MARTIA
In the train the purchaser of the _Lorna Doone_ began to have
misgivings. He had agreed to pay seven hundred pounds for the boat,
and now, away from the small-yacht atmosphere of Poole, and beyond
the magnetism of Hackett, the amount seemed enormous and out of all
proportion to the size of the purchase.
Seven hundred pounds, and that was only the start, the first day's
work, so to speak. Almost a third of the money at his disposal gone at
one blow. What would Behrens say?
At Victoria he took a taxi and drove to Museum Street, where he found
the art-dealer in his shop looking over a case of Cosway miniatures he
had just purchased.
"Good-day," said the old man as Bobby came towards him past the
show-case and suits of armour. "Come and look at my beauties. Seventeen
hundred pounds they have cost me. Well, what news of our expedition?"
"It has cost you seven hundred already," said Bobby, "but I believe the
thing is half done."
Then he told.
Behrens did not seem at all alarmed at the tale.
"This Mr. Hackett is an expert in his way?" said he.
"The best man in England," replied Bobby.
"Well, there you are. You have begun well by choosing a good man.
Napoleon's battles were all won, not by Napoleon, but by the men he
chose to win them. This Mr. Hackett, you say, will choose your crew and
your captain? That is as it should be. And when do you think you can
get away?"
"Hackett said we ought to be out in a fortnight."
"That is better still. You have done well. And do not trouble too much
about the expense. The boat will be insured, and on her return she will
be saleable. I do not know anything of boats, but I do of prices in
general, and I reckon she will sell for half what she cost."
"Oh, more than that."
"No matter. I put it at half. So already we have spent only three
hundred and fifty pounds. Now to another matter. I have seen our friend
Miss Hare."
"Yes?"
"She called upon me yesterday. As I told you, I have known her from
childhood. She is a good girl. Good in all ways. Did you know that she
was engaged to Isaac?"
"To your son?"
"Yes, to my son. He who discovered Hyalos, and for whose sake and to
whose memory I am financing this expedition. I speak sentimentally. I
hope to make a large profit out of it for myself and for you, but in my
heart of hearts the memory of my Isaac stirs and gives colour to the
whole thing. He so wished that I should profit from it."
The old man leaned on the case of cameos and seemed for a moment to
forget his hearer, who stood without speaking, scarcely heeding the
naïve confession about profit, engrossed by this new fact.
Martia Hare had been engaged to Isaac Behrens; had loved him, without
doubt, and without doubt loved him still.
He knew now the reason of the far-away look of sadness that had come
into her face when she told him about the death of Isaac.
It was as though a ghost had suddenly come between himself and this
girl who had been living in his thoughts ever since he first met her.
She had been one of his chief inspirations in this business, she had
got into his heart, but he had not known how much he really cared for
her till now.
"She called on me yesterday," went on Behrens, knowing nothing of what
was passing in the other's mind, "she told me you had asked her to join
in this expedition and that she had told you it was impossible, that
she could not by any means leave her work. Then as she told me that
she began to cry. Women are women. I said to her, 'Martia, you want to
go with this expedition to Hyalos to see the wonder that poor Isaac
discovered and on which he set his heart'; she said, 'Yes,' and I said,
'You shall go, work or no work, you shall go even if I have to pay
Miss Beaman, your partner, for any loss that may be sustained by the
business during your absence. But there will be no loss. I am an old
business man and I know that businesses have a habit of carrying on,
even though one of the partners be taken away. You shall see Isaac's
city.' Women are strange people. It was the one desire of her heart to
go, yet she fought against the idea till I prevailed. I called a cab,
and leaving this place in charge of my man I took her to Miss Beaman,
who made no difficulty about the matter. Indeed she was entirely with
me. So the thing is settled, if you think the boat you have chosen will
not expose her to too great hardships."
"I had her in mind when I was looking over the boat," said Bobby. "I
had made her promise to think about coming with us. The boat is all
right, there is plenty of accommodation, and an after-cabin she can
have. When I asked her, one of the things that prompted me was the fact
that she was looking dog-tired and in need of a change. Of course, I
have only known her a short time, but that was how it seemed to me.
She's one of the people who work themselves to death, and she's one
of the people who were made, it seems to me, for the open air, not a
stuffy office. Of course, the _Lorna Doone_ is small, but Hackett says
she's safe, and that one could go round the world in her. But I can
explain all that to Miss Hare, and I will call on her to-morrow, first
thing."
"Do so," said Behrens, "and let me know all about it. Now to business.
I will send that cheque to-night to your friend Hackett. The purchase
papers will be made out in my name. It is just as well. And you? Have
you enough money to carry on with?"
"Plenty."
"You will keep an account of your expenses and let me have the bill?"
"Yes."
"Then," said Behrens, "that closes the matter for the present. Keep me
informed how things go from day to day. I am always in at night, and
there is always a cup of coffee awaiting you."
Then Bobby found himself in the street.
It was ten minutes to three. He had plenty of time to reach White Lion
Court and see Martia before the office closed. But something held him
back--the idea of Isaac Behrens.
His feeling towards Martia had not altered, but something had pushed
her away from him ever so little. He wanted time to accommodate himself
to the new fact that she had been in love with another man, that she
loved his memory still, and that if she went on this expedition her
main reason for going would be to visit the place Isaac had discovered
and to help in realising his dream.
You cannot be jealous of a dead man; yet a dead man may stand between
you and the woman you care for.
Bobby understood this fact for the first time in his life as he came
along New Oxford Street, making towards Oxford Circus. By the time he
reached the Circus his mind had settled down and become clear. His plan
was made. He would dismiss from his thoughts all things other than the
expedition and its needs till the affair was over. Martia was coming
with him; well and good. She would be one of the party, nothing more.
Love had nothing to do with a business like this. It had to be cut
clean out. After everything was over things might be different, but,
till everything was over and success grasped, hard work would be the
order of the day. Hard work, attention to detail, watchfulness, and
unswerving determination--those were the four essentials.