her own on one of those raw
colts. I shall have to talk to her when she comes in."
"I hope she's all right," said Maud, with a touch of anxiety.
"She's all right," said Jake.
"But why did she dodge you? Have you been quarrelling?" Maud paused in
the act of opening her letter and looked at him with a grave questioning
that brought a gleam of humour into Jake's eyes.
"We have not," he said. "I've scarcely seen her since yesterday morning.
I can't tell you why she dodged me. I only know she did it."
"How odd of her!" said Maud.
He sat down and took up the paper; his face was grim. "I shall know why
presently. Read your letter. I'm in no hurry."
Maud opened the letter from Saltash and there fell a brief silence.
It was broken by the sound of light feet outside the door, and Toby,
still wearing riding-dress, her face flushed and laughing, swung into the
room. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she said. "The little fiend ran away with
us, and we had a gigantic tussle. Do you mind if I sit down in these
things?"
She went round to Maud to kiss her, and stopped as Maud's arm came about
her.
"Do you mind?" she said again.
"My dear," Maud said very gently, "Jake is going to scold you for riding
that half-broken colt by yourself. It was very risky. Why did you do it?"
"Oh, is Jake cross?" said Toby. She looked across at him with an imp of
mischief in her eyes. Then, as he still studied his paper, abruptly she
left Maud and went round to him.
"Cheer up, Jake!" she said. "Don't throw a cloud on the proceedings!"
Her voice was half impudent, half wheedling. Jake looked up, his eyes
very direct and somewhat stern.
"You sit down and have some breakfast!" he said. "I'll talk to you
afterwards."
She obeyed him with a slight shrug of the shoulders. "P'raps I shan't
stay to be talked to," she remarked, as she did so. "I've promised to
take Eileen and Molly out as soon as I've had my tub, so if it's going to
be a lengthy wigging, you'd better begin now."
Jake did not begin. He turned deliberately from the bravado of her look,
and began to take the covers off the breakfast dishes.
Toby leaned back provocatively in her chair, and whistled under her
breath. She was plainly in a dare-devil mood, but it was not her custom
to dare Jake.
"What have you done to your hands?" he said, as she reached out for the
plate he offered her.
She coloured deeply. "Nothing--I mean--nothing serious. I often get my
hands scratched."
"Why don't you tell me the truth?" said Jake.
Maud looked up from her letter. "It is as I thought. Charlie wants us to
go down to Fairharbour to-morrow. He is getting together a luncheon party
on board the yacht. The Melroses will be there and some of the polo
people staying at The Anchor. Jake, you will come and support me, won't
you?"
Jake shook his head. "Bunny can do that job, my girl. I've got to get
ready for Goodwood. Forest Fire is going to make his mark there."
"Oh, bother Forest Fire!" said Maud. "I want you."
"What for?" said Jake.
"Well, General Melrose knows you. He was talking of you down at the Club
the other afternoon. And I want him to meet you--with me. Please come,
Jake!" Maud spoke persuasively.
"All right," said Jake.
"You will?"
"I will," he said, smiling a little. "You don't often interfere with my
liberty. I remember old Melrose, met him years ago at Doncaster. He's
always been keen on the Turf, and he stood by me once when--someone--was
trying to queer my pitch."
"Oh!" said Maud. "You mean the time that Charlie let you down! Poor
Charlie! He was horribly ashamed of himself afterwards."
Toby looked up sharply, and again the colour came into her face, mounting
swiftly to her forehead. She appeared to be on the verge of hot speech,
but no words came.
It was Jake who spoke in his soft, easy drawl. "Oh, I guess he's grown a
bit since then. Anyway, whatever his intentions, he never managed to do
me any harm. And I rather think his malice is dead now."
"It died long ago," said Maud quietly. "He owes you a great deal, Jake.
You've taught him to be a man."
"I?" said Jake. "My dear, your partiality runs away with your judgment.
Have some ham!"
He dismissed the matter in his own calm fashion, and began to talk of his
animals. Breakfast proceeded, but Toby scarcely spoke and ate very
little.
"It's so hot to-day," she said when presently Maud remonstrated with her.
"I can't eat when it's hot--really." She pushed her plate away and rose
from the table. "Do you mind if I go?"
"Yes, I mind," said Jake. "Go and sit in that arm-chair and smoke a
cigarette! I shall be ready when you've finished."
He held out his case to her, and, though she made a face at him, she
yielded. She threw herself down in the chair he indicated and smoked in
silence.
Chops came and laid his head upon her knee, and she fondled his silken
ears with an understanding touch. But her eyes were fixed before her with
something of hardness in their look.
Maud finished her breakfast and got up. "I am going up to the nursery,"
she said. "Don't hurry, Toby dear! The children can run in the garden
till you are ready."
"I shan't keep her long," Jake said.
Toby turned in her chair with a sudden flare of defiance. "I'd like to
see any man who would keep me anywhere against my will!" she said.
Jake nodded. "All right. You can see him now if you want to. Why did you
go and ride that little devil Knuckle-Duster when I told you not?"
"I don't take orders from you!" said Toby hotly.
"Oh yes, you do--sometimes." The door closed softly behind Maud and Jake
turned squarely to face the girl on his hearth. "Say now," he said in his
slow direct way, "it was a fool thing to do. You may as well admit it as
not."
Toby was on her feet. She stood stiffly braced, but the colour had gone
out of her face. It was white and strained.
"All right," she said, speaking quickly and nervously. "But what of it? I
brought him back quite sound and none the worse."
