CHAPTER XVIII
If Ras Beebe or Miss Blount or some others of the group of EastWellmouthians who guessed Galusha Bangs to be "a little teched in thehead," had seen that gentleman walking toward home after his interviewwith Mr. Pulcifer in the latter's office--if they had seen him on hisway to Gould's Bluffs that day, they would have ceased guessing andprofessed certain knowledge. Galusha meandered slowly along the lane,head bent, hands clasped behind him, stumbling over tussocks andstepping with unexpected emphasis into ruts and holes. Sometimes hisface wore a disturbed expression, almost a frightened one; at othertimes he smiled and his eyes twinkled like those of a mischievous boy.Once he laughed aloud, and, hearing himself, looked guiltily aroundto see if any one else had heard him. Then the frightened expressionreturned once more. If Primmie Cash had been privileged to watch him shemight have said, as she had on a former occasion, that he looked "as ifhe was havin' a good time all up one side of him and a bad one all downt'other."
As a matter of fact, this estimate would not have been so far wrong.Galusha was divided between pleasurable anticipation and fear. There wasadventure ahead, adventure which promised excitement, a probable benefitto some individuals and a grievous shock to others, and surprise to all.But for him there was involved a certain amount of risk. However, so hedecided before he reached the Phipps' gate, he had started across thedesert and it was too late to turn back. Whether he brought his caravanover safely or the Bedouins got him was on the knees of the gods. Andthe fortunes of little Galusha Bangs had been, ere this, on the knees ofmany gods, hawk-headed and horned and crescent-crowned, strange gods instrange places. It was quite useless to worry now, he decided, andhe would calmly wait and see. At the best, the outcome would be good,delightful. At the worst, except for him--well, except for him it couldnot be much worse than it now was. For him, of course--he must not thinkabout that.
He endeavored to assume an air of light-hearted, care-free innocenceand sometimes overdid it a bit. Primmie, the eagle-eyed, remarked to hermistress: "Well, all's I can say is that I never see such a change in abody as there is in Mr. Bangs. He used to be so--so quiet, you know, allthe time, and he is yet most of it. When I used to come along and findhim all humped over thinkin', and I'd ask him what he was thinkin'about, he'd kind of jump and wake up and say, 'Eh? Oh, nothin', nothin,'Primmie, really. Er--quite so--yes.' And then he'd go to sleep again, asyou might say. But he don't do so now; my savin' soul, no! This mornin'when I says, 'What you thinkin' about, Mr. Bangs?' he says, 'Nothin',nothin', Primmie,' same as usual; but then he says, 'DON'T look at melike that, Primmie. I wasn't thinkin' of anything, I assure you. Pleasedon't DO it.' And then he commenced to sing, sing out loud. I neverheard him do it afore and I don't know's I exactly hanker to have himdo it again, 'cause 'twas pretty unhealthy singin', if you ask ME. Butwhat--"
"Oh, now run along, run along, Primmie, for mercy's sakes! I never heardany one use so many words and get so little good out of 'em in my life.Let Mr. Bangs alone."
"_I_ ain't doin' nothin' to him. Lord of Isrul, no! But, Miss Martha,what started him to singin' all to once? If 'twas somebody else but himand I didn't know the cherry rum was all gone, I--"
"What? What's that? How did you know the cherry rum was all gone?"
Primmie blinked and swallowed hard. "Why--er--why--er--Miss Martha," shestammered, "I--I just happened to find it out--er--sort of by accident.Zach--Zacheus Bloomer, I mean--over to the lighthouse, you know--"
"There, there! Know? Of course I know Zach Bloomer, I should think Imight. Don't be any sillier than the Lord made you, Primmie. It isn'tnecessary."
"Well--well, you see, Miss Martha, Zach he was over here one timea spell ago and--and--Well, we got to--to kind of arguin' with oneanother--er--er--arguin', you know."
"Yes, I know. I ought to. Go on."
"Yes'm. And Zach he got to--to bettin', as you might say. And we gottalkin' about--er--cherry rum, seems so. It's kind of funny that wedone it, now I come to think of it, but we did. Seems to me 'twas Zachstarted it."
