CHAPTER III
SETS THE BALL TO ROLLING
No young man can bear to sit down idly under misfortune; but though thechief results of Mather's work were lost to him, and his greatplans--his subway--swept away, and though his defeat rankled, he had notsuspected personal feeling in Ellis's action. The promoter had merelystretched out his hand and taken, repudiating the pledges of those whospoke in his name.
Therefore, in spite of the little shock which Mather felt when he sawEllis with Judith, he came forward and greeted politely. It was achance, of course, to "get back"; it would have been easy to expresssurprise at the promoter's presence, and to ask how he liked the clubnow that he really was there. Mather felt the temptation, but there wastoo much behind his relations with Ellis for the younger man to be rude,and he presently found himself saying: "I don't suppose you play golf,Mr. Ellis?"
"No," Ellis answered. This was the first man who had greeted him freelythat day, and yet the one who most might feel resentment. While hismanner showed that he was about to speak again, Ellis looked the otherover with a smile which concealed deliberation. It was not weakness thatmade Mather mild, in spite of Mrs. Harmon's belief, to which she clungthe more because the Judge rejected it. "I knew his father," her husbandhad told her. "They are bulldogs in that stock." Ellis took much thesame view; once, at the beginning of his career, he had encounteredMather's father, and had found him a bulldog indeed. The son seemed thesame in so many respects that Ellis wondered if he had thought quitelong enough in seizing this morning's opportunity. He knew well thatMather would be stronger when next he entered the arena; besides, thereform politicians, those bees who buzzed continually and occasionallystung, had been after the young man, who, with the leisure to enterpolitics, might be formidable. Thus Ellis, hesitating, ran over thewhole subject in his mind; and then, as he knew how to do, plunged athis object.
"Mr. Mather, I am sorry for what happened this morning."
"Fortune of war," returned the other.
The young man certainly had a right to be bitter if he chose, judging,at least, by the usual conduct of victims. Mather's peculiarity in thisdid not escape Ellis, who spoke again with some hope of forgiveness. "Itrust that you and I may some day work together."
"I scarcely expect it," was the answer.
"Don't say that." Ellis was not sure what tone to adopt, but did hisbest. "This is not the place to speak of it, perhaps, but there issurely something I can do for you."
"Now that you have nothing to do, you know," said Judith.
Mather turned to her; he saw how she had put herself on Ellis's side;how her interest in this offer was due to Ellis, not to himself. And thereminder of his defeat was most unwelcome.
"Since this morning," he said, "I have been offered three positions."
"Oh!" cried Judith. The involuntary note of surprise showed how she hadunderrated him, and Mather bit his lip.
Ellis spoke. "If you will take a position on the street-railroad----"
"Nothing subordinate there!" cut in Mather very positively.
"Then," said Ellis, "if you care to be the head of the watercompany----"
"Oh!" Judith exclaimed before Ellis had completed his offer. "Such anopportunity!"
Mather himself looked at Ellis in surprise. It was an opening which,coming from any other source, he would have accepted eagerly, as a taskin which he could give free play to all his powers. Did Ellis reallymean it? But the promoter, having swiftly asked himself the samequestion, was sure of his own wisdom. The place needed a man: here wasone. Besides, Ellis would have given much to tie Mather to him.
"I mean it," he said positively.
"You must accept," added Judith.
It was too much for Mather to bear. His defeat by Ellis and his loss ofJudith--both of these he could sustain as separate calamities. But whenhe saw her thus siding with his victor, Mather forgot himself, forgotthat Ellis was not a man to defy lightly, and spoke the impolitic truth.
"I could not work with Mr. Ellis under any circumstances!"
"George!" cried Judith hotly.
Then there was silence as the men looked at each other. Had Judith beenthe woman that in her weaker moments she was pleased to think herself,she would have studied the two. But she was neither cool nor impartial;she had put her feelings on Ellis's side, and looked at Mather withindignation. She missed, therefore, the pose of his head and the fireof his eye. She missed as well the narrowing of Ellis's eyes, theforward stretch of his thin neck--snaky actions which expressed hisperfect self-possession, and his threat. Neither of them spoke, butJudith did as she turned away.
"You are very rude," she said coldly. "Come, Mr. Ellis, let us walkagain." Ellis followed her; Mather stood and watched them walk away.
"It was shameful of him," said Judith when she and Ellis were out ofhearing.
"He is young," remarked the other. He was watching her now, as he hadwatched Mather, out of narrow eyes. Mather's words meant a declarationof interest in Judith, confirming gossip. She was supposed to haverefused him, and yet she was biting her lip--would she be quite so movedif Mather had not the power to do it? Ellis promised himself that hewould remember this.
"He will know better some day," he said. "But at least he is out of thequestion. Can you not suggest some one else?"
"There is Mr. Pease," she answered.
Pease and himself--oil and water! How little she knew! and he almostlaughed. But he answered meditatively: "He is very--set."
"I see my father is coming for me," she said.
"Let me ask you this, then," he begged quickly. "May I come to seeyou--at your house?"
"I am afraid not--yet," she answered. She was not ungracious, andcontinued with much interest: "But Mr. Ellis, I shall be so anxious tohear how it all goes. I am sorry I cannot help you with the men, but theprinciple is [she thought of Mather] choose the weak ones, not thestrong. Here is my father. Father, this is Mr. Ellis."
Colonel Blanchard was affable. "How de do?" he said breezily. "Fine dayfor the match, Mr. Ellis."
"A very fine day," answered Ellis, pleased by the way in which theColonel looked at him; Blanchard seemed interested, like his daughter.But Judith thought that the conversation had best end there.
"The carriage has come?" she asked.
"Yes," answered the Colonel. "Beth is in it, waiting for us. You knowshe goes out to dinner." He begged Ellis to excuse them, and so carriedhis daughter away.
Ellis looked after them; these two, at least, had treated him well. TheColonel had stared with almost bourgeois interest, as if impressible bywealth and power. Ellis mused over the possibility of such a thing.
"The weak," he said, repeating Judith's words. "The weak, not thestrong."
Then Mrs. Harmon swooped down on him. "Here you are," she saidpetulantly. "Everybody's going. Let us go too."