by J. J. Bell
CHAPTER XXVI
So the two friends returned north, Teddy with a new secret in his heavyheart, Alan in a thoroughly unsettled state of mind.
Alan's second meeting with Doris had certainly not been helpful toeither. Doris, while almost assured as to her father's freedom, was atleast dubious about her own, so much so that she gently but firmlyrefused to consider herself in any way engaged to Alan, and Alan, as anyother honourable young man would have done in the circumstances, pleadedand argued.
"You will never marry Bullard," said he, for the tenth time.
"He has my promise. He might yet find another way of injuring father,"she answered; "and you too," she added to herself.
Alan was handicapped: he could not think to shock her with the ugly truthabout the man, unless that were necessary in order to save her from himat the last moment. He and Teddy had agreed that for the present, atleast, no one--not even Caw--should be told.
"Doris, don't you really care for me?" he asked presently.
"Alan!--after all you have done!--"
"That's not the point, dear."
Quickly she turned the questioning on him. "Alan, are you _quite_ sureyou want to marry me?"
"What did I come home for? What am I here for now?"
And so forth. The phrase is not to be taken flippantly, but when twoyoung people talk with the primary object of concealing their respectivethoughts, the conversation is apt to partake of futility. In this case,at all events, it led to nothing satisfactory.
"It's too absurd, Doris," he cried at last. "It means practically ayear--"
"Till the clock stops." She smiled ruefully. "I have to redeem my promisethen--if necessary."
"Did Bullard put it that way?"
"I didn't understand what he meant till father explained," she said, andcontinued in a lighter tone: "I'm very curious about that strange clockof yours. I expect I'll spend all my time at Grey House watching it."
"I've a good mind to smash up the wretched thing the moment I gethome! ... Doris, once more, you are not going to marry that man!"
In the end they had parted kindly, even tenderly, feeling that each owedthe other something.
* * * * *
As well as an unsettled mind Alan brought with him from London a letterfrom Bullard, which he had received by registered post on the Saturdaynight. Although it must have been indited on the top of that disturbinginterview with Teddy, it was frank in manner and pleasantlycongratulatory in tone; moreover, it covered the will which Alan hadsigned about nineteen months ago. The writer concluded with regrets forthe necessity which would involve his departure for South Africa withinthe next few days.
"Do you think he's running away, Teddy?" Alan asked his friend aftershowing him the letter.
"I've no doubt he's jolly glad to go, but the journey was planned, I'msure, before the Flitch affair. Those Rand riots, you know. PoorLancaster, did he say anything about their effect on his income?"
"Disastrous, I'm afraid. But he seems resigned to anything now that theSyndicate matter is out of the way. I wish to goodness we could lay handsquickly on those diamonds--if they exist. I want some money."
"They--or their equivalent--must exist," said Teddy. "Your uncle,situated as he was, could not have spent half a million in five years,you know."
Alan shook his head. He was depressed and disposed to be pessimisticabout everything.
"Changed your theory about the clock?" the other mildly enquired.
Alan laughed shortly. "We're always doing that, aren't we?"
They reached Grey House about noon to learn that nothing of moment hadhappened in their absence. Possibly Caw did not consider it worthy ofmention that, under agreeable compulsion, he had been giving MissHandyside instruction in revolver shooting.
Caw was told of his arch-enemy's impending voyage.
"A good job that, sir," he remarked. "Now we'll maybe get a few monthsof peace."
"Oh, Bullard has ceased from troubling for good," said Teddyrather cockily.
"Indeed, sir!" returned Caw very respectfully.
His thoughts were speedily diverted, however, by Alan's intimation of theLancasters' approaching visit.
"And you'll just forget, Caw, that you ever saw Mr. Lancaster in aninvidious position here. He has suffered enough."
"I can well believe it, sir; and for Miss Lancaster's sake alone it willbe a pleasure for me to make the gentleman feel at home."
"What about Mrs. Lancaster?" put in Teddy.
"If I may say so to Mr. Alan, I hope I know my place in the most tryingcircumstances."
"Oh, get out, Caw!" laughed Alan. "You needn't suspect everybody!"
"Very good, sir. Only, my master did not admire her, and he was a judgeof female character, if ever there was one," said Caw, and with aninclination withdrew.
"Caw is right," said Teddy. "You know I've warned you all along aboutthe lady."
"Rather horrid to be discussing a coming guest in such a fashion," Alanreturned. "I think I know Mrs. Lancaster by this time, Teddy. She wants alot of chestnuts, but she'd never risk burning her own fingers.... Well,I had better go round and pay my thanks to Handyside for keeping Cawcompany those nights. Will you come?"
Teddy excused himself on the score of correspondence neglected in London."By the way," he added, "are your guests to know of the passage?"
"I think not," Alan replied, with a slight flush. "As a matter of fact,I'm not going to use it again except in an emergency."
Left to himself, Teddy sighed and murmured, "A private passage with apretty enough girl at the other end--I wonder what Doris would thinkabout it, even in an emergency."
Arriving next door Alan found that the doctor had gone out in his car.Miss Handyside, the servant mentioned, was at home. Under an effort ofwill he was turning away when she appeared.
Presently they were seated in the study, and he was telling her of hisexpected visitors.
"I wonder," he said with some diffidence, "if you could forget that yousaw Lancaster in my uncle's room that night."
There was a trace of a frown on Marjorie's brow.
"Of course I will do my best, Mr. Craig. I'm not very good at heapingcoals of fire myself, but--"
"You think it strange that I should have invited him, that he should haveaccepted my invitation? Well, I suppose it's a natural thought. But theman has suffered terribly, and not only for his own mistakes, and I don'tknow that the acceptance was such an easy thing for him. Please rememberthat Bullard had a cruel power over him."
"And does that power no longer exist?"
"It is broken. You may be interested to know that Bullard is leaving forSouth Africa this week."
"I hope that is true," she said so solemnly that he smiled. "But," shewent on quickly, "I'll try to be nice to Mr. Lancaster. He _did_ look outof his element that night, and after all, I'm not the sort to kick a manwhen he's down. But I must say you're a good, kind man, Mr. Craig--"
"Please!" he protested miserably.
"Tell me about Mrs. Lancaster," she went on. "Is she very charming?"
"She is very handsome. I'm afraid she will find Grey House deplorablydull. She finds her pleasures in crowded places. But whether you admireher or not, I'm sure you will like her daughter."
"What is her name? Is she pretty?"
"Doris is her name and--yes, she's very pretty indeed."
"Please describe her, Mr. Craig."
"Oh, no," he objected, with a poor attempt at lightness. "I'm no hand atdescriptions, Miss Handyside; besides, you will see her for yourself, Ihope, within the next few days. And I--I think she wants a girl friendrather badly." Thereupon he made haste to change the subject.
Conversation was inclined, however, to drag a little on both sides, andthere was developed a tension just perceptible, which lasted till thearrival of the doctor.
When Alan had gone, ten minutes later, Handyside observed that the youngman did not seem so bright as before his trip to London.
"I can't say I noticed any difference," said Marjorie, whose wholeglad world had become gloomy within the space of half an hour; and shewent away to her own room, wherein she gave herself the followingexcellent advice:
"Don't be silly! ... You don't really care! ... And now you know he'sgoing to marry that thingammy girl! ... And he said she was _very_pretty, and Doris is certainly ever so much prettier a name than--no,I'm not going to cry--I'm not--I'm _not_! ... at least, not much."
