CHAPTER XIV
PROFESSOR AND PROFESSORESS
WHEN it was finally decided that Jack was to go home to the Rainbowranch with her babies and Olive and Frieda for a visit, Friedastrenuously objected. No reason was given her by her sister except theordinary one, that Jack wished to get away from the sad atmosphere of acountry at war and also to see her family.
"Certainly you don't show much consideration for Frank," Friedaprotested when she first heard the news. "It seems to me that England is_his_ country and he has a good deal more work to do and goes through alot more than you do, Jacqueline Ralston. I never could make up my mindto leave my husband under such circumstances."
Then although Jack flinched, she did not make the reply she might soobviously have made.
However, Frieda went on just as if she had.
"I know what you are thinking of, but it was quite different with Henryand me. He did not need me, he thought I was a butterfly and my wishingto go out and dance and do exciting things disturbed his work. He didn'tallow me to go with other people because he thought it was his _duty_ tolook after me. He said so, said I was too young to be expected to takecare of myself. He wasn't a bit jealous like Frank, I shouldn't haveminded a jealous husband. If I said he was jealous, I was onlypretending because I wanted to seem interesting."
"Frank jealous?" Jack laughed. "You are too silly, Frieda."
Nevertheless Frieda tossed her yellow head, but also flushed a little,having said more than she intended. If Frank did not know he was jealousof Captain MacDonnell and Jack was also unaware how much this hadunconsciously influenced his decision concerning his friend's request,it was not her place to tell them.
"Just the same you'll be sorry and ashamed of yourself some day, JackRalston. You need not pretend anything to me, I understand the presentsituation perfectly. Frank was rather horrid to you and he ought not tobe allowed to be a bully, but you could really twist him around yourfinger if you tried. You can now at any rate because he adores you. AndFrank is pretty nice you know, most women would be glad to have him.After all he has a title and money, and men are going to be scarce whenthis war is over."
"Frieda!" Jack exclaimed in such a tone of disgust that Frieda departedhastily, if still gracefully, out of her sister's room.
However she stopped at the door.
"You know it will look perfectly absurd for us both to go back homewithout husbands," Frieda tossed out. "I didn't mind half so much whenFrank was around and there was at least one man in our family. But ofcourse it looks now as if we had something the matter with us, horriddispositions, so that no man could make up his mind to live with us."
This time Jack betrayed herself a little more by showing anger.
"You have no right to assume I am behaving as you did, Frieda, because Iwant to go to the old ranch for a time. Frank has given me his consent,I've no idea of running away."
Then, as Frieda burst into tears at the allusion, Jack had to draw hersmall sister back into her room from the doorway, and do what she couldto apologize and console her.
She felt rather a hypocrite, too, because after all Frieda was not sofar wrong in some of her suppositions, and she had had no right topretend to superiority.
There was at this time no danger to passenger vessels throughsubmarines, so that it was arranged for the travelers to leave for theUnited States early in April that they might spend the spring at theRainbow Ranch.
Olive was anxious to go. She had not intended remaining in England solong, and wished to take up some course of study at home, to returnlater when she might make herself more useful.
Jack was torn between her desire to make a visit to her own home, to getaway for a breath of freedom and the chance to decide what she ought todo in the future when Frank opposed her right to decide important issuesfor herself and the thought that, perhaps, Frieda was right and that shewas not playing fair in leaving her husband at so trying a time. ButFrank had not opposed her going, had really said he thought it might bea good thing, and she did not know whether he meant this from herstandpoint or from his own. It might be that Frank also would enjoy acertain relief from the presence of a wife who would not trust hisjudgment. Certainly Frank's affection had never seemed the same sincethat time. He had been wonderfully good in agreeing to her new wish, butthere were moments when, womanlike, Jack wondered if she would not haveliked it better had he shown more opposition.
So there was only Frieda who unqualifiedly stormed against leaving. Ofcourse she put it all on disapproving of her sister's action, butnaturally her family wondered if the fact that Frieda wished to be nearher husband, whom she believed to be fighting in France could haveanything to do with her point of view. However, no one dared to makethis suggestion to her. It would have done no good in any case since shewould probably have promptly denied it.
However, Frieda would not remain in England without her sister and Jackwas unwilling that she should. Nevertheless, insisting on maintainingthe attitude of an aggrieved character, Frieda separated herself fromher own family whenever she could.
Twice a week for instance she went into Granchester to tea with Mrs.Huggins. Frieda had a private reason for this. One day she hadoverlooked the fact that her own "Dame Quick" had not been her nurse orfoster mother and had confided to the old woman some of the things whichwere troubling her. She did not want advice, what she wanted was to saythose things aloud which she had been saying to herself, and she knewher old friend would simply listen and be kind to her. One might thinkshe would have feared that the old woman, with her passion for spreadingnews, would have gossiped about her, but Frieda knew better than this.
