The Watchers: A Novel

by A. E. W. Mason

  CHAPTER IV

  DESCRIBES THE REMARKABLE MANNER IN WHICH CULLEN MAYLE LEFT TRESCO

  "It was my business," he began, "to fetch Cullen Mayle from Trescoover to St. Mary's where the stocks were set. It was an unpleasantbusiness, and to me doubly and damnably unpleasant."

  "I understand!" said I, thinking of how he had before spoken to me ofAdam Mayle's adopted daughter.

  "I took a file of Musquets, found the three of them at breakfast, and,with as much delicacy as I could, explained my errand. Helen aloneshowed any distress or consciousness of disgrace. Cullen strolled tothe window, and seeing that I had placed my men securely about thehouse and that my boat was ready on the sand not a dozen yards away,professed himself, with an inimitable indifference, willing to gratifymy wishes; while Adam, so far from manifesting any anger, broke outinto a great roar of laughter.

  "'Cullen, my boy,' he shouted, like a man highly pleased, 'here's anasty stumble for your pride. To sit in the stocks of a Sundaymorning, when all the girls can see you as they come from church! Tosit in the stocks like a common drunkard; and you that sets up for agentleman! Oh, Cullen, Cullen!' He wagged his head from side to side,and so brought his fist upon the table with a bang which set all theplates dancing. 'Devil damn me,' said he, 'if I don't sail to churchat St. Mary's myself and see how you look in your wooden garters.'Cullen glanced carelessly towards me. 'An unseemly old man,' said he;and we left Adam still shaking like a monstrous jellyfish, and crossedback to St. Mary's from Tresco.

  "Sure enough Adam kept his word. They were singing the _Nunc Dimittis_in the church when Adam stumped up the aisle. He had brought Helenwith him, and she looked as though she wished the brick floor to openand let her out of sight. But Adam kept his head erect and showed aface of an extraordinary good humour. You may be certain that theparson got the scantiest attention imaginable to his discourse. Forone thing, Adam Mayle had never set foot in St. Mary's Church before,and for another, every one was agog to see how he would bear himselfafterwards, when he passed on his way to the quay across the littlespace before the Customs House.

  "There was a rush to the church door as soon as the benediction waspronounced, and it happened that I was one of the last to come out ofthe porch. The first thing that I saw was Adam walking a little wayapart amongst the gravestones with a stranger, and the next thing,Helen talking to Dick Parmiter."

  Here I interrupted Clutterbuck, for I was anxious to let no detailescape me.

  "Had Dick crossed with Adam Mayle from Tresco?"

  "I think not," returned Clutterbuck. "He was not in the church. I donot know, but I fancy he brought the stranger over to St. Mary'safterwards."

  "And who was this stranger?"

  "George Glen he called himself, and said he had been quartermasterwith Adam Mayle at Whydah. He was a squat, tarry man, of Adam's age orthereabouts, and the pair of them walked through the gates and crossedthe fields over to the street of Hugh Town. I made haste to joinHelen," Clutterbuck continued, and explained his words with anunnecessary confusion. "I mean, I would not have it appear that sheshared in the disgrace which had befallen Cullen Mayle. So I walkedwith her, and we followed Adam down the street to the Customs House,where it seemed every inhabitant was loitering, and where Cullen sat,with his hat cocked forward over his forehead to shield him from thesun, entirely at his ease.

  "It was curious to observe the behaviour of the loiterers. Someaffected not to see Cullen at all; some, but those chiefly maidens,protested that it was a great shame so fine a gentleman should be sobarbarously used. The elders on the other hand answered that he hadcome over late to his deserts, while a few, with a ludicrous pretenceof unconsciousness, bowed and smiled at him as though it was the mostnatural thing in the world for a man in a laced coat to take the airin the stocks of a Sunday morning.

  "Into the midst of this group marched Adam Mayle, and came to a haltbefore his son. He had composed his face to an unexceptionablegravity, and as he prodded thoughtfully with his stick at the sole ofCullen's shoe,

  "'This is the first time,' he said, 'that ever I saw a pair of silkstockings in the stocks.'

  "'One lives and learns,' replied Cullen, indifferently; and the oldman lifted his nose into the air and said dreamily:

  "'There is a ducking-chair, is there not, at the pier head?' and sowalked on to the steps where his boat was moored. He went down into itwith Mr. Glen, and the two men set about hoisting the sail. I wasstill standing on the pier with Helen.

  "'You will come too?' she said with a sort of appeal. 'I do not knowwhat may happen when Cullen is set free and comes back, I should bevery glad if you would come.'"

  Lieutenant Clutterbuck broke off his story and walked uneasily once ortwice across the room as though he was troubled even now with therecollection of her appeal and of how she looked when she made it.

