Part 26 (2/2)

Ruth did not appear to him to be very happy about it either.

'Well?' he said at last. 'What do you think of him?'

'Oh, he'll be all right, I suppose.'

'For my part, I wish he wasn't coming,' Easton continued.

'That's just what I was thinking,' replied Ruth dejectedly. 'I don't like him at all. I seemed to turn against him directly he came in the door.'

'I've a good mind to back out of it, somehow, tomorrow,' exclaimed Easton after another silence. 'I could tell him we've unexpectedly got some friends coming to stay with us.'

'Yes,' said Ruth eagerly. 'It would be easy enough to make some excuse or other.'

As this way of escape presented itself she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her mind, but almost in the same instant she remembered the reasons which had at first led them to think of letting the room, and she added, disconsolately:

'It's foolish for us to go on like this, dear. We must let the room and it might just as well be him as anyone else. We must make the best of it, that's all.'

Easton stood with his back to the fire, staring gloomily at her.

'Yes, I suppose that's the right way to look at it,' he replied at length. 'If we can't stand it, we'll give up the house and take a couple of rooms, or a small flat--if we can get one.'

Ruth agreed, although neither alternative was very inviting. The unwelcome alteration in their circ.u.mstances was after all not altogether without its compensations, because from the moment of arriving at this decision their love for each other seemed to be renewed and intensified. They remembered with acute regret that hitherto they had not always fully appreciated the happiness of that exclusive companions.h.i.+p of which there now remained to them but one week more. For once the present was esteemed at its proper value, being invested with some of the glamour which almost always envelops the past.

Chapter 13

Penal Servitude and Death

On Tuesday--the day after his interview with Rushton--Owen remained at home working at the drawings. He did not get them finished, but they were so far advanced that he thought he would be able to complete them after tea on Wednesday evening. He did not go to work until after breakfast on Wednesday and his continued absence served to confirm the opinion of the other workmen that he had been discharged. This belief was further strengthened by the fact that a new hand had been sent to the house by Hunter, who came himself also at about a quarter past seven and very nearly caught Philpot in the act of smoking.

During breakfast, Philpot, addressing Cra.s.s and referring to Hunter, inquired anxiously:

''Ow's 'is temper this mornin', Bob?'

'As mild as milk,' replied Cra.s.s. 'You'd think b.u.t.ter wouldn't melt in 'is mouth.'

'Seemed quite pleased with 'isself, didn't 'e?' said Harlow.

'Yes,' remarked Newman. ''E said good morning to me!'

'So 'e did to me!' said Easton. ''E come inter the drorin'-room an' 'e ses, ”Oh, you're in 'ere are yer, Easton,” 'e ses--just like that, quite affable like. So I ses, ”Yes, sir.” ”Well,” 'e ses, ”get it s...o...b..red over as quick as you can,” 'e ses, ”'cos we ain't got much for this job: don't spend a lot of time puttying up. Just smear it over an' let it go!”'

''E certinly seemed very pleased about something,' said Harlow. 'I thought prap's there was a undertaking job in: one o' them generally puts 'im in a good humour.'

'I believe that nothing would please 'im so much as to see a epidemic break out,' remarked Philpot. 'Small-pox, Hinfluenza, Cholery morbus, or anything like that.'

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