Chapter XX

As in utter dejection Lemuel slunk gloomily homeward, it pleased his fancy to seek out the solitude of a dim grove of pines that lay secluded from the highway. It was just the spot for a man whose fortunes were at a low ebb to rail against Fate and curse himself in, and hungering to indulge in this consoling and diverting pastime he hastened eagerly hither.

He had not, however, more than planted foot within the confines of this haven before, to his mingled chagrin and amazement, he espied Peggy Davidson lying face down on the pine-matted ground sobbing as if her heart would break.

“For goodness’ sake, Miss Peggy,” he cried, rushing to her side, “what’s the matter? You ain’t hurt, are you?”

She lifted to him a tear-stained countenance.

“Only my feelings,” answered she wanly.

“But what’s the trouble? Why, I never saw you cry before in all my life.”

“People have been known to cry for their sins,” she said, making a brave attempt at lightness.

“But that ain’t what you’re cryin’ for.”

“Yes, I am--in a way.” Then the next instant, as if conscious that the artificiality of the reply was an insult to the genuineness of Lemmy’s sympathy, she added in a confidential outburst: “I’m crying because I’ve been such a fool. Did you ever do anything silly and then repent it in sackcloth and ashes?”

“Bless your heart, yes! Were I to sum up the times I’ve been a fool ’twould take me till sundown. I’ve been one this very mornin’.” He loitered, scanning her distress with affectionate solicitude. “Do you want I should set down; or would you rather I mogged along an’ left you to yourself?”

“Please stay. I shall die if I don’t talk to somebody.” She motioned to the carpet of bronze beside her. “I believe you’re the only person in the world I could tell it all to.”

There was a quality appealingly childish in the words. Nevertheless, despite her evident wish to unburden the griefs that oppressed her, the foreshadowed confession was so long in coming that at length Lemmy himself broke the silence:

“It’s about Eric, ain’t it?” began he, encouragingly.

“How did you know?”

“I just gave a guess, thinkin’ mebbe it might be. I’ve been kinder upset about him, too.”

“Really!”

“Yes,” nodded Lemuel impressively, “I’ve been considerable concerned about him--considerable concerned. It’s sorter seemed to me things warn’t goin’ ’xactly as they’d oughter. That Shattuck chap, glistenin’ as his buttons are, ain’t no feller for you to marry.”

“I know it.”

“You do? Wal’, wal’! I’m thankful to hear you say so. It takes a load off my mind.” He patted her hand with satisfaction. “So you’ve actually come to that conclusion, have you?”

Peggy bowed her head.

“I decided so yesterday,” she responded, following with thoughtful eyes the flicker of the shadows spangling the pine-strewn earth. “He went away this morning.”

“He’s gone already?”

“Yes.”

“My land! An’ now you’re cryin’? You ain’t sorry so quick, I hope.”

“I’m not sorry at all.”

It was plain from the long breath Lemmy drew he was relieved.

“U----m! Then that’s done an’ over with!” announced he jubilantly.

Nevertheless, notwithstanding his approval of this initial step toward the unravelling of Peggy’s difficulties, he halted, aware that those to follow were not so simple.

“An’ now what happens?” he questioned cautiously.

“Nothing.”

“Nothin’! But bless my soul! Surely you don’t mean that. If nothin’ was to happen afterwards what was the use of packin’ young Shattuck off bag an’ baggage?”

“He bothered me--stirred me up. I couldn’t think when he was at my elbow.”

“Oh, that was it, eh? Then his goin’ had nothin’ to do with Doctor Hollingsworth after all.” The Captain could not conceal his disappointment.

“Eric Hollingsworth?” He saw her flush. “Why should it? Eric and I are just old friends. Besides, he’s all taken up with that Miss Parker. He is with her every minute of the day. Not that I care,” she continued, drawing in her chin. “He has a perfect right to trail round with anybody he pleases. She’s an awfully nice girl and I don’t blame him an atom. Only--”

“I don’t ’xactly see how you could,” drawled Lemuel. “You left him kinder high an’ dry, you see. Naturally he had to take up with somebody.”

“I suppose in a man’s estimation one girl is as good as another,” cut in Peggy, for the first time displaying irritation.

The thrust, however, failed to penetrate Lemuel Gill’s good humor.

“No,” contradicted he in the same slow, placid tone, “generally speakin’ men have their preferences same’s women. Still, when a girl’s comely as Eleanor Parker is sorter lyin’ round loose a man would be next to a numskull not to anchor to her--particularly after you’d showed him you warn’t interested in him.”

“But I am!” came instantly from Peggy.

“Mebbe--after a fashion. Nevertheless, you don’t set any ’special store by him.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Oh! Wal’, wal’! That changes matters, don’t it? Makes ’em awkward. Pity Eric warn’t made aware of the fact before, ’cause now with you carin’ for him at such a rate an’ he apparently carin’ for this Parker girl--”

He heard a stifled sob.

“I--I--told you I’d been--been a fool.”

Lemuel covered the slim white hand with one of his brown ones.

