第88章

I am not going to attempt a description of my thoughts that night.

It would take too long and the description would be wearisome.

Other people's miseries are not interesting and I shall not catalog mine.Morning came at last and I rose, bathed my hot face in cold water, and went down stairs.Early as it was, not yet six, I heard Dorinda in the kitchen and, having no desire for conversation, Iwent out and walked up and down the beach until breakfast time.Ihad to pretend to eat, but I ate so little that both Lute and Dorinda once more commented upon my lack of appetite.Lute, who had never become fully reconciled to my becoming a member of the working class, hastened to lay the blame for my condition upon my labors at the bank.

"The trouble is," he announced, dogmatically, "the trouble is, Roscoe, that you ain't fitted for bein' shut up astern of a deck.

Look at yourself now! Just go into Comfort's room and stand in front of her lookin' glass and look at yourself.There you be, pale and peaked and wore out.Look for all the world just as Idone when I had the tonsils two winters ago.Ain't that so, Dorindy?"His wife's answer was a contemptuous sniff.

"If you mean to say that you looked peaked when you had sore throat," she announced, "then there's somethin' the matter with your mind or your eyesight, one or t'other.You peaked? Why, your face was swelled up like a young one's balloon Fourth of July Day.

And as for bein' pale! My soul! I give you my word I couldn't scurcely tell where your neck left off and the strip of red flannel you made me tie 'round it begun.""Don't make no difference! I FELT pale, anyhow.And I didn't eat no more'n Ros does.You'll have to give in to that, Dorindy.Ididn't eat nothin' but beef tea and gruel.""You et enough of them to float a schooner.""Maybe I did," with grieved dignity; "maybe I did.But that's no reason why you should set there and heave my sufferin's in my face.""What is the man talkin' about now? I didn't heave 'em in your face.They come there themselves, same as sore throat sufferin's generally do, and if you hadn't waded around in the snow with leaky boots, because you was too lazy to take 'em to the shoemaker's to be patched, they wouldn't."Lute drew back from the table."It's no use!" he declared, "a man can't even be sick in peace in this house.Some wives would have been sorry to see their husbands with one foot in the grave.""Your feet was in the cookstove oven most of the time.There!

there! the more you talk the further from home you get.You started in with Roscoe and the bank and you're in the grave already.If I was you I'd quit afore I went any further.Land knows where you might fetch up if you kept on! I...Mercy on us! who's at the kitchen door this time in the mornin'?"Her husband, ever curious, was on his way to answer the knock already.He came back, a moment later, sputtering with excitement.

"It's that Mr.butler, the Johnson over to Mr.Colton's," he whispered."I mean it's that Jutler--that-- There, Dorindy! you see what sort of a state your hectorin' has worked me into! It's that parson critter who opens Colton's door for him, that's who 'tis.And he wants to see Ros.I tried to find out what for, but he wouldn't tell."Even Dorinda showed surprise.She looked at the clock, "This hour of the mornin'!" she exclaimed; "what in the world--?"I hastened to the kitchen, closing the dining-room door behind me just in time to prevent Lute's following me.Johnson, the butler, was standing on the mica slab at the threshold inspecting our humble premises with lofty disdain.

"Mr.Colton sent this to you, sir," he said, handing me an envelope."He wishes you to send a receipt by me."I took the envelope and, stepping back out of sight, tore it open.

Inside was a check on a New York bank for four thousand dollars.

It was made payable to "Bearer." With it was this brief note:

Dear Paine:

This is the best I can do for you, as I haven't the money on hand.

Cash it yourself, take out your thirty-five hundred and hold the additional five hundred until I, or one of the family, call for it.

I made the thing payable to Bearer because I imagined you would prefer it that way.Send me some sort of receipt by Johnson;anything will do.I will see my lawyer in a day or two.Meanwhile have your papers, deeds, etc., ready when he calls for them.

Yours truly, JAMES W.COLTON.

For a minute I considered.If I could cash the check at the bank without Taylor's knowledge and get him off to Boston on the early train, I might be able to cover my tracks.It was necessary that they should be covered.Knowing George as I did I knew that he would never consent to my sacrifice.He would not permit me to wreck my future in Denboro to save him.The money must be turned over to the Boston bankers and the bank's bonds once more in the vault where they belonged before he learned where that money came from.Then it would be too late to refuse and too late to undo what had been done.He would have to accept and I might be able to prevail upon him to keep silent regarding the whole affair.Idisliked the check with Colton's name upon it; I should have much preferred the cash; but cash, it seemed, could not be had without considerable delay, and with that bank examiner's visit imminent every moment of time was valuable.I folded the check, put it in my pocketbook, and, hastily scribbling a receipt in pencil at the bottom of Colton's note, replaced the latter in the envelope and handed it to Johnson, who departed.

Entering the dining-room I found Dorinda and Lute at the window, peering after the butler.

"By time!" exclaimed Lute, "if I didn't know I should say he was a bigger big-bug than old Colton himself.Look how he struts! He sartin is a dignified lookin' man.I don't see how he ever come to be just hired help.""Um-hm," sniffed the cynical Mrs.Rogers."Well; you can get an awful lot of dignity for its board and lodgin'! There's nothin'