"Um.... I see. Go on."
"Well, we argued and argued and finally he up and bet me there wasn't adrink of cherry rum in this house. Bet me five cents, he did, and I tookhim up. And then I went and got the bottle out of the soup tureen in thecloset and fetched it and showed it to him. 'There!' says I. 'There'syour drink, Zach Bloomer,' says I. 'Now hand over my five cents.' 'Holdon, Posy,' he says, 'hold on. I said a drink. There ain't a drink inthat bottle.' 'Go 'long,' says I, 'the bottle's half full.' But he stuckit out there wasn't a drink in it and afore he'd pay me my bet he had toprove it to himself. Even then, after he'd swallowed the whole of it,he vowed and declared there wasn't a real drink. But he had to hand overthe five cents.... And--and that's how I know," concluded Primmie, "thatthere ain't any cherry rum in the house, Miss Martha."
Miss Phipps' remarks on the subject of the wily Mr. Bloomer and the rumdrove the thoughts of Mr. Bangs' odd behavior from the mind of her maid.But the consciousness of conspiracy was always present with Galusha, tryas he might to forget it. And he was constantly being reminded--of it.Down at the post office at mail time he would feel his coat-tail pulledand looking up would see the face of Mr. Pulcifer solemnly gazingover his head at the rows of letter boxes. Apparently Raish was quiteunconscious of the little man's presence, but there would come anothertug at the coat-tail and a barely perceptible jerk of the Pulcifer headtoward the door.
Feeling remarkably like a fool, Galusha would follow to the front stepsof the post office. There Raish would suddenly and, in a tone of joyfulsurprise, quite as if they had not met for years, seize his hand, pumpit up and down and ask concerning his health, the health of the Gould'sBluffs colony and the "news down yonder." Then, gazing blandly up theroad at nothing in particular, he would add, speaking in a whisper andfrom the corner of his mouth: "Comin' along, Perfessor. She's a-comin'along. Keep your ear out for signals.... What say? Why, no, I don'tthink it does look as much like rain as it did, Mr. Bangs."
One evening Galusha, entering the Phipps' sitting room, found Luliethere. She and Martha were in earnest conversation and the girl wasplainly much agitated. He was hurriedly withdrawing, but Miss Phippscalled him back.
"Come in, Mr. Bangs," she said. "I think Lulie would like to talk toyou. She said she would."
"Yes. Yes, I would, Mr. Bangs," put in Lulie, herself. "Could you sparejust a minute or two?"
Galusha cheerfully avowed that he had so many spare minutes that he didnot know what to do with them.
"If time were money, as they say it is," he added, "I should bea--ah--sort of mint, shouldn't I?" Then he smiled and added: "Why,no, not exactly that, either. A mint is where they make money and Icertainly do not make time. But I have just as much time as if I did.Yes--ah--quite so. As our philosophizing friend Zacheus is so fondof saying, I have 'all the time there is.' And if time ISmoney--why--ah.... Eh? Dear me, possibly you ladies know what I amtalking about; _I_ don't."
They both burst out laughing and he smiled and stroked his chin. Marthalooked him over.
"What makes you so nervous, Mr. Bangs?" she asked. He started andcolored. He was a trifle nervous, having a shrewd suspicion as to whatMiss Hallett wished to talk with him about. She promptly confirmed thesuspicion.
"Mr. Bangs," she said, "I am in such trouble. It's about father, asusual. I'm afraid he is at it again."
"Eh? I beg pardon? Oh, yes, certainly."
Martha shook her head. "He hasn't the slightest idea what you mean,Lulie," she declared. "That's why he says 'Oh, yes, certainly.' Shemeans, Mr. Bangs, that Cap'n Jethro is beginnin' to break out withanother attack of Marietta Hoag's spirits, and we've been tryin' tothink of a way to stop him. We haven't yet. Perhaps you can. Can you?"
