The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary Read online

  CHAPTER ELEVEN - THE DOVE OF PEACE

  The first result of Mrs. Rosscott's invitation was that Jack refused. Hesaid that he had a sister of his own--two, if it came to that--and so hecould easily manage for himself. He was very decided about it, andsomewhat lofty and bitter--a stand which no one understood his taking.

  His flat refusal was communicated to his would be hostess and it goeswithout saying that she was as unable to understand as all the rest. Itkeyed well enough with his lately shown indifference, but the indifferencekeyed not at all with all that had gone before and still less with hervery correct comprehension of Jack himself. She was quite positive as tothe sincerity of those protestations which he had made so haltingly--soboyishly--and in such absolutely truthful accents. Why he had turned over anew--and bad--leaf so suddenly she did not at all know, but her woman'swit--backed up by the many good instincts which good women always get fromHeaven knows just where--made her feel firmer than ever as to herhospitable intentions. Jack had told her many times that she was his goodangel, and it did not seem to her that now, when he was so deeply involvedin so much trouble, was the hour for a man's good angel to quietly turnaway. Suppose he was haughty!--she knew men well enough to know that in hiscase haughtiness and shame would be two Dromios that even he himself wouldbe unable to tell apart. Suppose he did rebel against her kindness!--sheknew women well enough to know that under some circumstances they can putdown rebellion single-handed--if they can only be left in the room alonewith it for a few minutes. As regarded Jack, she knew that there wassomething to explain; and as to herself she was delightfully positive asto her own irresistibleness. Given two such statements and the conclusionis easy. Mrs. Rosscott wrote to Mitchell and here is what she wrote:

  MY DEAR MR. MITCHELL:

  I should have answered your letter before only that in the excitement of corresponding with my brother I forgot all else. But my manners have returned by slow degrees and in hunting through my desk for a bill I found you and so take up my pen.

  I am quite sure that--in spite of that beautiful opening play of mine--you are wondering why I am really writing and so I will tell you at once. When Bob comes here to stay with me I want Mr. Denham to come too. I have various reasons for wanting him to come. One is that he has nowhere else to go where he will have half as good a time as he will here and another is that if he goes anywhere else I won't have half as good a time as if he comes here. Pray excuse my brutal candor, but I am only a woman; brutal candor and womanly weakness always have gone about encouraging one another, you know. I cannot see any good reason for Mr. Denham's not coming except that he declines my invitation. It is very silly in him, and I regard it as no reason at all. I am quite unused to being declined and do not intend to acquire the habit until I am a good deal older than I was my last birthday. Still, I can understand that he is too big to force against his will, so I think the kindest way to break the back of the opposition will be for me to do it personally. As an over-ruler I nearly always succeed. All I require is an opportunity.

  Please lay the two halves of your brain evenly together and devise a train and an interview for me. Of course you will meet me at the train and leave me at the interview. These are the fundamental rules of my game. I know that you are clever and before we have left the station you will know that I am. As arch-conspirators we shall surely win out together, won't we?

  Yours very truly,

  Bertha Rosscott.

  This missive posted, Jack's good angel made herself patient until theafternoon of the next day when she might and did expect an answer.

  She was not disappointed. The letter came and it was pleasantly bulky andappeared ample enough to have contained an indexed gun powder plot. Shewas so sure that Mitchell had been fully equal to the occasion that shetore the envelope open with a smile--and read:

  MY DEAR MRS. ROSSCOTT:

  To think of my having some of your handwriting for my own!--I was nearly petrified with joy.

  You see I know your writing from having read Burnett all those "Burn this at once" epistles. And I know it still better from having to catalogue them for his ready reference. You know how impatient he is. (But I have run into an open switch and must digress backwards.)

  I shall preserve your letter till I die. In war I shall wear it carefully spread all over wherever I may be killed, and in peace I intend to keep my place in my Bible with it. Could words say more! (Being backed up again, I will now begin.)

  I was not at all surprised at your writing me. If you had known me it would have been different. But where ignorance is bliss any woman but yourself is always liable to pitch in with a pen, and you see you are not yourself but only "any woman" to me as yet. Besides, women have written to me before you. My mother does so regularly. She encloses a postal card and all I have to do is to mail it and there she is answered. It's a great scheme which I proudly invented when I first went away to school and I recommend it to you if you--if you ever have a mother.

