The Hundredth Chance

  CHAPTER XXXI

  THE NEW BOSS

  What was that red light burning? Symbol of undying Love! Symbol of theImmortal! The Lamp that burns for ever before the High Altar of Heaven!

  Over the wide, sandy desert it shone, the only light in leagues andleagues of darkness. A great many wayfarers were drawing towards it,but they were very far away from it and from each other. Billows andbillows of sandy waste stretched between. But they could all see thelamp. It shone like a red, still beacon, giving light to the outcast,guiding the feet of the wanderers.

  Ah, the long sandy ridges--how weary for the feet! Who could have facedthe journey if God had not lifted up that lamp in the desert? Who couldever have hoped to reach the goal? Even as it was, the journey waslong--so long, and the light so far away!

  Who was that speaking? Was it the Voice that had not sounded in tempestor fire, but only at the very last, when all other things were past?"Love is only gained by Love,--by the complete renunciation of self.Love is a joyful sacrifice,--to give and give without measure, notcounting the cost, rejoicing only in the power to give, till it allcomes back a thousand-fold--Love the Invincible. Love the Divine, Lovethe Perfect Gift."

  Surely it was Love Itself that spoke those words--Love that had raisedthat eternal beacon--Love that drew the pilgrims out of the long, darknight! And the sandy desert faded and became a garden where whitelilies bloomed--lilies that faded not, such lilies as decked the HighAltar of Heaven.

  There were no wayfarers here. There was no journeying for tired feet.Only a peace ineffable, beyond the power of words to describe. Thelilies grew tall and white, unspeakably pure, fairer than any earthlyflowers, dazzling in splendour, decked in holiness. Very peaceful wasthat quiet garden, with no song of birds to break the stillness, nowhisper of fountains, no faintest echo of voices. Perfect rest wasthere, a calm as the calm of still waters, a hush that was Divine. Likea veil the solitude lay spread, stretching into the great spaces ofeternity. And the lilies stood waiting, waiting, to be laid upon theAltar of God.

  How long had they stood waiting thus? Were they yet not pure enough?How long had they still to wait? Would the gates of that garden neveropen and the angel that served the Altar come to gather the flowers?Ah! Surely they were opening now! There came a waft of air, the scentand sound of the earth. But no one entered, and the lilies neverstirred. Only the gates remained open, and the peace that wrapt thegarden quivered like a filmy veil.

  Very far away from that quiet place someone was calling, calling. Atfirst it was suggestion rather than sound, a vague murmur from the old,sad world so many millions of miles away. But gradually it grew till itseemed the echo of a cry, and at last the cry itself becamearticulate,--a cry of anguish rising from the void.

  "Come back! Come back! O God, send her back to me! Send her back!"

  The lilies were moving now. They seemed to be listening, whisperingtogether. The wind that blew through the open gates rustled among theirranks. Someone was lost then. Someone was wanted. Someone was soughtthrough the great spaces of eternity. Was it a sod that had driftedfree too soon? Would the searcher ever find that drifting soul? Didthe one great Bond that nought could ever sever hang between them,linking each to each? It was only by the drawing closer of this Bondthat they would ever find each other.

  And the way back was long and dark and stormy. Other worlds were there,other worlds and other voices. And once there came a great sound ofsinging as of men and angels praising God before the High Altar ofHeaven.

  Then the darkness of earth rushed upwards like the smoke from a mightyfurnace, and all was blotted out....

  Someone was holding her. Someone was whispering her name. She openedher eyes upon the old world of cloud and sunshine, and knew that theBond had brought her back. Through all the great spaces of Eternity hebad drawn her to his side. She looked into his face, and it was theface of a man who had suffered agony.

  "Thank God!" he said. "O thank God!"

  Then she remembered in what cause she had spent herself. "What of--TheHundredth Chance?" she said.

  He caught his breath. His lips were quivering. "He's safe enough.But--my girl--what made you do it?"

  She looked at him wonderingly. "But it was all I could do," she said.