Lulie went on to explain. Her father had been more gloomy and thoughtfulfor the last week or two. She had noticed it and so had Zach. He talkedwith her less and less as the days passed, lapsed into silences atmeals, and on nights when he was supposed to be off duty and asleep s
heoften heard him walking about his room. If she asked him, as, of course,she often did, what was the matter, if he was not feeling well or ifthere was anything troubling him, he only growled a negative or orderedher not to bother him.
"And when, last Wednesday at supper," she went on, "Zach said somethingabout the engine for the foghorn not working just as it should, father'sanswer showed us both what was in his mind. I had guessed it before andZach says he had, but then we knew."
"Tell Mr. Bangs what he said," urged Martha.
"He didn't say so very much, Mr. Bangs, but it was the way he said it.He glowered at poor Zach, who hadn't said or done anything wrong, andpulled his beard as he always does. Then he said: 'There's no wonder theengine's out of kilter. There's no wonder about that. The wonder isthat anything's right aboard here. We've been trying to steer without acompass. We've got so we think we don't need a pilot or a chart, butare so everlasting smart we can cruise anywhere on our own hook.' 'Why,father,' said I, 'what do you mean?' He glared at me then. 'Mean?' heasked. 'I mean we've had guidance offered to us, offered to us over andover again, and we've passed it by on the other side.'"
She paused. Galusha looked puzzled.
"Ah--um, yes," he observed. "On the other side? Yes--ah--quite so."
"Oh, that was just his way of speaking, Mr. Bangs. I tried to changethe subject. I asked him if he didn't think we should report the enginetrouble to the inspector when he came next month. It was a mistake, mysaying that. He got up from his chair. 'I'm going to report,' he said.'I'm going to make my report aloft and ask for guidance. The foghornain't the only thing that's runnin' wild. My own flesh and blood defiesme.'"
Martha interrupted. "You hear that, Mr. Bangs?" she said. "And we wereall hopin' THAT snarl was straightenin' itself out."
Galusha looked very uneasy. "Dear me," he said. "Really, now. Oh, dear!"
"Well," continued Lulie, "that was enough, of course. And the next day,last Thursday, Zacheus said Ras Beebe told him that Ophelia--that's hissister, you know--told him that Abel Harding told her that his wife saidthat Marietta Hoag told HER--I HOPE I've got all the 'hims' and 'hers'straight--that Cap'n Jeth Hallett was going to have another seance downat the light pretty soon. Marietta said that father felt he needed helpfrom 'over the river'.... What is it, Mr. Bangs?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. For a moment I did not get the--ah--allusion, the'over the river,' you know. I comprehend now, the--ah--Styx; yes."
But now Martha looked puzzled.
"Sticks!" she repeated. "Lulie didn't say anything about sticks. Neitherdid Cap'n Jethro. Spirits he was talkin' about."
"Yes, I know. Certainly, quite so. The shades beyond the Styx."
"SHADES? STICKS! For mercy's sakes, Mr. Bangs--!"
Lulie laughed aloud. "He means the River Styx, Martha," she explained."Don't you know? The river of the dead, that the ancients believed in,where Charon rowed the ferry."
And now Martha laughed. "My goodness gracious me!" she cried. "Yes, yes,of course. I've read about it, but it was a long while ago. Mr. Bangs,I'm dreadfully ignorant, I realize it about once every ten minutes whenI'm with you. Perhaps I've got a little excuse this time. I've beenfigurin' I must buy new curtains for the dinin' room. I was thinkin'about it all this forenoon. And when YOU began to talk about shades andsticks, I--Mercy me! I am funny, I declare!"
She laughed again and Lulie and Galusha joined her. They were stilllaughing when the dining room door opened. Mr. Bloomer's substantial ifnot elegant form appeared.
"Ain't buttin' in, be I?" inquired Zach. "I knew you was over here,Lulie, so I stopped to tell you the news. It's all settled."
"Settled?" Lulie and Martha repeated the word together. Zach nodded,portentously.
"Um-hm," he declared. "Settled's the word. The whistle's piped toquarters. All hands, alow and aloft, are ordered to report on board thegood ship Gould's Bluffs Lighthouse, Cap'n Jethro Hallet commandin',on Friday next, the--er--I-forget-what of this month, at seven bells inthe--"
"Zach! Zach!" broke in Lulie. "Stop it! What are you talking about?"