  How my ink does run away with me! Let me refer to your esteemed favor again! Ah! we have worked down to the bed-rock, or--in Hugh Miller's colloquial phrasing--to the "old red sandstone," of the fact that you want Jack. You state the fact with what you designate as brutal candor--and I reply with candied brutality, that I have thought that all along. If you are averse to my view of the matter, you must look out of the window the whole time that I continue, for once entered I always fight to a finish and I cannot retire to my corner on this auspicious occasion without announcing through a trumpet that even if Jack is a most idiotic fellow I never have caught the microbe from him, and, as a sequence, have always seen clear through and out of the other side of the whole situation. Of course I should not say this to any woman but you because it would not have any meaning to her, but, between you and me all things are printed in plain black and white and, therefore, I respectfully submit a program consisting of the two o'clock train Tuesday and myself, to be recognized by a beaming look of burning joy, upon the platform. Beyond that you may confide yourself to waxing waxy in my hands. They are not bad hands to be in as your brother and whatever-you-call-Jack can testify. I will lay my lines in the dark to the end that you may bloom in the sun.

  Trust me. You need do no more--except buy your ticket.

  The two o'clock on Tuesday. You can easily remember it by the T's--if you don't get mixed with three o'clock on Thursday. Try remembering it by the 2's. A safe way would be to put it down.

  Yours to obey,

  Herbert Kendrick Mitchell.

  P.S. Please recollect that I am only handsome according to the good old proverb, and do not mistake me for an enterprising hackman.

  Mrs. Rosscott clapped her hands with delight when she finished the letter.She was overjoyed at the success of her "opening play," and she wrote hernew correspondent two lines accepting his invitation, and went down on theappointed train on the appointed day. He met her at the depot and theydivined one another at the first glance. It was impossible not to know sopretty a woman--or so homely a man. For the ancestors of Mitchell had wornkilts and red hair in centuries gone by, and although he proved the truthof the red-hair proposition, no one would ever believe that anything ofhis build could ever have been induced to have put itself intokilts--knowingly. Furthermore, his voice had a crick in it, and went byjerks, and his eyebrows sympathized with his voice, and the eyes belowthem were little and gray and twinkling, and altogether he was the sort ofman who is termed--according to a certain style of phrasing--"abovesuspicion." But she liked him, oh! immensely, and he liked her. And whenthey were riding up in the carriage together s
he felt how thoroughlytrustworthy his gray eyes and good smile declared him to be, and had nohesitation in telling him what she wanted to do, and in asking him whatshe wanted to know.

  Mitchell certainly had a talent for plotting, for when they reached thehouse where the culprits were temporarily domiciled, Burnett had gone outto give his mended ribs some exercise, and Jack was reading alone in theroom where they shared one another's liniments with friendly generosity.

  The arch-conspirator went upstairs, came down, and then, seeking the ladywhom he had left in the parlor, said to her:

  "Denham's up there and you can go up and say whatever you have to say. Youknow 'In union there is strength.' Well you've got him alone now, andhe'll prove weakly as a consequence or I miss my guess."

  Then he walked straight over by the window and picked up a magazine as ifit was all settled, and she only hesitated for half a second before sheturned and went upstairs.

  There was a door half open in the hall above, and she knew that that mustbe the door. She tapped at it lightly, and a man's voice (a voice that sheknew well), called out gruffly:

  "Come in!"

  She pushed the door open at that and entered, and saw Jack, and he sawher. He turned very pale at the sight, and then the color flooded hisface, and he rose from his chair abruptly, and put his hand up to thestrips that held the bandage on his head.

  "Burnett isn't here," he said quickly. "He went out just a few minutesago."

  His tone was hard, and yet at the same time it shook slightly.

  She approached him, holding out her hand.

  "I'm glad of that," she said, "because it was to see you that I came."

  To her great surprise something mutinous and scornful flashed in his eyesas he rolled a chair forward for her.

