CHAPTER IX.
At length, however, the boy noticed with a tinge of surprise that theboat was steering as if to intercept his course. He was about to passgreeting to its occupants when something in the face of the big mansitting in the stern arrested his words. At the same moment the soundof the oars caught Barbara's attention, and she turned her head.
"Oh!" she cried, shrilly. "Doctor Jim!--and Doctor John!" she added,as one of the two rowers looked around and grinned at her in humouroustriumph. Then, her visions of life at Stratford with Uncle Bob fallingto ruin about her, she wept aloud in her disappointment.
Robert understood, and quick as thought swerved in his course, making adart for the swifter water of mid-channel. His heart swelled withexultation.
"They can't catch us!" he declared to Barbara.
"Stop! you young rascal!" thundered the mighty voice of Doctor Jim. "Iknow you, Bobby Gault. Don't I know your father's son? Stop thisinstant!"
"Quit this tomfoolery, Bobby!" roared Doctor John, albeit a littlebreathless from his labour. Barbara lifted her face and stared throughher tears. But the boy paid no heed, paddling mightily, and thedistance between boat and canoe was surely widening.
But Doctor Jim knew Barbara.
"Very well!" he said, grimly, in a loud voice. "I'm sorry to do bodilyhurt to the son of my old friend Richard, but it can't be helped."
He drew a long-barrelled pistol from under the flap of his green coat.
"I'll have to wing you, my boy!" he said, taking careful aim, while oneeyelid quivered in the direction of Doctor John.
The boy's face paled a little, but his jaw set firmly, and he keptright on.
"Stop! stop! stop!" screamed Barbara, but with no result. She halfarose in the canoe, glancing with horror from the boy's resolute faceto the muzzle of the pistol.
"If you don't stop, Robert, I will throw myself overboard this minute!"she vowed.
The terror in her face convinced him. He sullenly drew in his paddle,laid it down in the canoe, folded his arms, and looked off over thewestern hills, as if scornful of all that might take place.
In a few seconds the boat came up alongside of the drifting canoe, theoars were drawn in, and strong hands laid hold upon the gunwale. Therewere some awful moments of silence, broken only by Barbara's sobbingand the splashing of waves on the boat and the canoe. The owner of theboat, a gaunt farmer from Westings Landing, a few miles down the river,who had not been initiated into the mystery, looked on in discreetastonishment. This was indeed a strange situation in which to see thegrandson of Lady Gault. At last Barbara, to whom suspense was hideous,broke out.
"Oh, do say something!" she wailed. Indeed, neither Doctor John norDoctor Jim knew just what to say. They were embarrassed. But thechild was right. Somebody had to say something. By interchange ofquick glances the lot fell to Doctor John.
"Well, this is pretty gallivanting, running away with a youngman,--carrying him off in your aunt's canoe!" said Doctor John.
Barbara's eyes opened very wide.
"I never!" she cried, indignantly.
"As for you, Bobby Gault," interposed Doctor Jim, severely, and in atone that made Robert feel himself hatefully young, "I cannotcomprehend how _you_ should come to be mixed up in this affair. I knowwell what my friend, Richard Gault, your lamented father, with his nicenotions of honour, would have thought of such an escapade." (Robert'sfather and mother had died within a few days of each other, by anepidemic of typhus, when the boy was only five years old.) "But Ishall lay the matter before your good grandmother, and your uncle, whowill doubtless deal with you as you deserve."
Robert shut his lips tight and eyed the speaker proudly; but Barbaramade reply in her vehement way.
"It is not Robert's fault at all, I tell you, Doctor Jim!" she cried,forgetting that she had said nothing whatever on the subject. "I justmet him, an hour or two ago, on an old raft; and he knew who I was; andbecause he was getting his feet wet on the raft, I invited him to getinto the canoe; and I made him promise to paddle me just wherever Iwanted to go. So there! And it is not his fault one bit! And you maydo what you like to me, but I won't have him punished when he has notdone anything at all!"
Doctor John tried to look quite grave; and Doctor Jim, who was reallyannoyed, succeeded.
"Oh, ho! young man!" he remarked, sarcastically, "it appears that youhave a champion. Now, what have you to say for yourself?"
"Mistress Barbara has neglected to add," said he, with all the dignitythat he could assume, "that I insisted upon her narrating to me all theunhappy circumstances of her life in Second Westings. The storycommanded my fullest sympathy, and I had just given her my word that Iwould aid her in escaping to her uncle, Mr. Glenowen, where she wouldbe happy, when you came and violently interfered with her purpose. Iask you, sir, to consider. Are you not ashamed to be instrumental inrestoring a young lady to conditions where she has been made to sufferso cruelly?"
