CHAPTER XI
A Woman of Business
"What is the trouble, Miss Radford?"
Katherine started. She had been so busy in packing baking powder,tobacco, currants, and things of that description into a box forthe fisher from Long Island Sound that she had not heard theapproach of Jervis Ferrars, who wore list slippers, and so made butlittle noise in walking. The long hard day which had held so manymomentous happenings was wearing to a close, and so far she hadfound no chance at all to speak to the stranger about what he hadto fear. Mrs. Burton had begged him with tears in her eyes to staya few days to help them in looking after their father, and JervisFerrars had accepted with such evident pleasure at the prospectthat Katherine had troubled no further then, and had devotedherself to the many things which called for her attention.
Her father still lay in the condition of absolute unconsciousnessinto which he had fallen at first, and Mr. Ferrars did not thinkthere would be much change for a few days. He also did notapprehend any immediate danger, and they all took courage fromthis. Sickness and incapacity did not daunt them; but it was deaththe separator of whom they were all so much afraid.
"I did not hear you come," Katherine said.
"No, my footgear is not noisy, as befits a sickroom; but then mysteps are not sprightly either, so you might have heard meslouching across the floor if you had not been so absorbed in thematter in hand. What is it you want to tell me?" he asked, with aquick change of tone.
"You had better not go back to the house of Oily Dave again," shebegan in a rather breathless style.
"Very much better not, I should say," he answered. "But why?"
"You have come to watch the fishing in the interest of Mr.Selincourt, have you not?" she asked.
"Yes, the old company complained of considerable leakage inprofits, you see; indeed it was on this account that they decidedthe fleet was an unworkable scheme for a company, and were willingto sell to Mr. Selincourt."
Katherine nodded, then said in a low tone: "But your position willmake you enemies, and I have been warned to-day that it ispositively dangerous for you to remain in the house with that man."
"Did this warning reach you before you came to rescue me thismorning, or since?" he asked quickly.
"Since. We did not even know that you were there."
"Well, it is a comfort to know that, although I have enemies, Ihave friends too; for such a warning could have come only from afriend," Jervis Ferrars remarked, frowning heavily.
"It was certainly meant in a friendly spirit, and, now you know,you will be careful," she said, and there was more entreaty in hertone than she guessed at, for she was remembering how indifferentto danger he had seemed when she was trying to rescue him from theflood that morning.
"Yes, I shall be careful. And, since to be forewarned is to beforearmed, thank you for telling me. I suppose this accounts forthe old rascal going off this morning with the key of the hotel inhis pocket."
"Did he do that?" she asked in a startled tone.
"Yes, I had been awake all night with the pain in my feet and in mylimbs, and I was disposed to lie and sleep when morning came,"Jervis Ferrars replied. "I heard him getting up very early, andasked him what was amiss, for I could hear a great row outside withthe ice. He said there was nothing to be afraid of, for his housestood too high ever to be caught in a flood; but he had left a boatin an awkward place and must go and look after it. Then he wentout. I heard him lock the door when he was outside. After that Iwent to sleep, and did not wake again until I heard you shouting,and found the water was nearly on a level with my bed."
Katherine shuddered. "It is too horrible even to think of! Weshould not have known that anyone was in the house who neededsaving, if it had not been for Mrs. Jenkin screaming so loudly fromthe other bank."
"Then that is another friend; so apparently I have more friendsthan enemies after all, in which case I am not to be pitied," hesaid lightly; then asked: "Is that all the trouble--I mean so faras it concerns me?"
"It is all that I know, but I beg you to be careful, for Oily Daveis such a cowardly foe, who only strikes in the dark," she saidearnestly.
"In which case I shall be safest when I keep in the light," theEnglishman answered with a laugh. "By the way, how did the oldfellow earn his title? Was it given to him because he practicallylives on lard?"
"I think it was given to him because he was known to help himselfso largely to the fish oils which should have been the property ofthe fleet," she replied. "I did not even know that he was fond oflard, although I have suspected him nearly all winter of havingstolen two pails of it from the store one night, when Miles had hisback turned for a minute."
"That accounts for the bill of fare at his hotel then," Mr. Ferrarssaid with a laugh. "I have had nothing but lard and bread, sourheavy bread too, or lard and biscuit, or biscuit without the lard,since I arrived at Seal Cove. But I think he need not have chargedsuch high prices for the stuff if he stole it!"
