"Yes."
"Why?"
"Well," said Jim somewhat awkwardly, "it COULD be done, you know. I'm
willin'."
As she did not immediately reply, he continued uneasily, "Miss Preston
says we kin get a nice little house that is near the Fort, until we
want to build."
"Oh, then you HAVE talked about it?"
"Yes--that is--why, what are ye thinkin' of, Mag? Wasn't it YOUR idea
all along?" he said, suddenly facing her with querulous embarrassment.
They had been sitting in their usual evening attitudes of Assyrian
frieze profile, with even more than the usual Assyrian frieze
similarity of feature.
"Yes; but, Jim dear, do you think it the best thing for--for us to do?"
said Maggie, with half-frightened gravity.
At this sudden and startling exhibition of female inconsistency and
inconsequence, Jim was for a moment speechless. Then he recovered
himself, volubly, aggrievedly, and on his legs. What DID she mean? Was
he to give up understanding girls--or was it their sole vocation in
life to impede masculine processes and shipwreck masculine conclusions?
Here, after all she said the other night, after they had nearly
"quo'lled" over her "set idees," after she'd "gone over all that
foolishness about Jael and Sisera--and there wasn't any use for
it--after she'd let him run on to them officers all he was goin' to
do--nay, after SHE herself, for he had heard her, had talked to Calvert
about it, she wanted to know NOW if it was best." He looked at the
floor and the ceiling, as if expecting the tongued and grooved planks
to cry out at this crowning enormity.
The cause of it had resumed her sad gaze at the fire. Presently,
without turning her head, she reached up her long, graceful arm, and
clasping her brother's neck, brought his face down in profile with her
own, cheek against cheek, until they looked like the double outlines of
a medallion. Then she said--to the fire:
"Jim, do you think she's pretty?"
"Who?" said Jim, albeit his color had already answered the question.
"You know WHO. Do you like her?"
Jim here vaguely murmured to the fire that he thought her "kinder
nice," and that she dressed mighty purty. "Ye know, Mag," he said with
patronizing effusion, "you oughter get some gownds like hers."
"That wouldn't make me like her," said Maggie gravely.
"I don't know about that," said Jim politely, but with an appalling
hopelessness of tone. After a pause he added slyly, "'Pears to me
SOMEBODY ELSE thought somebody else mighty purty--eh?"
To his discomfiture she did not solicit further information. After a
pause he continued, still more archly:
"Do you like HIM, Mag?"
"I think he's a perfect gentleman," she said calmly.
He turned his eyes quickly from the glowing fire to her face. The
cheek that had been resting against his own was as cool as the night
wind that came through the open door, and the whole face was as fixed
and tranquil as the upper stars.