In spite of his indignation, Robert could not help feeling proud ofthis effort. In his own ears it sounded imposing, unanswerable, andaltogether grown up. Barbara thought it was a miracle of eloquence,and cast him a grateful look. But Doctor John could not conceal hisdelight in the stilted periods. He burst into a huge guffaw, at whichBarbara's eyes snapped and Robert's dark skin reddened angrily. ButDoctor Jim exclaimed, hotly:
"Hoity-toity! How big we do feel! To think how often I dandled you onmy knee when you were a mewling baby. If I had but known enough tospank you once in awhile, you might not have grown up to be such apriggish young coxcomb. Richard's son! Who would have thought it?Eh, what?"
Meanwhile the boat and canoe were drifting rapidly down-stream. DoctorJohn looked at the sun, now touching the horizon.
"Don't you think, Master Gault," said he, drily, "that unless youpropose to honour us with your company to Second Westings, we hadbetter set you ashore hereabouts, that you may stretch your legs in thedirection of Gault House?"
"Thank you!" said Robert, stiffly, his heart bursting with humiliationand the longing to strangle his huge, supercilious antagonist. ButBarbara interrupted.
"I'm not going back to Second Westings!" she declared obstinately,trying hard to set her full red lips together in the resolute way thatRobert's had. "I will never go back to live with Aunt Hitty. I'lldrown myself first. I'm going to Uncle Bob, at Stratford."
The threat, once so effective, seemed now to have lost its potency. Noone appeared impressed but Robert,--and perhaps the stranger-man whoowned the boat.
"My dear child," said Doctor John, eying her indulgently, "among themore or less serious obstacles to your plan is one of which I believethat even you will see the magnitude. Mr. Glenowen is no longer atStratford."
"Uncle Bob not at Stratford?" wailed Barbara, overwhelmed, subjugatedin an instant. Robert started aghast.
Doctor John paused dramatically, while the full effect of the newsworked upon his victims in the canoe. Then he said, coolly:
"Mr. Glenowen is just now at Hartford, or has lately left that town.Mistress Ladd had a letter from him to-day, saying he expected toarrive at Second Westings not later than the end of next week, I think,moreover, that I saw a packet on the mantel-shelf addressed to MistressBarbara Ladd!"
With one bound Barbara's heart passed from despair to ecstasy.Everything else was forgotten. She was as eager now to get back toSecond Westings as she had been to escape from it. All she knew orcared for was that Uncle Bob would be there. He would make everythingright. Her face was all radiance, as it turned to Doctor John, then toDoctor Jim, then to Robert,--who eyed her gloomily, feeling himself nowcast out into the cold. But in her joy Barbara did not forget himafter all.
"Just think, Robert," she cried, "Uncle Bob so near, and we would havemissed him if Doctor John and Doctor Jim, the dears, had not come andcaught us. They are always _angels_ to me, you know. Now we will putyou ashore right here. And you must be sure to come over to SecondWestings and see me,--won't you
?--while Uncle Bob is there. Come nextweek."
"I thank you for the gracious invitation," answered the boy, bowing alittle stiffly. "But I think I had better wait for Mr. Glenowen'spermission, as these gentlemen are not likely to present me to him in avery favourable light."
"Don't be silly and disagreeable, Robert," said Barbara, impatiently."Uncle Bob will think of you just as I do. We always agree aboutpeople. Now you must hurry!"
"I think, however," persisted Robert, "I ought to wait for Mr.Glenowen's invitation."
"Right, my lad!" exclaimed Doctor Jim, much mollified by this attitude."That's my old friend Richard's son speaking now. And I doubt not thatour little mistress here will see to it that the invitation isforthcoming in good season,--eh, what?"
There was a doubtful expression on Barbara's face, over the lack ofinstantaneous obedience to her will on the part of her champion; butRobert, encouraged by Doctor Jim's commendation, now made a boldproposal.
"If you would be so kind, sir," he suggested, diffidently, "I shouldlike to go down with you to the Landing, where I can lodge very wellfor the night at the house of an old servant of my grandmother's. Itwill be a long and difficult tramp for me up the shore now, in thedark, and with no road through the woods. By going with you to theLanding I might be of some service, to paddle the canoe. She will bean awkward craft to tow; and Mistress Barbara is very tired, Iperceive."
"Sly young dog!" growled Doctor John. "But, seeing that he isRichard's son, we'll have to take him along with us as far as theLanding, eh, Jim?"
"Let him work his passage, then!" roared Doctor Jim. "Let him paddlethe canoe, and Barbara, and her kittens, and all her contraptions,--andwe'll see about not being too hard on him when we come to tell hisgrandmother!"
This arrangement was highly satisfactory to all concerned. The gloomfell from Robert's face, and his mouth grew boyish and happy as hepaddled on in musing silence. He kept the canoe alongside of the boat,just out of reach of the oars, so that Barbara could talk convenientlywith Doctor John and Doctor Jim, which she did in the most usual mannerin the world, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Butpresently, upon a lull in the conversation came the voice of Robert,who had been thinking about Barbara's life at Second Westings.
"Is not Mistress Ladd a very harsh, tyrannical sort of woman?" heinquired, solicitously.