"Talkin' about what I'm tryin' to tell you," said Zacheus, who seemed,for him, a good deal disturbed. "All able believers, fo'mast hands,and roustabouts and all full-rated ghosts, spooks, sperits and Chineecontrols are ordered to get together in the parlor next Saturday nightand turn loose and raise-whatever 'tis they raise. Signed, MariettaHoag, Admiral, and Cap'n Jethro Hallett, Skipper. There, by Godfreys!Now if you don't know 'tain't my fault, is it? Yes, sir, there's goin'to be another one of them fool sea-ants, or whatever 'tis they call 'em,over to the house next Friday night. And I think it's a darn shame,if you want to know what _I_ think. And just as you and me, Lulie, washopin' the old man was gettin' so he'd forgot Marietta and all her crew.A healthy note, by Godfreys, ain't it now!"
"A healthy note," or words to that effect, was exactly what it was;Martha and Lulie were in thorough accord with Zach as to that. Galushadid not say very much. He rubbed his chin a good deal and when, afterBloomer had departed, Lulie came close to breaking down and crying, hestill was silent, although nervous and evidently much disturbed. Luliebravely conquered her emotion.
"Please don't mind me," she begged. "It's awfully silly of me, I know.But, you see, Nelson and I had really begun to think that perhaps fatherhad broken away from--from all that. For a time he was--oh, different.Nelson told you that he bowed to him once and I told you how--But whatis the use? Here he goes again. And now goodness knows what dreadfulideas that Hoag woman will put into his head. Nelson and I had hopedthat perhaps--perhaps we might be married in six months or a year.Now--Oh, it is SO discouraging!"
Martha soothed her, told her not to be discouraged, that no doubt thisspirit outbreak would be only a mild one, that she was sure Captain Jethwould "come around all right" in time, and grasped at any other strawsof comfort she found afloat. Galusha stood awkwardly by, his faceexpressing concern, but his tongue silent. When Lulie declared she mustgo home, he insisted upon walking to the light with her.
"But you don't need to, Mr. Bangs," she declared. "It is a pleasantnight and such a little way. And you know I am used to running aboutalone. Why, what on earth do you think would be likely to hurt me, downhere in this lonesomeness?"
Nevertheless, he insisted. But, although she chatted during their shortwalk, it was not until they reached the light keeper's gate that hespoke. Then he laid a hand on her arm.
"Ah--ah--Miss Lulie--" he began, but she stopped him.
"I thought we had settled long ago," she said, "that I wasn't to be'Miss' Lulie. Now you are beginning again."
"Yes--yes. I beg your pardon, of course. Well, Miss--Oh, dear me, HOWridiculous I am! Well, Lulie, I should like to tell you a story. May I?"
It seemed a queer place and an odd time to tell stories, but she said ofcourse he might.
"It wasn't a very long story," he went on, "but it is a true one.I happened to think of it just now while we were talking, you and Iand--ah--Miss Martha. It is about me. On one of my expeditions in Egypt,Miss Lu--Oh, good gracious!--On one of my Egyptian expeditions, Lulie,I was in search of a certain tomb, or group of tombs. It was on thisexpedition, by the way, that we found the very remarkable statue ofAmenemhait; Amenemhait III, you know."
Lulie smiled. "I DON'T know," she said, "but it doesn't matter."
"Eh? Oh, no, not at all, not in the least. He was a Pharaoh of the firstTheban period. But that doesn't matter either; and he hasn't anythingto do with this story. We had learned of the existence of this group oftombs, or that they had existed at one time, and of their approximatelocation, from an inscription dug up by myself at--"
The door of the light keeper's cottage swung open with a bang. A voiceroared across the night.
"Lulie!" shouted Captain Jethro. "Lulie!"
The Bangs' story broke off in the middle. Its narrator and his youngcompanion turned startled faces toward the sound.
"Lulie!" bellowed Captain Jeth, again. "Lulie!"
