The White Peacock Part 39

"Have some of this trifle, Georgie?"

"I will-you are a jewel."

"So will you be-a yellow topaz tomorrow!"

"Ah! tomorrow's tomorrow!"

After supper was over, Alice cried:

"Georgie, dear-have you finished?-don't die the death of a king-King John-I can't spare you, pet."

"Are you so fond of me?"

"I am-Aw! I'd throw my best Sunday hat under a milk-cart for you, I would!"

"No; throw yourself into the milk-cart-some Sunday, when I'm driving."

"Yes-come and see us," said Emily.

"How nice! Tomorrow you won't want me, Georgie dear, so I'll come. Don't you wish Pa would make Tono-Bungay? Wouldn't you marry me then?"

"I would," said he.

When the cart came, and Alice, Madie, Tom and Will departed, Alice bade Lettie a long farewell-blew Georgie many kisses-promised to love him faithful and true-and was gone.

George and Emily lingered a short time.

Now the room seemed empty and quiet, and all the laughter seemed to have gone. The conversation dribbled away; there was an awkwardness.

"Well," said George heavily, at last. "To-day is nearly gone-it will soon be tomorrow. I feel a bit drunk! We had a good time to-night."

"I am glad," said Lettie.

They put on their clogs and leggings, and wrapped themselves up, and stood in the hall.

"We must go," said George, "before the clock strikes,-like Cinderella-look at my gla.s.s slippers-" he pointed to his clogs.

"Midnight, and rags, and fleeing. Very appropriate. I shall call myself Cinderella who wouldn't fit. I believe I'm a bit drunk-the world looks funny."

We looked out at the haunting wanness of the hills beyond Nethermere.

"Good-bye, Lettie; good-bye."

They were out in the snow, which peered pale and eerily from the depths of the black wood.

"Good-bye," he called out of the darkness. Leslie slammed the door, and drew Lettie away into the drawing-room. The sound of his low, vibrating satisfaction reached us, as he murmured to her, and laughed low. Then he kicked the door of the room shut. Lettie began to laugh and mock and talk in a high strained voice. The sound of their laughter mingled was strange and incongruous. Then her voice died down.

Marie sat at the little piano-which was put in the dining-room-strumming and tinkling the false, quavering old notes. It was a depressing jingling in the deserted remains of the feast, but she felt sentimental, and enjoyed it.

This was a gap between to-day and tomorrow, a dreary gap, where one sat and looked at the dreary comedy of yesterdays, and the grey tragedies of dawning tomorrows, vacantly, missing the poignancy of an actual to-day.

The cart returned.

"Leslie, Leslie, John is here, come along!" called Marie.

There was no answer.

"Leslie-John is waiting in the snow."

"All right."

"But you must come at once." She went to the door and spoke to him. Then he came out looking rather sheepish, and rather angry at the interruption. Lettie followed, tidying her hair. She did not laugh and look confused, as most girls do on similar occasions; she seemed very tired.

At last Leslie tore himself away, and after more returns for a farewell kiss, mounted the carriage, which stood in a pool of yellow light, blurred and splotched with shadows, and drove away, calling something about tomorrow.

PART II

CHAPTER I

STRANGE BLOSSOMS AND STRANGE NEW BUDDING

Winter lay a long time prostrate on the earth. The men in the mines of Tempest, Warrall and Co. came out on strike on a question of the rearranging of the working system down below. The distress was not awful, for the men were on the whole wise and well-conditioned, but there was a dejection over the face of the country-side, and some suffered keenly. Everywhere, along the lanes and in the streets, loitered gangs of men, unoccupied and spiritless. Week after week went on, and the agents of the Miner's Union held great meetings, and the ministers held prayer-meetings, but the strike continued. There was no rest. Always the crier's bell was ringing in the street; always the servants of the company were delivering handbills, stating the case clearly, and always the people talked and filled the months with bitter, and then hopeless, resenting. Schools gave breakfasts, chapels gave soup, well-to-do people gave teas-the children enjoyed it. But we, who knew the faces of the old men and the privations of the women, breathed a cold, disheartening atmosphere of sorrow and trouble.

Determined poaching was carried on in the Squire's woods and warrens.

Annable defended his game heroically. One man was at home with a leg supposed to be wounded by a fall on the slippery roads-but really, by a man-trap in the woods. Then Annable caught two men, and they were sentenced to two months' imprisonment.

On both the lodge gates of Highclose-on our side and on the far Eberwich side-were posted notices that trespa.s.sers on the drive or in the grounds would be liable to punishment. These posters were soon mudded over, and fresh ones fixed.

The men loitering on the road by Nethermere, looked angrily at Lettie as she pa.s.sed, in her black furs which Leslie had given her, and their remarks were pungent. She heard them, and they burned in her heart. From my mother she inherited democratic views, which she now proceeded to debate warmly with her lover.

Then she tried to talk to Leslie about the strike. He heard her with mild superiority, smiled, and said she did not know. Women jumped to conclusions at the first touch of feeling; men must look at a thing all round, then make a decision-nothing hasty and impetuous-careful, long-thought-out, correct decisions. Women could not be expected to understand these things, business was not for them; in fact, their mission was above business-etc., etc., Unfortunately Lettie was the wrong woman to treat thus.

"So!" said she, with a quiet, hopeless tone of finality.

"There now, you understand, don't you, Minnehaha, my Laughing Water-So laugh again, darling, and don't worry about these things. We will not talk about them any more, eh?"

"No more."

"No more-that's right-you are as wise as an angel. Come here-pooh, the wood is thick and lonely! Look, there is n.o.body in the world but us, and you are my heaven and earth!"

"And h.e.l.l?"

"Ah-if you are so cold-how cold you are!-it gives me little s.h.i.+vers when you look so-and I am always hot-Lettie!"

"Well?"