第121章

"I don't remember whether or not Mr.Paine and I have ever been formally introduced," she observed."If we haven't it makes no difference, I suppose.The other members of the family seem to know him well enough.And--and mothers nowadays are not considered.I--I must say that--"She had recourse to the lace handkerchief.I could understand what the doctor meant by calling her the "most tiring thing in the house." Her husband laid a hand on hers.

"There, there, my dear," he said, soothingly, "don't be foolish.

Sit down, Paine.Henrietta, perhaps you had better leave Mr.Paine and I together.We have some--er--business matters to discuss and you are tired and nervous.I should go to my room and lie down, if I were you."Mrs.Colton accepted the suggestion, but her acceptance was not the most gracious.

"I am in the way, as usual," she observed, chokingly."Very well, I should be resigned to that by this time, no doubt.I will go.

But James, for my sake, don't be weak.Remember what-- Oh, remember all we had hoped and planned! When I think of it, I--I--A nobody! A person without...What SHALL I do?"The handkerchief was in active operation.She swept past me to the door.There she turned.

"I may forgive you some time, Mr.Paine," she sobbed."I suppose Ishall have to.I can't do anything else.But don't ask me to do it now.That would be TOO much!"The door closed and I heard her sobs as she marched down the hall.

To say that I was amazed and decidedly uncomfortable would be a very mild estimate of my feelings.Why should I expect her to forgive me? What had I done? I--or luck and I together--had saved one of her husband's stock speculations from ending in smash; but that was no injury for which I should beg forgiveness.At least Icould not see that it was.

Colton looked after her with a troubled expression.

"Nerves are the devil, aren't they," he observed."And nerves and a woman together are worse than that.My wife, Paine, is--well, she hasn't been in good health for a long time and Mabel and I have done our best to give her her own way.When you've had your own way for years it rather hurts to be checkmated.I know that from experience.She'll feel better about it by and by.""Better about what?" I demanded, involuntarily."I don't understand Mrs.Colton's meaning in the least."He looked at me keenly for a moment without speaking.

"Don't you?" he asked."You are sure you don't?""Certainly I am sure.What I have done that requires forgiveness Idon't see."

Another pause and more scrutiny.

"So you don't understand what she means, hey?" he said again."All right, all right! We won't discuss that yet a while.If you don't understand--never mind.Time enough for us to talk of that when you do.But, say, Paine," with one of his dry smiles, "who taught you to buck a stock pool?"This question I could understand.I had expected this.

"No one taught me," I answered."If I had any knowledge at all in that direction I was born with it, I guess.A form of original sin.""It's a mighty profitable sort of wickedness--for me.Young man, do you realize what you did? How do you expect me to thank you for that, hey?""I don't expect you to thank me at all.It was bull luck that won for you, Mr.Colton.Bull luck and desperation on my part.Miss Colton sent for me to help her.Your confidential man, Davis, refused to make a move without orders from you.You couldn't give any orders.Someone had to do something, or, so it seemed to your daughter and me, your Louisville and Transcontinental deal was a gone goose.""It was more than that.I might have come pretty near being a gone goose along with it.Not quite gone, perhaps--I should have had a few cents left in the stocking--but I should have lost a lot more than I care to lose.So it was bull luck, hey? I don't believe it.Tell me the whole story, from beginning to end, will you?

Mabel has told me some, but I want to hear it all.Go ahead!"I thought of Quimby's warning."I'm afraid I should tire you, Mr.

Colton.It is a long story, if I give particulars.""Never mind, you give them.That 'tiring' business is some more of that doctor's foolishness.HE makes me tired, all right.You tell me what I want to know or I'll get out of this bed and shake it out of you."He looked as if he meant to carry out his threat.I began my tale at the beginning and went on to the astonishing end.

"Don't ask me why I did this or that, Mr.Colton," I concluded."Idon't know.I think I was off my head part of the time.But something HAD to be done.I tried to look at the affair in a common-sense way, and--""And, HAVING common-sense, you used it.Paine, you're a brick!

Your kind of common-sense is so rare that it's worth paying any price for.Ha! ha! So it was Keene and his 'Development Company'

that gave you the idea.That's good! That little failure of mine wasn't altogether a failure, after all.You saw it was a case where a bluff might win, and you had the sand to bluff it through.

That comes of living so long where there is more sand than anything else, I imagine, hey! Ha! ha! Well, bull luck or insanity or whatever you call it, it did the trick.Of course I'm more obliged to you than I can tell.You know that.""That's all right, Mr.Colton.Now I think I must be going.

You've talked enough."

"You sit still.I haven't begun to talk yet.Paine, before you did this thing for me I had taken a fancy to you.I believed there was good stuff in you and that I could use you in my business.Now I know I can't afford to do without you....Stop! let me finish.Young man, I told you once that when I made up my mind to do a thing, I always did it.ALWAYS; do you understand? I am going to get you.You are coming with me."I had foreseen this, of course.But I had hoped to get away from that room before he reached the point.He had reached it, however, and perhaps it was as well he had.We would end this for all time.