Part 47 (1/2)
Captain Tom started and looked incredulous.
”Please don't think me egotistical,” Rufus continued, with a painful blush. ”I can a.s.sure you I have never aspired so high. But----”
”You saved her life.”
”I had that good fortune, and she was grateful, and she showed her grat.i.tude in many ways. One afternoon back in the winter I met her on the Downs, and we had a ramble together, and unfortunately the Captain saw us.”
”And you think he was jealous?”
”I do. What led to the quarrel was, he charged me with loitering round Trewinion so that I might waylay her, and influence her against him.”
”But why did you not mention that in court?”
”What would have been the good of it? He would have denied it on oath.
Besides, I'd rather be accused of drunkenness than drag Miss Grover's name into such a sordid squabble.”
”Oh, indeed!” and the Captain's eyebrows went up perceptibly.
”You'll excuse me talking so freely, Capt'n Tom,” Rufus went on, ”but it really does me good to open my heart to someone, and I know you'll respect my confidence.”
”I wish you had come to me sooner my boy, though I never thought very seriously of the matter. I concluded it was a sudden lapse, and in all probability would never happen again.”
”But it was nothing of the sort,” Rufus said, with a touch of vehemence in his tone. ”I am as innocent of the charge as you are.”
”Then the men who witnessed against you are guilty of perjury?”
”Timothy Polgarrow is, without a doubt. Poor old Micah Martin may have fancied I was not sober. Besides, he would conceive it to be his bounden duty to accept his young master's word.”
For several seconds Captain Tom remained silent, with his eyes fixed upon the ground.
”Such villainy ought to be exposed,” he said, at length, raising his eyes suddenly.
”But how is it to be done?”
”I don't know, my boy,” he answered, reflectively, ”I don't know.”
”You said just now that in the long run people got their deserts.”
”I did, sonny, and I believe it.”
”But where shall I come in? Suppose they do get their deserts, that won't compensate me.”
The Captain's grave face relaxed into a broad smile. ”Perhaps young Tregony's deserts will be in not getting the girl,” he said, and he gave a loud guffaw.
”Well?”
”That may be where you come in. My stars, but if I were in your shoes, I'd make him jealous for something. By all accounts he hasn't got her yet.”
”I don't know; I've heard nothing.”
”Neither have I, for that matter. But if he had got her, it would have been in all the papers. You may be quite sure of that.”