第3章

Don't know why I went, for I didn't for a moment think she'd keep her appointment.First, I couldn't find her in the train, but after we'd started she came along out of some seat in the corner, prettier than ever, holding out her hand." He drew a long inspiration."You can bet your life, Ned, I didn't let go that little hand the rest of the journey."His passion, or what passed for it, seemed to impart its warmth to the vehicle, and even stirred the chilled pulses of the man beside him.

"Well, who and what was she?"

"Didn't find out; don't know now.For the first thing she made me promise was not to follow her, nor to try to know her name.In return she said she would meet me again on another train near Hartford.She did--and again and again--but always on the train for about an hour, going or coming.Then she missed an appointment.

I was regularly cut up, I tell you, and swore as she hadn't kept her word, I wouldn't keep mine, and began to hunt for her.In the midst of it I saw her accidentally; no matter where; I followed her to--well, that's no matter to you, either.Enough that I saw her again--and, well, Ned, such is the influence of that girl over me that, by George! she made me make the same promise again!"Blandford, a little disappointed at his friend's dogmatic suppression of certain material facts, shrugged his shoulders.

"If that's all your story," he said, "I must say I see no prospect of your reforming.It's the old thing over again, only this time you are evidently the victim.She's some designing creature who will have you if she hasn't already got you completely in her power.""You don't know what you're talking about, Ned, and you'd better quit," returned Demorest, with cheerful authoritativeness."I tell you that that's the sort of girl I'm going to marry, if I can, and settle down upon.You can make a memorandum of that, old man, if you like.""Then I don't really see why you want to talk to ME about it.And if you are thinking that such a story would go down for a moment with Joan as an evidence of your reformation, you're completely out, Dick.Was that your idea?""Yes--and I can tell you, you're wrong again, Ned.You don't know anything about women.You do just as I say--do you understand?--and don't interfere with your own wrong-headed opinions of what other people will think, and I'll take the risks of Mrs.Blandford giving me good advice.Your wife has got a heap more sense on these subjects than you have, you bet.You just tell her that Iwant to marry the girl and want her to help me--that I mean business, this time--and you'll see how quick she'll come down.

That's all I want of you.Will you or won't you?"With an outward expression of sceptical consideration and an inward suspicion of the peculiar force of this man's dogmatic insight, Blandford assented, with, I fear, the mental reservation of telling the story to his wife in his own way.He was surprised when his friend suddenly drew the horse up sharply, and after a moment's pause began to back him, cramp the wheels of the buggy and then skilfully, in the almost profound darkness, turn the vehicle and horse completely round to the opposite direction.

"Then you are not going over the bridge?" said Blandford.

Demorest made an imperative gesture of silence.The tumultuous rush and roar of swollen and rapid water came from the darkness behind them."There's been another break-out somewhere, and Ireckon the bridge has got all it can do to-night to keep itself out of water without taking us over.At least, as I promised to set you down at your wife's door inside of the hour, I don't propose to try." As the horse now travelled more easily with the wind behind him, Demorest, dismissing abruptly all other subjects, laid his hand with brusque familiarity on his companion's knee, and as if the hour for social and confidential greeting had only just then arrived, said: "Well, Neddy, old boy, how are you getting on?""So, so," said Blandford, dubiously."You see," he began, argumentatively, "in my business there's a good deal of competition, and I was only saying this morning--"But either Demorest was already familiar with his friend's arguments, or had as usual exhausted his topic, for without paying the slightest attention to him, he again demanded abruptly, "Why don't you go to California? Here everything's played out.That's the country for a young man like you--just starting into life, and without incumbrances.If I was free and fixed in my family affairs like you I'd go to-morrow."There was such an occult positivism in Demorest's manner that for an instant Blandford, who had been married two years, and was transacting a steady and fairly profitable manufacturing business in the adjacent town, actually believed he was more fitted for adventurous speculation than the grimly erratic man of energetic impulses and pleasures beside him.He managed to stammer hesitatingly:

"But there's Joan--she--"

"Nonsense! Let her stay with her mother; you sell out your interest in the business, put the money into an assorted cargo, and clap it and yourself into the first ship out of Boston--and there you are.You've been married going on two years now, and a little separation until you've built up a business out there, won't do either of you any harm."Blandford, who was very much in love with his wife, was not, however, above putting the onus of embarrassing affection upon HER.