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a first family of tasajara-第7节

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my daughter that he went away about ten minutes after;at least;

not more than fifteen。〃  Like all unprofessional humanity; Mr。

Harkutt had an exaggerated conception of the majesty of unimportant

detail in the eye of the law。  〃I'd go with you myself;〃 he added

quickly; 〃but I've got companystrangershere。〃



〃How did he look when he left;kinder wild?〃 suggested Peters。



Harkutt had begun to feel the prudence of present reticence。

〃Well;〃 he said; cautiously; 〃YOU saw how he looked。〃



〃You wasn't rough with him?that might have sent him off; you

know;〃 said Peters。



〃No;〃 said Harkutt; forgetting himself in a quick indignation; 〃no;

I not only treated him to another drink; but gave him〃he stopped

suddenly and awkwardly。



〃Eh?〃 said Peters。



〃Some good advice;you know;〃 said Harkutt; hastily。  〃But come;

you'd better hurry over to the squire's。  You know YOU'VE made the

discovery; YOUR evidence is important; and there's a law that

obliges you to give information at once。〃



The excitement of discovery and the triumph over his disputants

being spent; Peters; after the Sidon fashion; evidently did not

relish activity as a duty。  〃You know;〃 he said dubiously; 〃he

mightn't be dead; after all。〃



Harkutt became a trifle distant。  〃You know your own opinion of the

thing;〃 he replied after a pause。  〃You've circumstantial evidence

enough to see the squire; and set others to work on it; and;〃 he

added significantly; 〃you've done your share then; and can wipe

your hands of it; eh?〃



〃That's so;〃 said Peters; eagerly。  〃I'll just run over to the

squire。〃



〃And on account of the women folks; you know; and the strangers

here; I'll say nothin' about it to…night;〃 added Harkutt。



Peters nodded his head; and taking up the hat of the unfortunate

Elijah with a certain hesitation; as if he feared it had already

lost its dramatic intensity as a witness; disappeared into the

storm and darkness again。  A lurking gust of wind lying in ambush

somewhere seemed to swoop down on him as if to prevent further

indecision and whirl him away in the direction of the justice's

house; and Mr。 Harkutt shut the door; bolted it; and walked

aimlessly back to the counter。



From a slow; deliberate and cautious man; he seemed to have changed

within an hour to an irresolute and capricious one。  He took the

paper from his pocket; and; unlocking the money drawer of his

counter; folded into a small compass that which now seemed to be

the last testament of Elijah Curtis; and placed it in a recess。

Then he went to the back door and paused; then returned; reopened

the money drawer; took out the paper and again buttoned it in his

hip pocket; standing by the stove and staring abstractedly at the

dull glow of the fire。  He even went through the mechanical process

of raking down the ashes;solely to gain time and as an excuse for

delaying some other necessary action。



He was thinking what he should do。  Had the question of his right

to retain and make use of that paper been squarely offered to him

an hour ago; he would without doubt have decided that he ought not

to keep it。  Even now; looking at it as an abstract principle; he

did not deceive himself in the least。  But Nature has the

reprehensible habit of not presenting these questions to us

squarely and fairly; and it is remarkable that in most of our

offending the abstract principle is never the direct issue。  Mr。

Harkutt was conscious of having been unwillingly led step by step

into a difficult; not to say dishonest; situation; and against his

own seeking。  He had never asked Elijah to sell him the property;

he had distinctly declined it; it had even been forced upon him as

security for the pittance he so freely gave him。  This proved (to

himself) that he himself was honest; it was only the circumstances

that were queer。  Of course if Elijah had lived; he; Harkutt; might

have tried to drive some bargain with him before the news of the

railroad survey came outfor THAT was only business。  But now that

Elijah was dead; who would be a penny the worse or better but

himself if he chose to consider the whole thing as a lucky

speculation; and his gift of five dollars as the price he paid for

it?  Nobody could think that he had calculated upon 'Lige's

suicide; any more than that the property would become valuable。  In

fact if it came to that; if 'Lige had really contemplated killing

himself as a hopeless bankrupt after taking Harkutt's money as a

loan; it was a swindle on hisHarkutt'sgood…nature。  He worked

himself into a rage; which he felt was innately virtuous; at this

tyranny of cold principle over his own warm…hearted instincts; but

if it came to the LAW; he'd stand by law and not sentiment。  He'd

just let themby which he vaguely meant the world; Tasajara; and

possibly his own consciencesee that he wasn't a sentimental fool;

and he'd freeze on to that paper and that property!



