Part 12 (2/2)

”I am very, very sorry for him,” said Jane, gravely, musing over her lilies. There was silence for a moment; then she looked up. ”You don't think,” she ventured, her hazel eyes scanning his, ”that anybody could possibly make it up to him?”

”Anybody? Who?”

”Who, indeed?” Jane was breathing a little quickly.

Murray stared at her in mingled astonishment, questioning and dismay.

Then he spoke, abruptly and roughly: ”In the name of all absurdity, you can't mean _me_?”

Jane dropped her eyes, flus.h.i.+ng deeply. She bit her lips. ”It would be very, very hard, would n't it?”

Murray drew a deep, impatient breath. ”_Hard!_” he exploded, and turned away. Then he wheeled back. ”You're not serious?” he said, hurriedly.

”You can't be serious in even suggesting such a thing. I--bookworm, cripple, weakling----”

Jane raised her eyes once more. In the deepening twilight Murray felt as if they were searching his soul.

”And yet,” she said, slowly, and almost wistfully, ”it would be such a magnificent thing to do. It would take hero stuff, I know--yet,” she smiled, ”I think--you--could----” Then she stopped short. ”Oh, forgive me!” she cried, softly, under her breath. ”What am I that I should suggest hero deeds to you? A girl who cries nearly every night of her life because she can't go to college!”

CHAPTER VIII

MURRAY GIVES AN ANSWER

”I wish I knew,” observed Olive Townsend to Jane Bell, ”what in the world is the matter with Murray. He acts as if he had lost his head completely. I went into his room this morning, and almost fell over a pile of Indian clubs and dumb-bells; and I saw a set of chest weights hanging against the wall. It's the queerest thing! He's never gone in for that sort of thing at all--and I shouldn't think he was strong enough for it, either.”

The two girls were driving along the park roadway in a high-hung phaeton of Olive's, behind a very smartly harnessed horse. This was the third time Olive had asked Jane to drive with her, and although Jane would have enjoyed excursions into the country much more than these drives about the fas.h.i.+onable city streets, she appreciated the honour Olive meant to do her in thus exhibiting their friends.h.i.+p to all beholders.

Olive had grown to be rather proud of Jane's company upon these drives, for she was conscious that they attracted considerable admiring attention, and she fancied that Jane's quiet daintiness of attire set off her own rather more striking style.

Jane laughed at the notion that Murray was not strong enough to put himself in the way of being stronger. She knew it was Peter who had suggested this course of proceedings in response to an envious comment from Murray, when he had seen Peter scantily garbed for some severe physical labor about the house.

”Biceps?” Peter had laughed, as Murray grasped the sinewy arm and expressed his admiration for the fine development thereof. ”And deltoid?--Oh yes, that's easy. If your particular form of daily toil does n't give you muscle where you want it, get it for yourself with exercise. You can build up anything you like in a gymnasium--or in your own room, if you have the persistence.”

”You could, with your splendid health to begin on, of course,” Murray replied, with a sigh, for he had begun to suspect that Peter's unusual level-headedness and efficiency came in considerable degree from his well-developed body.

”So could you. A year of solid work with a good instructor would make another chap of you. Two years, an athlete.”

”Oh, no--not with my const.i.tution.”

”Your const.i.tution, man!” Peter had almost shouted. ”What's const.i.tution? Something to be made just about what you will of.

Fellows with a direct tendency toward consumption have made themselves giants by living outdoors and sawing wood.”

This had been the beginning, the first result of which serious talk had been the dumb-bells and chest-weights which had called forth Olive's suspicion of her brother's sanity.

”But he's never cared for anything but books--and to be let alone,”

objected Olive, when Jane replied that she thought nothing better could happen to Murray than to become interested in building up his physical being. ”It's just since Forrest has been gone--only think, that's six weeks now--that Murray has been at this.”

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