Although she had made up her mind not to tell her secret to any one at
present, Adelle could not refrain from looking up the stone mason the
first thing in the morning. She seemed to be attracted to him as the
moth is to the proverbial flame, all the more after her new
understanding of the situation between them. And she was also
apprehensive of what Archie might be up to. If he were violent, and the
two men had another quarrel, she might be forced to declare the truth,
which she didn't want to do this morning.
Therefore, she felt relieved to find that Tom Clark was not at his post
on the wall. She asked no questions of Mr. Ferguson. And morning after
morning she was both disappointed and relieved when she went to the wall
and found his place still empty. The foreman had not put other masons to
work there, but continued the work at a different point. She asked him
no questions. Perhaps her cousin had left voluntarily in disgust with
Highcourt. She even went up the hill one morning and found his little
shack closed. Peeking through the windows she perceived his trunk and
kitty-bag in their place, with his old shoes and clothes beside them. So
he intended to come back! Again she was both pleased and frightened. The
return would mean complications. She must make up her mind definitely
whether she should tell him the secret. She felt a strong impulse to do
so and take the consequences. And there was Archie, with whom she had
not exchanged a dozen words since the scene on the hill. It was quite
the longest quarrel that they had ever had and wearing to them both. So
it went for nearly a week.
And then one morning, as she was passing heedlessly along the terrace,
she heard a man's voice which was familiar, and peering over the great
wall, saw Tom Clark below at his accustomed post. He caught sight of the
mistress of Highcourt, and bobbed his head shamefacedly. After a time
she came to him through the canon, but he pretended not to see her. She
knew that he was ashamed of himself for something he had done--she
wondered what--probably drinking. He looked a trifle paler than usual
and very red-eyed. He acted like a puppy that knows perfectly well it
has been up to mischief and deserves a licking, wishes, indeed, that its
master would go to it and get it over soon so that they could come back
to the old normal friendship. Adelle herself felt cold with excitement
of all sorts, and could hardly control her voice enough to say
unconcernedly,--
"Haven't seen you, Mr. Clark, for some time."
"No!" (Head down.) "Just thought I'd take a little vacation--and rest
up."
"Did you go up to San Francisco?"
"Yep!"
"Did you see another opera?"
"There weren't no opera this trip," the mason replied, spitting out his
quid. "I--seed--other things."
"Is that so--what?"
The mason did not reply, but there was a reckless gleam in his blue
eyes. He worked vigorously, then volunteered evasively,--
"I was just celebratin' around."
"Celebrating what?"
"Things in general--what you was tellin' me about our bein' cousins," he
said, with a touch of his usual humor.
"Oh!" Adelle replied, discomposed. He had been thinking about it, then.
"Thought it deserved some celebratin'," Clark added.
Adelle's heart beat a little faster. If he only knew the whole
truth!--then there would be something to celebrate, indeed!
"The strike's off," the mason remarked soon, as if he were anxious to
get away from his own misdeeds.
"Is it?"
"Yep! They made a compromise--that's what they call it when the fellers
on top get together and deal it out so the men lose."
"I suppose, then, you will be going back to the city when you finish the
work here?" Adelle asked.
"Maybe--I dunno--got some money comin' to me"--Adelle's guilty heart
stood quite still. "I ain't drawed a cent on this job so far," he added
to her relief. "Perhaps I'll blow in what's coming to me in goin' East
to see where my folks used to live in Alton."