children of the whirlwind-第38节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



〃You'll　cut　out　your　comic…supplement　stuff　in　just　one　second；〃　Barney　warned　her。　〃We　both　saw　young　Sherwood　awhile　ago　as　he　was　leaving　the　Grantham；　and　he　told　us　everything！〃

Persiflage　did　indeed　fail　Maggie。　〃Everything？〃　she　exclaimed。　〃What's　everything？〃

〃He　told　us　about　proposing　to　you　almost　a　week　ago；　and　about　your　refusing　him。　And　you　lied　to　uskept　us　sitting　round；　wasting　our　timeand　all　the　while　you've　been　double…crossing　us！〃

Those　visitors　from　South　and　West；　especially　the　women；　who　a　few　nights　before　on　the　roof　had　regarded　Barney　as　the　perfect　courtier；　would　not　have　so　esteemed　him　if　they　had　seen　him　at　the　present　moment。　He　seized　Maggie's　wrists；　and　all　the　evil　of　his　violent　nature　glared　from　his　small　bright　eyes。

〃Damn　you！〃　he　cried。　〃Jimmie；　she's　yours；　and　a　father's　got　a　right　to　do　anything　he　likes　to　his　own　daughter。　Give　it　to　her　proper　if　she　don't　come　across　with　the　truth！〃

Jimmie　stepped　closer　to　her　and　bared　his　yellow　teeth。　〃I　haven't　given　you　a　basting　since　you　were　fifteenbut　I'll　paste　you　one　right　in　the　mouth　if　you　don't　talk　straight　talk！〃

〃You　hear　that！〃　Barney　gritted　at　her。　He　believed　there　was　justice　in　his　wrathas　indeed　there　was；　of　a　sort。　〃Think　what　Jimmie　and　I've　put　into　this；　in　time　and　hard　coin！　We've　given　you　your　chance；　we've　made　you！　And　then；　after　hard　work　and　waiting　and　our　spending　so　much；　and　everything　comes　out　exactly　as　we　figured；　you　go　and　throw　us　downnot　just　yourself；　but　us　and　our　rights！　Now　you　talk　straight　stuff！　Tell　us；　why　did　you　refuse　Sherwood　when　he　proposed？　And　why　did　you　tell　me　that　lie　about　his　not　proposing？〃

Maggie　realized　she　was　in　a　desperate　plight；　with　these　two　inflamed　gazes　upon　her。　Never　had　she　felt　so　little　of　a　daughter's　liking　for　Old　Jimmie　as　now　when　she　looked　into　his　lean；　harsh；　yellow…　fanged　face。　And　she　had　no　illusions　about　Barney。　He　might　love　her；　as　she　knew　he　did；　but　that　would　not　be　a　check　upon　his　ruthlessness　if　he　thought　himself　balked　or　betrayed。

Just　then　her　telephone　began　to　ring。　She　started　to　move　toward　it；　but　Barney's　grip　checked　her　short。

〃You're　going　to　answer　menot　any　damned　telephone！　Let　it　ring！〃

The　bell　rang　for　a　minute　or　two　before　it　stilled　its　shrill　clamor。　Its　ringing　was　in　a　way　a　brief　respite　to　Maggie；　for　it　gave　her　additional　time　to　consider　what　should　be　her　course。　She　realized　that　she　dared　not　let　Barney　believe　at　this　moment　that　she　had　turned　against　him。　Again　she　fell　back　upon　her　cool；　self…confident　manner。

〃You　want　to　know　why？　The　answer　is　simple　enough。　I　thought　I　might　try　out　an　improvement　of　our　plansomething　that　might　suit　me　better。〃

〃What's　that？〃　Barney　harshly　demanded。

〃Since　Miss　Sherwood　fell　for　me　so　easy；　it　struck　me　that　she'd　be　pretty　sure　to　fall　for　me　if　I　told　her　the　whole　truth　about　myself。　That　is；　everything　except　our　scheme　to　play　Dick　for　a　sucker。〃

