children of the whirlwind-第31节

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e　isthere's　now　no　way　for　me　to　learn。　And　I　don't　want　to　know。　And　I　don't　want　her　ever　to　know　about　me。　I　don't　ever　want　to　be　the　cause　of　making　her　feel　disgraced；　or　of　dragging　her　down　from　among　the　people　where　she　belongs。〃

The　Duchess　gave　no　visible　sign　of　emotion；　but　her　ancient　heart…　strings　were　set　vibrating　by　that　tense；　low…pitched　voice。　She　had　a　momentary　impulse　to　tell　him　the　truth。　But　just　then　the　Duchess　was　a　confusion　of　many　conflicting　impulses；　and　the　balance　of　their　strength　was　for　the　moment　against　telling。　So　she　said　nothing。

Their　talk　drifted　back　to　commonplaces；　and　presently　Joe　Ellison　went　away。　The　Duchess　sat　motionless　at　her　desk；　again　thinking　thinkingthinking；　and　when　Joe　Ellison　was　back　in　his　gardener's　cottage　at　Cedar　Crest　and　was　happily　asleep；　she　still　sat　where　he　had　left　her。　During　her　generations　of　looking　upon　life　from　the　inside；　she　had　seen　the　truth　of　many　strange　situations　of　which　the　world　had　learned　only　the　wildest　rumors　or　the　most　respectable　versions；　but　during　the　long　night　hours；　perhaps　because　the　affair　touched　her　so　closely；　this　seemed　to　her　the　strangest　situation　she　had　ever　known。　A　father　believing　with　the　firm　belief　of　established　certainty　that　his　daughter　had　been　brought　up　free　from　all　taint　of　his　own　life；　carefully　bred　among　the　best　of　people。　In　reality　the　girl　brought　up　in　a　criminal　atmosphere；　with　criminal　ideas　implanted　in　her　as　normal　ideas；　and　carefully　trained　in　criminal　ways　and　ambitions。　And　neither　father　nor　daughter　having　a　guess　of　the　truth。

Indeed　it　was　a　strange　situation！　A　situation　charged　with　all　kinds　of　unforeseeable　results。

The　Duchess　now　understood　the　unfatherly　disregard　Old　Jimmie　had　shown　for　the　ordinary　welfare　of　Maggie。　Not　being　her　father；　he　had　not　cared。　Superficially；　at　least；　Jimmie　Carlisle　must　have　been　a　much　more　plausible　individual　twenty　years　earlier；　to　have　won　the　implicit　trust　of　Joe　Ellison　and　to　have　become　his　foremost　friend。　She　understood　one　reason　why　Old　Jimmie　had　always　boarded　Maggie　in　the　cheapest　and　lowest　places；　his　hidden　cupidity　had　thereby　been　pocketing　about　a　thousand　dollars　a　year　of　trust　money　for　over　sixteen　years。

But　there　was　one　queer　problem　here　to　which　the　Duchess　could　not　at　this　time　see　the　answer。　If　Jimmie　Carlisle　had　wished　to　gratify　his　cupidity　and　double…cross　his　friend；　why　had　he　not　at　the　very　start　placed　Maggie　in　an　orphanage　where　she　would　have　been　neither　charge　nor　cost　to　him；　and　thus　have　had　the　use　of　every　penny　of　the　trust　fund？　Why　had　he　chosen　to　keep　her　by　him；　and　train　her　carefully　to　be　exactly　what　her　father　had　most　wished　her　not　to　be？　There　must　have　been　some　motive　in　the　furtive；　tortuous　mind　of　Old　Jimmie；　that　now　would　perhaps　forever　remain　a　mystery。

Of　course　she　saw；　or　thought　she　saw；　the　reason　for　the　report　of　Old　Jimmie's　death　to　Joe　Ellison。　That　report　had　been　sent　to　escape　an　accounting。

As　she　sat　through　the　night　hours　the　Duchess　for　the　first　time　felt　warmth　creep　over　her　for　Maggie。　She　saw　Maggie　in　the　light　of　a　victim。　If　Maggie　had　been　brought　up　as　her　father　had　planned；　she　might　now　be　much　the　girl　her　father　dreamed　her。　But　Old　Jimmie　had　entered　the　scheme　of　things。　Yes；　the　audacious；　willful；　confident　Maggie；　bent　on　conquering　the　world　in　the　way　Old　Jimmie　and　later　Barney　Palmer　had　taught　her；　was　really　just　a　poor　misguided　victim　who　should　have　had　a　far　different　fate。

And　now　the　Duchess　came　to　one　of　the　greatest　problems　of　her　life。　What　should　she　do？　Considering　the　facts　that　Joe　Ellison　wished　the　life　of　a　recluse　and　desired　to　avoid　all　talk　of　the　old　days；　the　chances　were　that　he　would　never　happen　upon　the　real　state　of　affairs。　Only　she　and　Old　Jimmie　knew　the　essentials　of　the　situation…　…and　very　likely　Jimmie　did　not　yet　know　that　the　friend　who　had　once　trusted　him　was　now　a　free　man。　She　felt　as　though　she　held　in　her　hands　the　strings　of　destiny。　Should　she　tell　the　truth？

