XIV
North DormerтАЩs celebration naturally included the villages attached to its township, and the festivities were to radiate over the whole group, from Dormer and the two Crestons to Hamblin, the lonely hamlet on the north slope of the Mountain where the first snow always fell. On the third day there were speeches and ceremonies at Creston and Creston River; on the fourth the principal performers were to be driven in buckboards to Dormer and Hamblin.
It was on the fourth day that Charity returned for the first time to the little house. She had not seen Harney alone since they had parted at the woodтАЩs edge the night before the celebrations began. In the interval she had passed through many moods, but for the moment the terror which had seized her in the Town Hall had faded to the edge of consciousness. She had fainted because the hall was stiflingly hot, and because the speakers had gone on and on.тБатАКтБатАж Several other people had been affected by the heat, and had had to leave before the exercises were over. There had been thunder in the air all the afternoon, and everyone said afterward that something ought to have been done to ventilate the hall.тБатАКтБатАж
At the dance that eveningтБатАФwhere she had gone reluctantly, and only because she feared to stay away, she had sprung back into instant reassurance. As soon as she entered she had seen Harney waiting for her, and he had come up with kind gay eyes, and swept her off in a waltz. Her feet were full of music, and though her only training had been with the village youths she had no difficulty in tuning her steps to his. As they circled about the floor all her vain fears dropped from her, and she even forgot that she was probably dancing in Annabel BalchтАЩs slippers.
When the waltz was over Harney, with a last handclasp, left her to meet Miss Hatchard and Miss Balch, who were just entering. Charity had a moment of anguish as Miss Balch appeared; but it did not last. The triumphant fact of her own greater beauty, and of HarneyтАЩs sense of it, swept her apprehensions aside. Miss Balch, in an unbecoming dress, looked sallow and pinched, and Charity fancied there was a worried expression in her pale-lashed eyes. She took a seat near Miss Hatchard and it was presently apparent that she did not mean to dance. Charity did not dance often either. Harney explained to her that Miss Hatchard had begged him to give each of the other girls a turn; but he went through the form of asking CharityтАЩs permission each time he led one out, and that gave her a sense of secret triumph even completer than when she was whirling about the room with him.
She was thinking of all this as she waited for him in the deserted house. The late afternoon was sultry, and she had tossed aside her hat and stretched herself at full length on the Mexican blanket because it was cooler indoors than under the trees. She lay with her arms folded beneath her head, gazing out at the shaggy shoulder of the Mountain. The sky behind it was full of the splintered glories of the descending sun, and before long she expected to hear HarneyтАЩs bicycle-bell in the lane. He had bicycled to Hamblin, instead of driving there with his cousin and her friends, so that he might be able to make his escape earlier and stop on the way back at the deserted house, which was on the road to Hamblin. They had smiled together at the joke of hearing the crowded buckboards roll by on the return, while they lay close in their hiding above the road. Such childish triumphs still gave her a sense of reckless security.
Nevertheless she had not wholly forgotten the vision of fear that had opened before her in the Town Hall. The sense of lastingness was gone from her and every moment with Harney would now be ringed with doubt.
The Mountain was turning purple against a fiery sunset from which it seemed to be divided by a knife-edge of quivering light; and above this wall of flame the whole sky was a pure pale green, like some cold mountain lake in shadow. Charity lay gazing up at it, and watching for the first white star.тБатАКтБатАж
Her eyes were still fixed on the upper reaches of the sky when she became aware that a shadow had flitted across the glory-flooded room: it must have been Harney passing the window against the sunset.тБатАКтБатАж She half raised herself, and then dropped back on her folded arms. The combs had slipped from her hair, and it trailed in a rough dark rope across her breast. She lay quite still, a sleepy smile on her lips, her indolent lids half shut. There was a fumbling at the padlock and she called out: тАЬHave you slipped the chain?тАЭ The door opened, and Mr.┬аRoyall walked into the room.
She started up, sitting back against the cushions, and they looked at each other without speaking. Then Mr.┬аRoyall closed the door-latch and advanced a few steps.
