Part 40 (1/2)
With the knowledge, all the latent affection he felt for her crystallized into a mighty tide that rushed over and engulfed him in its current.
Hatred, revenge, pride were no more; only love persisted,--love the all-powerful, the all-conquering, the all-transforming.
Lucy, dearer to him than his own soul, had gone. Either in anger, or driven forth by maiden shyness, she had fled from him; and until she was brought back and was safe within the shelter of his arms, nothing remained for him in life.
Tony saw him square his shoulders and turn away.
”Good night, Mr. Howe,” he called.
”Good night, Tony.”
”Any orders for to-morrow?”
”No. Go on with your work as usual. Just be sure to water Miss Lucy's flowers.”
”I will, sir.”
”An' by the way. You needn't drive into town with that key. I'm goin' to Mr. Benton's myself, an' I'll take it.”
”All right.”
The boy watched Martin go down the driveway; but at the gate the man wheeled about and shouted back:
”You'll be sure not to forget Miss Lucy's flowers, Tony.”
”I'll remember 'em.”
”An' if I should have to be away for a while--a week, or a month, or even longer--you'll do the best you can while I'm gone.”
”I will, sir.”
”That's all. Good night.”
With a farewell gesture of his hand Martin pa.s.sed out of the gate. To have witnessed the buoyancy of his stride, one would have thought him victorious rather than defeated. The truth was, the scent of battle was in his nostrils. For a lifetime he had been the champion of Hate. Now, all the energies of his manhood suddenly awakened, he was going forth to fight in the cause of Love.
CHAPTER XVIII
LOVE TRIUMPHANT
Serene in spirit, Martin turned into the road, his future plain before him. He would search Lucy out, marry her, and bring her back to her own home. How blind he had been that he should not have seen his path from the beginning! Why, it was the only thing to do, the only possible thing!
There might be, there undoubtedly would be difficulties in tracing his sweetheart's whereabouts, but he did not antic.i.p.ate encountering any insurmountable obstacle to the undertaking: and should he be balked by circ.u.mstance it was always possible to seek a.s.sistance from those whose business it was to untangle just such puzzles. Therefore, with head held high, he hastened toward home, formulating his plans as he went along.
With the dawning of to-morrow's sun he must set forth for the western town which, if Tony's testimony was to be trusted, was Lucy's ultimate destination. It was a pity his fugitive lady had twelve hours' start of him. However, he must overtake her as best he might.
It was unquestionably unfortunate too, that it was such a bad season of the year for him to be absent from home. Harvest time was fast approaching, and he could ill be spared. But of what consequence were crops and the garnering of them when weighed against an issue of such life import as this? To plant and gather was a matter of a year, while all eternity was bound up in his and Lucy's future together.
In consequence, although he realized the probable financial loss that would result from his going on this amorous pilgrimage, the measure of his love was so great that everything else, even the patient toil of months, was as nothing beside it.