Part 53 (2/2)

”She's Mistress Robbie Teare and a dacent woman, sir,” said Caesar, digging into the beef, ”and that's all the truck a Christian church has got with it.”

Kate did not eat her dinner that day, and neither did she speak out as she had intended. A supernatural power seemed to have come down at the last moment and barred up the one remaining pathway of escape. She was in the track of the storm. The tempest was ready to fall on her. Where could she fly for shelter?

What her father had said of the girl had revealed her life to her in the light of her relation to Philip. The thought of the possible contingency which she had foreseen with so much joy, as so much power, had awakened the consciousness of her moral position. She was a fallen woman! What else was she? And if the contingency befell, what would become of her?

In the intensity of her father's pietistic views the very shadow of shame would overwhelm his household, overthrow his sect, and uproot his religious pretensions. Kate trembled at the possibility of such a disaster coming through her. She saw herself being driven from house and home. Where could she fly? And though she fled away, would she not still be the cause of sorrow and disgrace to all whom she left behind--her mother, her father, Pete, everybody?

If she could only tear out the past, at least she could stop this marriage. Or if she had been a man she could stop it, for a man may sin and still look to the future with a firm face. But she was a woman, and a woman's acts may be her own, but their consequences are beyond her.

Oh, the misery of being a woman! She asked herself what she could do, and there was no answer. She could not break the web of circ.u.mstances.

Her situation might be false, it might be dishonourable, but there was no escape from it. There was no gleam of hope anywhere.

Late that night--Sunday night--they were sitting together in the kitchen, Kate in the fire-seat as usual, Pete on the stool by the turf closet, smoking up the chimney, Caesar reading aloud, Grannie listening, and Nancy cooking the supper, when the porch door burst open and somebody entered. Kate rose to her feet with a startled cry of joy, looked round eagerly, and then sat down again covered with confusion.

It was the girl Christian Killip, a pale, weak, frightened creature, with the mouth and eyes of a hare.

”Is Mr. Quilliam here?” she asked.

”Here's the man himself, Christian,” said Grannie. ”What do you want with him?”

”Oh, G.o.d bless you, sir,” said the girl to Pete, ”G.o.d bless you for ever and ever.”

Then turning back to Grannie, she explained in woman's fas.h.i.+on, with many words, that somebody unknown had sent her twenty pounds, for the child, by post, the day before, and she had only now guessed who it must be when John the Clerk had told her what Pete had said a week before.

Pete grunted and glimed, smoked up the chimney, and said, ”That'll do, ma'am, that'll do. Don't believe all you hear. John says more than his Amens, anyway.”

”I'm axing your pardon, miss,” said the girl to Kate, ”but I couldn't help coming--I couldn't really--no, I couldn't,” and then she began to cry.

”Where's that child?” said Pete, heaving up to his feet with a ferocious look. ”What! you mane to say you've left the lil thing alone, asleep? Go back to it then immajent. Good night!”

”Good night, sir, and G.o.d bless you, and when you're married to-morrow, G.o.d bless your wife as well!”

”That'll do--that'll do,” said Pete, backing her to the porch.

”You desarve a good woman, sir, and may the Lord be good to you both.”

”Tut! tut!” said Pete, and he tut-tutted her out of the house.

She smoothed her baby's hair more tenderly than ever that night, and kissed it again and again.

Kate could scarcely breathe, she could barely see. Her pride and her will had broken down utterly. This greathearted man loved her. He would lay down his life if need be to save her. To morrow he would marry her.

Here, then, was her rock of refuge--this strong man by her side.

She could struggle against fate no longer. It's invisible hand was pus.h.i.+ng her on. It's blind power was dragging her. If Philip would not come to claim her she must marry Pete.

And Pete? She meant no harm to Pete. She had not yet thought of things from Pete's point of view. He was like the camel-bag in the desert to the terrified wayfarer when the sand-cloud breaks oyer him. He flies to it. It shelters him. But what of the camel itself, with its head in the storm? Until the storm is over he does not think of that.

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