“Another hour, Babette, and we shall be home.”
“Yes,” was the reply, “home! That is what North Star is to us, and I wonder you ever left it, Joy.”
“I was afraid,” answered Joy. “Dick Bracknell’s letter startled me. He plainly meant to assert himself and I was glad of Sir Joseph’s summons to England, because it helped me to get away from the complications here.”
“It does not matter much where one goes,” answered Babette philosophically1, “one carries one’s real complications with her. Here or there—what matters? The heart is ever the same.”
“Yes, that is true,” answered Joy, thinking of the complications of her own life. “We are the victims of our emotions quite as much as of circumstances.”
“Of our inexperience more than our emotions, I should say,” answered Babette— “of our inexperience and the ruthlessness of those who are prepared to take advantage of them. But here, better than in most places, we can live our own life, untrammelled, and for the most part free from the worser[165] cares. This lodge4 of ours is like a sanctuary5 in the wilderness6, and the serenity7, the woods, the snow and the silences have their own healing for the troubles of life.”
“Yes, but there is something to be said for companionship with one’s own kind. I notice we are always a little excited when we have callers at the Lodge. We——”
A rifle shot cracked in on her words, and before either of them could speak again, a moose broke suddenly from the woods, and plunged8 down the steep bank not five hundred yards ahead of them. The wolf-dogs in the sleds gave tongue, and notwithstanding the burden behind them, leaped forward. Joy laughed gaily9.
“There’s an end of philosophic2 reflection. The moose is hit. I wonder who——”
A man emerged from the woods, dropped on one knee, and sighted the wide-horned beast. Then his shot rang, and the moose toppled over in the snow. The hunter stood up and caught sight of the oncoming party. He scrutinized10 it carefully for a moment and then waved his hand.
“It is George,” cried Babette, naming an Indian servant. “See, he recognizes us.”
The hunter descended11 the bank, and instead of going to inspect his kill waited for them to come up. As they did so a smile crumpled12 his grave copper-coloured face.
“How!” he said. “Very glad to see you, Miss Joy and Miss Babette. My words are not as my heart, for my tongue is not easy of speech. But glad am I to behold13 you, glad as if your coming[166] were the breath of the south spring wind upon the cheek.”
Joy laughed with pleasure. “Not more glad than are we, George. And you must not belittle14 that tongue of yours. If you only knew it you talk poetry. But tell me, how are things at the Lodge? All right, I hope, and Nanette and the papoose, they are well?”
“They are well,” answered the Indian. “But we dwell not alone. With us are Rayner and two men of the Kwikpak tribe. They are bad men.”
“Rayner!” as she echoed the name Joy’s eyes flashed fire.
“Yes, with two bad men of the Kwikpak tribe.”
“When did they arrive?” asked Joy quickly.
“At nightfall five days ago. They were very weary, having followed the trail hard and long. Rayner brought word from you that he stay to look for some man, but he brought no word of your coming.”
“No, I dare say not,” answered Joy sharply. “He would not expect us so soon. We also have pushed the trail hard. What has Mr. Rayner been doing since he arrived, George?”
“The first day he rest and smoke and ask many questions.”
“Questions? About what?”
“He asked if Nanette or I have beheld16 two men, one of whom is Corporal Bracknell, who took the Northward17 trail when you went southward. He ask if we have seen him since that time, and I answer no, for it is the truth, and Rayner he smile[167] to himself as is the way of a man with a hidden thought.”
“And the second man of whom he asked?”
“I know him not!” answered the Indian, “neither him nor the name of Dick which he bore.”
“Dick!” Joy swung round to her companion. “You hear, Babette. He asks after Dick, whose body, as he told me, he had thrust into an ice-hole. I thought when he told me that he lied and now I know.”
She turned to the Indian again. “And the other days?”
“The other days,” answered the Indian gravely, “he drink much brandy and a little coffee, and the two bad men they go on a journey and return yesterday. They bring news I think, for at dawn tomorrow they depart with Rayner.”
“No! Not tomorrow,” cried Joy, “but this very day.”
“That will be as you desire, mistress. When we return——”
“Where are they going? Do you know, George?”
