Part 34 (1/2)
”We are very sorry you are going,” she continued; ”somehow we hardly antic.i.p.ated it. Have you ever thought of coming back for good?”
She was unconsciously giving him the lead he desired, but he would not seize it precipitately; he was half afraid.
”No,” he answered, smiling; ”my work's out yonder. I couldn't sit idle. I think Miss Gladwyne hit it when she told me that I was one of the pioneers.”
His hostess showed more comprehension than he had looked for.
”Yes; I set you down as one of the men who prefer heat and cold, want of food, and toil, to the comforts they could have at home. I have met a few, sons of my old friends, and heard of others. After all, we have a good many of them in England.”
”Troublesome people, aren't they? What do you do with them?”
”Let them go. How do we rule India and hold so much of Africa? How did we open up Canada for you?”
He nodded.
”That's right. It doesn't matter that in respect to Canada the sons of Highland peasants did their share; the Hudson Bay people and the Laurentian Frenchmen showed us the way. We found out what kind of men they were when we went in after them.”
There was silence for a few moments and he glanced at her with admiration. The honorable pride of caste she had shown strongly appealed to him. She stood for all that was fine in the old regime, and once more he wondered how such a woman could have borne such a son.
”I'm returning because business calls,” he explained. ”My means won't keep me in idleness, and that fact has a bearing on the question as to whether I'll ever come back again. It's a very momentous one to me.”
She waited, noticing with some surprise the sudden tenseness of his expression, until he spoke again, hesitatingly.
”You are the only person I can come to for advice. I'd be grateful for your opinion.”
”I'll try to give it carefully,” she promised.
”Well,” he said, ”the life you people lead here has its attractions; they must be strong to you. It would be hard to break with all its a.s.sociations, to face one that was new and different; I mean for a woman to do so?”
”Ah!” she exclaimed, seeing the drift of his remarks at last. ”You had better tell me whom you are thinking of.”
”Millicent.”
She started. This was a painful surprise, though she now wondered why she had never suspected it. He had met the girl frequently before his accident, and she had since gone over to Nasmyth's to talk with him now and then; yet, for some not very obvious reason, n.o.body seemed to have contemplated the possibility of his falling in love with her. Mrs.
Gladwyne had undoubtedly not done so, and she was filled with alarm. It was most desirable that Millicent should marry Clarence.
”How long have you had this in your mind?” she asked.
”That is more than I can tell you,” he answered thoughtfully. ”I admired her greatly the first time I saw her; I admired her more when we made friends, but I don't think I went much farther for a while. In Tact, I believe it was only when I knew I must go back soon that I realized how strong a hold she had on me, and then I fought against yielding. The difficulties to be got over looked so serious.”
”Has Millicent any suspicion of your regard for her?” It was an important question and Mrs. Gladwyne waited in suspense for his reply.
”Not the slightest, so far as I can tell. I tried to hide my feelings until I could come to a decision as to what I ought to do.”
This was satisfactory, provided that his supposition was correct, and his companion could imagine his exercising a good deal of self-repression.
”What is your fear?” she asked.
”Well, I'm rough and unpolished compared with Nasmyth and the rest, but with her large mind she might overlook that. I couldn't live here as Nasmyth and Clarence do; I'm not rich enough. My wife, if I marry, must come out West with me, and I might have to be away from her for months now and then. I don't know that I could even establish myself in Victoria, where she would find something resembling your English society.