Part 9 (1/2)

She was in the kitchen garden one morning just beside the gatehouse showing Bele for the thousandth time how to trench the peas without burying them, when a crumpled old man in a rough cap with a basket under his arm, limped through the gate.

”I want to see Major Trenton--” he said firmly.

Felicia turned. No one ever came to see the Major any more. Not even Certain Legal Matters since the time of the Major's fall. Felicia had signed many papers at his last visit some three years before and since then no one had bothered the Major.

”You'll have to see me,” answered Felicia, coolly, ”Bele, not--so-- deep! You're smothering them--what is your business?”

The man took off his cap, he put down his basket and knelt to open it and out popped the littlest, drollest fluff of a spaniel that ever frisked.

”Oh, oh!” cried Felicia softly and dropped to her knees. ”Oh, oh, it's a little Bab.i.+.c.he! Oh Zeb! Zeb! To think I didn't see who you were--”

And they walked across the paved door-yard with the tears in their eyes and Felicia took him in to Margot and brought him soup and fed the wee doggie and fluttered about like a wild young thing instead of a sedate person of twenty-seven.

”I want to ask you a thousand million things! I want to ask Marthy a thousand million things--”

Zeb closed his eyes and shook his head.

Felicia patted his shoulder.

”Has she gone away, like Maman?” she asked softly. ”I know how hard it is when folks go away, Zeb.”

”But that's not the matter o' my comin'--” Zeb pushed his bowl away and stood respectfully, ”That matter o' my comin' was as I must see the Major. On your going away, Miss Felicia, he promised me rent free for my lifetime and he gave me all the breedin' stock they was and left me the business for what I could make, so's to speak. Which isn't what it were, with new-fangled big dogs getting in style now. And with Marthy gone and all. But now with Mr. Burrel skipped out like he did, things is awful--just awful--and It seemed like I'd got to tell the Major--”

Margot pulled out a chair for Felicia.

”Sit down, Cherie,” she murmured, ”Margot will get it out--have you seen Mr. Burrel?” she questioned eagerly, ”We've no sign of him this long time--”

”He's skipped out--” repeated Zeb dully, ”Things is awful--Come last Thursday they pasted 'Auction, April 10 for Unpaid Taxes' over everything. So's when I was packing my things I come on some writing Miss Octavia left Marthy. As to how to get here, and I come.”

He was weary and spent with his journey; he was stupider than ever, poor old Zeb. Not even the round faced doctor, whom Margot and Felicia called for advice, could learn anything more from his disconnected story, save that there were ”heathen, dirty filthy heathen” living in the old house.

Felicia cuddled the new Bab.i.+.c.he thoughtfully.

”Do you think,” she asked, ”that the Major would miss me, Doctor, if I went away a little while to find out about these things?”

The doctor shook his head.

”He wouldn't,” he answered, ”But, Miss Day, you couldn't go!”

She smiled.

”Couldn't I just!” she breathed. She was quite calm about the details.

Her perfect poise awed both Margot and the doctor into thinking her quite capable. ”Zeb could stay here with Margot, the doctor could take me to the station, Zeb says he didn't come on a boat, just a train.

And you know, Margot, when I get to Brooklyn, I'll go right to Temple Bar. There was a man, as I told you, another lawyer. When I was young he told me to go to him if anything happened. Maman had him come. He will know what to do.”

Nothing they could say would dissuade her. The touch of imperiousness with which she silenced their objections made the blundering well- meaning doctor want to shake her. He waited impatiently while Margot made Felicia ready for the hasty journey. He saw nothing absurd about the slender figure that came down the stairway toward him wrapped in the very same traveling coat in which she had first journeyed to the House in the Woods. She was wearing one of Louisa's ugliest bonnets with the strings tied primly under her chin and she was fearfully pale.

The Major was sitting by his fire, dozing gently. He did not notice her at all. He roused himself for the doctor's perfunctorily cheerful farewell. It was then that he noted Felicia's coat and bonnet.