One afternoon, about ten days before their sailing time, Frieda startedoff alone to walk to Granchester. She was earlier than need be sinceOlive had asked her a question which had offended her and she had beenirritable. She thought she had caught the suggestion of a lecture in hersister's expression and so had hurried off before Jack had a chance tospeak.
Frieda recognized the fact that she was a little difficult to live withthese days. But then she excused herself by saying that no one knew howworried and nervous she was. There were times when Frieda was afraid shemight be losing her prettiness through worry, until her mirror reassuredher. For Frieda understood her own appearance, just as she understood agreat many things. She knew that Jack had developed into a beauty from amerely handsome girlhood and that she was only pretty. But she alsorealized that prettiness often makes more appeal, especially to men,than a higher type of loveliness. Therefore, Frieda had no idea of notpreserving her own charms as long as she possibly could.
She walked slowly so as not to arrive too early and because she wasenjoying the country more than she usually did. The quietness of theEnglish landscape, its look of a carefully kept garden, appealed toFrieda more than the vastness of her own windswept western prairies. Itwas one of the many odd ironies of fate that Jack, who loved theprairies must live in England, while until lately Frieda's life had beencast at least on the edge of the western country.
The old English laborers passing back and forth from their ploughing ofthe spring fields were almost the only persons she met.
When Frieda reached the little house at the edge of the village, ofwhich Mrs. Huggins had once told her some story, she stopped for amoment without any particular motive.
She did not remember exactly what the story was, if she had ever known.But the little house rather interested her. For one thing she hadnoticed every time she passed, at no matter what hour, the blinds werealways drawn halfway down.
The house was set in the middle of a small yard and had a little, lowivy covered stone fence surrounding it and a wooden gate. However, thefront of the house was only a few yards from the street so that onecould see it distinctly.
Frieda was not standing still, but was loitering a few feet from thegate, gazing absently toward the lower windows.
Then suddenly and certainly unexpectedly she heard a strange noise, akind of muffled roar. Then an explos
ion burst forth so that severalpanes of window glass broke and puffs of smoke blew out.
For an instant there appeared back of the window, and surrounded by thesmoke like a cherubim among clouds, a face which Frieda did not reallybelieve she saw. Yet of course she knew she did see it, or else wassuddenly mad or dreaming.
As a matter of fact she had the sensation that she was taking part in aridiculous and improbable detective story, of the kind one reads in theweekly magazines.
Yet without hesitating, or feeling the proper amount of uncertainty, orfear, Frieda jerked open the little wooden gate and rushed up the pathto the front door of the house.
There at least she did stop to give the bell a fierce pull, but shemight have rushed in had she supposed the door unlocked.
However, the next second a little white faced maid appeared at the door,and Frieda simply swept by her. The door of the room, where she had seenthe apparition, was on the left side of the hall and without knockingshe opened this. Just how Frieda would have explained her own behaviorhad she made a mistake did not trouble her.
But she had not made a mistake. There standing in the centre of the roomand still somewhat surrounded by smoke and with the blood coming from aninjury to his hand, stood the person whose face Frieda believed she hadseen through the broken window. No, she did not really believe she hadseen it, though of course she knew she had.
I ASSURE YOU I HAVE OFFICIAL PERMISSION]
"Are you a deserter, Henry, hiding from justice?" Frieda demandedscathingly, and still following the example of the method employed indetective stories, since her experience was so exactly of the same kind.
"I most certainly am not, my dear," Professor Russell answered firmly,but still somewhat apologetically.
"I was slightly wounded soon after my arrival at the front. But I alsofound that my scientific knowledge could be of more service than myabilities as a soldier. So I came back to England and have beenexperimenting with gas bombs with that in mind. I assure you I haveofficial permission."
"Then why have you been hiding and why did you come down here?"
Professor Russell looked at Frieda and smiled slowly.
"You are the answer to both those questions, Frieda."
Unexpectedly Frieda's blue eyes filled with tears.
"I don't see how you can say that, Henry, when you have never even triedto see me, or to let me know what had become of you. You knew I wassuffering horribly for fear you might be hurt or dead or something andyou wouldn't write me."
Professor Russell's lips twitched at the thought of his being blamed fornot writing after the worst had happened to him. But he made no othersign.
"You are mistaken, I have seen you, my dear, many a time when you havepassed this window and at least I have had the satisfaction of realizingyou were well and happy."
"But I am neither," Frieda protested. "Besides I don't understand howyou knew, unless, unless--do you mean Frank and Jack were both awarethat you were here and never told me? They preferred I should suffer. Ishall never forgive either of them, never." And Frieda drew herself up,very stately and very injured. But in truth her lips were trembling.
"You are not to blame your sister or brother, Frieda," Professor Russellinterrupted. "They have simply done what I asked, what I required ofthem. You came over to England to be rid of my presence. I had neitherthe desire nor the right to thrust myself upon you."
