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a first family of tasajara-第32节

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speechless men; 〃is it an indiscretion we are making hereor are

you dumb?  You; Don Diego; are loud enough when you and Don Jose

are together; at least introduce your friend。〃



Grant quickly recovered himself。  〃I am afraid;〃 he said; coming

forward; 〃unless Miss Harcourt does; that I am a mere trespasser in

your house; Senora。  I saw her pass in your carriage a few moments

ago; and having a message for her I ventured to follow her here。〃



〃It is Mr。 Grant; a friend of my father's;〃 said Clementina;

smiling with equanimity; as if just awakening from a momentary

abstraction; yet apparently unconscious of Grant's imploring eyes;

〃but the other gentleman I have not the pleasure of knowing。〃




〃Ah!  Don Diego Fletcher; a countryman of yours; and yet I think he

knows you not。〃



Clementina's face betrayed no indication of the presence of her

father's foe; and yet Grant knew that she must have recognized his

name; as she looked towards Fletcher with perfect self…possession。

He was too much engaged in watching her to take note of Fletcher's

manifest disturbance; or the evident effort with which he at last

bowed to her。  That this unexpected double meeting with the

daughter of the man he had wronged; and the man who had espoused

the quarrel; should be confounding to him appeared only natural。

But he was unprepared to understand the feverish alacrity with

which he accepted Dona Maria's invitation to chocolate; or the

equally animated way in which Clementina threw herself into her

hostess's Spanish levity。  He knew it was an awkward situation;

that must be surmounted without a scene; he was quite prepared in

the presence of Clementina to be civil to Fletcher; but it was odd

that in this feverish exchange of courtesies and compliments HE;

Grant; should feel the greater awkwardness and be the most ill at

ease。  He sat down and took his part in the conversation; he let it

transpire for Clementina's benefit that he had been to Los Gatos

only on business; yet there was no opportunity for even a

significant glance; and he had the added embarrassment of seeing

that she exhibited no surprise nor seemed to attach the least

importance to his inopportune visit。  In a miserable indecision he

allowed himself to be carried away by the high…flown hospitality of

his Spanish hostess; and consented to stay to an early dinner。  It

was part of the infelicity of circumstance that the voluble Dona

Mariaelecting him as the distinguished stranger above the

resident Fletchermonopolized him and attached him to her side。

She would do the honors of her house; she must show him the ruins

of the old Mission beside the corral; Don Diego and Clementina

would join them presently in the garden。  He cast a despairing

glance at the placidly smiling Clementina; who was apparently

equally indifferent to the evident constraint and assumed ease of

the man beside her; and turned away with Mrs。 Ramirez。



A silence fell upon the gallery so deep that the receding voices

and footsteps of Grant and his hostess in the long passage were

distinctly heard until they reached the end。  Then Fletcher arose

with an inarticulate exclamation。  Clementina instantly put her

finger to her lips; glanced around the gallery; extended her hand

to him; and saying 〃Come;〃 half…led; half…dragged him into the

passage。  To the right she turned and pushed open the door of a

small room that seemed a combination of boudoir and oratory; lit by

a French window opening to the garden; and flanked by a large black

and white crucifix with a prie Dieu beneath it。  Closing the door

behind them she turned and faced her companion。  But it was no

longer the face of the woman who had been sitting in the gallery;

it was the face that had looked back at her from the mirror at

Tasajara the night that Grant had left hereager; flushed;

material with commonplace excitement!



〃'Lige Curtis;〃 she said。



〃Yes;〃 he answered passionately; 〃Lige Curtis; whom you thought

dead!  'Lige Curtis; whom you once pitied; condoled with and

despised!  'Lige Curtis; whose lands and property have enriched

you!  'Lige Curtis; who would have shared it with you freely at the

time; but whom your father juggled and defrauded of it!  'Lige

Curtis; branded by him as a drunken outcast and suicide!  'Lige

Curtis〃



〃Hush!〃  She clapped her little hand over his mouth with a quick

but awkward schoolgirl gesture; inconceivable to any who had known

her usual languid elegance of motion; and held it there。  He

struggled angrily; impatiently; reproachfully; and then; with a

sudden characteristic weakness that seemed as much of a revelation

as her once hoydenish manner; kissed it; when she let it drop。

Then placing both her hands still girlishly on her slim waist and

curtseying grotesquely before him; she said: 〃'Lige Curtis!  Oh;

