CHAPTER XXXI
The bustle and folly of a rummage-sale was once in every two or threeyears a frolic altogether pleasant to quiet Westways. It enabled AnnPenhallow and other wise women to get rid of worn-out garments and othertrash dear to the male mind. When Leila complained of the disturbingantecedents of a rummage-sale, Mrs. Crocker, contributive of unaskedwisdom, remarked, "Men have habits, and women don't; women have blindinstincts. You'll find that out when you're married. You see marriage isa kind of voyage of discovery. You just remember that and begin early tokeep your young man from storing away useless clothes and the like.That's where a rummage-sale comes in handy."
Leila laughed. "Why not sell the unsatisfactory young man, Mrs. Crocker?"
"Well, that ain't a bad idea," said the post-mistress slyly, "if he's adamaged article--a rummage-sale of husbands not up to sample."
"A very useful idea," said the young woman. "Good-bye."
In the afternoon a day later, Leila, making her escape from her aunt'sbusy collections, slipped away into the woods alone. The solitude of theearly woodland days of summer were what she needed, and the chance theygave for such tranquil reflection as the disturbance and restless stateof her home just now made it rarely possible to secure. She tried to putaside her increasing anxiety about her uncle and had more difficulty indealing with John Penhallow and his over-quiet friendliness. She thoughttoo of her own coldly-worded letters and of the suffering of which shehad been kept so long ignorant. He had loved her once; did he now? Shewas annoyed to hear the voice of Mark Rivers.
"So, Leila, you have run away, and I do not wonder. This turmoil is mostdistressing."
"Yes, yes--and everything--those years of war and what it has broughtus--and my dear Uncle Jim--and how is it to end? Let us talk of somethingelse. I came here to be--well, to see if I could find peace of soul andwhat these silent forests have often given me, strength to take up againthe cares and troubles of life." He did not excuse his intrusion nor seemto notice the obvious suggestions, but fell upon their personalapplication to himself.
"They have never done that for me," he said sadly. "There is some defectin my nature--some want. I have no such relation to nature; it isspeechless to me--mute, and I never needed more what I fail to find inmyself. The war and its duties gave me the only entire happiness I havehad for years." Then he added, in a curiously contemplative manner, "Itdoes seem as if a man had a right to some undisturbed happiness in life.I must go. I leave you to the quiet of the woods."
"I am sorry," she said, "I am sorry that you are able to imply that youhave never known happiness. Surely you cannot mean that." It was all shecould say. His look of profound melancholy hurt her, for like all whoknew Mark Rivers well, she loved, respected and admired him.
He made no explanatory reply, but after a brief silence said, "I must go,Leila, where there are both duties and dangers--not--no, not in cities."
"I trust you do not mean to leave us--surely not!"
"No, not yet--not while I can be of use to these dear friends."
As she moved on at his side or before him, he saw too well the easy graceof her strong young virgin form, the great blue eyes, the expressivetenderness of features which told of dumb sympathy with what she had noknowledge to understand. He longed to say, "I love you and am condemnedby my conscience to ask no return." It would only add to his unhappinessand disturb a relation which even in its incompleteness was dear to him.The human yearning to confess, to win even the sad luxury of pity besetthe man. In his constant habit of introspection, he had becomeunobservant and had no least idea that the two young people he loved sowell were nearing what was to him forever impossible.
"Let me sit down," he said unwilling to leave her; "I am tired." He wasterribly afraid of himself and shaken by a storm of passion, which lefthis sensitive body feeble.
She sat down with him on a great trunk wrecked a century ago. "Are younot well?" she asked, observing the paleness of his face.
"No, it is nothing. I am not very well, but it is nothing of moment.Don't let it trouble you--I am much as usual. I want, Leila, what Icannot get--what I ought not to get." Even this approach to fullerconfession relieved him.
