THE ASSEMBLING
The dwelling in the wilderness contained only two servants, a woman
of fifty, who performed the duties of housekeeper and cook, and her
husband, slightly older, who did the small amount of outdoor work
required about the cottage, but, during the open weather, was chiefly
concerned with the care of the two motor boats, which had been the
miser’s single extravagance.
After the funeral, the lawyer of the deceased ordered Jake Dustin and
his wife to remain at the cottage for the time being, to await the
outcome of the bequest. May Thurston, also, was retained as the one
person most conversant with Abernethey’s affairs. These arrangements
made, the attorney returned to Boston, holding himself in readiness
for another visit to the cottage at any time when his presence there
might be required in connection with the inheritance. Masters,
naturally enough, rejoiced in the situation thus created, which left
him entire freedom in the prosecution of his illicit search for the
treasure. He realized to the full that his best opportunity would
be limited to the short interval before the arrival on the scene
of others, who would inevitably regard his presence with surprise,
if not with actual suspicion. For the moment, however, there was
none to offer any hindrance. Jake was engaged in overhauling his
engines within the boat-house, which was situated a full hundred
yards from the cottage; he had neither eyes nor ears for the actions
of Hartley Masters who, in his opinion, was merely “sparkin’ that
Thurston gal mighty clus.” Mrs. Dustin, for her part, was absorbed,
as always, in a relentless warfare against matter out of place, which
she consistently loathed as dirt. As she invariably talked aloud to
herself, she gave ample warning of her whereabouts at all times, and
it was no difficult thing to evade her.
Yet, despite the advantages of his situation, Masters, to his
chagrin, learned nothing concerning the treasure.
The young man’s failure was pleasing, rather than otherwise, to May
Thurston, who, at intervals, kept alongside him in the quest, though
always without affording him other assistance than the doubtful
comfort of her presence. Despite the fact that his specious arguments
had silenced her, she was by no means convinced as to the propriety
of his undertaking. Her conscience still spoke clearly, even while
she abandoned controversy with Masters for love’s sake.
A telegram from Mrs. West came to May, in which it was announced that
the widow and her daughter, Margaret, would arrive at the lake on
the day following. The lawyer had advised Mrs. West concerning the
death of Abernethey and her daughter’s inheritance of this property,
together with the possibility of another fortune, should Saxe Temple
fail in his search for the secreted hoard of gold. On receiving
the telegram, May was in a flutter of pleasureable excitement.
Notwithstanding her devotion to Masters, the isolation of this life
in the wilderness was a weariness to her spirit, and she joyously
looked forward to the coming of the heiress, a girl presumably of
about her own age, who might afford her that companionship she so
craved.
Masters, on the other hand, was filled with an impotent rage against
the promptitude of Mrs. West’s answer to the announcement of
Abernethey’s death.
“The vultures flock to feed on the carcass,” the engineer sneered,
with an angry tug at the flowing length of his mustache.
May’s lips set primly, as she stared at the handsome face of her
lover with rather less than her usual admiration for his romantic
air. It occurred to her active intelligence that Hartley was hardly
the one to scorn those who came lawfully to claim their own,
while he was unlawfully seeking the property of another with such
feverish eagerness. But, with feminine wisdom, she held her peace,
while Masters went on fuming futilely against fate. With the aid
of time-tables, she calculated the exact hour at which Mrs. West’s
arrival might be expected, since the message had neglected to state
this, and then sought Jake, to whom she gave instructions that he
should go down the lake in one of the motor-boats the next morning to
meet the ten o’clock train, north-bound, at the station three miles
away. When, that night, Masters, still grumbling, kissed her good
night, her lips were passive, which had not been their wont.
Masters reappeared early the next morning, for he was aware that in
a few hours his best opportunity to search would be past. He utterly
ignored the fact that his engineering work was being neglected to
an extent that must soon involve him in serious trouble with his
employers. The possibility of wealth had suddenly come to dominate
his thoughts, and it allowed no rivalry. He was pale, as if after a
sleepless night, and his thatch of hair was tangled in a confusion
real for once, not contrived with studied pains. His great, black
eyes were glowing, as he encountered May at the cottage door. The
girl sighed as she noted the haggard appearance of his face and the
tenseness of his movements, usually so briskly graceful. A certain
latent fierceness in his expression caused a thrill of apprehension
in her heart. She was shocked that he could enter thus whole-souledly
into a nefarious project for the sake of gain.
“Where’s the old woman?” Masters questioned curtly, after a scant
phrase of greeting.