  "So I went," he continued suddenly, and with a burst of frankness."You see, Steve, she and I were very good friends; I never sawanything but welcome in her eyes when I crossed over to Tresco, andthe kindliness of her voice had a warmth, and at times a tenderness,which I hoped meant more than friendship. Indeed, I would have stakedmy life she was ignorant of duplicity; and with Cullen she seemedalways at some pains to conceal a repugnance. Well, I was young, Isuppose; I saw with the eyes of youth, which see everything out of itsdue proportion. I crossed to Tresco, and while we were seated atdinner, about two hours later, Cullen Mayle strolled in and took hischair. Dick Parmiter had waited for him at St. Mary's until such timeas he was set free, and had brought him across the Road.

  "I cannot deny but what Cullen Mayle bore himself very suitably forthe greater part of the time we were at table. Adam's blatant jestswere enough to set any man's teeth on edge, yet Cullen made as thoughhe did not hear a word of them, and talked politely upon indifferenttopics to us and Mr. Glen. Adam, however, was not to be silenced thatway. His banter became coarse and vindictive; for one thing he haddrunk a deal of liquor, and for another he was exasperated that hecould not provoke his son. I forget what particular joke he roared outfrom the head of the table, but I saw Cullen stretch his arm out overthe cloth.

  "'I see what is amiss,' he said, wearily, and took away the brandybottle from his father's elbow. He went to the window, and opening it,emptied the bottle on to the grass beneath the sill. Then he came backto his seat and said suavely to Mr. Glen: 'My father cannot get thebetter of his old habits; he is drunk very early on Sundays--anunregenerate old put of a fellow as ever I came across.'

  "The quarrel followed close upon the heels of that sentence, andoccupied the afternoon and was renewed at supper. Adam very violentand blustering; Cullen very cool and composed, and only betraying hispassion by the whiteness of his face. He used no oaths; he sat staringat his father with his dark sleepy eyes, and languidly accused him ofevery crime in the Newgate Calendar, with a great deal of detail as totime and place, and adding any horrible detail which came into hismind. The old man was routed at the last. About the middle of supperhe got up from his chair, and going up the stairs shut himself into aroom which he had fitted up as a cabin, and where he was used to sitof an evening.

  "We were all, as you may guess, inexpressibly relieved when Adam leftthe parlour, for here it seemed was the quarrel ended. We counted,however, without Cullen. He looked for a moment or two at his father'sempty chair, and stood up in his turn.

  "'Here's an old rogue for you,' he said in a gentle voice. 'He has nomore manners than a nasty pig. I'll teach him some,' and he followedhis father up the stairs and into the cabin above. What was saidbetween them we never heard, but we gathered at the foot of the stairsin the hall and listened to their voices. The old man bellowed asthough he was in pain, and shook the windows with his noise; Cullen'svoice came to us only as a smooth, continuous murmur. For half an hourperhaps we stood thus in the hall--interference would have only madematters worse--and I own that this half hour was not wholly unpleasantto me. Helen, in a word,
was afraid, and more than once her hand waslaid upon my coat-sleeve, and, touching it, ceased to tremble. Sheturned to me, it seemed, in that half hour of fear; I was fool enoughto think it.

  "At length we heard a door opening. Cullen negligently came down thestairs; Adam rushed out after him as far as the head of the stairs,where he stopped.

  "'Open the door, one of you!' he bawled. 'Kick him out, Clutterbuck,and we'll see what damned muck-heap his fine manners will lead himto.'

  "The outcry brought the servants scurrying into the hall. Adamrepeated his order and one of the servants threw open the door.

  "'Will you fetch me my boots?' said Cullen, and sitting down in achair he kicked off his shoes. Then he pulled on his bootsdeliberately, stood up and felt in his pockets. From one pocket hedrew out five guineas, from a second two, from a third four. Theseeleven guineas he held in his open hand.

  "'They belong to you, I think,' he said, softly, poising them in hispalm; and before any one could move a step or indeed guess at hisintention, he raised his arm and flung them with all his force towhere his father stood at the head of the stairs. Two of the guineascut the old man in the forehead, and the blood ran down his face; therest sparkled and clattered against the panels behind his head, whencethey fell on to the stairs and rolled one by one down into the hall.No one spoke; no one moved. The brutal violence of the action for themoment paralysed every one; even Adam stood shaking at the stair headwith his wits wandering. One by one the guineas rolled down thestaircase, leaping from step to step, rattling as they leaped; and fora long time it seemed, one whirred and sang in a corner as it spanround and settled down upon the boards; and when the coin had ceasedto spin, still no one moved, no one spoke. A murmur of waves breakinglazily upon the sand, a breath of air stirring a shrub in the garden,the infinitesimal trumpeting of a gnat, came through the window,bringing as it were tales of things which lived into a room ofstatues.

  "Cullen himself was the first to break the enchantment. He took hiswatch from his fob and holding it by the ribbon twirled it backwardsand forwards. It was a big silver watch, and as he twirled it this wayand that, it caught the light, seemed to throw out little sparks offire, and flashed with a dazzling brightness. The eyes of the companywere caught by it; they watched it with a keen attention, not knowingwhy they watched it; they watched it as it shone and glittered in itsrevolutions, almost with a sense of expectation, as though somethingof great consequence was to happen from the twirling of that watch.

