Charles Rex

  CHAPTER VII

  SURRENDER

  That night Fairharbour Bay looked like a velvet bed on which glitteredmany jewels. _The Blue Moon_, lighted from bows to stern lay in thecentre, and from her deck there went up showers of coloured rockets thatfell like burning rain upon the sea. There was a string band on board,and the strains floated across the water as echoes from another world--awonder-world of soft melodies and laughing voices and lightly splashingoars.

  Toby sat in the stern of a boat with a single rower in front of her, andtrailed her fingers through the magic water. She was bare-headed, and thebreeze of the summer night stirred tenderly the golden ringlets thatclustered about her bow. Her face, seen now and then in the flare of therockets, had a strange look, almost a look of dread. Her blue eyes werevery wide open, like the eyes of a startled child.

  She spoke scarcely at all, and Bunny did not urge her. Only as he rowed,he watched her with grave determination on his boyish face. He hadclaimed her as his partner early in the evening, and she had made noattempt to thwart him; but something in that half scared silence ofhers moved him very deeply. His own was protective, resolutelyreassuring.

  Once, when she started nervously at an unexpectedly loud report from oneof the rockets, he spoke to her as he would have spoken to a small,frightened animal.

  "It's all right. I'll pull out a bit, shall I? These things make such abeastly row."

  She thanked him in an undertone, and he began to row steadily away fromthe yacht and the thronging boats.

  "You tell me when I've gone far enough!" he said.

  But she did not tell him, and he rowed on and on through the dark waterwith only the rhythmic splashing of the oars to fill the silence betweenthem.

  They left the laughter and the noise behind, and began to draw towardsthe far corner of the bay. The shore rose steeply from the water here,and there came to them the soft breaking of the waves against the cliffas they neared it.

  Toby came out of her silence with a jerk. "Bunny, do you really think itwould answer?"

  "Sure!" said Bunny promptly.

  He drew in his oars with the words, and they drifted on the summer tide.

  Toby was looking at him in the starlight with a dumb and piteousirresolution in her eyes.

  Bunny leaned to her as he sat, with outstretched hands. "You poor littlefrightened mouse!" he said. "What is it that's troubling you? Do youthink I wouldn't make you happy?"

  "I think you'd try," she said dubiously.

  For a few seconds she hung back, hesitating; then swiftly, almost withthe gesture of one who casts aside a burden, she threw out her tremblinghands and thrust them into his. He took them and held them fast, drawingthem gently to him till he had them against his heart. "I would try,sweetheart," he said softly.

  "Would you?" whispered Toby. "Would you?"

  She went nearer to him; he could feel her trembling from head to foot.

  "You think I wouldn't succeed?" he asked her tenderly. "You think I'dmake you sorry?"

  "I don't know," she answered quiveringly. "I--I'm thinking most of you."

  "Wondering whether it would be good for me to have my heart's desire?"jested Bunny softly. "Think it would be too much for me; what, darling?"

  "No,--no!" said Toby. "Not that! Only wondering if you are wanting theright thing--wondering if the thing you call your heart's desire willbring you happiness. It--it doesn't always, you know, Bunny. Life is likethat."

  Her voice sank a little.

  "What do you know about life?" he said.

  She shook her head, her face downcast. "Oh, too much--too much!" shesaid.

  Bunny sat motionless for a moment or two, but his hold was strong andcomforting. At length very gently he began to draw her nearer.

  He almost expected her to resist him, but she did not. As he drew her,she yielded, till with a sob she suffered herself to be drawn close intohis arms. He had her on the thwart beside him, her face hidden againsthis shoulder. He laid his cheek down upon her hair and sat silent.

  Toby was sobbing a little, and he patted her shoulder soothingly, but hedid not speak until with a quivering sigh she relaxed against him and wasstill.

  Then, in a whisper, "Toby mavourneen," he said, "I'm going to tell yousomething that's come to me lately--something I've guessed. You needn'tanswer me. I don't want you to answer me--only to know that I know.There's another fellow in your heart, and he's got a bigger place than Ihave--at present. No, don't tremble, darling! It's all right. I know--Iknow. He's the sort that women simply can't keep out. He's a fine chaptoo, and I'm fond of him--always have been. But look here, mavourneen,you're not going to break your precious little heart over him; you knowquite well it's no use, don't you? You know--well, anyhow to a certainextent--you know what he is, don't you?"

  He paused for an answer, but Toby quivered in his arms and was silent.

  He put up a hand and pressed her head closer to his breast. "He'll nevermarry," he said. "He doesn't mean to. He almost told me so the other day.But--Toby--he takes a friendly interest in you and me. He'd like usto have each other. Don't you think"--his voice had a hint ofhumour--"don't you think we might fix it up just to please him?P'raps--someday--we may find that we're pleased ourselves as well."

  "Oh, my dear!" Toby whispered.

  Her arm crept round his neck, but she did not lift her head. He claspedher more closely and went on very softly. "I love you enough to think ofyour happiness first, my darling. You're not happy now. I know that allright. But you will be--I swear you shall be--if you will marry me. Youlike me just a bit, don't you? And you wouldn't be afraid to trustyourself to me?"

  "No," murmured Toby, with an effort. "I wouldn't be--afraid."

  "Then you'll give me my chance?" he urged gently. "You'll put your dearlittle hand into mine and trust me? Will you darling? Will you?"

  But Toby was silent.

  "Won't you?" he said in a whisper.

  Her arm tightened about his neck. She was breathing quickly, nervously.From across the water came the sounds of laughter and cheering, thesoftened strains of the band that played on the deck of _The Blue Moon_.Close at hand was only the low wash of the waves as they lapped againstthe cliff. They floated quite alone over the dark depths, rising andfalling with the slow heave of the tide, but making no headway.

  "Won't you?" Bunny said again, after a long silence.

  And suddenly Toby raised her head and spoke. "I will do--whatever youwish," she said.

  There was a slight break in her voice, but it held no indecision. Hereyes looked straight into his in the starlight. He saw them shining andknew that they were big with tears. But she did not flinch from his lookor start as his lips came to hers. She slipped her other arm about hisneck and clasped him close.

  "You'll be good to me, Bunny?" she said in a whisper.

  And he answered her deeply, his lips against her own. "I will be good toyou, my darling, so help me, God!"