PAUL'S arrangements, as regarded Cicely, had been excellent. But an hour
arrived when the excellence suddenly became of no avail; for Cicely's
mood changed. When the change had taken place, nothing that any of these
persons, who were devoting themselves to her, could do or say, weighed
with her for one instant. She came from her tent one morning, and said,
"Grandpa, please come down to the shore for a moment." She led the way,
and the judge followed her. When they reached the beach the moon was
rising, its narrow golden path crossed the lake to their feet. "I can't
stay here any longer, grandpa."
"We will go back to Port aux Pins, then, dearie; though it seems a pity,
you have been so well here."
"I don't mean Port aux Pins; I am going to Romney."
"But I thought Ferdie had written to you not to come? Tennant certainly
said so, he assured me that Ferdie had written, urging you to stay here;
he has no right to deceive me in that way--Paul Tennant; it's
outrageous!"
"Ferdie did write. And he didn't urge me to stay, he commanded me."
"Then you must obey him," said the judge.
"No; I must disobey him." She stood looking absently at the water. "He
has some reason."
"Of course he has--an excellent one; he wants to keep you out of the
mess of a long illness--you and Jack."
"I wish you would never mention Jack to me again."
"My dear little girl,--not mention Jack? Why, how can we talk at all,
without mentioning baby?"
"You and Eve keep bringing him into every conversation, because you
think it will have an influence--make me give up Ferdie. Nothing will
make me give up Ferdie. So you need not talk of baby any more."
The judge looked at her with eyes of despair.
Cicely went on. "No; it is not his illness that made Ferdie tell me to
stay here. He has some other reason. And I am _afraid._"
"What are you afraid of?"
"I don't know,--that is the worst of it! Since his letter, I have
imagined everything. I cannot bear it any longer; you must take me to
him to-morrow, or I shall start by myself; I could easily do it, I could
outwit you twenty times over."
"Outwit? You talk in that way to _me?_"
Cicely watched him as his face quivered, all his features seeming to
shrink together for an instant. "I suppose I seem selfish, grandpa." She
threw out her hands with sudden passion. "I don't want to be, I don't
mean to be! It is you who are keeping me here. Can't you see that I
_must_ go? _Can't_ you?"
"Why no, I can't," said the old man, terrified by her vehemence.
"There's no use talking, then." She left him, and went back through the
woods towards the tents.
The judge came up from the beach alone. Hollis, who was sitting by the
fire, noted his desolate face. "Euchre?" he proposed, good-naturedly.
(He called it "yuke.") But the judge neither saw him nor heard him.
As Cicely reached her tent, she met Eve coming out, with Jack in her
arms. She seized the child, felt of his feet and knees, and then,
holding him tightly, she carried him to the fire, where she seated
herself on a bench. Eve came also, and stood beside the fire. After a
moment the judge seated himself humbly on the other end of the bench
which held his grandchild. There was a pause, broken only by the
crackling of the flame. Then Cicely said, with a dry little laugh, "You
had better go to your tent, Mr. Hollis. You need not take part in this
family quarrel."
"Quarrel!" replied Hollis, cheerily. "Who could quarrel with you, Mrs.
Morrison? Might as well quarrel with a bobolink." No one answered him.
"Don't know as you've ever seen a bobolink?" he went on, rather
anxiously. "I assure you--lively and magnificent!"
"It is a pity you are so devoted to Paul," remarked Cicely, looking at
him.
"Devoted? Well, now, I never thought I should come to _that_," said
Hollis, with a grin of embarrassment, kicking the brands of the fire
apart with, his boot.
"Because if you weren't, I might take you into my confidence--I need
some one; I want to run away from grandpa and Eve."
"Oh, I dare say," said Hollis, jocularly. But his eyes happening to fall
first upon Eve, then upon the judge, he grew suddenly disturbed. "Why
don't you take Paul?" he suggested, still trying to be jocular. "He is
a better helper than I am."
"Paul is my head jailer," answered Cicely. "Grandpa and Eve are only his
assistants."
The judge covered his face with his hand. Hollis saw that he was
suffering acutely. "Paul had better come and defend himself," he said,
still clinging to his jocosity; "I am going to get him." And he started
towards Paul's tent with long swinging strides, like the lope of an
Indian.
"Cicely," said Eve, coming to the bench, "I will take you to Romney, if
that is what you want; we will start to-morrow."
"Saul among the prophets!" answered Cicely, cynically. "Are you planning
to escape from me with Jack, as I am planning to escape from grandpa?"
"I am not planning anything; I only want to help you."
Cicely looked at her. "Curiously enough, Eve, I believe you. I don't
know what has changed you, but I believe you."
The judge looked up; the two women held each other's hands. The judge
left his seat and hurried away.
He arrived at Paul's tent breathless. The hanging lamp within
illuminated a rude table which held ink and paper; Paul had evidently
stopped in the midst of his writing, for he still held his pen in his
hand.
"I was saying to Paul that he really ought to come out now and talk to
the ladies, instead of crooking his back over that writing," said
Hollis.
But the judge waved him aside. "For God's sake, Tennant, come out, and
see what you can do with Cicely! She is determined to go to that
murdering brother of yours in spite of--"
"Hold up, if you please, about my brother," said Paul, putting down his
pen.
"And Eve is abetting her;--says she will take her to-morrow."
"Not Miss Bruce? What has made her change so?--confound her!"
The judge had already started to lead the way back. But Hollis, who was
behind, touched Paul's arm. "I say, don't confound her too much, Paul,"
he said, in a low tone. "She is a remarkably clever girl. And she thinks
a lot of you."
"Sorry for her, then," answered Paul, going out. As Hollis still kept up
with him, he added, "How do you know she does?"
"Because I like her myself," answered Hollis, bravely. "When you're that
way, you know, you can always tell."
He fell behind. Paul went on alone.