She　pondered　long。　All　her　considerations　were　given　weight　according　to　what　she　saw　as　their　possible　effect　upon　Larry；　for　Larry　was　the　one　person　left　whom　she　loved；　and　on　him　were　fixed　the　aspirations　of　these　her　final　years。　Therefore　her　thoughts　and　arguments　were　myopic；　almost　necessarily　specious。　She　wanted　to　see　justice　done；　of　course。　But　most　of　all　she　wanted　what　was　best　for　Larry。　If　she　told　the　truth；　it　might　result　in　some　kind　of　temporary　breakdown　in　Maggie's　attitude　which　would　bring　her　and　Larry　together。　That　would　be　disastrous。　If　not　disastrous　at　once；　certainly　in　the　end。　Maggie　was　a　victim；　and　undoubtedly　deserved　sympathy。　But　others　should　not　be　sacrificed　merely　because　Maggie　had　suffered　an　injury。　She　had　been　too　long　under　the　tutelage　of　Old　Jimmie；　and　his　teachings　were　now　too　thoroughly　the　fiber　of　her　very　being；　for　her　to　alter　permanently。　She　might　change　temporarily　under　the　urge　of　an　emotional　revelation；　but　she　would　surely　revert　to　her　present　self。　There　was　no　doubt　of　that。

And　the　Duchess　gave　weight　to　other　considerationsall　human；　yet　all　in　some　measure　specious。　Joe　Ellison　was　happy　in　his　dream；　and　would　be　happy　in　it　all　the　rest　of　his　life。　Why　tell　the　truth　and　destroy　his　precious　illusion？especially　when　there　was　no　chance　to　change　Maggie？

And　further；　she　recalled　the　terrific　temper　that　had　lived　within　the　composed　demeanor　of　Joe　Ellison。　The　fires　of　that　temper　could　not　yet　be　all　burned　out。　If　she　told　the　truth；　told　that　Jimmie　Carlisle　was　still　alive；　that　might　be　just　touching　the　trigger　of　a　devastating　tragedymight　be　disaster　for　all。　What　would　be　the　use　when　no　one　would　have　been　benefited？

And　so；　in　the　wisdom　of　her　old　head　and　the　entanglements　of　her　old　heart；　the　Duchess　decided　she　would　never　tell。　And　that　loving；　human　decision　she　was　to　cling　to　through　the　stress　of　times　to　come。

But　even　while　she　was　thus　deciding　upon　a　measure　to　checkmate　them　both；　Larry　was　pacing　his　room　at　Cedar　Crest；　at　last　excitedly　evolving　the　elusive　plan　which　was　to　bring　Maggie　to　her　senses　and　also　to　him；　and　Maggie；　all　unconscious　of　this　new　element　which　had　entered　as　a　potential　factor　in　her　existence；　all　unconscious　of　how　far　she　had　been　guided　from　the　course　which　had　been　charted　for　her；　was　lying　awake　at　the　Grantham　after　a　late　party　at　which　Dick　Sherwood　had　been　her　escort；　and　was　exulting　pridefully　over　the　seemingly　near　consummation　of　the　plan　that　was　to　show　Larry　Brainard　how　wrong　he　was　and　that　was　to　establish　her　as　the　cleverest　woman　in　her　linebetter　even　than　Barney　or　Old　Jimmie　believed　her。

And　thus　separate　wills　each　strove　to　direct　their　own　lives　and　other　lives　according　to　their　own　separate　plans；　little　thinking　to　what　extent　they　were　all　entangled　in　a　common　destiny；　and　thinking　not　at　all　of　the　further　seed　that　was　being　sown　for　the　harvest…　time　of　the　whirlwind。




CHAPTER　XXII


After　Larry's　many　days　and　nights　of　futile　searching　of　his　brain　for　a　plan　that　would　accord　with　his　fundamental　idea　for　awakening　the　unguessed　other　self　of　Maggie；　the　plan；　which　finally　came　to　him　complete　in　all　its　details　in　a　single　moment；　was　so　simple　and　obvious　that　he　marveled　it　could　have　been　plainly　before　his　eyes　all　this　while　without　his　ever　seeing　it。　Of　course　the　plan　was　dangerous　and　of　doubtful　issue。　It　had　to　be　so；　because　it　involved　the　reactions　of　strong…tempered　persons　as　yet　unacquainted　who　would　have　no　foreknowledge　of　the　design　behind　their　new　relationship；　and　because　its　success　or　failure；　which　might　also　mean　his　own　complete　failure；　the　complete　loss　of　all　he　had　thus　far　gained；　depended　largely　upon　the　twist　of　events　which　he　could　not　foresee　and　therefore　could　not　guide。

Briefly；　his　plan　was　so　to　manage　as　to　have　Maggie　received　in　the　Sherwood　household　as　a　guest；　to　have　her　receive　the　frank；　unquestioning　hospitality　（and　perhaps　friendship）　of　such　a　gracious；　highly　placed；　unpretentious　woman　as　Miss　Sherwood；　so　distinctly　a　native　of；　and　not　an　immigrant　to；　the　great　world。　To　be　received　as　a　friend　by　those　against　whom　she　plotted；　to　have　the　generous；　unsuspecting　friendship　of　Miss　Sherwoodif　anything　just　then　had　a　chance　to　open　the　blinded　Maggie's　eyes　to　the　evil　and　error　of　what　she　was　engaged　upon；　if　anything　had　a　chance　to　appeal　to　the　finer　things　he　believed　to　exist　unrecognized　or　suppressed　in　Maggie；　this　was　that　thing。

And　best　part　of　this　plan；　its　effect　would　be　only　within　Maggie's　self。　No　one　need　know　that　anything　had　happened。　There　would　be　no　exposure；　no　humiliation。

Of　course　there　was　the　great　question　of　how　to　get　Miss　Sherwood　to　invite　Maggie；　and　whether　indeed　Miss　Sherwood　would　invite　her　at　all。　And　there　was　the　further　question；　the　invitation　being　sent；　of　whether　Maggie　would　accept。

Larry　decided　to　manipulate　his　design　through　Dick　Sherwood。　Late　that　afternoon；　when　Dick；　just　returned　from　the　city；　dropped　into；　as　was　his　before…dinner　cus