"What is there, my dear Mr. Rivers, you cannot get? Oh! you are a man toenvy with your hold on men, your power to charm, your eloquence. I haveheard Dr. McGregor talk of what you were among the wounded and the dyingon the firing-line. Don't you know that you are one of God's helpfulmessengers, an interpreter into terms of human thought and words of whatmen need to-day, when--"
"No, no," he broke in, lifting a hand of dissenting protest. The flushedyoung face as she spoke, his sense of being nobly considered by thisearnest young woman had again made him feel how just the little morewould have set free in ardent words what he was honestly striving tocontrol.
"Thank you, my dear Leila, I could wish I were all you think I am; butwere it all true, there would remain things that sweeten life and whichmust always be forbidden to me."
He rose to his feet once again master of his troubled soul. "I leaveyou," he said, "and your tireless youth to your walk. We cannot haveeverything, I must be contented in some moment of self-delusion to halfbelieve the half of what you credit me with."
"Then," cried Leila, laughing, "you would have only a fourth."
"Ah! I taught you arithmetic too well." He too laughed as he turned away.Laughter was rare with him and to smile frequent. He walked slowly awayto the rectory and for two days was not seen at Grey Pine.
Leila, more at ease and relieved by the final gay banter, strolled intothe solemn quiet of the pines the Squire had so successfully freed fromunderbrush and left in royal solitude. At the door of the old log-cabinshe lay down on the dry floor of pine-needles. The quick interchange oftalk had given her no chance to consider, as now she reviewed inthoughtful illumination, what had seemed to her strange. She tried torecall exactly what he had said. Of a sudden she knew, and was startledto know. She had come into possession of the power of a woman innocent ofintention to inflict pain on a strong and high-minded man. A lower naturemight have felt some sense of triumph. It left her with no feeling butthe utmost distress and pitiful thinking of what had gone wrong in thisman's life. Once before she had been thus puzzled. The relief of her walkwas gone. She gathered some imperfect comfort in the thought that shemight not have been justified in her conclusions regarding a man who wasin so many ways an unexplained personality.
During the next few days the village was in a state of anticipativepleasure and of effort to find for the rummage-sale articles which weredamaged or useless. At Grey Pine John and Leila Grey were the onlyunexcited persons. She was too troubled in divers ways to enjoy theamusement to be had out of what delighted every one else except JohnPenhallow. To please his aunt he made some small and peculiar offerings,and daily went away to the mills to meet and consult with the Colonel'sformer partners. He was out of humour with his world, saw trouble aheadif he did as he meant to do, and as there was an east wind howlingthrough the pines, his wounded arm was recording the storm in dull achesor sharp twinges. He smoked, I fear, too much during these days ofpreparation for the rummage-sale, and rode hard; while Leila within thedismantled house was all day long like the quiet steadying flywheel insome noisy machinery. What with Billy as the over-excited Colonel's aideand her aunt aggrieved by a word of critical comment on her husband'sactions, Leila had need of all the qualities required in a householdwhere, as it seemed to her, it was hard to keep tongue or temper quiet.
Mr. Rivers towards the end of the week came in often, and would, ofcourse, see that the Sunday school hall was made ready for the sale. Hewould make some contributions and help to arrange the articles for thesale. The Colonel's continuity of childlike interest deceived him intosharing the belief of Ann Penhallow, who was, Leila thought, unreasonablyelated. Meanwhile Leila felt as a kind of desertion John's successivedays of absence. Where was he? What was he doing? Once she would haveasked frankly why he left to her the burden of cares he ought to have
been eager to share, while Mark Rivers was so steadily helpful. When AnnPenhallow asked him to act as salesman, he said that he was at herdisposal. The Colonel declared that was just the thing, and John mustuncover and announce the articles to be sold. He said, "How long ago wasthe last sale? Wasn't it last year?"
"No, dear, not so lately."
"I must have forgotten. Perhaps, Rivers, we might sell a few uselesspeople. What would Leila fetch in the marriage market?" Ann somewhatannoyed said nothing; nor did Rivers like it. The Colonel continued,"Might sell John--badly damaged."