Lulie answered
. "Why, yes, father," she said. "I am right here, at thegate. Why are you shouting so? What is the matter?"
The captain seemed much surprised. He raised a hand to shield his eyesfrom the lamplight in the room behind him.
"Hey?" he queried. "Where be you? You ain't right there at the gate, areyou?"
"Why, yes, of course I am."
"Humph!..." Then, with renewed suspicion, "Who's that with you?"
"Mr. Bangs. I ran over to Martha's for a minute or two, and he walkedhome with me."
"Good-evening, Captain Hallett," hailed Galusha. Captain Jethro pulledhis beard.
"Humph!" he grunted. "Humph! Mr. Bangs, eh?... Humph! Ithought--Cal'late I must have fell asleep on the sofy and beendreamin'.... Humph!... Lulie, you better come in now, it's chilly outhere. Mr. Bangs can come, too, I suppose likely--if he wants to."
It was not the most cordial of invitations and Galusha did not acceptit.
"I must get back to the house, Captain," he said. "It IS chilly, as yousay. No doubt he is right, Lulie. You mustn't stay. Good-night."
"But, Mr. Bangs, you haven't finished your story."
"Eh? Dear me, so I haven't. Well--"
"Lulie!" Captain Jethro's voice was fretful. "Lulie, you come along innow. I want you."
Lulie shook her head resignedly. "Yes, father," she replied, "I'mcoming this minute. You see?" she whispered. "He is getting back allthe impatience and--and strangeness that he had last fall. It is thatdreadful spirit business. Oh, dear!"
Galusha softly patted her shoulder. "I won't finish my story," hesaid, in a low tone. "It isn't necessary, because I can tell youthe--ah--moral, so to speak, and that will do as well. We found thosetombs at last by doing a thing which, we were all sure, was the worstthing we could possibly do. It turned out to be that 'worst thing' whichsaved us. And--and I wish you would think that over, Lulie," he added,earnestly. "It looked to be the very worst thing and--and it turned outto be the best.... Ah--good-night."
But she detained him. "I don't understand, Mr. Bangs," she said. "Whatdo you mean? You said you were going to tell me the moral of your story.That isn't a moral, is it?"
"Eh? No--ah--no. I suppose it isn't. But--but you think it over, toplease me, you know. A--a something which looked to be the worstthat could happen was the miracle that gave us our tombs. Perhapsthe--perhaps what you dread most may give you yours. Not your tomb; dearme, no! I hope not. But may be the means of--of saving the situation.There, there, I must go. Good-night."
"Wait, wait, Mr. Bangs.... Oh, yes, father, I'm coming now.... Mr.Bangs, what DO you mean? What I dread the most? What I dread--I think Idread that silly seance next Saturday night more than anything else. Mr.Bangs, you don't mean--"
"Now, now, now, Lulie. I mustn't say a word more. I--I have said toomuch, I know. Just think over the--ah--moral, that's all. Thinkit over--but don't mention it to any one else, please. Good-night.Good-night, Captain Hallett."
He hurried away. Lulie stared after him, wonderingly; then she turnedand walked slowly and thoughtfully to the door. Her father regarded herwith a troubled expression.
"I dreamed," he said, slowly, "that Julia come to me and said somethin'about you. I don't seem to recollect just what 'twas she said. But 'twassomethin' about you--somethin' about me lookin' out for you.... Seem'sif," he added, doubtfully, "as if she said you'd look out for me, butthat's just foolishness and wouldn't mean nothin'. It couldn't be, thatcouldn't.... Humph! Well, come on in."
The remainder of that week the seance to be held in the light keeper'scottage on Saturday evening was much talked about. The devout, includingthe Beebes, the Hardings and the Blounts were quite excited about it.The scoffers derided and waxed sarcastic. Of these scoffers the mostoutspoken was Horatio Pulcifer. He declared that the whole fool businessmade him tired. Old Cap'n Jeth Hallett must be getting cracked as one ofthem antique plates. He wasn't sure that the selectmen hadn't ought tostop the thing, a lot of ninnies sitting in a round circle holding handsand pretending to get spirit messages. Huh! Just let 'em get a messagethat proved something, that meant something to somebody, and he'dbelieve, too, he'd be glad to believe. But he was from Missouri andthey'd got to show him. With much more to the same effect.
