THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY
It was among the horses that Maud at length saw Jake Bolton in his true
element. They were all plainly very dear to his heart. He introduced
them as friends. His pockets were stuffed with sugar which both she and
Bunny helped to distribute, and not till dusk came upon them did they
realize the lateness of the hour.
It was at the last minute that Jake suddenly summoned a little man who
was lounging in the gateway. "Here, Sam! I've been telling the lady
about your tumble and how they put you together again. It interested
her."
Sam approached with a sheepish grin. "I thought I was a goner," he
said. "But Mr. Bolton--" he looked at Jake and his grin widened--"he's
one of the Never-say-die sort. And the Yankee doctor, well, he was a
regular knock-out, he was. Mended me as clean--well, there, you
wouldn't never have known I'd had a smash."
One eye wandered down to Bunny in his long chair as he spoke; but he
discreetly refrained from comment, and it was Bunny who eagerly broke in
with: "What happened to you? Was it your spine? Let's hear!"
Sam was only too willing to oblige. He settled down to his story like a
horse into its stride, and for nearly a quarter of an hour Maud stood
listening to the account of the miracle which, according to Sam Vickers,
the great American doctor had performed.
Bunny drank it all in with feverish avidity. Maud did not like to watch
his face. The look it wore went to her heart.
She did not want to glance at Jake either though after a time she felt
impelled to do so. His eyes were fixed upon Bunny, but on the instant
they came straight to hers as if she had spoken. She avoided them
instinctively, but she felt them none the less, as though a dazzling
searchlight had suddenly and mercilessly been turned upon her, piercing
straight to her soul.
It was soon after this that he quietly intervened to put an end to Sam's
reminiscences. It was growing late, and they ought to be moving.
Maud agreed; Bunny protested, and was calmly overruled by Jake. They
started back through a pearly greyness of dusk that heralded the rising
of the moon. They spoke but little as they went. Bunny seemed suddenly
tired, and it did not apparently occur to either of his companions to
attempt to make conversation.
Only, as they descended the winding road that led down to Fairharbour
and a sudden clamour of church-bells arose through the evening mist,
Jake glanced again at the girl who was walking rather wearily by Bunny's
side, and said, "Wouldn't you like to go to Church now? I'll see to the
youngster."
She shook her head. "Thank you very much; I don't think so."
"Oh, go on, Maud!" exclaimed Bunny, emerging from his reverie. "I don't
want you if Jake will stay. I'd sooner have Jake. He doesn't fuss like
you."
"I'll get him to bed," Jake went on, as if he had not spoken. "You can
trust me to do that, you know. I won't let him talk too much either.
Say, Miss Brian, it's a good offer; you'd better close with it."
She heard the smile in the words; and because of it she found she could
not refuse. "But I don't like to give you so much trouble," she said.
"You give me pleasure," he answered simply.
At the gate of the churchyard he stopped. "I'll say good-bye," he said.
"But don't hurry back! I shall stay as long as I am wanted."
She knew that she could rely upon him in that respect as upon no one
else in the world. She gave him her hand with another low word of
thanks.
"May I walk to the door with you?" he said, and drew Bunny's chair to
one side.
It would have been churlish to refuse. She suffered him in silence.
The church was on an eminence that overlooked the harbour. Reaching the
porch, the whole wide view of open sea lay spread before them, flooded
in moonlight. The clanging bells above them had sunk to stillness. A
peace that seemed unearthly wrapped them round. They stood for the
moment quite alone, gazing out to the far, dim sky-line.
And suddenly Maud heard the beating of her heart in the silence, and was
conscious of an overwhelming sense of doom.
With an effort that seemed to tear at the very foundations of her being,
she turned and walked down a narrow path between the tombstones. He
followed her till in breathless agitation she turned again.
"Mr. Bolton!"
Her voice was no more than a whisper. She was thankful that her face
was in shadow.
He stood silently, his eyes, alert and bright, fixed intently upon her.
"I must ask you," she said, "--I must beg you--to regard what I said the
other day as final. If I am friendly with you, I want you to understand
that it is solely for Bunny's sake--no other reason."
"That is understood," said Jake.
She drew the quick breath of one seeking relief. "Then you will forget
that--that impossible notion? You will let me forget it too?"
"I shan't remind you of it," said Jake.
"And you will forget it yourself?" she insisted.
He lowered his eyes suddenly, and it was as if a light had unexpectedly
gone out. She waited in the dark with a beating heart.
And then with a great clash the bells broke out overhead and further
speech became impossible. Jake wheeled without warning, and walked
away.
She stood and watched him go, still with that sense of coming fate upon
her. Her heart was leaping wildly like a chained thing seeking to
escape.
As for Jake, he rejoined Bunny and squarely resumed the journey back to
the town, without the smallest sign of discomposure.
He seemed somewhat absent, however, trudging along in almost unbroken
silence; and it was not until he laid the boy down at length in his own
room that he said, "Now, look here, youngster! If you can't be decently
civil to your sister, I've done with you. Understand?"
Bunny turned impulsively and buried his face in Jake's sleeve. "All
right. Don't jaw!" he begged in muffled accents.
