Having made up their minds that there was no earthly reason why
Charles Pixley and Hennie Penny should not be as happy as they were
themselves, Margaret and Graeme saw to it that nothing should be
awanting in the way of opportunity.
Miss Penny's natural goodness of heart impelled her to the most
delicate consideration towards Mrs. Pixley. Hennie Penny, you see, had
come bravely through dire troubles of her own, and tribulation softens
the heart as it does the ormer. She anticipated the nervous old lady's
every want, soothed her bruised susceptibilities in a thousand hidden
ways, tended her as lovingly as an only daughter might have done,--and
all out of the sheer necessity of her heart, and with never a thought
of reward other than the satisfaction of her own desire for the
happiness of all about her.
Not that the others were one whit less considerate, but, in the
natural course of things, Miss Penny's heart and time were, perhaps, a
little more at liberty for outside service, and in Mrs. Pixley the
opportunity met her half-way.
It is safe to say that the old lady had never in her life been so much
made of. Margaret had always been gentle and sweet with her; but the
cold white light of Mr. Pixley's unco' guidness had always cast a
shadow upon the household, and Margaret had got from under it
whenever the chance offered.
"You are very good to me, my dear," Charles heard his mother say to
Hennie Penny, one day when they two were alone together and did not
know anyone was near. "If I had ever had a daughter I would have liked
her to be like you. How did you learn to be so thoughtful of other
people?"
"I think it must have been through having come through lots of
troubles of my own," said Hennie Penny simply.
"Troubles abound," said the tremulous old lady. "You have drawn the
sting of yours and kept only the honey," which saying astonished
Charles greatly. He had no idea his mother could say things like that.
She had had time to think plenty of them, indeed, but there had never
been room for more than one shining light in the household and that
had cast strong shadows.
Charles had gone quietly away smiling to himself, and had been in
cheerful spirits for the rest of the day.
The first night, when the ladies had gone chattering upstairs to make
sure that all the arrangements were in order, Graeme and Pixley sat
out on the verandah smoking a final pipe.
The ladies' voices floated through the open windows as they passed
from room to room, and Graeme laughed softly. "What's up?" asked
Pixley, gazing at him soberly.
"I was thinking of the changes here since the first night I slept in
this house all by myself, and heard ghosts creeping about and all
kinds of noises."
"Much jollier to hear _them_," said Charles, as Miss Penny's and
Margaret's laughter came floating down the softness of the night.
"Ay, indeed! Very much jollier," and they smoked and listened.
No word had so far passed between them as to the troubles that lay
behind. There had, indeed, been no opportunity until now, and Graeme
had no mind to broach the matter.
But Pixley had only been waiting till they could discuss things alone,
and the time had come.
"It will take them months to get to the bottom of things over there,"
he said quietly. "I saw the accountants, and they say everything's in
a dreadful mess. He must have been involved for years. It makes me
absolutely sick to think of it all, Graeme, and him--"
"I'm sure it must, old chap. Why think of it? It's done, and it can't
be undone, and everyone knows you had nothing to do with it."
"I know. Everyone is very kind, but I can't get rid of it. It's with
me all the time like a dirty shadow."
"We'll chase it away. No place like Sark for getting rid of bogeys and
worries."
"How things will come out it's impossible to say. I made special
enquiries into Margaret's affairs, and it's quite certain he's
tampered with her money, but they could not say yet to what extent. On
the other hand, certain of her securities are intact, so everything is
not gone. But what I wanted to say was this. I am determined that
Margaret shall not suffer, whatever may have happened. Any deficiency
I shall make good myself."
"My dear fellow, she would never hear of it."
"That's why I'm talking to you."
"Well, I won't hear of it either. As I told you before, it was a
trouble to me when I heard she had any money. Whatever she had I
settled on herself, and we can get on very well without it."
"All the same I'm not going to have her lose anything through
my--through him. Neither you nor she can stop me doing what I like
with my own money."
"We can refuse to touch it."
"That would be nonsense."
"Not half as bad as you crippling yourself for life to make good what
you'd never made away with."
"It wouldn't do that," said Charles quietly. "Ormerod's a long-headed
fellow, and we made some pretty good hits before the bottom dropped
out of things. You must let me have my own way in this matter, Graeme,
if it's only for my own peace of mind. I'm going to ask Miss Penny to
be my wife. Do you think--"
"My dear fellow," said Graeme, jumping up and shaking him heartily by
the hand, "that's the best bit of news I've heard since Meg said 'I
will' in the church there. She's an absolutely splendid girl, is
Hennie. Except Meg herself, I don't know any girl I admire so much.
She's as good and sweet as they make 'em, and for sound common-sense
she's a perfect gold mine."
"And you don't think--?"
"I've never heard a hint of anyone else. Like me to ask Meg? She'd be
sure to know. Girls talk of these things, you know."
"I don't know. Would it be quite--"
"Everything's fair in love and war,--proverbial, my boy. But I'm
pretty sure you've a clear field, and I congratulate you both with all
my heart. Come to think of it, she's been as dull as a ditch since you
went away"
"Really?"
"Fact! I was trying the other night to prove to her that she'd got
influenza coming on, or hay-fever, or something of the kind. She's as
different as chalk from cheese since eleven o'clock to-day. It's you,
I'll bet you a sovereign."
Charles did not respond to the offer. He sat smoking quietly and let
his thoughts run along brighter paths than they had done for days.