"No indeed!" exclaimed Katherine, with a thrill of indignation inher tone. "But why did you go to such a place? You would surelyhave been better off on one of the boats, or Mrs. Jenkin would havemade room for you somehow, although her house is very small andfearfully crowded."
"It was part of the programme, don't you see? I came to be on thespot to stop the leakage, and, having given a pretty good guess asto where the leaky spot was, Mr. Selincourt told me to lodge, ifpossible, in the abode of Oily Dave."
"But you will not go back? Mr. Selincourt would not expect it ofyou," she said, a swift terror leaping into her eyes.
"No, I shall not reside under the roof of Oily Dave any longer," heanswered. "But I shall remind him of that locked door, and variousother things, some day when it suits me."
"What are you doing? Are you going to put it down in a book?"Katherine asked in surprise, as he drew out a pocket-book and beganto write.
"Certainly! You are a woman of business, and must know that it isbest to have facts down in black and white," he answered. Then,having finished with Oily Dave, he turned to the other side of thesame book, and began questioning her about her father's conditionbefore his seizure, and entering the answers in the same way.
"You think that Father will really rally again?" she asked, with afear lest his former hopefulness about his patient was merelyassumed to cheer Mrs. Burton, who had been plunged in dreadfulgrief all day.
"I am inclined to believe that he may recover to a certain extent,but I should have a much better idea of his chances if I knew moreof his condition beforehand, especially his state of mind. Yoursister says that he had no particular worries, nor anything toinduce apprehension or acute anxiety. Is that your opinion also?"
The question found Katherine unprepared; she winced, thenhesitated, not knowing what to say. He saw the trouble in hereyes, and paused with the pencil held between two fingers. "I amnot asking from any desire to know the nature of the worry, ifthere was one; that would be quite immaterial in its effect on theissues. The thing that counts is to know if he were suffering fromacute mental torture. If this be so, then it probably accounts forthe seizure, and leaves him with a fair hope of recovery to alimited extent. If, on the other hand, his mind was perfectlyplacid and peaceful, then I am afraid you must expect the end in afew days, or a week at the furthest, for that would mean thatnature is completely worn out, instead of just broken down byworry."
Katherine was white to the lips, and her voice sank to a whisper asshe faltered: "Yes, he had acute anxiety, and a worry which worehim all the more because he hid it so carefully; but none of theothers knew about it, only myself."
"Thank you! that sets matters on a more satisfactory basis," hesaid, "and I feel sure we shall see improvement in a few days."
"Will you please not mind telling the others what you have told meabout the causes of his condition?" Katherine asked hurriedly."Miles and Phil are so young, while Mrs. Burton has had too manytroubles of her own. That was why Father talked
more freely to me."
"There is no need to speak of it any more," he answered, withreassuring kindness. "Now I want to know what arrangements we canmake about the sickroom. Do you think the boys can sleep in theloft? Or, if that is too cold, shall we give them a shakedown herein the store?"
"I don't think the loft will be cold now the frost has gone,"Katherine answered. "But Mrs. Burton meant that for you, becauseit is really the only quiet place we have."
"I am going to sit up with your father for the next few nights, butI can get a nap in the loft during the day. When my feet arebetter I shall have to be away in the boats a great deal, but untilthen I can be nurse in chief, and so free Mrs. Burton's hands forher other work," he said, gripping the needs of the situation asplainly as if he had known them all for months instead of hours.
"I had meant to stay with Father to-night," said Katherine,flushing a little, and not feeling quite certain whether sheentirely approved of having matters taken out of her hands in thisfashion.
"That would not do at all. You will have to be business head ofthe establishment now for a permanency, and the sooner you get yourshoulders fitted to the burden the better," he said decidedly.
"But I have practically been the business head all the winter, sothe burden is familiar already," she protested, with a wan smileand a sinking at her heart, for she did not like business, andalways shrank from the bother of bargaining, which afforded suchkeen zest to some people's buying and selling.
"That was quite different from what lies before you now," hereplied. "You may have had the work to do, but you had always yourfather's judgment to rely upon. In future you will have to standalone and judge for yourself."
Katherine bowed her head in token that she understood, then turnedaway too crushed to utter a word. Jervis Ferrars went back to thesickroom, wincing at the pain he had been compelled to inflict asif the blow had fallen on himself. There were no tears inKatherine's eyes, only the terrible black misery in her heart. Shehad filled in all the blanks in what, the Englishman had said, andshe understood perfectly well that henceforth her father would beonly as a child who needed guarding and shielding, instead of a manwhose judgment could be relied upon. She had no deception in hermind concerning what would be required of her; the family livingmust depend on her in the future, and it would rest upon her skilland industry whether the living she earned were merely subsistence,or the decent comfort in which they had all been reared.