Charity jumped to her feet. тАЬWhat have you come for?тАЭ she stammered.
The last glare of the sunset was on her guardianтАЩs face, which looked ash-coloured in the yellow radiance.
тАЬBecause I knew you were here,тАЭ he answered simply.
She had become conscious of the hair hanging loose across her breast, and it seemed as though she could not speak to him till she had set herself in order. She groped for her comb, and tried to fasten up the coil. Mr.┬аRoyall silently watched her.
тАЬCharity,тАЭ he said, тАЬheтАЩll be here in a minute. Let me talk to you first.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩve got no right to talk to me. I can do what I please.тАЭ
тАЬYes. What is it you mean to do?тАЭ
тАЬI neednтАЩt answer that, or anything else.тАЭ
He had glanced away, and stood looking curiously about the illuminated room. Purple asters and red maple-leaves filled the jar on the table; on a shelf against the wall stood a lamp, the kettle, a little pile of cups and saucers. The canvas chairs were grouped about the table.
тАЬSo this is where you meet,тАЭ he said.
His tone was quiet and controlled, and the fact disconcerted her. She had been ready to give him violence for violence, but this calm acceptance of things as they were left her without a weapon.
тАЬSee here, CharityтБатАФyouтАЩre always telling me IтАЩve got no rights over you. There might be two ways of looking at thatтБатАФbut I ainтАЩt going to argue it. All I know is I raised you as good as I could, and meant fairly by you always except once, for a bad half-hour. ThereтАЩs no justice in weighing that half-hour against the rest, and you know it. If you hadnтАЩt, you wouldnтАЩt have gone on living under my roof. Seems to me the fact of your doing that gives me some sort of a right; the right to try and keep you out of trouble. IтАЩm not asking you to consider any other.тАЭ
She listened in silence, and then gave a slight laugh. тАЬBetter wait till IтАЩm in trouble,тАЭ she said.
He paused a moment, as if weighing her words. тАЬIs that all your answer?тАЭ
тАЬYes, thatтАЩs all.тАЭ
тАЬWellтБатАФIтАЩll wait.тАЭ
He turned away slowly, but as he did so the thing she had been waiting for happened; the door opened again and Harney entered.
He stopped short with a face of astonishment, and then, quickly controlling himself, went up to Mr.┬аRoyall with a frank look.
тАЬHave you come to see me, sir?тАЭ he said coolly, throwing his cap on the table with an air of proprietorship.
Mr.┬аRoyall again looked slowly about the room; then his eyes turned to the young man.
тАЬIs this your house?тАЭ he inquired.
Harney laughed: тАЬWellтБатАФas much as itтАЩs anybodyтАЩs. I come here to sketch occasionally.тАЭ
тАЬAnd to receive Miss RoyallтАЩs visits?тАЭ
тАЬWhen she does me the honourтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬIs this the home you propose to bring her to when you get married?тАЭ
There was an immense and oppressive silence. Charity, quivering with anger, started forward, and then stood silent, too humbled for speech. HarneyтАЩs eyes had dropped under the old manтАЩs gaze; but he raised them presently, and looking steadily at Mr.┬аRoyall, said: тАЬMiss Royall is not a child. IsnтАЩt it rather absurd to talk of her as if she were? I believe she considers herself free to come and go as she pleases, without any questions from anyone.тАЭ He paused and added: тАЬIтАЩm ready to answer any she wishes to ask me.тАЭ
Mr.┬аRoyall turned to her. тАЬAsk him when heтАЩs going to marry you, thenтБатАФтАЭ There was another silence, and he laughed in his turnтБатАФa broken laugh, with a scraping sound in it. тАЬYou darsnтАЩt!тАЭ he shouted out with sudden passion. He went close up to Charity, his right arm lifted, not in menace but in tragic exhortation.