yes!  'Lige Curtis; who swore to do everything for me!  'Lige

Curtis; who promised to give up liquor for me;who was to leave

Tasajara for me!  'Lige Curtis; who was to reform; and keep his

land as a nest…egg for us both in the future; and then who sold it

and himselfand meto dad for a glass of whiskey!  'Lige Curtis;

who disappeared; and then let us think he was dead; only that he

might attack us out of the ambush of his grave!〃



〃Yes; but think what I have suffered all these years; not for the

cursed landyou know I never cared for thatbut for YOU;you;

Clementina;YOU rich; admired by every one; idolized; held far

above me;ME; the forgotten outcast; the wretched suicideand yet

the man to whom you had once plighted your troth。  Which of those

greedy fortune…hunters whom my moneymy life…blood as you might

have thought it wasattracted to you; did you care to tell that

you had ever slipped out of the little garden gate at Sidon to meet

that outcast!  Do you wonder that as the years passed and YOU were

happy; I did not choose to be so forgotten?  Do you wonder that

when YOU shut the door on the past I managed to open it againif

only a little waythat its light might startle you?〃



Yet she did not seem startled or disturbed; and remained only

looking at him critically。



〃You say that you have suffered;〃 she replied with a smile。  〃You

don't look it!  Your hair is white; but it is becoming to you; and

you are a handsomer man; 'Lige Curtis; than you were when I first

met you; you are finer;〃 she went on; still regarding him;

〃stronger and healthier than you were five years ago; you are rich

and prosperous; you have everything to make you happy; but〃here

she laughed a little; held out both her hands; taking his and

holding his arms apart in a rustic; homely fashion〃but you are

still the same old 'Lige Curtis!  It was like you to go off and

hide yourself in that idiotic way; it was like you to let the

property slide in that stupid; unselfish fashion; it was like you

to get real mad; and say all those mean; silly things to dad; that

didn't hurt himin your regular looney style; for rich or poor;

drunk or sober; ragged or elegant; plain or handsome;you're

always the same 'Lige Curtis!〃



In proportion as that material; practical; rustic selfwhich

nobody but 'Lige Curtis had ever seencame back to her; so in

proportion the irresolute; wavering; weak and emotional vagabond of

Sidon came out to meet it。  He looked at her with a vague smile;

his five years of childish resentment; albeit carried on the

shoulders of a man mentally and morally her superior; melted away。

He drew her towards him; yet at the same moment a quick suspicion

returned。



〃Well; and what are you doing here?  Has this man who has followed

you any right; any claim upon you?〃



〃None but what you in your folly have forced upon him!  You have

made him father's ally。  I don't know why he came here。  I only

know why I didto find YOU!〃



〃You suspected then?〃



〃I KNEW!  Hush!〃



The returning voices of Grant and of Mrs。 Ramirez were heard in the

courtyard。  Clementina made a warning yet girlishly mirthful

gesture; again caught his hand; drew him quickly to the French

window; and slipped through it with him into the garden; where they

were quickly lost in the shadows of a ceanothus hedge。



〃They have probably met Don Jose in the orchard; and as he and Don

Diego have business together; Dona Clementina has without doubt

gone to her room and left them。  For you are not very entertaining

to the ladies to…day;you two caballeros!  You have much politics

together; eh?or you have discussed and disagreed; eh?  I will

look for the Senorita; and let you go; Don Distraido!〃



It is to be feared that Grant's apologies and attempts to detain

her were equally feeble;as it seemed to him that this was the

only chance he might have of seeing Clementina except in company

with Fletcher。  As Mrs。 Ramirez left he lit a cigarette and

listlessly walked up and down the gallery。  But Clementina did not

come; neither did his hostess return。  A subdued 

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