〃What're　you　driving　at？〃

〃Don't　you　see？　If　she　forgave　me　being　what　I　am；　and　I　rather　think　she　would；　and　with　Dick　liking　me　as　he　doeswhy；　it　struck　me　as　the　best　thing　for　yours　truly　to　marry　Dick　for　keeps。〃

〃What？〃　Though　Barney's　voice　was　low；　it　had　the　effect　of　a　startled　and　savage　roar。　〃And　chuck　us　over…board？〃

〃Not　at　all。　If　I　married　Dick　for　keeps；　I　intended　to　pay　you　a　lump　sum；　or　else　a　regular　amount　each　year。〃

〃No；　you　don't！〃　Barney　cried　in　the　same　muffled　roar。

〃Perhaps　notI　haven't　decided；〃　Maggie　said　evenly。　〃I've　merely　been　telling　you；　as　you　requested　me；　why　I　did　as　I　did。　I　refused　Dick；　and　lied　to　you；　so　that　I　might　have　more　time　to　think　over　what　I　really　wanted　to　do。〃

Instinctively　she　had　counted　on　rousing　Barney's　jealousy　in　order　to　throw　him　off　the　track　of　her　real　thoughts。　She　succeeded。

〃I　can　tell　you　what　you're　going　to　do！〃　Barney　flung　at　her　with　fierce　mastery。　〃You're　not　going　to　put　over　a　sure…enough　marriage　with　any　Dick　Sherwood！　When　there's　that　kind　of　a　marriage；　I'm　going　to　be　the　man！　And　you're　going　to　go　right　straight　ahead　with　our　old　plan！　Dick'll　propose　again　if　you　give　him　half　a　chance。　And　when　he　does；　you　say　'yes'！　Understand？　That's　what　you're　going　to　do！〃

There　was　no　safety　in　openly　defying　Barney。　And　as　a　matter　of　fact　what　he　had　ordered　was　what；　in　the　shifting　currents　of　her　thoughts；　the　steady　momentum　of　her　old　ambitions　and　purposes　had　been　pushing　her　toward。　So　she　said；　in　her　even　voice：

〃You　waste　such　a　lot　of　your　good　energy；　Barney；　by　exploding　when　there's　nothing　to　blow　up。　That's　exactly　what　I'd　decided　to　do。　Miss　Sherwood　has　asked　me　out　to　Cedar　Crest　to…morrow　afternoon；　and　I'm　going。〃

Barney　let　go　the　hold　he　had　kept　upon　her　wrists；　and　the　dark　look　slowly　lifted　from　his　face。　〃Why　didn't　you　tell　a　fellow　this　at　first？〃　he　half　grumbled。　then　with　a　grim　enthusiasm：　〃And　when　you　come　back；　you're　going　to　tell　us　it's　all　settled！〃

Of　courseif　he　asks　me。　And　now　suppose　you　two　go　away。　You've　given　me　a　headache；　and　I　want　to　rest。〃

〃We'll　go；〃　said　Barney。　〃But　there　may　be　some　more　points　about　this　that　we　may　want　to　talk　over　a　little　later　to…night。　So　better　get　all　the　rest　you　can。〃

But　when　they　had　gone　and　left　her　to　the　silence　of　her　pretentious　and　characterless　suite；　Maggie　did　not　rest。　She　had　made　up　her　mind；　she　was　going　to　do　as　she　had　said。　But　there　was　still　that　same　turmoil　within　her。

Again　she　thought　of　Larry。　But　she　would　not　admit　to　herself　that　her　real　motive　for　suddenly　deciding　to　go　to　Cedar　Crest　on　the　morrow　was　the　chance　of　seeing　him。




