CHAPTER VII
THE REFUGEE
It was by no means characteristic of Jake to linger on a quest which hadalready proved fruitless but he was a man who possessed acquaintances inalmost all parts of the world, and Paris was no exception. For the restof the day after leaving Saltash he was philosophically occupied inseeking out old friends. Eventually he dined at a restaurant and betookhimself to the station to catch the night train to Calais. It was all oneto Jake whether he travelled by night or by day, so wholly accustomed washe to adapt himself to circumstances. Maud was wont to say with a smilethat the luxuries of decent living were utterly thrown away upon him. Hewas a man who scarcely noticed physical discomfort. He could sleep underpractically any conditions.
Walking solidly down the platform, carrying his own baggage, his thoughtswere completely astray from his surroundings. They had reverted to thememory of the girlish figure he had seen that morning seated on a table,swinging one leg in studied nonchalance while every line was instinctwith defiance. Yes, she had defied him, but deep in her heart she hadfeared--how she had feared!--that Saltash would fail to hold her againsthim. Again, a deep compassion came over Jake, stirring the very depthsof him. Poor little girl, flung to and fro as flotsam in the cruel surfof life's breakers! He had done his best to deliver her, but Fate hadbeen against him. Fate had ordained that she should be the victim of thisman's caprice, the slave of impulses which might or might not be herdestruction. It was as if he watched her trying to walk on a quicksand.And he was powerless to help her. Saltash had defeated him, and he had noinsight into his motives. Unstable, baffling, irresponsible as a monkeythat swings from tree to tree, he had snatched his prize, and even Jake,who knew him better than most, could only speculate as to whether hewould carry it high above disaster or tire and idly fling it away. Somevagrant sense of honour seemed to have actuated him so far, but neveryet had he known such a motive to last for long. The man's face wasbeyond him, too fantastic for comprehension. He recognized that he wascapable of greatness, but very few were the occasions on which he hadachieved it. If the motive power were lacking in this instance, Toby'schances were indeed small.
He found an empty carriage and threw his belongings on to a seat. Thetrain was not a favourite one, and there would be no crowd. He had someminutes to wait, and he lighted his pipe and began to pace the platformunencumbered. A few travellers straggling by eyed him with some interest.He was not a man to be passed unnoticed. The massive, thick-set shouldershad a bull-dog strength that must have marked him in any crowd. Hisheight was unremarkable, but there was power in every dominant line ofhim. He had the free carriage of one accustomed to the wide places of theearth.
He took small note of his fellow-travellers, being engrossed in his ownthoughts. He wondered how Maud would regard the situation, and halfwished she had been with him to deal with it. For Maud possessedundoubted influence over Saltash. He reflected that she was probablythe only person in the world who did.
He had strolled almost to the barrier and was in the act of turningback when something--some impulse for which he could never afterwardsaccount--induced him to pause and take stock of the passengers passingthrough. The train was almost due to start, and there was some slightconfusion and a quickening of feet on the platform. He realized that heought to be going back to his own carriage, but something stayed him. Hestood still, his keen eyes searching the hastening figures.
And so standing, in a moment his attention was focussed upon a girl in ablue cloak who came towards him at a run evidently intent upon catchingthe train. She passed him swiftly without seeing him, almost brushedagainst him. And behind her came a dark man with black moustache andimperial, following her closely with an air of proprietorship.
Jake wheeled in his tracks, for a second amazed out of all composure. Butan instant later he was in pursuit. He had had but a fleeting glimpse ofher face, and the blue cloak was quite unfamiliar to him; but there wasno mistaking the boyish freedom of her gait, the athletic swing of her asshe turned and leaped into a compartment that her companion opened forher.
The black-browed Italian was in the act of following when Jake arrived.The realization of another hand upon the door was the first intimationthat reached him of the Englishman's presence. He turned and lookedinto a pair of red-brown eyes that regarded him with the utmoststeadiness as a quiet voice made slightly drawling explanation.
"This lady is a friend of mine," said Jake Bolton. "I should like a wordwith her."
The Italian looked murderous for a moment, but he gave ground almost inspite of himself. Perhaps the calm insistence of the other man's bearingwarned him at the outset of the futility of attempting any other courseof action; Jake was actually in the carriage before he could jerk out aword of protest.
"_Sapristi!_ You go too far!" he blustered then. But Jake was alreadyconfronting the girl who had started up at his coming, and stood facinghim white and shaken. He spoke, still quite quietly, even gently, but inthe tone that no delinquent ever heard unmoved.
"Say," he said, "are you playing the game?"
She put up a hand to her throat. His sudden coming had unnerved her, andshe had no words. But her quivering face and tragic eyes were more thansufficient answer for Jake. He had dealt with sudden emergencies before,and he treated this one with characteristic decision.
"You've no business here," he said, "and you know it. If you can't stickto the man you've married, come home with me to Maud!"
She made a sharp gesture toward him, as if on the verge of falling, andas sharply recovered herself. "Oh, I wish--how I wish I could!" shebreathed.
Jake's hand, perfectly steady, full of sustaining strength, closed withauthority upon her arm. "That's settled then," he said. "Come now!"
But at this point the Italian burst furiously in upon them with a floodof unintelligible language that made all further speech impossible.
Jake glanced momentarily over his shoulder as if disturbed by the buzzingof some insect, then with unruffled composure turned back to the girl.His eyes looked straight into hers for perhaps ten seconds, then in thesame purposeful fashion he set her free and deliberately turned upon theman who raged behind him.
As he did so, there came a shouting and banging of doors along theplatform, and the train began to move. Jake's massive shoulders bracedthemselves. Without words he seized the raving Italian in a grip therewas no resisting, swept him, as a sudden gale sweeps a leaf, acrossthe compartment, sent him with a neat twist buzzing forth upon theplatform, and very calmly shut the door and came back.
Then there came a wild shriek of laughter from Toby, and she doubled upin her corner with hysterical mirth, gasping and gasping for breath, tillhe sat squarely down beside her and pulled her into the circle of hisarm.
"Easy, my girl! Easy!" he said. "We're not going to have an exhibition atthis stage. You keep a stiff upper lip till you feel better!"
But the stiff upper lip was rather painfully lacking on that occasion.She very soon ceased to laugh, but for a long time thereafter she laysobbing and shuddering like a little terrified animal against his breastwhile the train rushed on through the night.
He was very gentle with her. Jake's stock of patience was practicallylimitless, and he and Toby had always had a certain comradeship betweenthem. But when she grew calmer at last he began to talk in the quiet,direct fashion habitual to him.
"Say now! You've had a bit of a facer over this. But you needn't befrightened. You're safe enough from that damned Italian anyway. Andyou'll find me a better refuge than he is--if that's what you'rewanting."
She shivered and pressed closer. "You--don't know--what you're in for,"she whispered piteously.
"That so?" said Jake, unmoved. "Well, maybe you'd like to enlighten me."
But Toby shook her head with a sob. "I couldn't! I just couldn't, Jake.Do you mind?"
Jake considered the point with slightly drawn brows. "I guess there's nohurry," he decided at length. "We'll get home first anyway. That's themain point. You w
on't be sorry to get back to Maud, I take it?"
She answered him with a swift and passionate fervour that spoke moreclearly than any words of the anguish of her soul. "Oh, Jake, I wish I'ddied--I wish I'd died--before I left her!"
Jake's brows contracted more decidedly, but he said nothing further onthe subject. Only after a moment or two he patted her shoulderreassuringly. "I'll take care of you," he said. "You go to sleep!"