  "You honor me," he said, and his tone and manner both hardened yet more.His general appearance was that of a man ten years older; he had changedterribly in the weeks since she had last seen him. She took the chair andsat down, still looking at him. He sat down too, and his eyes wentrestlessly around the room as if they sought a hold that should withholdthem from her searching gaze. There was a short pause.

  "Don't speak like that," she said at last. "It isn't your way, and I knowyou too well--we know one another too well--to be anything but sincere. Youowe me something, too, and if I forbear you should understand why."

  "I owe you something, do I?" he asked. "What do I owe you?"

  Mrs. Rosscott caught her under lip in her teeth.

  "You gave me a promise, Mr. Denham," she said, quite low, but mostdistinctly--"a promise which you broke."

  Jack flushed; his eyelids drooped for a minute.

  "I didn't break it," he said. "I gave it up."

  "Is there any difference?"

  "A great difference."

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  "Do you want to have the truth?" he said. "If you really do, I'll tellyou. But I don't ask to tell you, recollect, and if I were you I'd dropthe whole--I certainly would.--If I were you."

  She looked at him in astonishment.

  "I don't understand," she said. "Tell me what you mean."

  He raised his hand to his bandaged head again.

  "I think," he said, fighting hard to speak with utter indifference, "Ithink that it would have been better if you had told me about Holloway."

  At that her big eyes opened widely.

  "What should I tell you about Mr. Holloway?" she asked. "What could I tellyou about him?"

  "It isn't any use speaking like that," he said; and with the words hesuddenly leaped from his chair and began to plunge back and forth acrossthe small room. "You see I'm not a boy any more. I've come to my senses. Iknow now! I understand now! It's all plain to me now. Now and always. I'vebeen fooled once but only once and by All that Is, I never will be fooledagain. Your're pretty and awfully fascinating, and it's always fun for thewoman--especially if she knows all her bets are safely hedged. And I was socompletely done up that I was even more sport than the common run, Isuppose; but--" she was staring at him in unfeigned amazement, and he waslashing himself to fury with the feelings that underlaid his words--"buteven if you made it all right with yourself by calling your share by thename of 'having a good influence' over me (I know that's how married womenalways pat themselves on the back while they're sending us to the devil),even then, I think that it would have been better to have been fair andsquare with me. It would have been better all round. I'd have been leftwith some belief in--in people. As it is, when I saw that you'd only beenlaughing at me, I--well, I went pretty far."

  He stopped short, and transfixed her paleness with his big, dark eyes.

  "Why weren't you honest?" he asked angrily. And then he said again, morebitterly, more scornfully, than before: "Why wasn't I told aboutHolloway?"

  She clasped her hands tightly together.

  "What has been told you about Mr. Holloway and myself?" she asked.

  "Nothing."

  "Then why do you speak as you do?"

  At that he thrust his hands into his pockets and again began to flinghimself back and forth across the room.

  "Perhaps you'll think I'm a sneak," he said, "but I wasn't a sneak. I wentin to see you that Saturday as usual, and when I went upstairs--you werewith him in the library. I heard three words. God! they were enough! Ididn't know that anything could knock the bottom out of life so quickly.My sun and stars all fell at once--I reckon my Heaven went too. At allevents I went out of your house and down town and I drank and drank--andall to the truth and honor of women."

  He halted with his back to her, and there was silence in the room for manyminutes.

  When he faced around after a little, she was weeping bitterly, havingturned in her seat so that her face might be buried in the chair back. Herwhole body was shaking with suppressed sobs. He stood still and stareddown upon her and finally she lifted up her face and said with tremblinglips:

  "And all the trouble came from that. Oh, what shall I do? What shall Isay?"

  "I don't know what you can do, or what you can say," he said, remainingstill and watching her sincere distress. "I'd feel pretty blamed mean if Iwere you, though. Understand, I don't question your good taste in choosingHolloway, nor your right to love him, nor his right to be there; but Ifail to understand why you were to me just as you were, and I think it wasunfair--out-and-out mean!"