Only he ought to have spoken out before。  He ought to have told the

surveyor at once that he owned the land。  He ought to have said:

〃Why; that's my land。  I bought it of that drunken 'Lige Curtis for

a song and out of charity。〃  Yes; that was the only real trouble;

and that came from his own goodness; his own extravagant sense of

justice and right;his own cursed good…nature。  Yet; on second

thoughts; he didn't know why he was obliged to tell the surveyor。

Time enough when the company wanted to buy the land。  As soon as it

was settled that 'Lige was dead he'd openly claim the property。

But what if he wasn't dead? or they couldn't find his body? or he

had only disappeared?  His plain; matter…of…fact face contracted

and darkened。  Of course he couldn't ask the company to wait for

him to settle that point。  He had the power to dispose of the

property under that paper; andhe should do it。  If 'Lige turned

up; that was another matter; and he and 'Lige could arrange it

between them。  He was quite firm here; and oddly enough quite

relieved in getting rid of what appeared only a simple question of

detail。  He never suspected that he was contemplating the one

irretrievable step; and summarily dismissing the whole ethical

question。



He turned away from the stove; opened the back door; and walked

with a more determined step through the passage to the sitting…

room。  But here he halted again on the threshold with a quick

return of his old habits of caution。  The door was slightly open;

apparently his angry outbreak of an hour ago had not affected the

spirits of his daughters; for he could hear their hilarious voices

mingling with those of the strangers。  They were evidently still

fortune…telling; but this time it was the prophetic and divining

accents of Mr。 Rice addressed to Clementina which were now plainly

audible。



〃I see heaps of money and a great many friends in the change that

is coming to you。  Dear me! how many suitors!  But I cannot promise

you any marriage as brilliant as my friend has just offered your

sister。  You may be certain; however; that you'll have your own

choice in this; as you have in all things。〃



〃Thank you for nothing;〃 said Clementina's voice。  〃But what are

those horrid black cards beside them?that's trouble; I'm sure。〃



〃Not for you; though near you。  Perhaps some one you don't care

much for and don't understand will have a heap of trouble on your

account;yes; on account of these very riches; see; he follows the

ten of diamonds。  It may be a suitor; it may be some one now in the

house; perhaps。〃



〃He means himself; Miss Clementina;〃 struck in Grant's voice

laughingly。



〃You're not listening; Miss Harkutt;〃 said Rice with half…serious

reproach。  〃Perhaps you know who it is?〃



But Miss Clementina's reply was simply a hurried recognition of her

father's pale face that here suddenly confronted her with the

opening door。



〃Why; it's father!〃





CHAPTER III。





In his strange mental condition even the change from Harkutt's

feeble candle to the outer darkness for a moment blinded Elijah

Curtis; yet it was part of that mental condition that he kept

moving steadily forward as in a trance or dream; though at first

purposelessly。  Then it occurred to him that he was really looking

for his horse; and that the animal was not there。  This for a

moment confused and frightened him; first with the supposition that

he had not brought him at all; but that it was part of his

delusion; secondly; with the conviction that without his horse he

could neither proceed on the course suggested by Harkutt; nor take

another more vague one that was dimly in his mind。  Yet in his

hopeless vacillation it seemed a relief that now neither was

practicable; and that he need do nothing。  Perhaps it was a

mysterious providence!



The explanation; however; was much simpler。  The horse had been

taken by the luxurious and indolent Billings unknown to his

companions。  Overcome at the d

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