  "'This, too, is yours,' said Cullen, 'but it was no doubt some deadsailorman's before you stole it;' and ceasing to twirl the watch heheld it steady by the ribbon. Then he looked round the hall and sawHelen staring at the watch with a queer intentness. I remember thather hand was at that moment resting upon my sleeve, and I felt it growmore rigid. I looked at her; her face was set, her eyes fixed uponCullen and his glittering watch. I spoke to her; she did not answer,she did not hear."

  Clutterbuck interrupted his story and sat moodily lost in hisrecollections, and when he resumed it was with great bitterness.

  "I think," he continued, "that when Cullen spoke, he spoke with noother end than to provoke his father yet more. You must know that theold man had just one tender spot in his heart. Cullen could have noother aim but to set his heel on that.

  "'I will come back for you, Helen,' he said, bending his eyes upon herand making as if there was much love between them; and to everybody'ssurprise Helen lifted her eyes slowly from the watch until they metCullen's, and kept them there. She did not answer him in words, therewas no need she should, every line of her body expressed obedience.

  "Even Cullen was puzzled by her demeanour. Boy and girl, maid andyouth, they had lived side by side in the house with indifference uponhis part and all the appearance of aversion upon hers. Yet here wasshe subdued in an instant at the prospect of his departure! It seemedthat the mere thought that Cullen was henceforth an outcast tore hersecret live and warm from her heart.

  "Cullen was plainly puzzled, as I say, but he was not the man to missan advantage in the gratification of his malice. He shot onetriumphant look at his father and spoke again to Helen.

  "'You will wait for me?'

  "Her eyes never wavered from his.

  "'Yes!' she answered.

  "It was a humiliating moment for me as you may imagine. It must havebeen more humiliating for Adam. With a hand upon the rail he lumberedheavily down a couple of the stairs.

  "'No!' he cried, with a dreadful oath and in a voice which wasstrangely moved.

  "'But I say yes,' said Cullen, very quietly. The smile had gone fromhis face; a new excitement kindled it. He was pitting his will againsthis father's. I saw him suddenly draw himself erect. 'Or, betterstill, you shall come with me now,' he cried. He reached out his armstraight from the shoulder towards her.

  "'Come! Come with me now.'

  "His voice rang out dominant like the clang of a trumpet, and to theconsternation of us all, Helen crossed the floor towards him. I triedto detain her. 'Helen,' I cried, 'you do not know what you are doing.He will drag you into the gutter.'

  "'Lieutenant Clutterbuck,' said Cullen, 'you are very red in the face.You cannot expect she will listen to you, for you do not look wellwhen you are red in the face.'

  "I paid no heed to his gibes.

  "'Helen,' I cried, again. She paid no more heed to my prayers. 'Whatwill you do? Where will you go?' I asked.

  "'We shall go to London,' answered Cullen, 'where we shall do verywell, and further to the best of our means Lieutenant Clutterbuck'sadvancement.'

  "Humiliation and grief had overset my judgment or I should not haveargued at this moment with Cullen Mayle. I flung out at him hotly, andlike a boy.

  "'When you are doing very well in London, Cullen Mayle, LieutenantClutterbuck will not be so far behind you.'

  "'He will indeed be close upon my heels,' returned Cullen aspleasantly as possible, 'for most likely he will be carrying myvalise.'

  "With that he turned again to Helen, beckoned her to follow him, andstrode towards the open door. She did follow him. Cullen was alreadyin the doorway; in another second she would have crossed thethreshold. But with a surprising agility Adam Mayle jumped down thestairs, ran across the hall, and caught the girl in his arms. She didnot struggle to free herself, but she strained steadily towardsCullen. The old man's arms were strong, however.

  "'Shut the door,' he cried, and I sprang forward and slammed it to.

  "'Lock it! Bolt it!'

  "Adam stood with his arms about the girl until the heavy bar swungdown across the door and dropped into its socket with a clang. Now doyou understand why I will not go down to Tresco? I can give youanother reason if you are not content. When I spoke to Helen two dayslater, and taxed her with her passion for Cullen,--would you believeit?--she was deeply pained and hurt. She would not have it said thatshe had so much as thought of following Cullen's fortunes. Sheoutfaced me as though I had been telling her fairy tales, and not whatmy own eyes saw. No, indeed, I will not go down to Tresco! I am notthe traveller who has ridden into your wood upon the Great West Road."

  Lieutenant Clutterbuck took up his hat when he had finished his story,

  "The girl, besides, is not worth a thought," said he.

  "I am not thinking of her," said I. Of Lieutenant Clutterbuck, ofmyself, above all of Dick Parmiter, I was thinking, but not at all ofHelen Mayle. I drew the map towards me. Clutterbuck stopped at thedoor, came back and again leaned over my shoulder.

  "Has your traveller come out from that wood?" he asked.

  "No," I answered.

  "It is an allegory," said he. "The man who rides down on this businessto the West will, in very truth, enter into a wood from which he willnot get free."