  He bent his head over something that he was holding, and it came to herwith a little start of surprise that it was her own hand swathed inbandages.

  "Oh, Jake," she said, "am I ill? Have I been hurt?"

  He did not look at her. "Thank God, not seriously," he said, speakingwith an odd jerkiness. "The colt knocked you down. You were stunned.You scorched your hands over that infernal bolt. But the wind blew thefire away from you. You weren't actually burnt."

  "Is the fire out?" she asked anxiously. "Tell me what happened!"

  Jake's head was still bent. She thought that he suppressed a shudder."Yes, they soon got it under. There wasn't much left to burn that side.It was a good thing the wind held, or the whole show might have beengutted. It's all safe now."

  Maud's eyes wandered round the panelled parlour and came back to hisbent head. "I feel so strange," she said, "as if I had been a long,long journey, and as if it had all happened ages and ages ago. Is it sovery long ago, Jake?"

  "About four hours," said Jake. "Dr. Burrowes has been in. He chancedto be passing in his dog-cart. He was on his way to a case, andcouldn't stay except to give you first aid. He is coming backpresently."

  "And you have been here with me ever since?" she said, with a touch ofshyness. "Didn't you want to be looking after the animals?"

  He shook his head, gazing steadily downwards.

  "Have you been--anxious about me, Jake?" she whispered.

  "Yes." Just the one word spoken with an almost savage emphasis.

  "But Dr. Burrowes must have known if--if I were in any danger," shesaid.

  He answered her with what she felt to be a great effort. "Burrowes wasanxious too. He was afraid of the shock for you. He thought therewas--danger."

  She moved her hand a little, and in a moment, as though he feared tohurt her, he laid it gently down.

  "I am so sorry you have been worried about me," she said.

  "It doesn't matter now," said Jake. He reached out for a glass thatstood on the table. "Burrowes left this for you. Can you manage todrink it?"

  He held it to her lips with a hand that was not so steady as usual. Shedrank and felt revived.

  Her brain was becoming more active. There was something in Jake'sattitude that required explanation. "I am better now," she said. "Tellme a little more! How did I get here? Who found me?"

  "I found you. The Hundredth Chance came tearing out. We had sometrouble to catch him. And then one of the boys suddenly said--" Jakestopped and swallowed hard--"said--said you had been in the yard, andmust have set him free. I--got to you--just in time."

  "You saved me?" she said swiftly.

  He nodded.

  She raised herself, leaning towards him. "Jake! Were you hurt?"

  "No." He kept his eyes stubbornly lowered.

  "No one has been hurt?" she persisted.

  "No one but you." His tone was almost surly.

  But something urged her on. "Jake," she said wistfully, "aren't youglad your animals are all safe?"

  "They belong to the new boss," he said doggedly. "They don't belong tome."

  Her face changed a little. "I think they belong to you first, Jake,"she said. "You love them so."

  He made a sharp gesture. "It's quite likely the new boss will tell meto shunt."

  "Oh, he won't do that, Jake!" she protested quickly. "I'm sure he won'tdo that. You--you are one of the best trainers in England."

  His mouth twitched a little; she thought he wryly smiled. "One of thebest blackguards too, my girl," he said grimly.

  She opened her eyes in surprise. "Jake, what do you mean? Are peoplesaying h
ateful things against you?"

  He gripped his hands between his knees. "It ain't that I meant. Peoplecan say what they damn please. No, it's just my own estimate of myself.I'm going to chuck the animals. They've come near costing me too dear.I'm going to give in to you now. You can do what you like with me.I'll serve you to the best of my ability, fetch and carry and generallywait around on you till you're tired of me. Then I'll go."

  "Jake! Jake!" She was half-laughing, but there was remonstrance in hervoice. "But I never wanted you to give up the animals. Why, I don'tbelieve you could live without them, could you?"

  He gave himself an odd, half-angry shake. "I've done with 'em!" hedeclared almost fiercely. "I can't serve two masters. If the new bossdon't chuck me, I shall chuck him."