тАЬYou darsnтАЩt, and you know itтБатАФand you know why!тАЭ He swung back again upon the young man. тАЬAnd you know why you ainтАЩt asked her to marry you, and why you donтАЩt mean to. ItтАЩs because you hadnтАЩt need to; nor any other man either. IтАЩm the only one that was fool enough not to know that; and I guess nobodyтАЩll repeat my mistakeтБатАФnot in Eagle County, anyhow. They all know what she is, and what she came from. They all know her mother was a woman of the town from Nettleton, that followed one of those Mountain fellows up to his place and lived there with him like a heathen. I saw her there sixteen years ago, when I went to bring this child down. I went to save her from the kind of life her mother was leadingтБатАФbut IтАЩd better have left her in the kennel she came from.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ He paused and stared darkly at the two young people, and out beyond them, at the menacing Mountain with its rim of fire; then he sat down beside the table on which they had so often spread their rustic supper, and covered his face with his hands. Harney leaned in the window, a frown on his face: he was twirling between his fingers a small package that dangled from a loop of string.тБатАКтБатАж Charity heard Mr.┬аRoyall draw a hard breath or two, and his shoulders shook a little. Presently he stood up and walked across the room. He did not look again at the young people: they saw him feel his way to the door and fumble for the latch; and then he went out into the darkness.
After he had gone there was a long silence. Charity waited for Harney to speak; but he seemed at first not to find anything to say. At length he broke out irrelevantly: тАЬI wonder how he found out?тАЭ
She made no answer and he tossed down the package he had been holding, and went up to her.
тАЬIтАЩm so sorry, dearтБатАКтБатАж that this should have happened.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
She threw her head back proudly. тАЬI ainтАЩt ever been sorryтБатАФnot a minute!тАЭ
тАЬNo.тАЭ
She waited to be caught into his arms, but he turned away from her irresolutely. The last glow was gone from behind the Mountain. Everything in the room had turned grey and indistinct, and an autumnal dampness crept up from the hollow below the orchard, laying its cold touch on their flushed faces. Harney walked the length of the room, and then turned back and sat down at the table.
тАЬCome,тАЭ he said imperiously.
She sat down beside him, and he untied the string about the package and spread out a pile of sandwiches.
тАЬI stole them from the love-feast at Hamblin,тАЭ he said with a laugh, pushing them over to her. She laughed too, and took one, and began to eat.
тАЬDidnтАЩt you make the tea?тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ she said. тАЬI forgotтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬOh, wellтБатАФitтАЩs too late to boil the water now.тАЭ He said nothing more, and sitting opposite to each other they went on silently eating the sandwiches. Darkness had descended in the little room, and HarneyтАЩs face was a dim blur to Charity. Suddenly he leaned across the table and laid his hand on hers.
тАЬI shall have to go off for a whileтБатАФa month or two, perhapsтБатАФto arrange some things; and then IтАЩll come backтБатАКтБатАж and weтАЩll get married.тАЭ
His voice seemed like a strangerтАЩs: nothing was left in it of the vibrations she knew. Her hand lay inertly under his, and she left it there, and raised her head, trying to answer him. But the words died in her throat. They sat motionless, in their attitude of confident endearment, as if some strange death had surprised them. At length Harney sprang to his feet with a slight shiver. тАЬGod! itтАЩs dampтБатАФwe couldnтАЩt have come here much longer.тАЭ He went to the shelf, took down a tin candlestick and lit the candle; then he propped an unhinged shutter against the empty window-frame and put the candle on the table. It threw a queer shadow on his frowning forehead, and made the smile on his lips a grimace.
тАЬBut itтАЩs been good, though, hasnтАЩt it, Charity?тБатАКтБатАж WhatтАЩs the matterтБатАФwhy do you stand there staring at me? HavenтАЩt the days here been good?тАЭ He went up to her and caught her to his breast. тАЬAnd thereтАЩll be othersтБатАФlots of othersтБатАКтБатАж jollierтБатАКтБатАж even jollierтБатАКтБатАж wonтАЩt there, darling?тАЭ
He turned her head back, feeling for the curve of her throat below the ear, and kissing here there, and on the hair and eyes and lips. She clung to him desperately, and as he drew her to his knees on the couch she felt as if they were being sucked down together into some bottomless abyss.