Part 23 (1/2)
”Yes,” I replied, stoutly, ”a far, far better Christian than I am, for I find that her father has taught her the truths of the Bible--and you-- you see that _fruit_ in her which I fear you don't see much of in me.”
”Well, we have not had much time to see the fruit yet, but now I must speak to you as your chief. You say you have no thought of marriage till your apprentices.h.i.+p is up. That is a good while yet. You may change your mind.”
”Never!” said I, with emphasis.
”Well, I respect your honourable feelings, my boy, but it is just possible that even if she were willing (which has yet to be proved) she may change _her_ mind, therefore you must promise me faithfully that in all this teaching of English there shall be no lovemaking. You are bound _in honour_, Max, to avoid trying to win her affections, or in any way to influence her till--till time, a considerable time--shall have pa.s.sed.”
”I promise you, Lumley, with all my heart. I think it is enn.o.bling to a man to love a girl because of her pure and sterling qualities irrespective of her looks, and I would count it foul disgrace to do anything to win her unless I saw my way quite clearly to wed her.”
”Which you do not at present, Max?”
”Which I do not at present, Lumley, so I will continue the lessons with the air and manner of a heartless pedagogue!”
This having been arranged between us, the subject was dropped, and not again referred to for many months.
Meanwhile winter advanced with rapid strides. One night an intense frost set in and covered the entire lake, as far at least as we could see, with a sheet of pure ice. It had set fast in a profound calm, and the surface was so smooth that every tree and bush on the outlying islets was reflected as if in water. Indeed, it could scarcely be told that the ice was not water except by going on it.
Being a somewhat expert skater, and having brought my skates with me, I put them on, resolved to enjoy a few hours of what used to be a favourite amus.e.m.e.nt when I was a boy. Lumley could not skate, to my regret; besides, he had no skates, and none of the men had ever learned the art, so that I was forced to skate alone. And at this time I learned a lesson about solitary amus.e.m.e.nt which I never afterwards forgot.
”Max,” said Lumley, as I went down to the lake, skates in hand, ”while you're off amusing yourself I'll go finish the track on the hillside-- that will afford amus.e.m.e.nt enough for me and the men. I'll give them a holiday, as it is such a splendid day.”
”That's a new kind of holiday,” said I with a laugh, as I fixed on my skates, ”to set them to the finis.h.i.+ng of a track!”
The track referred to was a straight wide cutting up the face of the hill at the side of the fort. Lumley had ordered the men to clear it of trees and shrubs, from the hill-top--which extended far behind as well as high above the fort--down to the edge of the lake. It had remained in this unfinished state for some time, and now, being covered with snow, formed a long white-floored avenue to the hill-top.
”I'm sorry you can't join me,” said I, making a few circles before starting. ”It feels _so_ selfish to go off alone.”
”Never mind, old boy, off you go, and see that you don't get upon weak ice.”
Lumley waved his hand as he spoke, and I shot swiftly away over the gla.s.sy lake.
Oh! it was a glorious burst, that first dash over an apparently illimitable sheet of water, for, although small for an American lake, the opposite sh.o.r.e of Wichikagan was so far-off as to appear dim and low, while, in one direction, the sky and water met at the horizon, so that I enjoyed the romantic feeling of, as it were, skating out to sea!
The strength of youth thrilled in every nerve and muscle; the vigour of health and life coursed in every vein. I felt, just then, as if exhaustion were impossible. The ice was so smooth that there was no sensation of roughness under foot to tell of a solid support. The swift gliding motion was more like the skimming of the swallow than the skating of a man. The smallest impulse sent me shooting ahead with an ease that almost surprised me. In sensation, as well as in appearance, I was rus.h.i.+ng over a surface of water in which the sun was reflected with a brilliancy that quite dazzled me. I became almost wild with delight. Indeed I grew reckless, and gave a sort of leap--with what intent I know not--which caused the back of my head to smite the ice and my body to proceed fifty yards or more on its back, with the legs in the air and a starry constellation corruscating in the brain!
Considerably sobered by this, I arose and cut the figure of eight thoughtfully for five minutes. After this I resumed my rapid pace, which I kept up until the necessity of pausing to recover breath impressed me. Making a wide circle outwards with my left leg in the air and my right hand pointed to the sky in the most approved manner, I gradually caused the circle to diminish until I came to a stand.
Looking back, I saw Fort Wichikagan like a mere speck on the horizon.
In the opposite direction the lake still presented a limitless horizon.
On either side the distant sh.o.r.es marked, but could hardly be said to bound, the view, while, closer at hand, the islets were reflected in the ice as clearly as if it had been water. I felt as if standing on a liquid ocean. Once more a bounding sense of joyous freedom and strength filled me. The starry corruscations had vanished. The b.u.mp on the back of my head had ceased to grieve me. Away I went again like--but words fail me. Imagery and description avail nothing when the indescribable is reached!
After an hour of this enjoyment I took to circling, and, in the exuberance of my feelings, attempted some quite new and complex performances, which resulted in a few more corruscations and b.u.mps. But these were trifles. I heeded them not.
At last, however, I stood still and became thoughtful. We must all become thoughtful sooner or later. A sense of loneliness began to oppress me, and I longed for companions.h.i.+p in my joy. Knowing that this was a useless longing, I cast it aside and resumed my evolutions, rushes, b.u.mps, and corruscations. But it would not do. The longing returned with redoubled violence. After another hour I turned to skate homeward, very much toned down in spirits, and deeply convinced of the truth--in more senses than one--of the words, ”It is not good that man should be alone.”
Before leaving this subject I may add that I tried skating again the next day, but again grew weary of it in less than an hour for want of companions.h.i.+p; that I made up my mind, in disgust to try no more; and that, on the day following, sympathetic Nature aided me in my resolve by covering the entire lake with eighteen inches of snow--thus rendering my once favourite exercise impossible.
But, to return. When I drew near to the fort, I observed that several black specks were gliding with lightning speed down the white track on the hillside which Lumley had undertaken to finish. These specks, after descending the steep hill, slid over the level sh.o.r.e and shot far out upon the lake, where some of them seemed to roll over and over.