第118章

"Suppose we do not talk about it now," she said."As I understand it, you--we, that is--have made up our minds.We have decided to do certain things which seem to us right.Right or wrong, they must be done now.I am trying very hard to believe them right and not to worry any more about them.Oh, I CAN'T worry! I can't!

With all the rest, I--I-- Please let us change the subject.Mr.

Paine, I am afraid you must think me selfish.I have said nothing about your own trouble.Father--" she choked on the name, but recovered her composure almost immediately--"Father told me, after his return from your house this morning, that his purchase of the land had become public and that you were in danger of losing your position at the bank."I smiled."That danger is past," I answered."I have lost it.

Captain Dean gave me my walking papers this morning.""Oh, I am so sorry!"

"I am not.I expected it.The wonder is only that it has not happened before.I realized that it was inevitable when I made up my mind to sell.It is of no consequence, Miss Colton.""Yes, it is.But Father offered you the position in his employ.

He said you refused, but he believed your refusal was not final.""He was wrong.It is final."

"But--"

"I had rather not discuss that, Miss Colton."She looked at me oddly, and with a faint smile."Very well," she said, after a moment, "we will not discuss it now.But you cannot suppose that either Father or I will permit you to suffer on our account.""There is no suffering.I sold the land to your father deliberately and with complete knowledge of the consequences.As to the bank--well, I am no worse off than I was before I entered its employ.

I am satisfied."

She toyed with her coffee spoon.

"Captain Dean seems to be the only person in Denboro who knows of the sale," she said."Why has he kept it a secret?""I don't know.Has he?"

"You know he has, Mr.Paine.Mr.Cahoon did not know of it, and he would be one of the first to hear.It seems odd that the captain should tell no one.""Probably he is waiting for the full particulars.He will tell, you may be sure of that.His last remark to me was that he should drive me out of Denboro."I rather expected a burst of indignation.In fact I was somewhat hurt and disappointed that it did not come.She merely smiled once more.

"He has not done it yet," she said."If he knew why you sold that land--your real reason for selling it--he would not drive you away, or try to."I was startled and alarmed.

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly.

"If he knew he would not drive you away, would he?""He will never know."

"Perhaps he may.Perhaps the person for whose sake you sold it may tell him.""Indeed he will not! I shall see to that.""Oh, then there is such a person! I was sure of it before.Now you have told me."Before I could recover from the mental disturbance and chagrin which my slip and her quick seizure of it caused me, the butler re-entered the room.

"Mrs.Colton is awake and asking for you, Miss Mabel," he said.

"The doctor thinks you had better go to her at once, if you please."With a word of apology to me, she hurried away.I rose from the table.I had had breakfast enough.The interruption had come at a fortunate time for me.Her next question might have forced me to decline to answer--which would have been equivalent to admitting the truth--or to lie.One thing I determined to do without delay.

I would write Taylor at once warning him to be more close-mouthed than ever.Under no conditions would I permit him to speak.If it were necessary I would go to Washington, where he and Nellie were spending their honeymoon, and make him promise to keep silence.

His telling the truth might ruin him, and it certainly would not help me.In the one essential thing--the one which was clenching my determination to leave Denboro as soon as I could and seek forgetfulness and occupation elsewhere--no one could help me.Imust help myself, or be miserable always.Just now the eternal misery seemed inevitable, no matter what I did.

Johnson cleared the table and left me alone in the library.The hours passed.Nine o'clock came, then nine-thirty.It was almost time for the stock market to open.My thoughts, which had been diverted from my rash plunge into the intricacies of high finance, began to return to it.As ten o'clock drew near, I began to realize what I had bade Davis do, and to think what might happen because of it.I, Roscoe Paine, no longer even a country banker, was at the helm of "Big Jim" Colton's bark in the maelstrom of the stock market.It would have been funny if it had not been so desperate.And desperate it was, sheer reckless desperation and nothing else.I must have been crazier than ever, more wildly insane than I had been for the past month, to even think of such a thing.It was not too late yet, I could telegraph Davis--The telephone on the desk--not the public, the local, 'phone, but the other, Colton's private wire to New York--rang.I picked up the receiver.

"Hello-o! Hello-o!" a faint voice was calling."Is this Colton's house at Denboro?...Yes, this is Davis....The wire is all right now....Is this Mr.Colton speaking?""No," I answered, "Mr.Colton is here in the house.You may give the message to me.""I want to know if his orders hold.Am I to buy? Ask him.I will wait.Hurry! The market opens in five minutes."I put down the receiver.Now was my opportunity.I could back out now.Five minutes more and it would be too late.But if I did back out--what?

One of the minutes passed.Then another.I seized the telephone.

"Go ahead!" I shouted."Carry out your orders."A faint "All right" answered me.

The die was cast.I was in for it.There was nothing to do but wait.