Jake remained unmoved. "I've been wanting to punch your head most of
the afternoon," he remarked severely.
"You can do it now if you like," muttered Bunny, burrowing a little
deeper.
Jake did not respond to the invitation. "Why can't you behave yourself
anyway?" he said.
He settled Bunny's pillows with a sure hand, and laid him gently back
upon them. But Bunny clung to him still.
"You aren't really savage with me, Jake?" he said.
"All right. I'm not," said Jake. "But I won't have it all the same;
savvy?"
He put his hand for a moment on Bunny's head and rumpled the dark hair.
Bunny's lips quivered unexpectedly.
"It's so--beastly--being managed always by women," he said.
"You don't know when you're lucky," said Jake.
Bunny's emotion passed. He looked at his friend shrewdly. "I suppose
you're in love with her," he remarked after a moment.
Jake's eyes met his instantly and uncompromisingly. "Well?" he said.
"Nothing," said Bunny. "Of course she's my sister."
"And so you think you're entitled to a voice in the matter?" Jake's
tone was strictly practical.
Bunny's fingers slipped into his. "I'm the head of the family, you
know, Jake," he said.
The man's face softened to a smile. "Yes, I reckon that's so," he said.
"Well? What has the head of the family to say to the notion?"
Bunny turned rather red. "You see,--you're not a mister, are you?" he
said.
"Not a gentleman, you mean?" suggested Jake.
Bunny's uneasiness increased. He squeezed Jake's hand very hard in
silence.
"All right, little chap," said Jake. "Don't agitate yourself! I'm not
what you call a gentleman,--not even a first-class imitation. Let's go
on from there! Any other objections?"
"I don't want to be a cad, Jake!" burst from Bunny. "But you know--you
know--she might have done a lot better for herself. She might have
married Charlie Burchester."
"Who?" said Jake.
"Lord Saltash," explained Bunny. "We thought--everyone thought--five
years ago--that they were going to get married. He was awfully keen on
her, and she of course was in love with him. And then there was that
row with the Cressadys. Lady Cressady got him into a mess, and Sir
Philip always was an obnoxious beast. And afterwards Charlie Burchester
sheered off and went abroad. He came back after he succeeded, but
Maud--she's awfully proud, you know,--she wouldn't look at him, vows she
never will again--though I'm not so sure she won't. He's sure to come
back some day. He's such a rattling good sort, and he's jolly fond of
her."
"And the rest," said Jake drily.
"No, really, Jake, he isn't a rotter. He's an awfully nice chap. You'd
say so if you really knew him."
"I do know him," said Jake.
"And you don't like him?" Bunny's eyes opened wide in astonishment.
"Yes, I like him." Jake's tone was enigmatical. "But I shouldn't call
him a marrying man. Anyway, he won't marry your sister, so you can make
up your mind to that! Any other gentlemen in the running?"
"You couldn't prevent their being married if--if Maud changed her mind,"
said Bunny.
Jake smiled. "Anyone else?" he persisted.
"No, no one. She never sees anybody now."
"Except me," said Jake. "And I'm not genteel enough, hey?"
"You're a brick!" said Bunny with enthusiasm. "But, you know, women
don't see that sort of thing. They only care about whether a man opens
the door for 'em or takes off his glove to shake hands."
Jake broke into a laugh. "Say, sonny, what a thundering lot you know
about women!" he said. "Anyway, I conclude I am right in surmising that
you personally could swallow me as a brother-in-law?"
Bunny's eyes began to shine. "You're the best fellow I know," he said.
"If--if it weren't for Lord Saltash, I wouldn't say a word!"
"Well," said Jake very deliberately, "I refuse to be warned off on his
account. That's understood, is it?"
Bunny hesitated. The red-brown eyes were looking full and unwaveringly
into his. "I'm not thinking of myself, Jake," he said, with sudden
pleading.
Jake's hand closed squarely upon his. "All right, old chap, I know; and
I like you for it. But I'm taking odds. It's ninety-nine to one. If I
win on the hundredth chance, you'll take it like a sport?"
Bunny's hand returned his grip with all the strength at his command. He
was silent for a moment or two; then, impulsively: "I say, Jake," he
said, "--you--you're such a sport yourself! I think I'll back you after
all."
"Right O!" said Jake. "You won't be sorry."
He dismissed the subject then with obvious intention, and Bunny seemed
relieved to let it go. He turned the conversation to Sam Vickers,
asking endless questions regarding the American doctor and his miracles.
"I wish he'd come and have a look at me, Jake," he said wistfully at
length.
"Thought you didn't like doctors," said Jake.
"Oh, a man like that is different. I'd put up with a man like that,"
said Bunny, with a sigh.
"You might have to put up with more than you bargained for," said Jake.
Bunny moved his head wearily on the pillow. "I don't think anything
could be worse than this," he said.
"I'm glad to hear you say so," said Jake, with sudden force; and then,
pulling himself up as suddenly, "No, we won't get talking on that
subject. Capper's in America, and you've got to sleep to-night. But
you keep a stiff upper lip, old chap! I'm in with you from start to
finish. Maybe, some day, we'll work a change."
"You're no end of a trump!" said Bunny with tears in his eyes.