"God helping me, they shall want for nothing--nothing!" sheexclaimed vehemently, and the very energy with which she spokeseemed to give her back her courage.
It had been a momentous day in her life, a day calling for rarecourage and endurance, and the demands on her strength had left herso tired that the other hard days looming in the near distanceseemed all the more terrible because of the present exhaustion ofbody and mind. It was nearly time for shutting up the store, butit was twilight still, for in those northern latitudes theafterglow on clear nights lasts for hours. Katherine was busy ather father's desk in the corner doing the necessary writing whichcomes to every storekeeper at the close of the day, and she wasjust wondering when Miles was coming to lock the door and fold theshutter over the one small window, when she heard a slouching stepoutside, and, glancing up, saw Oily Dave entering at the door. Helooked more shifty and slippery than usual, but his manner wasbland, even deferential, when he spoke.
"Good evening, Miss Radford! Nice thaw, ain't it? but a bit rapid.How's 'Dook?"
Katherine winced. Of course every man at Roaring Water Portage andSeal Cove called every other man by his Christian name, and she hadalways been used to hearing "'Duke", but nevertheless it gratedhorribly, so her manner was a trifle more haughty than usual whenshe announced that her father was not so well, although she did notchoose to inform this man that he was very ill.
"Well, well, poor chap, he don't seem to get on fast, no, that hedon't. It's downright lucky for him that he's got sech a brightgal as you to look after things. He is a smart sight better offthan I should have been under the circumstances;" and Oily Davestruck an attitude of respectful admiration, leering at Katherinefrom his half-closed eyes.
"What do you wish, for to-night?" she asked coldly.
"A good many things, my supper most of all, for I've had nothingbut a mouthful of biscuit all day. But I shall have to wait forthat till I get back to Seal Cove, and then I shall have to cook itmyself, for that swell lodger of mine ain't no good about a house,"said Oily Dave, with a shake of his head.
Katherine put her hand to her throat with a quick movement, tocheck a hysterical desire for laughter. She and Mrs. Burton hadboth marvelled that day at the exceeding handiness displayed byJervis Ferrars. He had made the bed for the stricken head of thehouse as deftly as a woman might have done, and had helped in thekitchen at supper time as if he had been getting meals regularlyfor the last two or three years; but of this she was not disposedto speak, and waited in silence for Oily Dave to state hisrequirements.
"I want some canned tomatoes. Have you got any?"
"We have plenty of two-pound tins, but we are sold out of thesmaller ones," she answered, then made a mental note that in futureshe would buy all small tins, because they sold so much more easily.
"That's a nuisance, but I suppose I'll have to put up with it," hesaid, with a sigh and another shake of his head. "Fact is, I wantto take home a relish for supper. My lodger don't take to simplefood such as we are used to in these parts. It is a downrightswell tuck-in he looks to get, same as you might expect to have inone of the Montreal hotels."
Again Katherine wanted to laugh, but checked the impulseresolutely, and asked: "Is the flood at Seal Cove as bad as ever,or has the barrier given way at the mouth of the river?"
"I didn't know there was a flood!" announced Oily Dave, with an airof innocence which sat awkwardly upon him, it was so palpably puton for the occasion. "Fact is, I've been off all day on the cliffsalong the bay shore, looking for signs of walrus and seal on theice floes. Then when it got near sunset I just struck inland, soas to call here on my way home. Who told you there was a flood?"
"I saw it," she answered quietly.
"I hope my lodger is all right," said the old hypocrite, with anair of concern. "That house of mine ain't well situated forfloods, as most folks know. If I'd got the time and the money I'dmove it up beside Stee Jenkin's hut, which is really in a bootifulsituation."
"I wonder you have not done it before," said Katherine, as she wentup the steps and fetched the tin of tomatoes from the top shelf.
"Ah, there are a good many things that get left undone for want oftime and money!" remarked Oily Dave. "But I'm afraid Mr.Selincourt has made a big mistake in sending that languid swell ofa Mr. Ferrars here to boss the fishing. A reg'lar drawing-roomparty he is and no mistake. Gives himself as many airs as aturkey-cock in springtime, and seems to think all the rest of theworld was created on purpose to black his boots."