"Then I don't see why you didn't go and live somewhere else," Friedaremarked petulantly. But at the same instant she sank down into a chair.
"I do wish, Henry, you would give me some tea. You seem to have anextraordinary looking little girl to look after you. And I feel verymuch overcome from the shock of hearing an explosion outside a strangehouse and then seeing your face floating in space on the inside.Moreover, if you are so extraordinarily scientific I should think youwould know enough to go and wash that gas bomb out of your hand."
This time Professor Russell openly laughed.
"It is scarcely a gas bomb inside my hand, Frieda. One of the chemicalssimply went slightly wrong."
But Frieda had closed her eyes and dropped her head back and reallylooked so pale that her husband hurried out after his small maid and thetea things.
The moment he had disappeared however she opened her eyes again.
"I am going to take Henry Russell back to the United States with me inten days," she remarked aloud, but in a very small whisper. "I don'tknow how I am going to manage him or the British Government, but I amgoing to, somehow. I thought I was bored with Henry and I was and I'llprobably be again. But I suppose all women are bored with the men theylive with sometimes. Anyhow, I had to think I had lost Henry to know Iwanted to keep him. He does get a little upset now and then when I wantmy own way all the time, but really under the same circumstances I don'tsuppose any other man would be half so nice to me as Henry is. Besides,oh well, I believe I'm pretty fond of him."
When Professor Russell returned, Frieda again managed to have her eyesclosed and she really was upset by the events of the past few moments,as was to be expected.
Therefore she seemed very languid while Professor Russell and his littlemaid set out the tea things. She did offer faintly to help, observingthat her husband had full use of only one hand. But as it was his lefthand and he insisted on getting along alone, she permitted it, even tothe actually pouring and handing her of the first cup of tea.
Later he took a seat in a chair opposite her.
The unfortunate thing with Frieda was that she seldom could control herappetite, had never been able to since her chocolate drop days. So sheconcluded she had best begin her plan of procedure early.
"I don't see how Jack and Frank could have told you I was well, Henry,"she said plaintively. "I don't suppose you have noticed but I have losta good many pounds."
As a matter of fact Frieda had lost several pounds, although she wasstill reasonably rounded.
"No, I had not noticed before, but I observe you have," the Professorreturned. "I trust there is nothing serious the matter. What is thedoctor's opinion?"
Frieda shook her head. "I have not seen a doctor. Really, I have notspoken of this to any one before, Henry. But do you know I think,perhaps, I have not been well for a good many months, even before I leftChicago. Maybe that is what made me cross sometimes, Henry. Maybe that'swhy I ran away without telling you I was going. I really think I oughtto have talked the matter over with you, Henry. You would have beenquite willing for me to make Jack a visit wouldn't you, Henry, just asFrank is allowing Jack to go home to the ranch?"
Frieda's hand holding the tea cup shook a little.
"But I didn't know this was a visit, Frieda. I thought you had gone awayfor good. Indeed, I am under the impression that you said you neverwished to see me again."
Frieda shook her head.
"I never could have really said that, Henry, or if I did, you weresilly to think I meant it. I often say lots of things I don't mean. AndI have wanted to see you lots lately."
Professor Russell took Frieda's cup away and laid firm hold on both herhands.
"Look at me, Frieda," he ordered quietly, "and don't answer me until youhave thought carefully about what you wish to reply. You have been achild a long time, Frieda, but my dear, you have to grow up. All of usmust sooner or later. I am a good deal older than you and not only thatbut I care for a lot of things which seem dull and uninteresting to you.So do you care for things which do not seem vital to me. But I'm willingto confess I'm an old fogy and sometimes I believe, Frieda dear, I didyou a great wrong when I married you at such a youthful age. I want youto know, my dear, that I want to do whatever is best for your happiness.I am willing to go out of your life, to relieve you of me altogether ifin any way it can be managed without reflection upon you."
"Then you mean you don't love me any more, Henry, you can't forgive mefor what I did," Frieda gasped, turning really honestly pale this time.Professor Russell shook his head.
"I don't mean any such thing, Fri
eda child. Moreover, you know perfectlywell that I don't and that it is exceedingly reprehensible for you to goon flirting in this way with your own husband unless you also care forhim."
Frieda sighed with satisfaction and lifted up her face to her husband,plainly suggesting by her expression what she expected him to do.
The moment after, she said, with that funny look of gravity which no oneever paid any special attention to from her.
"Do you know, Henry, if you say things like that to me oftener, I feelsure I will care for you more. But please get your hat and come with menow, I want to introduce you to a very dear, old friend of mine inGranchester. Afterwards, if your hand does not hurt, you must go up toKent House with me to dinner. I intend to let Jack and Frank know that Ican manage my own affairs and do not in the future intend to be kept inthe dark as if I were a silly child."
The Professor obeyed orders.