"I must go," said Rivers. "I have my sermon to think over. I mean to usethe text you gave me, Leila, some two weeks ago."
Sunday went by, and Tuesday, the day of the sale, came with a return ofthe east wind and a cold downpour of rain. The Colonel and Billy werebusy late in the day; Mrs. Ann was tired; while John in some pain wassilent at dinner. The carriage took the Colonel and his wife to the hall.He was now quiet and answered curtly the too frequent questions about howhe felt.
"We will send back for you, Leila," said her aunt.
"No, I want to walk there with John."
The Captain looked up surprised, "Why, yes, with pleasure."
She came down in her rain-cloak. "Take a large umbrella, John. How itblows!"
As they set off in the face of a rain-whipped wind, he said, "Take myarm, Leila--the other side--the sound arm."
"You were in pain at dinner, John."
"It is my familiar devil, the east wind, but don't talk of it."
She understood him, and returned, "I will not if you don't wish me totalk of it. Where have you been all these uneasy days?"
"Oh, at the mills. Uncle refuses to speak of business and I am trying tounderstand the situation--some one must."
"I see--you must explain it all to me later."
"I will. One of the mill men of my Corps needed help. I have asked Tom tosee him. How depressed Mr. Rivers seems. Gracious, how it rains!"
"Yes, he is at his worst. I am sorry you missed his sermon on Sunday--itwas great. He talked about Lincoln, and used a text I gave him some timeago."
"What was it?"
"It is in Exodus: 'Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how Ibare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.'"
John's ready imagination began for a silent moment to play with thewords. "How did he use it, Leila?"
"Oh, he told the preceding story briefly, and then his great seeking eyeswandered a little and he said, 'Think how the uplift of God's eagles'wings enlarged their horizon!' Then he seemed to me to have the idea thatthey might not comprehend, so he made one of those eloquent pauses andwent on to say, 'You can all, like Lincoln, rise as he rose from thelesser things of a hard life to see more widely and more surely theduties of life. The eagle-wings of God's uplifting power are for you,for me, for all of us.' He made them understand."
"I am sorry I missed it. I spent the Sunday morning with my engineer."
"Aren't you getting wet, John?"
"No. How did he end?"
"What I did not like was the dwelling on Lincoln's melancholy, and theeffort it must have cost him--at times. It seemed to me, John, as if hewas preaching to himself. I wonder if clergymen often preach tothemselves. Some of us have to. The sketch of Lincoln's life was to me awonder of terse biography. At the close he did not dwell on the murder,but just said--'Then--and then, my friends, God took him to himself.'"
"Thank you, Leila. What a lot of wagons--we must have half thecounty--and in this rain too."
"Now, John, you hate this affair, and so do I; but the Westways peoplethink it great fun, and in the last few years they have had very little."
"_Ni moi non plus, Mademoiselle Grey._"
"Yes, yes," she said, "I know, John, but make it go--make it gay, John.It will soon be over."
"I will try." They left their wet garments in an empty outer room andentering by a side door stood beside the raised platform at the end ofthe crowded hall.
Quite a hundred villagers or farming people, young and old, filled theroom, and the air was oppressively heavy. At one end on a raised platformthe Colonel was seated, and near by his wife well pleased to see himsmiling as he recognized here and there some of the farmers who had beenthe playmates of his youth. John stood by the long table on which,covered by sheets, lay the articles for sale. Rivers came forward to thefront of the platform, leaving Leila, who declined to sit down, at oneside with Mr. Grace and the two McGregors.
The murmur of voices ceased; there was an appearance of expectantattention. Rivers raised a hand, and said, "You are all, I am sure, mostglad to welcome the friend who like others among you has paid so dearlyfor keeping unbroken the union of the States." Loud applause followed, ashe paused. "An occasion like this brings together young and old forgood-humoured fun, and may remind you of a similar meeting years ago.This is to be a rummage-auction of useful things out of use, and ofuseless things. If you will explain why anybody wants useless things Ishall know why some of you come to hear me preach or"--with a slightpause--"my friend, Grace." Every one laughed, and John and Leila alikefelt that Rivers had struck the right note.
