The White Virgin Part 33

He muttered an oath as he stood closing the lanthorn door. Then he burst out into a strange laugh. "Make much of it, my lad, while it lasts. It's hard to bear, but I don't want to be hung for the sake of a la.s.s, specially when there's another way."

He went off in the other direction, and Clive Reed made his way to the cage and ascended to daylight and his books in the office, where he busied himself till evening, fully expecting a visit from his foreman; but the day pa.s.sed, and at last he left the place, and made his way to the cottage over the mountain side where Dinah stood waiting, flushed and hopeful; and as his eyes met hers, the mine with its petty troubles and anxieties pa.s.sed away, and he was in the land of love and hope and joy.

There was the usual walk among the flowers; and how bright those blossoms were! then the pleasant evening meal, and the adjournment to the tiny drawing-room, where, after a little music, to Clive's disgust, the Major turned the conversation to the very subject the visitor wished to avoid. He asked him questions about the output, and the likeliness of increased yield, all of which questions Reed good-humouredly answered, feeling vexed, but at the same time amused by the love of money the Major had of late developed; while Dinah sat and listened, meeting her betrothed's eyes from time to time.

"Capital--capital!" said the Major, rubbing his hands. "I feel as if I am quite a mine proprietor. Dinah, my dear, this does me good, and makes me feel as if I had been a slug all these years. I wish I had begun sooner."

"Congratulate yourself, my dear sir, that you did not. You are gaining here, but this mine is one in ten thousand. You might have ruined yourself."

"True; so I might, my boy, without your clear head to put me right. But the shares, how do they stand?"

"They are up ten since last week, sir, and steadily rising."

"Then I ought to sell now and realise a big profit, oughtn't I?"

Clive was silent, for he was hearing the Major's words, and listening still to the echoes of Dinah's sweet voice, and repeating to himself the lines of the songs she sang, as she now sat in the shadow, silent and waiting till her lover spoke again.

And how jarring the Major's words were. Clive had come over that evening weary with the noise and worry of the mine, and annoyed by Sturgess's insolent manner. All he wanted was peace and rest, not the talk about money and shares.

The Major spoke again.

"Eh! oughtn't I to realise?"

"What, sell for the sake of a little present profit that which will go on, in all probability, yielding you an increasing income, sir. Surely that would be short-sighted."

"Of course. But all this is so new to me, my dear boy. There! I shall leave myself in your hands; and trust to you to know what is best. You see what a child I am over money matters. Really there are times when I almost wish that I had not begun to dabble in these shares."

"Why fidget about them, sir?" said Reed, smiling. "The amount is not large."

"Not large? Do you hear him, my dear? He says the amount is not large when it is my poor all. One can see that you have been accustomed to deal with pretty heavy amounts, and--There, I will not continue this hateful topic. Let's have something else to think about. Dinah, shall I be selfish if I challenge this man to a game of chess?"

For answer she rose and fetched the board and men, set out the pieces, and then took her seat by Clive and watched the game, which proved to be a long one, ending at last in the Major checkmating his adversary, who was quite a knight stronger, but he had been simply on his defence all through, listening the while to the soft breathing from the lips by his side, as from time to time it caressed his hand, or sounded like a suppressed sigh. No words pa.s.sed between them, but they were needless.

It was enough that they could be side by side, feeling each other's presence, happy yet saddened by an indescribable portent of something coming to ruffle the placid stream of their existence.

As for the Major, he was happy and triumphant. It was a genuine pleasure to him, a man who had exiled himself from the world, to live in seclusion, to find that he was a match for this clever, keen man of business, and he showed his delight in many ways.

"What!" he cried, as his visitor rose to go. "You are not going to run off without your revenge. Eh! What?" he said, as Reed quietly took out his watch, and held the face toward him. "Oh, absurd! That thing must be wrong! Eh! No. Mine says the same. Eleven; and I thought it was not near ten. But you will stay now?"

"Don't tempt me, sir. I have a busy day to-morrow."

"But you could leave here early."

"Not so early as I could wish, sir. There is a special reason, too, for my being at the mine early. I have a sort of quarrel on the way with my princ.i.p.al man, Sturgess."

Dinah turned pale, while there was a strange, fixed look in her eyes.

"The man has been very strange of late, and I had to take him severely to task to-day. I want to meet him when he first comes to the mine.

There cannot be two masters there."

He looked smilingly at Dinah, and saw the trouble in her face.

"Nothing to alarm you," he said, taking her hand to hold in his, while the Major suddenly recollected that he had a letter he should like to send, so that one of the men could take it on in the morning.

"You are nervous again about my crossing the hills so late. Why should you be, dearest?"

He drew her toward him, and she yielded to his embrace.

"It was not that," she said faintly. "You talked of a quarrel with-- with--"

"My foreman, Sturgess. Hardly a quarrel, but the sharp talking to, necessary to be given by a master." At that moment the dog began to bark violently, and Dinah caught Clive's arm and clung to him in dread lest he should go possibly into danger.

"It is nothing, dearest," he whispered, proud of the way in which she clung to him for protection, while she listened with her eyes dilated, as there was the sound of the window in the Major's den being opened, and his voice challenging.

"Is Mr Reed here, sir?" came from the garden.

"My clerk--Robson, from the mine," said Reed, rather excitedly.

"Whatever brings him here?"

"Your man, my dear boy," said the Major, entering. "He has brought you a despatch."

"It must be important," said Reed quickly; and he pa.s.sed his hand across his forehead. "I was half afraid there was some accident. Come in, Robson," he continued, as he stepped into the little pa.s.sage. "What is it?"

"A telegram, sir, from London. The postmaster sent it over at once by special messenger."

Reed took the missive and went back into the little drawing-room, where Dinah stood pale and anxious, while the Major sat writing his letter there.

"Come, little wifie to be," whispered Reed tenderly, "I have no secrets from you. This cannot be business, and you must share my troubles as well as joys."

The Major glanced at them with a sigh full of regrets for the past, and smiled sadly as he saw his child pa.s.s her arm through Reed's, and lean on him while he opened the envelope, and held it so that she could peruse the telegram at the same time. It was very brief:--

"For heaven's sake, come at once and help me. I am half mad.--Praed."

Dinah looked up in her lover's anxious face, as it clouded over, her own full of eagerness and sympathy.

"From Janet Praed's father, dearest," he said softly. "You know everything--my brother's wife. There must be some terrible trouble on the way.--Major, I must go up to town at once. Here is a telegram from my dear old G.o.dfather, Doctor Praed. You will take care of my darling till I return?"

"Not--not dead?" said the Major anxiously.

Clive Reed started, as a spasm shot through him.

"I pray G.o.d, no," he said hoa.r.s.ely, as for a moment he turned ghastly and wild-looking. Then he was the prompt man of business decision again.

"We must not jump at conclusions," he said gravely. "Good-bye, dearest.

I will telegraph the news as soon as I know it. G.o.d bless you, darling," he whispered, as he embraced her. "Let's hope for the best.-- Good-bye, sir."

"One moment, my boy, would it not be better to sleep here, and go on from Chapel in the morning?"

"My dear sir, I must be in London in the morning. If I run to the mine and get one of the horses, there will be just time to gallop over to Blinkdale and catch the up mail. Good-bye."