“In the kitchen,” May answered.
“I must hurry,” the engineer continued, alertly. “But, anyhow, I have
almost four hours clear. They can’t get here before eleven, I guess.”
“If the train’s on time, they should get here about half-past ten,”
May corrected. There was a note of warning in her voice. “Don’t let
them find you--” she broke off, ashamed to finish her thought aloud.
Masters laughed shortly.
“No fear! I’ll watch out; but hold them back as much as you can,” he
bade her. Without more ado, he entered the house.
She heard him go quickly into the music-room, shutting the door
behind him. For a moment, she rested motionless, irresolute, her face
troubled. Then, with a gesture of annoyance, she turned away, and
went toward the waiting launch.
The north-bound train arrived hardly a minute behind its schedule.
May, waiting eagerly on the station platform, scrutinized the few
passengers as they clambered down from the day-coaches. Then, her
attention was caught by the activities of a colored porter at the
vestibule steps of the Pullman. Beside him, on the cinder path, were
three valises of heavy leather, somewhat battered, but of undeniable
dignity. As the man adjusted the portable step beside the track, two
women appeared above him on the platform of the car. May had no doubt
as to their identity. She noted the simple elegance of Mrs. West’s
traveling suit, the modish air of the daughter’s. She observed, too,
the radiant loveliness of the girl’s face. A subtle premonition of
sorrow obsessed her, as she stared half-resentfully at the beauty of
Margaret West, elusively revealed from within a mesh of gray veil.
She fought against the mood, and went forward to greet the strangers.
The manner of the two travelers was so cordial that the secretary
quickly forgot her presentiment. Mrs. West proved to be a handsome,
though rather delicate, woman, of perhaps fifty years--in voice and
manner, and in nature as well, a true gentlewoman of a type now
somewhat out of fashion. As May had already learned from her late
employer, this lady had, throughout her life, enjoyed ample means,
though not great wealth. The daughter, Margaret, resembled the
mother, but in her slender form was the grace of youth.
“There’s no doubt that it’s still a real wilderness hereabouts,”
Margaret declared, after the first greetings had been exchanged. “I
thought it might have changed, since our visit ten years ago.”
“And it’s still all wilderness for the way we have yet to go in the
motor-boat,” May answered, smiling. “Here is Jake--Mr. Dustin, you
know. He’ll carry your valises to the landing.” She indicated the
embarrassed boatman, who was hovering doubtfully near. With attention
thus thrust upon him, he grinned sheepishly, then turned to the
luggage.
“Chris will help him,” Mrs. West said.
May looked in the direction of the speaker’s nod, and started
in astonishment. In her absorption with the two women, she had
observed neither the coming nor the presence of this man. Now, she
regarded him curiously. Evidently, from his appearance, as well as
from Mrs. West’s words, he was a servant, and May guessed that he
must be as well an old and highly esteemed family retainer, since
he thus made one of the party on this trip. He was a short man,
rather absurdly fat, though not in the least heavy of movement, or
wheezy of breath. But he had a general roundness, of a sort almost
infantile, incongruous with perfect baldness. His tiny black eyes
twinkled benignantly. A somewhat suggestive redness of the skin
made the caricature effect of a Bacchic Cupid. For the rest, he was
neatly dressed in black, and he smiled genially on May, and touched
his hat decorously, at the reference to himself, with a respectful,
“Yes, Miss.” Then, he stooped alertly to the luggage, seized a bag
in either hand, and waited expectantly for the more sluggish Jake to
point the way.
May had wholly forgotten her first impression long before the cottage
landing was reached. She found Mrs. West kindly and interested,
while Margaret displayed a democratic friendliness that was
inexpressibly grateful to the lonely girl. But, at the last, all her
apprehensions came crowding back. It was at the moment when they
emerged from the boat-house, and started toward the cottage.
“Why, who is that?” Mrs. West asked, with a note of curiosity in her
voice.
May looked up, to see Hartley Masters, as he stepped briskly out from
the front door of the house. At sight of the party on the shore, he
halted abruptly, in seeming confusion; then, after an instant of
indecision, he swung sharply to the right, into a path that ran along
the lake to the south.
“Oh, it’s Mr. Masters,” May answered, a bit falteringly. “He’s an
engineer at work near here--he calls--sometimes.”
Some stress in the speaker’s voice caught the attention of Margaret.
She regarded the troubled face of the secretary intently for a
moment; then, she stared speculatively after the tall figure of the
engineer, as it passed swiftly into the concealment of the forest.