"Captain John Penhallow"--loud plaudits--"Captain John Penhallow willmention the articles for sale. Now, as you see, they are all hidden--someof them I have never seen. Whoever makes the highest bid of the sale forthe most useless article will collect the whole product--the wholeproceeds of the sale, and"--he laughed--"will pay it over to the girlabout to be married."
This was really great fun, and even John felt some relief as the hallrang with merry laughter. Only Tom McGregor was grave while he watchedthe Colonel. As Rivers spoke, Colonel Penhallow stood up, swayed alittle, straightened his tall figure, and waving Rivers aside said, "Ishall now conduct this sale." This was only a pleasant surprise to theaudience, and was welcomed with noisy hands.
The two McGregors exchanged looks of anxious alarm as the Colonel said,"Now, John!" Mrs. Penhallow smiled approval.
John uncovered a corner of the nearest sheet and brought out a clockwithout hands. "First article! Who'll bid? I think the hands have allstruck like the mill-hands down East. Five cents--do I hear ten?Going--gone," cried the Colonel.
A rag doll came next and brought a penny. There was high bidding over aheavy band-box. When it went for half a dollar to Mrs. Crocker and wasfound to contain a shrivelled pumpkin of last year's crop, the audiencewildly congratulated the post-mistress.
John, who was now thoroughly in the spirit of their fun, produced twolarge apples. "Now what daughter of Eve will bid," said the elatedColonel. Leila laughing bid fifty cents. "Going--gone."
"Look out for the serpent, Miss Grey," said Grace.
Leila handed the apples to a small girl, who losing no time followedEve's remote example. "Oh, mother!" she cried, "it's got a five-dollarpiece in it--most broke my new tooth."
"The root of all evil," said Grace.
There were pots that were cracked or bottomless, old novels, and to theevident dismay of John a favourite smoking jacket. Ann clapped her handswith delight as John shook at her a finger of reproach. Then came tied upin paper, which John unrolled, the long-forgotten cane of his youth, andhow it got there the Squire or Billy may have known. John bid, but ata warning signal from Leila gave up, as she recaptured her property.There were other apples, with and without money; and so with fun andmerriment the sale went on to Westways' satisfaction.
"What's this," said John, with an unpleasant shock of annoyance as heuncovered the Colonel's war-worn uniform. He hesitated, looking towardshis uncle who seemed bewildered. "That's that rascal, Billy--it's amistake," exclaimed the Colonel.
"No, sir," shouted Billy, "Squire told me to take 'em. There's a swordtoo. Squire said it wasn't any use now."
No one laughed; it was obviously one of Billy's blunders. John put theworn uniform and the sword aside and threw a cover over them. It was anunpleasant reminder of the Colonel's state of mind and disturbed thelittle group at one side of the s
tage. John made haste to get away fromit.
"Last article for sale--it's large and must be bought covered up. Whowill bid?" Amid laughter the bids rose. At a dollar and ten cents it fellto Mrs. Pole, and proved when uncovered to be another band-box. Mrs. Polecame forward, and Ann Penhallow pleased to have been able to amuse herhusband said, "We are curious, Mrs. Pole, open it." Mrs. Pole obeyed, andas she held up the rolled package it dropped into the unmistakable formof a man's breeches.
Westways exploded into wild applause, understanding joyously this freakof fortune. Mrs. Pole joined in their merriment, and the carpenterpunched the butcher in the ribs for emphasis, as he said, "How's that,Pole?" The butcher made use of unpleasant language, as John relievedsaid, "The sale is over. You can settle with Mr. Grace." As he spoke hemoved over to where Leila stood beside the two McGregors.
The people rose and put on their cloaks preparing to leave. Then Johnheard Tom McGregor say, "Look out, father! Something is going to happen."
The Colonel moved forward unsteadily. His face flushed, grew pale, andsomething like a grimace distorted his features, as he said, "The sale isnot over, sit down."