“They take the Northward trail. Rayner tell me that when he have drunk much brandy. ‘From North Star to the North Star we go,’ he say, ‘you old graven image, and when we come back the girl shall be ours!’ I do not understand such words, for there is no girl there, but such are the words that Rayner speak.”
Joy looked at Babette. “He knows something,” she said.
[168]
“Yes,” answered her foster-sister, “but there is one thing he does not know, and that is a woman’s heart. He surely cannot hope——”
“I do not know what he may hope. I know what I shall do. My cousin Adrian is intolerable in his pretensions18.”
“What will you do, Joy? I begin to fancy that away from the restraints of civilization Adrian Rayner is possibly a dangerous man. And we are ‘North of fifty-three!’”
“I do not care. I am not afraid. There is, as you once hinted, the law of the wilderness, and at least I will be mistress in my own house.” She turned to her servant. “We will leave you one of the sleds, George. You will then be able to bring some of the meat home. I will talk with you again when you arrive.”
She gave orders for one team to push on and one to remain, then as she and her foster-sister recommenced their march she spoke19 again.
“I wonder why Adrian Rayner has lingered so long at North Star?”
“He has evidently been using the Lodge as his headquarters whilst he made the necessary inquiries20. Also there is another possibility,” answered Babette.
“And what is that?”
“I have a thought that he may be desirous of assuring himself that you have arrived here. It is only a possibility, but it is there.”
“I do not see why——”
“Why do you suppose he wished to marry you?” asked Babette quickly. “Because he loved you?[169] Possibly! But you are a rich woman, and I think that may have more to do with the question than you have yet thought. It may have more to do with his journey here than anything else. Have you made a will, Joy?”
“No!” answered Joy quickly. “I have never thought of it. My uncle never suggested it to me.”
“That is not surprising,” was the answer. “After Dick Bracknell, your uncle is your next of kin3. He and your cousin are your only blood relatives. Without a will, your marriage being unknown, your estate would fall to them if you were to die.”
Joy’s face showed a dawning horror. “Oh, but my uncle——”
“Your uncle is human, Joy, and what is more he has his difficulties. Whilst we were at Claridge’s I overheard two men talking. I said nothing to you at the time, regarding it as mere21 gossip, but they were discussing Sir Joseph, and one of them said that he had gathered some confounded bad eggs during the last year or two, and that he must be very rich to stand it. Supposing he is not very rich. Supposing the bad eggs are more than he can stand. Then your money——”
“But I cannot think that of my uncle, Babette; it is monstrous22.”
“Of your uncle. No! Perhaps not! But your cousin is another matter. Let us suppose that he knows of Sir Joseph’s losses. We know he is not scrupulous23. Knowing of your marriage to Dick Bracknell, he paid you attention. He asked you to[170] marry him. He even stooped to threats, as you told me. Why? Because he wanted to be able to control your fortune, to keep the money, some of which was badly needed. You may shake your head, Joy, but that is at least a possibility; and that is why I suggest that it is possible that Adrian Rayner may be desirous of assuring himself of your arrival here. You are beginning to know him; do you think that after his attempt to lure24 you into a bigamous marriage, and after his threats, that he will be at all chary25 of using any means that circumstances may offer of putting him in possession of your fortune? I do not! And he has been drinking, if what George says is true; and drink makes a tempted26 man dangerous. You must be careful, Joy, even diplomatic if necessary.”
“I shall order him to leave North Star the moment we arrive there!” answered Joy stubbornly. “If there is a shadow of truth in your surmises27, there is all the more reason why I should do so.”
“You will do as you please, Joy,” replied her foster-sister, breaking into a smile, “and at any rate we have the big battalions28 on our side. With the drivers and George, and George’s son, Jim, we shall be able to enforce your will.”
“And I shall do so,” answered Joy. “Here I am strong enough to disregard his threats.”
As it happened, the first person they encountered when they left the river trail and swung into the clearing which led to the Lodge, was Adrian Rayner. He was walking towards the river, with a rifle in the crook29 of his arm, and as he saw them swinging towards him, he halted suddenly, and[171] remained quite still, until Joy reached him. The look on his face betrayed his surprise, and to Joy it was clear that he had not expected to encounter her before his departure from the lodge. He stood there a little nonplussed30 and it was Joy who spoke first.