"We don't sell much boot blacking here. Most of the people greasetheir boots with fish oil," Katherine said, laughing in spite ofherself, only now her amusement was because she knew Jervis Ferrarsto be in her father's room, where he could hear every word whichwas spoken in the store.
"Best thing, too. There is nothing like grease for making leatherwear well. Well, I must be going, though I'm that tired. HoweverI'll manage the walk is more than I can say;" and Oily Dave heaveda sigh which this time was not lacking in sincerity.
"Would you like to have one of our boats? Miles will help you torun it down," Katherine said. It was such a usual thing to lend acustomer a boat that one or two were always handy, and the customeralways understood that the loan was to be returned at his earliestconvenience.
"Thank you, I should be glad! The current will carry me down whileI smoke my pipe. Then I shall be rested enough to cook supper whenI get there," he answered. Then, bidding her good night, he wentout of the store, meeting Miles in the doorway, who went back tohelp him to run the boat
down into the water.
"Miles, I hope you didn't tell that old fraud that Mr. Ferrars wasstaying here?" said Katherine, when the boy came in and locked thedoor for the night.
"Of course I didn't. I never said a word good, bad, norindifferent to the old fellow. I haven't got over this morning,"Miles said, in a tone which sounded sullen, but which was only acloak for feelings deeply stirred.
"Very well then, for this one night at least he will have thesatisfaction of believing that he was successful in drowning Mr.Ferrars," Katherine replied.
"Don't worry yourself, Mrs. Jenkin will tell him," said Miles. "Orsome of the men will chaff him, because he has been outwitted by agirl."
"It wasn't a girl this time; it was Mrs. Jenkin," objectedKatherine, letting a box go down with a bang, for she did not wantthe listener in the other room to hear what Miles was saying.
"Mrs. Jenkin might have called out that there was someone in OilyDave's house that wanted saving, but I guess the poor man wouldhave had time to drown twice over if it hadn't been for you gettingon the ice and going to fetch him out," Miles said, sticking to hisown opinion with the obstinacy he was rather fond of displaying.
Katherine took refuge in silence, going out of the store as soon asshe could, and hurrying away to bed, because of the needs of thenext day. Neither she nor Mrs. Burton slept very well, however.To both of them it was a grief beyond the power of words todescribe to leave their father to the care of a stranger, and theywere both thankful when morning came and the day's routine had tobegin again.
There was no change in the stricken man's condition, but Katherine,who stayed with him while the others had breakfast, thought that helooked more comfortable than on the previous evening. When Milescame in to take her place, she went back to the kitchen, to hearMrs. Burton and Jervis Ferrars talking of the Selincourts.
"I suppose Mr. Selincourt is very rich," said Mrs. Burton with alittle wistful sigh, as if she thought that riches might detractfrom his niceness.
"Yes, I expect he is very rich, but he is so thoroughly pleasant,and so free from side, that one is apt to forget all about hisriches," Jervis said, then rose to set a chair for Katherine, andbring her bowl of porridge from the stove, where it was keepingwarm for her.
"Is Miss Selincourt nice too, and is she pretty?" asked Mrs.Burton, who to Katherine's secret disquiet was always askingquestions concerning the expected arrivals.
Jervis laughed. "I have never stopped to consider whether she ispretty, but she is certainly very charming in her manners," hesaid, with so much earnestness that Katherine instantly made up hermind that Miss Selincourt was the kind of person she did not carefor and did not want to know.
Phil came in from the store at this moment, with a pucker ofamusement on his face.
"Stee Jenkin has brought our boat back," he said. "Oily Dave paidhim half a dollar to come, because he didn't feel like showing hisface up here just yet."
"Why not?" demanded Jervis Ferrars.
"Stee said the ice at the river mouth didn't give way until aftermidnight, when it burst with a roar like cannon. When Oily Davegot to Seal Cove last night, the water reached to the shingles ofhis house; so the old fellow rowed across to Stee's hut and askedto be taken in for the night, because he was flooded out and theEnglishman was drowned."
"But didn't Stee tell him that Mr. Ferrars was safe here with us?"asked Mrs. Burton.
"Not a bit of it," replied Phil. "That would have spoiled sport,don't you see? because Oily Dave was what Stee called most uncommonresigned, and talked such a lot about going to find the body in themorning, that they just made up their minds to let him go. He wasup by daybreak and went over to look; but when he saw the doorbroken down he guessed there had been a rescue, and he was just madbecause no one had told him anything about it."
"It was rather too bad to leave him in suspense all night, poorman," said Mrs. Burton gently.