People took their places again wondering what was to come. Then with theclear ringing voice the cavalry lines knew in far-away Indian wars, hecried, "We will now sell the most useless article in Westways. Who'll buysilly Billy?"
"Can't sell me," piped out Billy's thin voice as he fled in alarm, amidlaughter.
"The sale is over, uncle," said John.
"No, sir--don't interrupt. I'd like to sell Swallow."
This was much to their taste. "Guess he's sold a many of us," cried anold farmer.
"Why, he's dead," said Mrs. Crocker.
The Colonel's gaze wandered. The little group of friends becamehopelessly uneasy; even Mrs. Ann ceased to smile. "You stand up, PollySomers--you are the handsomest girl in the county," which was quite true.
The girl, who was near by, sat still embarrassed. "Get up," saidPenhallow sharply.
"She's withdrawed these three months," cried a ready-witted young farmer.
"Oh, is she? Well, then, we will go on." Tom McGregor went quietly up thetwo steps to the platform. All those who were near to the much-lovedmaster of Grey Pine stood still aware of something wrong and unable tointerfere. Rivers alone moved towards him and was put aside by anauthoritative gesture. The moment of silence was oppressive, and Leilawas hardly conscious of the movement which carried her up beside Dr.McGregor to the level of the platform.
"Oh, do something," she whispered; "please do something."
"It is useless--this can't last."
"Uncle Jim," she exclaimed in her despair, and what more she would haveurged was unheard or unsaid as the Colonel turned towards her and cried,"One more for sale!"
No one spoke. At last these various people who loved the man well sawmore or less clearly that he was no longer their James Penhallow ofother days. He went on at once with raised voice: "Last sale--LeilaGrey--likely young woman--warranted sound--single or double harness.Fetch her up." His confusion of mind was painfuly apparent. "Who'll bid?"A suppressed titter rose from the younger people.
"She is withdrawn, uncle," said John Penhallow distinctly.
"Ah! who did you say--Like Polly, owner withdraws her--Can't you speakout?"
"I said, withdrawn, sir," John repeated. As he spoke he saw the Colonelstagger backwards and sink into his chair; his face became white andtwitched; his head fell to one side; he breathed stertorously, flushedslightly, and was instantly as one asleep.
Ann Penhallow and the two doctors were at his side. Rivers called out,"Leave the room, all of you, please. Open the windows, Grace!"
"Is he dead?" asked Ann of McGregor.
"No, no--it is a slight fit--there is no danger."
A moment later Penhallow opened his eyes, sat up, and said, "Where am I?What's all this about?"
John said, "A bit faint, uncle. The carriage is waiting." He staggered tohis feet, and seizing Rivers's arm followed Ann and John in silence. WithRivers they were driven back to Grey Pine. Of all Ann Penhallow's schemesto amuse or interest her husband this had been the most utter failure.
Every one had gone from the hall when John missing Leila returned to theouter room to put on his cloak. The boy-cap Leila liked to wear in badweather, her rain-cloak, his umbrella, were as they had been left. Hestood still in the first moment available for thought and knew that herewas a new trouble. She must have been so shocked and ashamed as to havefled in the rain eager to get away.
Neither he nor any man could have realized what she felt as her uncletalked wildly--and she had been put up for sale. She used none of theresources of reason. All her body was hot with the same flush of shamewhich burned in her face. In her passion of disgust and anger, shehurried out into the storm. The chill of the east wind was friendly. Shegave no other thought to the wind-driven rain, but ran through the woodslike a wild thing, all virginal woman, unreasonable, insulted, angry as achild is angry--even her uncle was forgotten. She ran upstairs, the gloryof her rain-soaked hair in tumbled disorder, and in her room broke intothe open speech which passion confides to the priest solitude.
"Oh, John Penhallow, how could you! That ends it--a man who could--andoh, John Penhallow!" She cried a little, wailing in a childish way, andthen with some returning sense of anxiety put herself in condition to godownstairs, where she learned that her uncle was in bed. She went back toher room.