Part 24 (2/2)
”That's a weight off my mind, at any rate,” she answered with a little smile
I stood and faced her
”Look here, Beryl,” I said ”To prevent anyon my mind just now, but it relates to land the day before you caood bit That's all”
But she shook her head
”I doubt if that is all,” she said, and oing to get the rest of it out ofI don't want to pry into your affairs, Kenrick, but you are like one of ourselves now, and I can't bear to see you going about looking as you have been doing of late And--and--you ht do worse than consult father or Brian about it They are both very shrewd in that line you know, and ht be of use to you”
”Well, it may come to that,” I answered ”But meanwhile, Beryl, what I have told you is between ourselves You made me tell you, you know
Heaven knows I never intended to whine to you about rievances”
”Kenrick, don't,” she said, i forth her hand to rest on mine ”'Whine,' indeed! That isn't you anyway Why, I am proud of your confidence, and sorry--oh, so sorry--for its cause But youwill coht It soht I knew better, but I had done enough grizzling already, so was not going to say so And I thought with a certain bitterness that her sympathy, sweet as it as not of the nature I could have wished it to be Even then the concern in her tone, the softening of her eyes, the touch of her hand as she stood facing me, scattered my resolution to the winds She should know all, then and there--all--all
”So you think that everything will co with the spade so as not to be obliged to look at her
”Yes I have an instinct that way”
”But if it can't?”
”That is an 'if' in which my belief is so I--er, supposing a man had lost all he had in the world, and that beyond all possibility of recovery--what then?”
”He reat deal of common sense, constitute not a bad foundation for a fresh start--say in a country like this”
The cool, practical, matter-of-fact tone of this reply fairly startled e had let fall during our conversation a day or two back, gratifying to myself in that they reflected the estimation in which I seemed to be held, flashed across my mind Beryl's words were spoken with a purpose--were meant to be taken ho definite passing between us, turn the key of her ht re to ith the spade--still not looking at her ”After a time But what if that time were too late?”
”Could it ever be?”
”Why, yes Because by that tiht be no longer attainable; ht have passed out of reach irrevocably and for ever”
She did not answer In the tensity of the silence the clink of ht-up ht, froh the nearly denuded boughs upon the earth around, and the screech of crickets and the far-off melodious shout of a hoepoe hardly seemed to break the stillness What would she answer? Or would she even understand? And as to this I almost hoped not, for here had I, under cover of this veiled talk, been saying to her in effect: ”Beryl, I aar, but--hoould it be to throay the best years of your life and wait forable to rise substantially above thata case,” I appended with conscious lameness
”Oh, of course,” she answered readily ”But, supposing--”
”Beryl! Beryl!” rang out a clear, child-voice, _crescendo_ ”Oh, there you are I thought she had gone to the garden, Dr Pentridge,” this last back over a shoulder, and Iris caold-brown hair After her, in e
He started on seeing me, so plainly, so unmistakably, that, keenly observant, I at once set up the theory within my own mind that he had come to find Beryl alone, with a purpose of course The child could easily have been got rid of, but I--well, that was a different matter
”Ha, Holt! Hard at it as usual?” he said, with rather a forced geniality
”Not particularly hard Only filling up an odd moment”