Part 49 (1/2)
”Not to-night. I'm so--weary and--unstrung. I'll do whatever you say, but--give me time to--to--Oh, I'm afraid!”
”Bothwell, you cur, come in here and you and I will see this out to a finis.h.!.+” I cried in helpless fury.
”Presently, my dear Sedgwick. I'll be there soon enough, and that's a promise. But ladies first. You wouldn't have me delay my wedding, would you?”
I flung myself against the door repeatedly and tried to beat it down, but my rage was useless. The lock and the hinges held. Back I went to my porthole.
”Evelyn, are you there?”
”Yes,” came the answer in a choked voice.
”Don't do it. What are you thinking of? I'd rather die a hundred deaths than have you marry him.”
”I must, Jack. If you should be killed--and I could have prevented it---- Oh, don't you see I must?”
The words were wrung from her in a cry, as if she had been a tortured child.
”Of course she must. But why make a tragedy of it? By Heaven, you wound my vanity between the pair of you. Am I not straight--as good a man as my neighbor--still young? Come, let us make an end of the heavy-villain-and-hero business. You, my dear Sedgwick, shall stand up and give the bride away. That is to say, you shall stand at your porthole. You'll find rice in a sack to scatter if you will. We want you to enjoy yourself. Don't we, Evie?” Bothwell jeered blithely.
”You devil from h.e.l.l!”
”Pooh! Be reasonable, man. We can't both marry the maid, and by your leave I think the best man wins. Abrupt I may be, but every _Katherine_ is the better for her _Petruchio_.” He turned to her, dropping his irony for tones of curt command. ”I'll be back in twenty minutes with the parson. Be ready then.”
With that he turned on his heel and left, locking the door behind him.
CHAPTER XXV
A RESCUE
Even now when it is only a memory I do not like to look back upon that twenty minutes. My poor girl was hysterical, but decided. Neither argument nor entreaty could move her from her resolution to save my life, no matter what the cost. I pleaded in vain.
”I can't let you die, Jack--I can't--I can't.” So she answered all my appeals, with a kind of hopeless despair that went straight to my heart.
Through my remonstrances there broke a high-pitched voice jabbering something in Spanish of a sort. The sound of running footsteps on the deck above came to us. Some one called a warning.
”Keep back there or we'll fire!”
Then my heart leaped, for across the water came the cool, steady voice of Blythe.
”My man, I want to talk with Bothwell.”
More feet pattered back and forth on the deck, and among the hurrying steps was one sharp and strong.
”Good evening, Captain Blythe. You're rather late for a call, aren't you? Mr. Sedgwick was in better time. We have to thank him for an hour's pleasant entertainment.”
I recognized the voice as belonging to Bothwell.
”If you've hurt a hair of his head I'll hold you personally to account.
Unless you want me to board your schooner you will at once release Mr.