There was a huge roar from Doctor Jim, which made even Barbara jump,inured though she was to these explosions.
"I'd have you remember, young sir, that you are speaking of thegentlest, sweetest, truest, most gracious lady that ever lived, forwhose little shoes you are not worthy to sweep the ground!"
Robert stared in confusion, too astonished to be at once ready with anapology. Before he could gather his wits, Doctor John spoke up, moregently. He was no less loyal a champion to Mistress Mehitable than wasDoctor Jim, but with him his humour was ever at hand to assuage hiswrath. Subduing his great tones to a quizzical and confidentialhalf-whisper, that feigned itself not meant for Barbara's ears, hesaid, amiably:
"My son, when you come to know well this little firebrand of ours, whomwe have just plucked from a watery burning, this sower of dissension inour good village of Second Westings, I doubt not that you will spare amoiety of your sympathies for that very noble lady, Mistress Ladd. Intruth, for all her tears and anxiety on this mad little maid's account,I have a misgiving that we are doing the sweet lady no great kindnessin taking Mistress Barbara back to her. A pretty gallant you are, toundertake to carry a lady off, and then make a mess of it, and leaveher embarrassed friends to straighten out the snarl!"
Under this daunting blend of rebuke and raillery, Robert fell into adeeper confusion. He floundered through a few awkward phrases ofdeprecation and apology, but Barbara cut in upon his struggles withoutmercy. The gibes of Doctor John troubled her not a whit, but one thingwhich he had said captured her interest.
"_Did_ Aunt Hitty _really_ cry when she found I had gone away? Did shereally feel so badly about it? I thought she would be rather glad!"
"She was in great grief, bitter grief, Barbara. Do you think no onehas feelings but yourself?" answered Doctor Jim, with some severity.
This pertinent question Barbara ignored. She turned to Robert.
"You must understand, Robert," she explained with care, "that AuntHitty is not really cruel to me,--at least she never intends to be.But she and I do not understand each other, and so we can't get on!"
"You will simply have to learn some of the rudiments of obedience andself-control, Barbara," said Doctor Jim. Never had he spoken to her soseverely before, and she was amazed. But she saw that this time shehad gone very near to forfeiting the sympathy of her most faithfulallies. Perhaps, after all, she _was_ in the wrong to run away. Thesuspicion only made her the more obstinate.
"I don't think one ought to obey any one, except one's father andmother," she proclaimed rebelliously. "One's father and mother, ifthey are good, and wise, and kind," she added, still further enlargingher freedom.
"And the king!" added Robert, sententiously. He flung out the word asa shibboleth.
There was a moment of silence. Barbara darted upon him a glance ofpetulant disappointment. Doctor John laughed hugely. But as forDoctor Jim, his face underwent a swift change, as he scanned the boywith new interest.
"Well said, well said; spoken as Richard's boy should speak, as a Gaultshould ever speak!" he thundered, in high approval. "I am sorry if Iseemed abrupt a moment ago, Robert. Pardon my quick temper. I seeyour heart is in the right place, and you have not let them stuff yourhead with pestilent and plebeian heresies. Yes, yes, you mustcertainly come to Second Westings. I shall be honoured if my oldfriend's son will be my guest!"
From that moment dated a friendship between Robert and Doctor Jim whichno after vicissitude was ever able to disturb.
But Barbara was of another mind.
"King George is just a stupid old tyrant, and I hate him!" sheexclaimed. "I'm sorry, Robert, you have not quite so much sense as Ithought you had. I'm really disappointed in you. But there are _some_nice Tories! You know even dear Doctor Jim is a Tory, though we can'tsee why, and he's just as lovely as if he were on the right side. Soyou may come to Second Westings,--though you must promise not to arguewith me. But I know, Robert, I sha'n't like you now so well as Ithought I was going to!"
"Let the young people fight it out, eh, Jim?" said Doctor John, greatlyamused. "Let them fight it out between them!" Then, suddenly grave,he added, "God grant the differences now distracting our colonies grownot beyond the point of children's quarrels!"
Doctor Jim shook his head sorrowfully.
"There's trouble ahead, John. I feel it coming. This is astiff-necked and disloyal people, and I have a foreboding. There's asword in the air, John!"
"It's surely a stiff-necked king, Jim," muttered Doctor John.
"The sword of a Gault will ever leap from its scabbard to serve theking!" said Robert, loftily, his grave eyes aglow with exaltation.
As he made this proclamation of his faith, devoting himself to a causeof which she disapproved, and quite ignoring her feelings in thematter, Barbara felt a sudden pang of loneliness. She seemedforgotten, or, at least, grown secondary and trivial.
"Do let us hurry home to Uncle Bob!" she pleaded, her voice pathetic,her eyes tired and dissatisfied.
Then silence, with the twilight, descended upon the voyaging company;and in a little while, coming noiselessly to the landing-place, theystepped ashore into the dewy, sweet-smelling weeds and the eveningpeace.
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