"I understand the fortune well enough now," said Christopher bitterly;
"anyone can do it if they take one aspect of things and subordinate
everybody and everything to it."
He was at Marden again. It was a glorious spring evening and Cæsar's
couch was drawn up to the open window. Mr. Aston sat on the far side
of it and Christopher leant against the window-frame smoking moodily.
"You will dissipate it fast enough at the rate you are going,"
remarked Cæsar. His eyes followed every movement of the young man with
a jealous hunger.
Christopher shook his head resignedly. "It can't be done. It goes on
making itself. We are going to allow ourselves ten thousand a year.
It's a fearful lot for two people"--his eyes wandered across the lawn
to Patricia, where she sat with Renata--"or even three, but that's
what it costs to live properly at Stormly, and the rest has to be used
somehow."
"How about Stormly Park? Do you and Patricia like the place?"
He shook his head again. "I'm afraid we don't. We both feel we are
living in an hotel. But I must be there on the spot, and she too. As
it is, we have only had time to do so little."
"Cottages, schools, hospitals," murmured Mr. Aston, softly.
"They are only means to an end," returned Christopher quickly, "only
what they are entitled to as human beings in a civilised world. Think
of having to begin at that. We've got to make restitution before we
can make progress. They mistrust all one does, of course. They use the
bathrooms as coal stores, their coppers for potatoes, their allotments
as rubbish ground, but it's better than the front yard, and, anyhow,
the children will know a bit more about it."
"You have laid down Patrimondi roads for them," Cæsar put in.
"Of course," Christopher answered, accepting it literally, "they
appreciate _that_ at least. The roads were beastly."
Mr. Aston looked at Cæsar and they both smiled.
"I've persuaded Sam to open a shop in Stormly and put Jim into it. He
_says_ you can't make a living honestly in grocery, but I'd take
himself in preference to his word."
"You've beaten him after all, old chap."
It was Cæsar who spoke, and he held out his thin hand towards his big
boy, who came and sat by him in silence a while. The twilight crept up
over the earth and freed the soul of things as it stole their material
forms. The two men looking out and watching the gentle robber, wasted
no regrets on the day, no fears on the approaching night. Behind them,
where Mr. Aston sat, it was dark already, and as his son watched
Christopher, so he watched Aymer.
"We have made our roads," he thought, "Aymer and I, and thank God we
leave behind us a better Roadmaker still, who will make smooth paths
for the children's feet."
Outside two white figures came slowly towards the house and were
joined by a third, Nevil, to judge by his height.
"Cæsar," said Christopher, "have you forgiven me taking my own way and
giving up what you gave me?"
"Do you think I see anything to forgive in it?"
"You gave me my choice, and you gave me my chance. It looked on the
surface so ungrateful," persisted Christopher.
"You question the quality of my eyesight?"
"I doubt your forgiveness when you are so flippant, my best of
fathers."
"For what do you want forgiveness specifically?"
"For giving up my work as a Roadmaker."
"I did not know you had given it up."
In the quiet hours of the night Aymer Aston paced those even roads his
feet had never trodden, saw them spreading far and wide across the
earth, heard the echo of countless footsteps stepping down the ages,
knew that life itself was made an easier road for thousands of little
feet that would take their first steps on better ground than their
parents had done, knew that there were less crippled, less maimed,
less halt in the sum total of the world's suffering by reason of one
Roadmaker's career.
But it was Aymer Aston with the crippled form and maimed life who had
put the spade first into the Roadmaker's hand.
Meanwhile the Roadmaker slept the sleep of the just and forgot all
these things.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Note:
Spelling and punctuation have been preserved as printed except
as indicated below. The following changes were made to the original
text. The change is enclosed in parentheses:
Page 15: and what there was so essentially fitted its place that it
was unobtrusive (added a period at the end of unobtrusive)
Page 82: at the dull red mark of which =Chirstopher= (Christopher)
Page 143: "Christopher does.' (changed single quote mark to a
double quote mark at the end of the sentence)
Page 242: "Never since Mrs. Masters went out of it." (removed extra
double quote mark at the end of the sentence)
Page 258: He looked very worn and tired when he joined =Renate=
(Renata)
Page 305: changed quote marks from "Ecco il 'Roadmaker'" to 'Ecco
il 'Roadmaker.''" to correct punctuation inconsistency.
Page 323: the weight of this =stupenduous= burden (stupendous)
Page 338: "Then I dismiss further responsibility. I'm really more
pleased than I can say, Christopher. Poor little Patricia! What
fortune for her! (added double quote mark at the end of the sentence)
The following words were found in variable forms in the original text
and both versions have been retained: bookcase (book-case);
commonsense (common-sense); downland (down-land); hairs-breadth
(hair's-breadth); highroad (high-road); milestone (mile-stone);
roadside (road-side); teapot (tea-pot); unbiased (unbiassed).