In private, and in the ear of Galusha Bangs, he made a significantremark.
"Go?" he repeated. "Me go to that seance thing? Not so you'd noticeit, Perfessor. I'm what they call a wise bird. I get up early, aconsider'ble spell before breakfast. Um-hm, a consider'ble spell.Saturday night I'm goin' to be a long ways from Gould's Bluffslighthouse, you bet on that."
Galusha expressed surprise and gave reasons for that emotion. Raishwinked and nodded.
"Yes, I know," he said, "but I'm goin' to have what they call an alibi.You ain't been to court much, I presume likely, Perfessor, so you maynot be on to what alibi is. When Bill Alworthy was hauled up for sellin'without a license we had an alibi for him. He proved he was fourteenmile away from where he sold the stuff--I mean from where they said hesold it--and it was that what got him off. Well, on Saturday nightI'm goin' to have an alibi. I'm goin' to be settin' in at a littlepenny-ante in Elmer Rogers' back room over to the Centre. An alibi'sa nice thing to have in the house, Perfessor. Hey? Haw, haw, haw! Yes,sir-ee! In case there's any talk they won't be able to pin much on yourUncle Raish, not much they won't."
He nudged the Bangs' ribs and walked off, chuckling. Galusha, too,smiled as he watched him go. Both he and Mr. Pulcifer seemed to findamusement in the situation. Yet, and Galusha realized it, there was alsofor him that element of risk.
On Thursday Captain Jethro stopped at the Phipps' home to inviteits inmates to the Saturday evening meeting. His invitation was notprecisely whole-hearted, but the reason he gave for offering it causedits acceptance.
"Lulie seems to want you and Mr. Bangs," he said, "so come along if youfeel like it. I know you're one of the don't-believers, Martha, and Iguess likely Bangs is, but never mind. The door's open if you want tocome. Maybe you'll hear somethin' that'll lead you to the light; let'shope so. Anyhow, Lulie wants you."
It will be noticed that Primmie's name was not mentioned in theinvitation, but that did not prevent her acceptance. That evening, afterthe supper dishes were washed, Miss Phipps heard agonized wails comingfrom the kitchen and, going there, found her maid seated in a chair,swaying back and forth, and, as Zach Bloomer once described a similarperformance, "tootin' her everlastin' soul into the harmonica."
"I'm practicin' up for Saturday night," she informed her mistress,cheerfully. "I've been tryin' to think up some other hymn tunes and I'vethought of one, but I can't remember what 'tis, the whole of it, I mean.You know, Miss Martha, the one about:
'Oh, what a sight 'twill be When the somethin'-or-other host we see, As numberless as the sands on the seashore.'
What kind of a host is it, Miss Martha? All I can think of is 'rancid'and I'm plaguy sure 'tain't THAT."
Martha burst out laughing. "It is 'ransomed,' Primmie," she said. "Butif you're figurin' on playin' that thing over at the seance, I'm afraidyou'll be disappointed. Cap'n Jethro has had the old melodeon repaired,I believe. And, so far as I've heard, you haven't been asked to come,have you?"
Primmie became a statue of despair.
"Oh, Miss Martha," she pleaded, "CAN'T I go? Can't I please go? You'regoin' and so's Mr. Bangs, and--and I do like 'em so, those spiritmeetin's. They scare me 'most to death and I just love 'em. PLEASE can'tI go, Miss Martha?"
Martha took pity on her. "Well, all right, Primmie," she said. "Go, ifyou want to. I don't believe Jethro will care. And," with a shrug, "Idon't know as another idiot, more or less, added to the rest of us, willmake much difference."