CHAPTER　XXVI


During　all　these　days　Larry　waited　for　news　of　the　result　of　the　experiment　in　psychology　which　meant　so　much　to　his　life。　He　had　not　expected　to　hear　directly　from　Maggie；　but　he　had　counted　upon　learning　at　once　from　Dick；　if　not　by　words；　then　either　from　eloquent　dejection　which　would　proclaim　Dick's　refusal　（and　Larry's　success）　or　from　an　ebullient　joy　which　would　proclaim　that　Maggie　had　accepted　him。　But　Dick's　sober　but　not　unhappy　behavior　announced　neither　of　these　two　to　Larry；　and　the　matter　was　too　personal；　altogether　too　delicate；　to　permit　Larry　to　ask　Dick　the　result；　however　subtly　he　might　ask　it。

So　Larry　could　only　waitand　wonder。　The　truth　did　not　occur　to　Larry；　he　did　not　see　that　there　might　be　another　alternative　to　the　two　possible　reactions　he　had　calculated　upon。　He　did　not　bear　in　mind　that　Maggie's　youthful　obstinacy；　her　belief　in　herself　and　her　ways；　were　too　solid　a　structure　to　yield　at　once　to　one　moral　shock；　however　wisely　planned　and　however　strong。　He　did　not　at　this　time　hold　in　mind　that　any　real　change　in　so　decided　a　character　as　Maggie；　if　change　there　was　to　be；　would　be　preceded　and　accompanied　by　a　turbulent　period　in　which　she　would　hardly　know　who　she　was；　or　where　she　was；　or　what　she　was　going　to　doand　that　at　the　end　of　such　a　period　there　might　be　no　change　at　all。

Inasmuch　as　just　then　Maggie　was　his　major　interest；　it　seemed　to　Larry　in　his　safe　seclusion　that　he　was　merely　marking　time；　and　marking　time　with　feet　that　were　frantically　impatient。　He　felt　he　could　not　stand　much　longer　his　own　inactivity　and　his　ignorance　of　what　Maggie　was　doing　and　what　was　happening　to　her。　He　could　not　remain　in　this　sanctuary　pulling　strings；　and　very　long　and　fragile　strings；　and　strings　which　might　be　the　mistaken　ones；　for　any　much　greater　period。　He　felt　that　he　simply　had　to　walk　out　of　this　splendid　safety；　back　into　the　dangers　from　which　he　had　fled；　where　he　might　at　least　have　the　possible　advantage　of　being　in　the　very　midst　of　Maggie's　affairs　and　fight　for　her　more　openly　and　have　a　more　direct　influence　upon　her。

He　knew　that；　sooner　or　later；　he　was　going　to　throw　caution　aside　and　appear　suddenly　among　his　enemies；　unless　something　of　a　definite　character　developed。　But　for　these　slow；　irritating　days　he　held　himself　in　check　with　difficulty；　hoping　that　things　might　come　to　him；　that　he　would　not　have　to　go　forth　to　them。

He　had　brought　Hunt's　portrait　of　Maggie　to　Cedar　Crest　in　the　bottom　of　his　trunk；　and　kept　it　locked　in　his　chiffonier。　During　these　days；　more　frequently　than　before；　he　would　take　out　the　portrait　and　in　the　security　of　his　locked　room　would　gaze　long　at　that　keen…visioned　portrayal　of　her　many　characters。　No　doubt　of　it：　there　was　a　possible　splendid　woman　there！　And　no　doubt　of　it：　he　loved　that　woman　utterly！

During　these　days　of　his　ignorance；　while　Maggie　was　struggling　in　the　darkness　of　her　unexplored　being；　Larry　drove　himself　grimly　at　the　business　to　which　under　happier　circumstances　he　would　have　gone　under　the　irresistible　suasion　of　pure　joy。　One　afternoon　he　presented　to　Miss　Sherwood　an　outline　for　his　growing　plan　for　the　development　of　the　Sherwood　properties　on　the　basis　of　good　homes　at　fair　rentals。　He　discovered　that；　in　spite　of　her　generous　giving；　she　had　much　the　same　attitude　toward　Charity　as　his　own：　that　the　only　sound　Charity；　except　for　those　temporarily　or　permanently　handicapped　or　disabled；　was　the　giving　of　honest　values　for　hone