No, said the woman harshly. Rennals will take poor Isaacs place. How soon will it be?
How soon?
Yes; how soon shall I have to turn out of my poor old home?
Dont talk about it now, Sarah, said Claude gently. It will be terribly painful for you, I know.
Painful! said the woman, with a bitter laugh, to go out once more into the cruel world. But a way will open, she added to herself; the time will come.
Her face grew more stony of aspect moment by moment, as she gazed through her nearly closed eyelids straight before her, heedless of the fact that Claude had risen from her knees, and was holding one of her hands.
Dont talk of the world
with a proper amount of dubbing, hackle, and tinsel, for the deluding of some unfortunate salmon. The breakfast things were still on the table, and there was a cloud over his head, and another cloud in his brain.
The room was bright and pleasant, overlooked the sea, and was just such a place as a bachelor in comfortable circumstances, with a love for outdoor sports, would have called a snuggery. For it was just so tidy as not to be very untidy, with fishing and shooting gear in all directions; pipes in a rack, tobacco jars and cigar boxes on shelves; natural history specimens in trays and cabinets, from pinned beetles up to minerals and fossils; and under a table, in a case, lay Chris Lisles largest salmon, carefully cast and painted to fairly resemble life.
The tying of that fly did not progress, and after a good many stoppages it was thrown down impatiently.
Confound the hook, cried Chris. Thats four times Ive pricked my finger. Everything seems to go wrong. Now, what had I better do? He ought to be well enough to see me now, and so better get it over. Id no business to go on as I did; but who could help it, bless her, holding her in my arms like that, and loving her as I do? Wrong. Oh, it was honest human nature; and any other fellow would have done the same.
I suppose I ought to have spoken to the old man first. Though who in the world could think of him at a time like that. But how black he looked; and then there was that confounded good-looking yachtsman there.
This was a point in the business which required thinking out; and to do this thoroughly Chris Lisle took up a black pipe, filled it, and after lighting it daintily with a good deal of toying with the flame, he threw himself back in his chair, and began to frown and smoke.
No, he said aloud, after a long pause. Nonsense; the old fellow might think something of it, but my darling little Claude never. And shes not the girl to flirt and play with any one. No; I know her too well for that far too well. I frightened her, I was so sudden. A woman is so different to a man, and that wasnt put on; it was sheer timidity poor little darling! How I do long to apologise, and ask her to forgive me. I must have seemed terribly awkward and boorish in her eyes, for I pulled up quite sulkily after that facer I got from Mary Dillon. The nasty, spiteful little minx. It was too bad. Fortune-hunter! Why, Id marry Claudie without a penny, and be glad of the chance. Hang the old mans money. What do two young people, who love each other dearly, want with money?
The idea seemed to be absurd, and he sat smoking dreamily for some minutes.
Ill serve the spiteful, sharp-tongued little thing out for this, he said at last. No, I will not. Rubbish! She didnt mean it. But Ill go up and hear how the old man is. He ought to be able to see me this morning, and Ill speak out plainly this time, and get it over.
Chris Lisle was not the man to hesitate. He threw aside his pipe, rang for the breakfast things to be cleared away, glanced at the looking-glass to see if he appeared decent, and stuck a straw hat on his crisp, curly hair.
Not half such a good-looking chap as the yachtsman, he said, with a half laugh. Glad of it. Wouldnt be such a smooth-looking dandy for the world. Why, hang it! he said with a laugh, as he strode along by the rocky beach in the full tide of his manly vigour, I could eat a fellow like that. I never thought of it before, he continued to himself, as he walked on. Fortune-hunter! I cant be called a poor man. Two hundred and fifty a year. Why, I never felt short of money in my life. Always seemed to be enough for everything I wanted. Bah! nobody but little midges up there could ever say such a thing as that.
A peculiar change seemed just then to be taking place in Chris Lisle. The moment before he was swinging easily along, giving a friendly nod here and there to fishermen and loungers, who saluted him with a smile and a Morn, Mr Chris, sir, the next he had grown stiff and rigid, as he saw a dingy pulled in to the landing-place some distance ahead, and Glyddyr leap out, the distance fitting so that the young men had to pass each other, which they did with a short nod of recognition.
Swell! muttered Chris contemptuous, as he strode on.
Bumpkin! thought Glyddyr, as he went in the other direction, and he laughed softly to himself.