Saturday, the eventful day, or the day of the eventful evening, was fineand clear. At noon an unexpected event, the first of several, occurred;Zacheus, bringing the mail from the post office, brought a large andheavy letter addressed to Galusha Bangs, Esq., and stamped in the upperleft-hand corner with the name of the National Institute
of Washington.Galusha opened it in his room alone. It was the "plan," the long-agoannounced and long-expected plan in all its details. An expedition wasto be fitted out, more completely and more elaborately than any yetequipped by the Institute, and was to go to the Nile basin for extendedand careful research lasting two years at least. And he was offeredthe command of that expedition, to direct its labors and to be itsscientific head. Whatever it accomplished, he would have accomplished;the rewards--the understanding gratitude of his fellow archaeologiststhe world over would be his, and his alone.
He sat there in his room and read and reread the letter. The termsin which the offer had been made were gratifying in the extreme. Theconfidence in his ability and scientific knowledge were expressedwithout stint. But, and more than this, between the lines he could readthe affection of his associates there at the Institute and their pridein him. His own affection and pride were touched. A letter like this andan offer and opportunity like these were wonderful. The pride he feltwas a very humble pride. He was unworthy of such trust, but he was proudto know they believed him worthy.
He sat there, the many sheets of the letter between his fingers, lookingout through the window at the brown, windswept hollows and little hillsand the cold gray-green sea beyond. He saw none of these. What he didsee was the long stretch of ridged sand, heaving to the horizon, thebrilliant blue of the African sky, the line of camels trudging on, on.He saw the dahabeah slowly making its way up the winding river, the flatbanks on either side, the palm trees in silhouetted clusters against thesunset, the shattered cornice of the ruins he was to explore just cominginto view. He saw and heard the shrieking, chattering laborers digging,half naked, amid the scattered blocks of sculptured stone and, beforeand beneath them, the upper edge of the doorway which they wereuncovering, the door behind which he was to find--who knew whattreasures.
"Mr. Bangs," called Martha from the foot of the stairs, "dinner'sready."
Galusha was far away, somewhere beyond the Libyan desert, but he heardthe summons.
"Eh?" he exclaimed. "Oh, yes, yes, Miss Martha, I am coming."
As he descended the stairs, it occurred to him that the voices callinghim to dinner across the sands or beneath the palms would be quitedifferent from this one, they would be masculine and strange and withoutthe pleasant, cheerful cordiality to which he had become accustomed.Martha Phipps called one to a meal as if she really enjoyed having himthere. There was a welcome in her tones, a homelike quality, a... yes,indeed, very much so.
At table he was unusually quiet. Martha asked him why he looked at herso queerly.
"Eh? Do I?" he exclaimed. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't aware. I beg yourpardon. I hope you're not offended."
She laughed. "Mercy me," she said, "I'm not offended so easily. And ifyour absent-mindedness could make me take offense, Mr. Bangs, weshould have quarreled long ago. But I should like to know what you werethinkin' about. You sat there and stared at me and your face was assolemn as--as Luce's when it is gettin' past his dinner time. You lookedas if you had lost your best friend."
He did not smile even then. Nor did he make any reply worth noting. As amatter of fact, he was awakening to the realization that if he acceptedthe call to Egypt--and accept he must, of course--he would in solemntruth lose his best friend. Or, if not lose her exactly, go away andleave her for so long that it amounted to a loss. He must leave thisdining room, with its plants and old pictures and quaint homeliness,leave the little Phipps' cottage, leave its owner.... The dazzlingvisions of sands and sphinxes, of palms and pyramids, suddenly losttheir dazzle. The excitement caused by the reading of the letter dulledand deadened. The conviction which had come upon him so often of latereturned with redoubled vigor, the conviction that he had been happywhere he was and would never be as happy anywhere else. Egypt, evenbeloved Egypt with all the new and wonderful opportunities it nowoffered him, did not appeal. The thought was alarming. When he didnot want to go to Egypt there must be something the matter with him,something serious. What was it?
After dinner he told her of the offer which had been made him.
"Perhaps you would like to see the letter," he said. "It is a very kindone. Dear me, yes. Much kinder than I deserve."
She read the long letter through, read the details of the great planfrom end to end. When the reading was finished she sat silent, theletter in her lap, and she did not look at him.
