SETS THE BALL TO ROLLING
No young man can bear to sit down idly under misfortune; but though the
chief results of Mather's work were lost to him, and his great
plans--his subway--swept away, and though his defeat rankled, he had not
suspected personal feeling in Ellis's action. The promoter had merely
stretched out his hand and taken, repudiating the pledges of those who
spoke in his name.
Therefore, in spite of the little shock which Mather felt when he saw
Ellis with Judith, he came forward and greeted politely. It was a
chance, of course, to "get back"; it would have been easy to express
surprise at the promoter's presence, and to ask how he liked the club
now that he really was there. Mather felt the temptation, but there was
too much behind his relations with Ellis for the younger man to be rude,
and he presently found himself saying: "I don't suppose you play golf,
Mr. Ellis?"
"No," Ellis answered. This was the first man who had greeted him freely
that day, and yet the one who most might feel resentment. While his
manner showed that he was about to speak again, Ellis looked the other
over with a smile which concealed deliberation. It was not weakness that
made Mather mild, in spite of Mrs. Harmon's belief, to which she clung
the more because the Judge rejected it. "I knew his father," her husband
had told her. "They are bulldogs in that stock." Ellis took much the
same view; once, at the beginning of his career, he had encountered
Mather's father, and had found him a bulldog indeed. The son seemed the
same in so many respects that Ellis wondered if he had thought quite
long enough in seizing this morning's opportunity. He knew well that
Mather would be stronger when next he entered the arena; besides, the
reform politicians, those bees who buzzed continually and occasionally
stung, had been after the young man, who, with the leisure to enter
politics, might be formidable. Thus Ellis, hesitating, ran over the
whole subject in his mind; and then, as he knew how to do, plunged at
his object.
"Mr. Mather, I am sorry for what happened this morning."
"Fortune of war," returned the other.
The young man certainly had a right to be bitter if he chose, judging,
at least, by the usual conduct of victims. Mather's peculiarity in this
did not escape Ellis, who spoke again with some hope of forgiveness. "I
trust that you and I may some day work together."
"I scarcely expect it," was the answer.
"Don't say that." Ellis was not sure what tone to adopt, but did his
best. "This is not the place to speak of it, perhaps, but there is
surely something I can do for you."
"Now that you have nothing to do, you know," said Judith.
Mather turned to her; he saw how she had put herself on Ellis's side;
how her interest in this offer was due to Ellis, not to himself. And the
reminder of his defeat was most unwelcome.
"Since this morning," he said, "I have been offered three positions."
"Oh!" cried Judith. The involuntary note of surprise showed how she had
underrated him, and Mather bit his lip.
Ellis spoke. "If you will take a position on the street-railroad----"
"Nothing subordinate there!" cut in Mather very positively.
"Then," said Ellis, "if you care to be the head of the water
company----"
"Oh!" Judith exclaimed before Ellis had completed his offer. "Such an
opportunity!"
Mather himself looked at Ellis in surprise. It was an opening which,
coming from any other source, he would have accepted eagerly, as a task
in which he could give free play to all his powers. Did Ellis really
mean it? But the promoter, having swiftly asked himself the same
question, was sure of his own wisdom. The place needed a man: here was
one. Besides, Ellis would have given much to tie Mather to him.
"I mean it," he said positively.
"You must accept," added Judith.
It was too much for Mather to bear. His defeat by Ellis and his loss of
Judith--both of these he could sustain as separate calamities. But when
he saw her thus siding with his victor, Mather forgot himself, forgot
that Ellis was not a man to defy lightly, and spoke the impolitic truth.
"I could not work with Mr. Ellis under any circumstances!"
"George!" cried Judith hotly.
Then there was silence as the men looked at each other. Had Judith been
the woman that in her weaker moments she was pleased to think herself,
she would have studied the two. But she was neither cool nor impartial;
she had put her feelings on Ellis's side, and looked at Mather with
indignation. She missed, therefore, the pose of his head and the fire
of his eye. She missed as well the narrowing of Ellis's eyes, the
forward stretch of his thin neck--snaky actions which expressed his
perfect self-possession, and his threat. Neither of them spoke, but
Judith did as she turned away.
"You are very rude," she said coldly. "Come, Mr. Ellis, let us walk
again." Ellis followed her; Mather stood and watched them walk away.
"It was shameful of him," said Judith when she and Ellis were out of
hearing.
"He is young," remarked the other. He was watching her now, as he had
watched Mather, out of narrow eyes. Mather's words meant a declaration
of interest in Judith, confirming gossip. She was supposed to have
refused him, and yet she was biting her lip--would she be quite so moved
if Mather had not the power to do it? Ellis promised himself that he
would remember this.
"He will know better some day," he said. "But at least he is out of the
question. Can you not suggest some one else?"
"There is Mr. Pease," she answered.
Pease and himself--oil and water! How little she knew! and he almost
laughed. But he answered meditatively: "He is very--set."
"I see my father is coming for me," she said.
"Let me ask you this, then," he begged quickly. "May I come to see
you--at your house?"
"I am afraid not--yet," she answered. She was not ungracious, and
continued with much interest: "But Mr. Ellis, I shall be so anxious to
hear how it all goes. I am sorry I cannot help you with the men, but the
principle is [she thought of Mather] choose the weak ones, not the
strong. Here is my father. Father, this is Mr. Ellis."
Colonel Blanchard was affable. "How de do?" he said breezily. "Fine day
for the match, Mr. Ellis."
"A very fine day," answered Ellis, pleased by the way in which the
Colonel looked at him; Blanchard seemed interested, like his daughter.
But Judith thought that the conversation had best end there.
"The carriage has come?" she asked.
"Yes," answered the Colonel. "Beth is in it, waiting for us. You know
she goes out to dinner." He begged Ellis to excuse them, and so carried
his daughter away.
Ellis looked after them; these two, at least, had treated him well. The
Colonel had stared with almost bourgeois interest, as if impressible by
wealth and power. Ellis mused over the possibility of such a thing.
"The weak," he said, repeating Judith's words. "The weak, not the
strong."
Then Mrs. Harmon swooped down on him. "Here you are," she said
petulantly. "Everybody's going. Let us go too."