"No sir," I said. "We thank you for what you have done, but we shall
start back directly, and sleep where we made our camp in the middle of
the day."
"Don't be hasty, my lad," said our host. "It's wise sometimes to sleep
on a determination."
"It can't be here, sir," I said bitterly, "so goodbye, and thank you.
Come, Esau, we can get on for a couple of hours before it is quite
dark."
"All right," said Esau, sturdily; "and we can find our way back if we
didn't know it coming."
"Well, perhaps you are right," said Mr Raydon; "but of course you
understand that you are going back alone. Mr Gunson will be on his way
into the mountains, and I dare say that China boy will follow him."
"I suppose he will, sir," I said. "Better sleep on it, my lad."
"No, sir," I said, firmly. "I would rather not."
"Too proud to accept the hospitality of the man who has told you such
home-truths?"
"Yes, sir; but more so to stay where I feel that we are not welcome."
"But you are welcome, my lads, as visitors. Is not your friend and
leader very unreasonable, young man?" he continued, turning suddenly to
Esau; and I listened eagerly in dread, lest he should be won over to ask
for shelter for the night.
"Not a bit," said Esau, with a scowl. "He's all right, and knows what's
best, and always did. If it hadn't been for him I should have been
stupid enough to have gone for a soldier."
"Indeed!"
"Yes, indeed!" cried Esau; "and I tried all I could to get him to go
too, only he knew better. Now then, Mr Gordon, I'm 'bout tired of
talking. When you're ready, I am."
He moved toward the door and I followed him, having no words to say for
the moment; but as I reached the door they came, and I faced around to
see Mr Raydon's clear eyes fixed upon me.
"Good-bye, sir," I said, "and thank you. When Mr John and dear Mrs
John come, don't scold them and talk to them as you have to me. It
would only upset her, and she is sure to be still very delicate. Tell
them I have gone to make a start for myself, and as soon as I am doing
well I shall try and write to her. Good-bye."
"Good-bye," said Esau, defiantly; and he put his hands in his pockets,
began to whistle, and turned to me, to point to the head of a mountain
sheep with enormous curled horns.
"Pretty good load for a thing to carry," he said, as we reached the
door.
"Stop!"
That word seemed to cut its way into our brains, it sounded so fierce
and sharp, and its effect was to make us both face round wonderingly,
and look inquiringly at the speaker.
"I should have thought, sir, that it would have been more decent if you
had offered to shake hands with your host before you went."
"I beg your pardon, sir," I said, holding out my hand. "Good-night--
good-bye!"
His large firm long fingers closed tightly on mine, and held my hand
prisoned so hardly that he gave me a good deal of pain.
"One minute, my lad," he said. "Your father and mother were both
English, were they not?"
The mention of them made me wince.
"Both dead, I think my sister said?"
"Yes," I said huskily, and I tried to drag my hand away, but he held it
fast.
"So you are true English?" he said; "and a pretty opinion you have of
your fellow-countryman."
"I--I don't understand you, sir."
"To think after you have struggled up here so pluckily, and in so manly
a way, he would be such an inhuman brute as to let you go."
"Mr Raydon!" I cried, huskily.
"And your friend, my lad, I hope, for my sister's sake and your own too,
if you justify the impression you have made. There, you came to me
quite a stranger, and I wanted to see whether you had the manliness and
courage to refuse to stay, and I know that you have both, and would have
gone back. Come," he said, pressing my hand warmly, "let what has
passed during the past few minutes go. Sit here for a bit, both of you.
To-morrow we'll have a chat over what is to be done."
He smiled at me, gave Esau a nod, and went out.
We neither of us spoke, but looked across at each other in the softening
light, till suddenly Esau turned sharply round, and went and stood
looking out of the window, while I sank down on a stool, turned my back
to my companion, folded my arms on a desk, and laid my head thereon.