By and bye, when the light dawned in his eyes, Derrick began to dream of
many strange things.
But he came back at last out of the shadows, weak and faint and weary.
And then he found that he was in hospital and had been there for weeks.
The discovery was rather staggering. Somehow he had never quite rid
himself of the impression that he was still lying on the great, rocky
boulder where the Secret Service man had so magically scattered his
enemies. But as life and full consciousness returned to him he became
aware that this had for weeks been no more than a fevered illusion.
When he was at length fairly out of danger he was dispatched southwards
on the first stage of the homeward journey.
He sailed for Home with his resentment against Carlyon yet strong upon
him. He had no parents. In his reckless young days, during the last
three years of his minority, Carlyon had been this boy's guardian. But
Derrick had been his own master for nearly four years, and the conscious
joy of independence was yet dear to his heart. He had no settled home of
his own, but he had plenty of money. And that, after all, was the
essential thing.
He had been brought up with the daughter of a clergyman in whose home he
had lived all his early life. The two had grown up together in close
companionship. They had been comrades all their lives.
Only of recent years, at the end of an uneventful college career, had
Derrick awakened to the astounding fact that Averil Eversley, his little
playmate, was a maiden sweet and comely whom he wanted badly for his
very own. She was three years younger than himself, but she had always
taken the lead in all their exploits.
Derrick discovered for the first time that this was not a proper state
of affairs. He had tried, not over tactfully, to show her that man was,
after all, the superior animal. Averil had first stared at his efforts,
and then laughed with uncontrollable mirth.
Then Derrick had set to work with splendid energy, and achieved in two
years a certain amount of literary success. Averil had praised him for
this; which reward of merit had so turned his head that he had at once
clumsily proposed to her. Averil had not laughed at that. She had
rejected him instantly, with so severe a scolding that Derrick had lost
his temper, and gone away to sulk. Later, he had turned his attention
again to journalistic work, hoping thereby to recover favour.
Then, and this had brought him to the previous winter, he had returned
to find Averil going in for a little innocent hero-worship on her own
account. And Carlyon, his own particular friend and adviser, had
happened to be the hero.
Whether Carlyon were aware of the state of affairs or not, Derrick in
his wrath had not stopped to enquire. He had simply and blindly gone
direct to the attack, with the result that Averil had been deeply and
irreconcilably offended, and Carlyon had so nearly kicked him for making
such a fool of himself that Derrick had retired in disgust from the
fray, had clamoured for and, with infinite difficulty, obtained a post
as war-correspondent in the ensuing Frontier campaign, and had departed
on his adventurous way, sulking hard.
Later, Carlyon had sought him out, had shaken hands with him, called him
an impetuous young ass, and had enjoined him to stick to himself during
the expedition in which Derrick was thus recklessly determined to take
part. They had, in fact, been entirely reconciled, avoiding by mutual
consent the delicate ground of their dispute. Carlyon was a man of
considerable reputation on the Frontier, and Derrick Rose was secretly
proud of the friendship that existed between them.
Now, however, the friendship had split to its very foundation. Carlyon
had failed him when life itself had been in the balance.
Impetuous as he was, Derrick was not one to forgive quickly so gross an
injury as this. He did not think, moreover, that Averil herself would
continue to offer homage before so obvious a piece of clay as her idol
had proved himself to be. Derrick was beginning to apply to Carlyon the
most odious of all epithets--that of coward.
He had set his heart upon a reconciliation with Averil, and earnestly he
hoped she would see the matter with his eyes.