"I wasn't thinking of the horse," said Jake. "He's a savage brute and I
doubt if we ever do much with him. He'll certainly never be fit for a
lady to ride. But that's not the point either. The point is, you did it
against my orders. And you dodged me to do it. Isn't that so?"
"I didn't dodge you for that reason," said Toby. "I'd have done it
whether you'd been there or not."
"I think not," Jake said. "Anyway, you'll give me your word of honour
that you'll never ride that animal again."
"My what?" said Toby, and suddenly she broke into a laugh. "Oh, don't be
funny, Jake! Bunny rides him. Why shouldn't I?"
"That's quite a different thing," Jake said. "Bunny has a man's strength.
You haven't. It's too dangerous a game for you, see? And I won't have
it."
"All right," said Toby, picking up her riding-whip and turning to go.
He stretched out a hand to detain her. "You'll give me that promise," he
said.
She paused for a second, and met the unswerving determination of his
eyes. Then a sudden gleam of blue fire lit her own. She made a swift
movement, and struck the outstretched hand lightly with the switch she
carried.
It was a gesture of supreme insolence, but there was conscious daring in
her look. Jake's hand leapt like an angry dog upon the switch and gripped
it.
"That was a mistake," he said, and the words, though slow, had a cutting
quality that was somehow more imposing than open wrath.
Toby faced him with unabated courage, but she had begun to quiver. She
spoke no word.
Jake's hand fell. He turned from her, and pulled out his pipe. There was
dignity in the action--the dignity of strength that refuses to assert
itself.
And Toby suddenly crumpled. She sprang after him like a contrite child,
and caught his arm. "Oh, Jake, forgive me! Do please forgive me! I'm a
beast--a beast!" she cried tremulously.
Jake looked at her, the hint of a smile about his rugged mouth. "I guess
not," he said. "You're just--young."
She shook her head vehemently. "I'm not! It wasn't that, Jake! I
didn't--hurt you?"
"Shucks, no!" he said.
She clung to his arm still. "I'll never disobey you again. I won't do
anything you don't like. Jake, I mean it! Why are you laughing?"
"I'm not," said Jake. He put his pipe away again, and patted her
shoulder. "All right. Don't say any more!" he said.
Toby gulped down some obstruction in the throat. "I must. I've got to ask
you something. You're so awfully decent. I can't--I won't--do things you
don't like."
"What do you want to know?" said Jake.
Her other hand came up and fastened tightly upon his arm. "I don't know
how to tell you," she said. "I--I had a rotten night last night. That's
why I went out alone this morning. And I took Knuckle-Duster because the
devil tempted me."
"I see," said Jake. His red-brown eyes were very kindly in their
directness. "What did you have a bad night about?"
Her hold upon him tightened. Something of entreaty made itself felt in
her grasp. There was fear in the wide blue eyes so resolutely lifted to
his.
"I don't know how to tell you," she said again.
"Maybe I can guess," said Jake.
"Ah!" she said, and laid her face down quickly on his sleeve.
He laid his free hand on her head. "It's Bunny, is it?" he said.
She answered him quiveringly. "Yes, it's--it's Bunny."
"Well?" said Jake gently.
She spoke with her face still hidden. "You don't want me to marry him, do
you? I won't do it either--without your permission."
"Mine!" said Jake.
"Yes." Her words came rapidly. "You love Bunny. You know what's best for
him. You want him to have the best."
Jake's hand caressed her bent head. "Well," he said, after a moment. "I
guess that's so. But--I've come to love you in the same way. I'd like you
to have the best too."
She lifted her head and looked at him. "You'd like me to have Bunny? Do
you mean that?"
"If it's going to make you both happy," said Jake.
"Ah!" she caught her breath sharply. "But no one can be sure of that, can
they? I mean, marriage is such a speculation, isn't it? I expect Bunny
will soon get tired of me."
"Why do you say that?" said Jake.
A little quiver went through her. "I don't know. Men are like that,
aren't they? Not men like you of course, but you're the big exception to
almost every rule."
Jake was frowning a little. "I guess I'm as human as the rest of 'em," he
said. "But what makes you think Bunny isn't a stayer?"
"He's so young," said Toby.
"That all?" said Jake, beginning to smile.
She looked at him rather wistfully. "Yes, but it counts, Jake. He'll be a
man some day, but he isn't yet--at least only in streaks."
"Well, there's no hurry, is there?" said Jake. "People shouldn't marry in
haste."
Toby's eyes flashed sudden accusation. "You did!"
"I!" Jake looked momentarily disconcerted. "Well, I had some excuse. What
do you know about it anyway?"
"I know what Bunny told me. Maud didn't love you when she married
you. It didn't come on till afterwards. She loved Lord Saltash, and he
loved her." Toby spoke with a certain hardness, as if challenging
contradiction. "She'd have married him--but for you."
Jake met the challenge squarely. "Quite possibly she would. Think she'd
have been any happier?"
Toby shook her head. "No. I think you were always meant to be her man.
But it--it was rather hard on him." Her voice trembled a little. "Bunny
says that was why he never married."
"He's not the marrying sort," said Jake. "I don't mind your marrying
Bunny, but nothing on this earth would persuade me to let you marry him."
An odd little smile twitched the corners of Toby's mouth. "No? Well, I
shouldn't consult you about that," she said. "Sure you don't mind my
marrying Bunny?"
Jake looked at her. "Not if you're sure you want to," he said.
Her eyes grew bright and baffling. She drew away from him, but in a
moment with a boyish gesture, she held out her hand to him. "Thank you,
Jake. You're a brick. Whatever I do, I'll do it--straight, and you'll
stand by?"
"Sure!" said Jake, and gave her a close grip.