"They are very kind to me, aren't they?" he said, gravely. "Very kindand generous. The thought of it quite--ah--overwhelms me, really. Ofcourse, I know what they say concerning my--ah--the value of my serviceis quite ridiculous, overstated and--and all that, but they dothat thinking to please me, I suppose. I... Why--why, Miss Martha,you--you're not--"
She smiled, a rather misty smile. "No," she said, "I'm not. But I thinkI shall if you keep on talkin' in that way."
"But--but, Miss Martha, I'm so sorry. I assure you I did not mean tohurt your feelings. If I have said anything to distress you I'm VERYsorry. Dear me, dear me! What did I say? I--"
She motioned him to silence. "Hush, hush!" she begged. "You didn't sayanything, of course, except what you always say--that what you havedone doesn't amount to anything and that you aren't of any consequenceand--all that. You always say it, and you believe it, too. When I readthis letter, Mr. Bangs, and found that THEY know what you really are,that they had found you out just as--as some of your other friends have,it--it--"
She paused. Galusha turned red. "I--I--" he stammered. "Oh, you mustn'ttalk so, Miss Martha. It's all nonsense, you know. Really it is."
She shook her head and smiled once more.
"All right," she argued. "Then we'll call it nonsense; but it's prettyglorious nonsense, seems to me. I do congratulate you, Mr. Bangs. AndI congratulate the Institute folks a great deal more. Now tell me somemore about it, please. Where is this place they want you to go to?"
That afternoon Galusha spent in wandering about the countryside. He wentas far from home as the old graveyard in South Wellmouth. He took a longwalk and it should have been a pleasant one, but somehow it was not,particularly. All he could think of was the two facts--one, that he hadbeen offered a wonderful opportunity, for which he should be eagerly andhugely grateful; two, that he was not grateful at all, but resentful andrebellious. And what on earth was the matter with him?
Martha was setting the supper table when he came in. He went to hisroom and when he came down supper was almost ready. Primmie was in thekitchen, busy with the cooking.
"We're having an early supper, Mr. Bangs," said Martha. "Thateverlastin' seance begins about half past seven, so Cap'n Jethro tookpains to tell me, and he'll be crosser'n a hen out in a rainstorm ifwe're not on time."
Galusha looked surprised. He had forgotten the seance altogether. Yes,he had quite forgotten it. And, up to that noon, he had thought of verylittle else the entire week. What WAS the matter with him?
"Lulie is goin' to send Zach over to tell us when they're ready to setsail for Ghost Harbor," went on Martha. "That will save us watchin' theclock. What say?"
But he had not said anything and she went on arranging the dishes. Afteran interval she asked a question.
"How soon--that is, when will you have to leave us--leave here, Mr.Bangs?" she asked. She was not looking at him when she asked it.
Galusha sighed. "In about two weeks, I--ah--suppose," he said.
"Oh!"
"Ah--yes."
There was another silent interval. Then Martha turned her head tolisten.
"Wasn't that an automobile I heard then?" she asked. "Yes, it is. Itcan't be the Spiritualist crowd comin' so soon. No, it is stoppin' here,at our gate. Is it Doctor Powers, I wonder?"
She went to the window, pulled aside the shade and looked out.
"It is a big car," she said. "It isn't the doctor, that's sure. There'sa man gettin' out, a big man in a fur coat. Who on earth--?"
Steps sounded without upon the walk, then there was a knock upon theside door, that of the dining room. Martha opened
the door. A man'svoice, a brisk, businesslike voice, asked a question.
"Why, yes," replied Miss Phipps, "he lives here. He's right here now.Won't you step in?"
The man who had asked the question accepted the invitation and enteredthe dining room. He was a big, broad-shouldered man in a raccoon motorcoat. He took off a cap which matched the coat and looked about theroom. Then he saw Galusha.
"Why, hello, Loosh!" he said.
Galusha knew him, had recognized the voice before he saw its owner. Hismouth opened, shut, and opened again. He was quite pale.
"Ah--ah--why, Cousin Gussie!" he stammered.
For the man in the fur coat standing there in Martha Phipps' dining roomwas the senior partner of Cabot, Bancroft and Cabot.
Galusha the Magnificent Page 18
