Part 39 (2/2)

”But you can't leave me like this. When can I see you again--there is so much I want to explain....”

”But I don't want any explanations, thank you. Come children, we _must_ go.”

”Meg, listen ... surely you have some little feeling of kindness towards me ... after all that happened....”

He put his hand on Meg's arm to detain her, and William, who had never been known to show enmity to human creature, gave a deep growl and bristled. A growl so ominous and threatening that Meg hastily loosed the pram and caught him by the collar with both hands.

Tony saw that Meg was fl.u.s.tered and uncomfortable. ”Why does he not go?”

he asked. ”I thought he was a sahib, but I suppose he is the gharri-wallah. We have thanked him--does he want backsheesh? Give him a rupee.”

”He _does_ want backsheesh,” the deep, musical voice went on--”a little pity, a little common kindness.”

It was an embarra.s.sing situation. William was straining at his collar and growling like an incipient thunderstorm.

”We have thanked you,” Tony said again with dignity. ”We have no money, or we would reward you. If you like to call at the house, Auntie Jan always has money.”

The man smiled pleasantly at Tony.

”Thank you, young man. You have told me exactly what I wanted to know.

So you are with your friends?”

”I can't hold this dog much longer,” Meg gasped. ”If you don't go--you'll get bitten.”

William ceased to growl, for far down the road he had heard a footstep that he knew. He still strained at his collar, but it was in a direction that led away from Mr. Walter Brooke. Meg let go and William swung off down the road.

”Shall we all have a lide in loo ghalli?” little Fay asked--it seemed to her sheer waste of time to stand arguing in the road when a good car was waiting empty. The children called every form of conveyance a ”gharri.”

”We shall meet again,” said this persistent man. ”You can't put me off like this.”

He raised his voice, for he was angry, and its clear tones carried far down the quiet road.

”There's Captain Middleton with William,” Tony said suddenly. ”Perhaps _he_ has some money.”

Meg paled and crimsoned, and with hands that trembled started to push the pram at a great pace.

The man went back to his car, and Tony, regardless of Meg's call to him, ran to meet William and Miles.

The back wheels of the car had sunk deeply into the soft wet turf. It refused to budge. Miles came up. He was long-sighted, and he had seen very well who it was that was talking to Meg in the road. He had also heard Mr. Brooke's last remark.

Till lately he had only known Walter Brooke enough to dislike him vaguely. Since his interview with Mrs. Trent this feeling had intensified to such an extent as surprised himself. At the present moment he was seething with rage, but all the same he went and helped to get the car up the bank, jacking it up, and setting his great shoulders against it to start it again.

All this Tony watched with deepest interest, and Meg waited, fuming, a little way down the road, for she knew it was hopeless to get Tony to come till the car had once started. Once on the hard road again, it bowled swiftly away and to her immense relief pa.s.sed her without stopping.

She saw that Miles was bringing Tony, and started on again with little Fay.

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