  "Mr. Denham," she said almost painfully, "you've made a dreadful mistake."Then she stopped and moistened her lips. "I don't know just what words youoverheard, but the dramatic instructor was there that afternoon drillingMr. Holloway and myself for the parts which we took in the charity playthat week; after he went out we went over one of the scenes alone. Perhapsyou heard part of that." She stopped and almost choked. "Mr. Holloway hasnever really made any love to me--perhaps he never wanted to--perhaps I'venever wanted him to."

  Jack stared. His misconception was so strongly intrenched in the forefrontof his brain that he could not possibly dislodge it at once.

  Mrs. Rosscott continued to dry the tears that continued to rise; sheseemed terribly affected at finding herself to have been the cause (nomatter how innocently) of this latest tale of wrack and ruin.

  "Do you mean to say," the young man said, at last, "that there was notruth in what I heard? Don't you expect to marry Holloway?"

  "I never expect to marry anyone, but certainly not him," she replied,trying to regain her composure.

  "Honest?"

  "Assuredly."

  It was as if an unseen orchestra had suddenly burst forth just near enoughand just far enough away. He came to the side of her chair and laid hishand upon its back.

  "Then what have you been thinking of me lately?" he asked.

  "Very sad thoughts," she confessed--hiding her face again.

  "Did you care?"

  "Yes, I cared."

  He stood beside her for a long time without speaking or moving. Then hesuddenly pulled a chair forward, and sat down close in front of her.

&nb
sp; "Don't cry," he said, almost daring to be tender. "There's nothing to cryabout _now_, you know."

  "I think there's plenty for me to cry about," she said, looking up throughher long wet lashes. "It is so terrible for me to be the one that is toblame. Papa swears he'll never forgive Bob, and your aunt--"

  "Lord love you!" he exclaimed; "don't worry over me or my aunt. I don't. Idon't mind anything, with Holloway staked in the ditch. I can get alongwell enough now."

  He smiled--actually smiled--as he spoke.

  "Oh, you mustn't speak so," she said, blushing; "indeed, you must not."And smiled, too, in spite of herself.

  "Who's going to stop me?" he said. "You know that you can't; I'm miles thebiggest."

  She looked at him and tried to frown, but only blushed again instead. Heput out his hand and took hers into its clasp.

  "I'm everlasting glad to shake college," he declared gayly; "it never wasmy favorite alley. I've made up my mind to go to work just as soon as Iget these pastry strips off my head."

  "Where?"

  "I don't know. Anywhere. I don't care."

  "But you'll come to my house when Bob comes next week, won't you?" sheasked suddenly. "I can see now why you wouldn't before, but--but it'sdifferent now. Isn't it?"

  "Is it?" he said, asking the question chiefly of her pretty eyes. "Is ithonestly different now?"

  "I think it is," she answered.

  A door banged below.

  "That's Burr!" he exclaimed, remembering suddenly the proximity of theirchairs, and making haste to place himself farther away.

  Burnett's step was heard on the stair.

  "You never said anything to him, did you?" she questioned quickly.

  "Certainly not."

  The next instant Burnett was in the room, and his sister was in his arms.(Astonishing how coolly he accepted the fact, too.)

  "Mr. Denham is coming to me with you, Bob," she said when he released her."I've persuaded him."

  "How did you do it?" she was asked.

  "By undertaking to reconcile him with his aunt, dear," she replied,blandly. "It's a contract that we've drawn up between us. You know that Iwas always rather good in the part of the peacemaker."

  As she spoke, her eyes fell warningly on the manifest astonishment of AuntMary's nephew.

  "You don't know what you're undertaking, Betty," said her brother. "Younever had a chance to take Aunt Mary for better, for worse--I have."

  "I'm not alarmed," said she, "I'm very courageous. I'm sure I'll succeed."

  "Can the mender of ways--other people's ways--come in?" asked a voice at thedoor.

  It was Mitchell's voice, and he came in without waiting for an invitation.

  "Is it time that I went?" Mrs. Rosscott asked him, anxiously.

  "Half an hour yet."

  "Oh, I say Jack," cried Burnett, "let's boil some water in the witch-hazelpan, and make a rarebit in the poultice pan, and have some tea here."

  "Sure," said Jack, suddenly become his blithe and buoyant self again. "Youjust take off your hat and look the other way, Mrs. Rosscott, and we'llhave you a lunch in a jiffy."