  "But the horses, Jake!" she urged. "And The Hundredth Chance! Youcan't be in earnest. You--you have always loved them better thananything else in the world!"

  He winced sharply. "You're wrong! And I am in earnest. If--if you hadlost your life over the colt, I'd have shot him first and myself after.What sort of brute do you take me for? Do you think I'm without anyheart at all? All animal and no heart?"

  The question was passionate, but yet he did not look at her as heuttered it. He was gazing downwards at his clenched hands.

  He was formidable at that moment, but she did not shrink from him.Rather she drew nearer. "Of course I don't think so," she said."But--but--am I first with you, Jake? Am I really first?"

  He made a choked sound in his throat as if many emotions struggled forutterance. Then, almost under his breath, "An easy first!" he muttered."An easy first!"

  Her bandaged hand slipped on to his arm. Her eyes were shining. "Oh,Jake, thank you for telling me that," she said. "You--I know you didn'twant to tell me. And--now--I've got to tell you something--that I don'twant to tell you either--that I don't know how to tell you. Oh, Jake,do help me! Don't--don't be angry!"

  He turned towards her, but he did not lift his eyes. He seemed almostafraid to look her in the face. "My girl, you've no call to be afraidof me," he said.

  But there was constraint in his tone, constraint in his attitude, andher heart sank.

  "I'm so--horribly afraid--of hurting you," she said.

  A faint, faint gleam of humour crossed his face. "Oh, I guess I'mdown," he said. "You needn't be afraid of that either."

  She tried to clasp his arm. "Jake, if--if I really come first with you,perhaps--perhaps--you'll be able to forgive me. It's because you camefirst with me too--a very, very long way first--" her voice shook--"thatI was able to do it. It's because I wanted you to have what you wantedwithout--without feeling under an obligation to me or anyone. It'sbecause--because your happiness is more to me--a thousand timesmore--than anything else in the world!" Her breast began to heave;Jake's eyes were suddenly upon her, but it was she who could not, darednot meet their look. "Ah, I haven't told you yet!" she said brokenly."How shall I tell you? It's--it's the animals, Jake. It's the Stud!"

  "What about the Stud?" he said. His voice was sunk very low, it soundedstern.

  With a great effort she mastered her agitation and answered him. "It'syours, Jake, all yours. The new boss is--is just an invention of Mr.Rafford's. You--you are--the new boss."

  "What?" he said.

  He got up suddenly, with a movement that verged upon violence, and stoodover her, she felt, almost threateningly.

  Through quivering distress she answered him again.

  "I've played a double game. I met Mr. Rafford first at Liverpool andthen I chanced to meet him again here after--after you had refused tohave my money. And he was kind and sympathetic and offered to help me.I wanted you so to have the horses. And I couldn't bear to think thatyou should lose them through me. Oh, Jake, don't look so--so terrible!"

  She sank back panting on her cushions. That one brief glimpse of hisface had appalled her. He had the look of a man hard pressed andnearing the end of his strength. She saw that his hands were clenched.

  He spoke after several tense seconds. "Why have you done this thing?"

  She made a piteous gesture. "Oh, Jake, only--only because I loved you."

  "Only!" he said, and with the word she saw his hand unclench.

  For a moment a wild uncertainty possessed her, and then it was gone.Jake dropped down on his knees beside her and took her into his arms.

  "Maud--" he said, and again "Maud!"

  But no further words would come. His voice broke. He hid his faceagainst her breast with a great sob.

  Her arms were round his neck in an instant, her cheek was pressedagainst his hair. All doubts were gone forever. "My darling!" shewhispered. "My darling!"

  And through the great storm of emotion that shook Jake, she said thesoft words over and over, holding his head against her heart, kissingthe cropped hair above his temple, drawing him nearer, ever nearer, tothe inner sanctuary of her soul, till at length by the shattering of herown reserve she broke down the last of his also. He lifted his face toher with no attempt to hide his tears, and in the long, long kiss thatpassed between them they found each other at last where the sand of thedesert turns to gold.