“There, there, I wouldn’t cry about it if I was you,” said he. “Cryin’ ain’t goin’ to mend nothin’. You’d much better put a brave face on it an’ keep a stiff upper lip. Why, if I was to cry because of the way Rebecca Crosby turns up her nose at me I’d be drowned in brine.”

“Rebecca Crosby!” Peggy, startled out of her own misfortunes by the remark, stared at him.

“I s’pose you think ’cause I’m three times your age I’ve no feelin’s,” continued Lemmy, with wounded dignity.

“You know I don’t,” was the indignant protest. “Nobody in the world has a bigger heart than you. But you see I never--why, the idea of your falling in love never crossed my mind.”

“Nor mine either,” confessed the swain with frankness. “Yet had I considered the possibility fore an’ aft for the last twenty years an’ mapped out precisely what I’d do if I ever found myself in such a predicament, ’twouldn’t ’a’ had much weight when it come to the scratch. Fallin’ in love ain’t one of the things you set out to do, same’s you plan to go a-fishin’. It’s more like walkin’ blindfolded into a puddle of water--first you know of the puddle you’re in it.”

In spite of herself Peggy laughed.

“Carin’ for folks makes you terrible wretched,” commented Lemmy after a long, dreamy silence.

“Doesn’t it! Why, I lay awake nights and--”

“I don’t,” cut in the Captain. “I ain’t got that far--at least not yet. Much as I love Rebecca, I sleep every night like a top. I find there’s plenty of time durin’ the day to keep her in mind an’ get fussed up. Evenin’s, too, when I don’t need to weed an’ it gets too dark for pickin’ off dead blossoms or cultivatin’, I fall to thinkin’ of her. It’s lonely over to the shack after dusk. So as I set there with nothin’ to do but shoo off the mosquitoes I get to considerin’ how senseless ’tis she should be goin’ through the world alone an’ I committin’ a similar foolishness, when we could just as well be spliced together an’ cheerin’ one another up. We could live cosy as two squirrels at my place. She likes flowers an’ is a prime cook. An’ then over across the way there’d be Althea for her to visit with.”

“So there would!” exclaimed Peggy with enthusiasm. “Why, it would be ideal. Have you suggested it to ’Becca?”

“Kinder faintly. But she didn’t seem to swaller the bait. While I was skirmishin’ round gettin’ het up to present the notion so it would sound temptin’ she melted away somewheres. So you see you’re the only person I’ve actually discussed the scheme with. I’d give my eye teeth, though, to know what Asaph’s opinion would be of such a match.”

“Suppose I ask him.”

“Oh, no--no! Don’t do that on any account. Like as not he’d be all riled up thinkin’, prob’ly, my marryin’ would interfere with our flower raisin’. I wouldn’t want his feelin’s hurt. No! Better leave things as they are for the present, I reckon. Mebbe I won’t go no farther with the idea, anyhow.”

“But it would be such a wonderful--such a suitable marriage,” the girl persisted. “Here’s Rebecca with no home and practically no relatives; and she loves the Cape. She would transform your wee house into--”

“Don’t I know it? You don’t have to remind me of that. Ain’t I pictured it to myself a dozen times? Meanwhile I could look out for her an’ make her feel somebody cared about her. I’ve a bit of money tucked away in the bank, an’ though, to be sure, it ain’t as much as it would ’a’ been hadn’t I gone buyin’ bulbs an’ perennials with it, with plannin’ it could be stretched to cover the wants of two people well’s one.”

“Do let me see what I can do.”

But once more the Captain became panic-stricken.

“No, no!” implored he. “I couldn’t let you stir a peg, kind as you are to propose it. But to prove I ain’t without appreciation, Miss Peggy, s’pose I have a word with Eric Hollingsworth an’ see if I can’t switch him off the Parker girl. Mebbe if he was to know you--”

“Oh, please don’t! Promise me you won’t breathe a syllable of what I’ve told you,” cried Peggy, displaying in turn a terror violent as his own.

“You don’t want I should?”

“No, indeed. It would be dreadful. I should go through the floor.”

“There, there, dear child. Don’t look so frightened. I won’t even whisper it unless you want me to. I only thought mebbe if I--”

“I know, and it was dear of you, Captain Gill. But I couldn’t--”

“Wal’, that’s all right. You know your own business best.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

It was just at this juncture that the sound of a snapping twig caused the condoning lovers to glance up.

Standing in a little patch of sunlight regarding them with bewilderment and incredulity they beheld Rebecca Crosby.

Whether she had sought out the same refuge as the others in which to berate herself for some action she regretted; whether she was melancholy, lonely, or as out of sorts with life as they, who can say? There at least she stood eying them with an astonishment so profound it held her transfixed as a statue.

The surprise of Lemuel and Peggy equalled if not outdid her own and for an instant the trio remained speechless.

Peggy was the first to assemble her scattered wits.

“Oh, Miss Rebecca,” cried she, springing to her feet and seizing the golden moment before it should be too late, “you are the very person we were talking about. Captain Gill has something to say to you--something tremendously important. Do let him tell you what it is.”

Then, flashing Rebecca a smile and patting Lemmy encouragingly on the shoulder, the girl took flight down the wooded path and was out of sight before either the agitated Lemuel or the dismayed Rebecca could stay her steps.