Adventure, February 1917 — page 150: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

148 sort. I have no advice to give; I think you had better ask it of the lady.” _ “Well, we did have a little conversation, hypothetical of course, about some friends of ours who found theniselves somewhat similarly situated, and I topes to say without result.” = “Indeed. I did noe know you had any mutual acquaintances. What did she say and do?” ‘She said nothing, only sighed and looked as though she were going to burst into tears, and all she did was to walk away. I’d have followed her if I could, but as my crutch wasn’t there it was impossible. seemed to me that suddenly I had come up against a brick wall, that there was some- thing on her mind which she could not or would not let out.”’ “Yes, and if you want to know, I will tell you what it is. Todd has got a hold on Marnham of a sort that would bring him somewhere near the gallows. price of his silence Marnham has promised him his daughter. The daughter knows that her father is in this man’s power, though I think she does not know in what way, and being a good girl——” “An angel you mean—do call her by her right name, especially in a place where angels are so much wanted.” “Well, an angel if you like—she has promised on her part to marry a man she loathes in order to save her parent’s bacon.”’ “Just what I concluded, from what we heard-in the row. I wonder which of that pair is the bigger blackguard. Well, Allan, that settles it. You and I are on the side of the angel. You will have to get her out of this scrape and—if she’ll have me, Ill marry her; and if she won’t, why it can’t be helped. Now that’s a fair division of labor. How are you going to do it? I haven’t an idea, and if I had, I should not presume to interfere with one so much older and wiser than myself.” “T suppose that by the time you appeared in it, the game of heads I win and tails you lose had died out of the world,” I replied with an indignant snort. “I think the best thing I can do will be to take the horse and look for those oxen. Meanwhile you can settle. your business by the light of your native genius, and I only hope youll finish it without murder and sudden death.” “IT say, old fellow,” said Anscombe earnestly, ‘you don’t really mean to go off ee As the — Adventure and leave me in this hideous mess? I haven’t bothered much up to the present because I was sure that you would find a way out, which would be nothing to a man of your intellect and experience. I mean it honestly, I do indeed.” “Do you? Well, I can only say that my mind is a perfect blank, but if you will stop talking I will try to think the matter over. There’s Miss Heda in the garden cutting - flowers. I will go to help her, which will be a very pleasant change.” And I went, leaving him to stare after me jealously. CHAPTER VII THE STOEP HEN I reached Miss Heda she was collecting half-opened monthly roses from the hedge, and not quite knowing what to say I made the appropriate quota- tion. At least it was appropriate to my thought, and, as I inferred from her answer, to hers also. “YVes,”’ she said, “I am gathering them while I may, for tomorrow——” And she sighed and, as I thought, glanced towards the veranda, though of this I could not be sure because of the wide brim of the hat she was wearing. Then we talked a little on sdliffarant matters, while I pricked my fingers helping to pluck the roses. She asked me if I thought that Anscombe was getting on well, and how long it would be before he could travel. I replied that Dr. Todd could tell her better than myself, but that I hoped in about a week, “In a week!” she said, and although she tried to speak lightly there was dismay in her voice. “T hope you don’t think it too long,” I answered; “‘but even if he is fit to go, the oxen have not come yet, and I don’t quite know when they will.’ “Too long!’ she exclaimed. ‘Too long! Oh, if you only knew what it is to me to have such guests as you are in this place,” and her dark eyes filled with tears. By now we had passed to the side of the house in search of some other flower that grew in the shade, I think it was mignonette, and were out of sight of the veranda and quite alone. “Mr. Quatermain,” she said hurriedly, NIGbooks (C (©) (E)