“You have not wasted time, Cousin Adrian,” she said, and there was an unmistakable edge to her tones.
“No,” he answered with an awkward laugh. “I promised you I would find that man who was in the wood when you shot your hus——”
“No!” she interrupted sharply, “not when I did, but when you shot my husband!”
There was accusation31 in her eyes, her voice, and Rayner visibly quailed32 before it. Then he cried—
“What confounded nonsense is this?”
“It is not nonsense,” she answered. “It is at least a possibility. You were in the wood that night, and you had a rifle with you. There were two shots, and one of them hit Dick Bracknell. One of those shots came from my rifle, but from whose rifle did the second come? Yours! I say.”
“Mine!” he cried harshly. “You must be mad. You cannot have thought over what you are saying.”
“No,” she countered, “I am not mad, I am quite sane33, and I have thought a great deal over the matter.”
“But why should I shoot Dick Bracknell masquerading as Koona Dick? He was not my husband?”
“No,” replied Joy coolly, “but he was mine, and[172] you had somehow become aware of the fact. If I am not mistaken, you yourself aspired34 to marry me——”
“Men are sometimes smitten35 with madness,” he interposed sneeringly36. “But there is another possibility that I can suggest to you, of which you do not seem to have thought. That precious corporal who was here; he had a gun! Also, I fancy that he would find the death of Dick Bracknell no heartbreaking business, as it would bring him within a step of the succession to Harrow Fell; and as Jeff Bracknell is now dead, it puts him absolutely on the doorstep. Have you thought of that?”
“There is no need that I should,” answered Joy promptly37. “Roger Bracknell had no knowledge that the man whom he knew as Koona Dick was his cousin, until he picked up a note which Dick had written to me, which was some time after the firing had taken place. I know that, and your suggestion is merely preposterous38.”
“You think so,” he laughed. “I wonder why?” Something in his tones brought the blood flaming to Joy Gargrave’s face. Her eyes flashed indignantly. Rayner laughed again brutally39.
“Not that there is any need for wonder,” he said maliciously40. “You seem to be in great vogue41 with the Bracknells. It must be a family weakness for——”
“How dare you?” She took a step forward, and suddenly raised the dog whip in her hand. Rayner backed quickly, and instinctively42 raised his hand. But the long lash15 smote43 him on the face, and he gave vent44 to a savage45 oath.
[173]
“You—virago! Would you?”
He had lost complete control of himself, and what would have happened is only to be conjectured46, but at that moment the Indian George stepped quietly from behind some tall bushes. He still carried his rifle, and though there was an impassive look on his brown face, his eyes were blazing. The white man saw him, and as he met those eyes, the wrath47 in him was checked. The Indian spoke no word, but very deliberately48 opened the breech of his rifle, as if to assure himself that it was loaded. Then he closed it and looked at Rayner again, and at that second look the white man shivered, for in it he saw something threatening and ominous49, which unsealed the springs of fear within him. Joy was the first to speak.
“George,” she said, addressing her henchman, “Mr. Rayner takes the trail in an hour. Anything he needs for his journey he is to have; but he goes within the hour, and never again is he to visit North Star. Do you understand?”
The Indian nodded his head in grave assent50, and without another look at Adrian Rayner, Joy turned and went up the road towards the house.
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1
philosophically
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| adv.哲学上；富有哲理性地；贤明地；冷静地 | |
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philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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belittle
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| v.轻视，小看，贬低 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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16
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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chary
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| adj.谨慎的，细心的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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27
surmises
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的第三人称单数 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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29
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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nonplussed
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| adj.不知所措的，陷于窘境的v.使迷惑( nonplus的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
accusation
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| n.控告，指责，谴责 | |
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quailed
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| 害怕，发抖，畏缩( quail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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aspired
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| v.渴望，追求( aspire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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sneeringly
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| 嘲笑地，轻蔑地 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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38
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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41
Vogue
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| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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43
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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44
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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45
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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46
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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48
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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49
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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50
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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