第76章

"I didn't dare fail," replied Susan."If I had, I couldn't have faced you." And by the light of the waning moon he saw the passionate gratitude of her sensitive young face.

"Oh--I've done nothing," said he, wiping the tears from his eyes--for he had his full share of the impulsive, sentimental temperament of his profession."Pure selfishness."Susan gazed at him with eyes of the pure deep violet of strongest feeling."__I_ _know what you did," she said in a low voice."And--I'd die for you."Burlingham had to use his handkerchief in dealing with his eyes now."This business has given me hysterics," said he with a queer attempt at a laugh.Then, after a moment, "God bless you, little girl.You wait here a moment.I'll see how supper's getting on."He wished to go ahead of her, for he had a shrewd suspicion as to the state of mind of the rest of the company.And he was right.There they sat in the litter of peanut hulls, popcorn, and fruit skins which the audience had left.On every countenance was jealous gloom.

"What's wrong?" inquired Burlingham in his cheerful derisive way."You are a nice bunch, you are!"They shifted uneasily.Mabel snapped out, "Where's the infant prodigy? Is she so stuck on herself already that she won't associate with us?""You grown-up babies," mocked Burlingham."I found her out there crying in darkness because she thought she'd failed.Now you go bring her in, Conny.As for the rest of you, I'm disgusted.Here we've hit on something that'll land us in Easy Street, and you're all filled up with poison."They were ashamed of themselves.Burlingham had brought back to them vividly the girl's simplicity and sweetness that had won their hearts, even the hearts of the women in whom jealousy of her young beauty would have been more than excusable.Anstruther began to get out the supper dishes and Mabel slipped away toward the forward deck."When the child comes in," pursued Burlingham, "I want to see you people looking and acting human.""We are a lot of damn fools," admitted Eshwell."That's why we're bum actors instead of doing well at some respectable business."And his jealousy went the way of Violet's and Mabel's.Pat began to remember that he had shared in the triumph--where would she have been without his violin work? But Tempest remained somber.

In his case better nature was having a particularly hard time of it.His vanity had got savage wounds from the hoots and the "Oh, bite it off, hamfat," which had greeted his impressive lecture on the magic lantern pictures.He eyed Burlingham glumly.He exonerated the girl, but not Burlingham.He was convinced that the manager, in a spirit of mean revenge, had put up a job on him.It simply could not be in the ordinary course that any audience, without some sly trickery of prompting from an old expert of theatrical "double-crossing," would be impatient for a mere chit of an amateur when it might listen to his rich, mellow eloquence.

Susan came shyly--and at the first glance into her face her associates despised themselves for their pettiness.It is impossible for envy and jealousy and hatred to stand before the light of such a nature as Susan's.Away from her these very human friends of hers might hate her--but in her presence they could not resist the charm of her sincerity.

Everyone's spirits went up with the supper.It was Pat who said to Burlingham, "Bob, we're going to let the pullet in on the profits equally, aren't we?""Sure," replied Burlingham."Anybody kicking?"The others protested enthusiastically except Tempest, who shot a glance of fiery scorn at Burlingham over a fork laden with potato salad."Then--you're elected, Miss Sackville," said Burlingham.

Susan's puzzled eyes demanded an explanation."Just this," said he."We divide equally at the end of the trip all we've raked in, after the rent of the boat and expenses are taken off.You get your equal share exactly as if you started with us.""But that wouldn't be fair," protested the girl."I must pay what I owe you first.""She means two dollars she borrowed of me at Carrollton,"explained Burlingham.And they all laughed uproariously.

"I'll only take what's fair," said the girl.

"I vote we give it all to her," rolled out Tempest in tragedy's tone for classic satire.

Before Mabel could hurl at him the probably coarse retort she instantly got her lips ready to make, Burlingham's cool, peace-compelling tones broke in:

"Miss Sackville's right.She must get only what's fair.She shares equally from tonight on--less two dollars."Susan nodded delightedly.She did not know--and the others did not at the excited moment recall--that the company was to date eleven dollars less well off than when it started from the headwaters of the Ohio in early June.But Burlingham knew, and that was the cause of the quiet grin to which he treated himself.