Part 66 (1/2)

”We can't,” said Jeff, ”any more than oil and water. Or alkali and acid.

We'd make a mighty fizz. I'm in it for all I'm worth, Amabel. To bust Weedie and save Addington.”

”Weedon Moore is saving Addington,” said she.

”Do you honestly believe that? Think how Addington began. Do you suppose a town that old boy up there helped to build--” he glanced at his friend, the judge--”do you think that little rat can do much for it? I don't.”

”Perhaps Addington doesn't need his kind of help now, or yours.

Addington is perfectly comfortable, except its working cla.s.s. And it's the working man Weedon Moore is striving for.”

”Addington is comfortable on a red-hot crater,” said Jeff. ”She's like all the rest of America. She's sat here sentimentalising and letting the crater get hotter and hotter under her, and unless we look out, Amabel, there isn't going to be any America, one of these days. Mrs. Choate says it's going to be the spoil of d.a.m.ned German efficiency. She thinks the Huns are waking up and civilisations going under. But I don't. I believe we're going to be a great unwieldy, industrial monster, no cohesion in us and no patriotism, no citizens.h.i.+p.”

”No patriotism!” Miss Amabel rose involuntarily and stood there trembling. Her troubled eyes sought the pictured eyes of the old Judge.

”Jeff, you don't know what you're saying.”

”I do,” said Jeff, ”mighty well. Sit down, dear, or I shall have to salute the flag, too, and I'm too lazy.”

She sat down, but she was trembling.

”And I'm going to save Addington, if I can,” said Jeff. ”I haven't the tongue of men and angels or I'd go out and try to salvage the whole business. But I can't. Addington's more my size. If there were invasion, you know, a crippled man couldn't do more than try to defend his own dooryard. Dear old girl, we've got to save Addington.”

”I'm trying,” said she. ”Jeff, dear, I'm trying. And I've a lot of money. I don't know how it rolled up so.”

”Don't give it to Weedon Moore, that's all,” he ventured, and then, in the stiffening of her whole body, he saw it was a mistake even to mention Moore. Her large charity made her fiercely partisan. He ventured the audacious personal appeal. ”Give me some, Amabel, if you've really got so much. Let me put on some plays, in a simple way, and try to make your workmen see what we're at, when we talk about home and country.

They despise us, Amabel, except on pay day. Let's hypnotise 'em, please 'em in some other way besides shorter hours and easier strikes. Let's make 'em fall over themselves to be Americans.”

Miss Amabel flushed all over her soft face, up to the line of her grey hair.

”Jeff,” she said.

”What'm?”

”I have always meant when you were at liberty again--” that seemed to her a tolerable euphemism--”to turn in something toward your debt.”

”To the creditors?” Jeff supplied cheerfully. ”Amabel, dear, I don't believe there are any little people suffering from my thievery. It's only the big people that wanted to be as rich as I did. Anne and Lydia are suffering in a way. But that's my business. I'm going to confess to you. Dear sister superior, I'm going to confess.”

She did not move, hardly by an eyelash. She was afraid of choking his confidence, and she wanted it to come abundantly. Jeff sat for a minute or two frowning and staring into the fire. He had to catch himself back from what threatened to become silent reverie.

”I've thought a good deal about this,” he said, ”when I've had time to think, these last weeks. I'd give a lot to stand clear with the world.

I'd like to do a spectacular refunding of what I stole and lost. But I'd far rather pitch in and save Addington. Maybe it means I'm warped somehow about money, standards lowered, you know, perceptions blunted, that sort of thing. Well, if it's so I shall find it out sometime and be punished. We can't escape anything, in spite of their doctrine of vicarious atonement.”

She moved slightly at this, and Jeff smiled at her.

”Yes,” said he, ”we have to be punished. Sometimes I suppose the full knowledge of what we've done is punishment enough. Now about me. If anybody came to me to-day and said, 'I'll make you square with the world,' I should say, 'Don't you do it. Save Addington. I'd rather throw my good name into the hopper and let it grind out grist for Addington.'”

Miss Amabel put out the motherly hand and he grasped it.

”And I a.s.sure you,” he said again, ”I don't know whether that's common-sense--tossing the rotten past into the abyss and making a new deal--or whether it's because I've deteriorated too much to see I've deteriorated. You tell, Amabel.”