by W. W. Jacobs
CHAPTER X--_Hero Worship_
On arriving in his office upstairs, George seated himself comfortably,and read Miss Fairbrother's note for the sixth or seventh time. He wasnot one of those men who are prostrated by a sudden change of fortune,but there were materials in this epistle with which even the mostunimaginative man might build castles in the air. Taking it word forword, it was at the least most soothing to the heart of George. Thenote was as follows:--
"DEAR MR. EARLY,
"How can I thank you for your prompt and brave assistance last evening? You saved my life. I shudder to think of what might have happened to me had you not been there. I am sure I should have been killed. I am too much upset to come to the office to-day. Please come to Brunswick Terrace this afternoon, that I may thank you personally for the great service you did me.
"The enclosed note for Mr. Parrott directs him to consult you on all affairs of the firm while I am away. You must take my place until I am quite well; you know everything about the business, as I am well aware by the valuable assistance you have so often given me.
"Please do not fail to come this afternoon.
"Always yours gratefully,
"ELLEN FAIRBROTHER."
George lunched that day at the Carlton, and from there proceeded in ahansom cab to Brunswick Terrace.
Miss Fairbrother had elected to remove her aunt for the time being, sothat the interview was quite private.
The ordeal of being thanked by a rich young lady whose life you havesaved must be a most embarrassing one to most men; to George it did notprove so. He found himself much more at ease than he had expected tobe. The embarrassment was all on Miss Fairbrother's side.
She was not sparing in her praise of what she called "his nobleaction," but, though her voice had the ring of honesty, and her wordswere sincere, she found it easier to look at the pictures and thefurniture than at George Early. Whenever she caught his eye, the pinkglow in her cheeks deepened, and her fingers toyed nervously with thelace on her gown. Any young man with a proper regard for the delicatesensibilities of the fair sex would, on finding a young lady soprettily confused, make a valiant effort to put her at her ease. ThisGeorge did by assuming a very modest demeanour and concentrating hisgaze on the hearthrug. It was effectual, for it gave Miss Fairbrotherconfidence, and led her to speak of the valuable help George had givento the firm since he had accepted the office of junior clerk, factswhich surprised George, and were a testimonial to Miss Fairbrother'sskill as an inventor.
"I feel sure," she said impulsively, "that some day you will be apartner in the firm."
"No," said George, modestly; "I shouldn't think so."
"Oh, but I am sure you will! You are so--you know so many things.Doesn't it surprise the others to find how much you know?"
George valiantly suppressed a sudden fit of coughing.
"Now you come to mention it," he said, "I think it does."
"I'm sure it must do," said Miss Fairbrother, warmly. "I think courageand cleverness are things that people cannot help noticing. Andunselfishness; think how noble it is to do things for others!"
"Splendid!" said George. "But you can't help it if it's born in you."
"It isn't always that," said Miss Fairbrother. "Some men are verybrave. They give their lives up to benefiting their fellow-creatures,and watching over them as if they were helpless little children."
"Yes," said George, turning his imagination to the past; "my old fatherused to say, 'Never mind yourself, George; others first--others first,m' lad.'"
"I knew it," cried Miss Fairbrother, with a brightening of the eye thatGeorge didn't fail to notice. "You've been following that good advicein spite of all obstacles. Oh, if only everybody would fight andovercome difficulties like that!"
"It's been a bit hard," said George, reminiscently.
"But think of the victory," cried Miss Fairbrother, "when you look backon what you have done."
"Ah! If people only knew."
"Yes," a little doubtfully; "but of course you don't exactly wantpeople to know."
"That's just it; they mustn't know a word about it."
"If they did?" she breathed.
"It wouldn't do," said George; "they wouldn't all be so grateful asyou."
Miss Fairbrother's fingers grew nervous again, and the point of onetiny little shoe attracted all her attention. George, looking out ofthe corner of one eye, felt that matters were progressing mostsatisfactorily.
"I suppose," said Miss Fairbrother, softly, without turning her head,"you've--you've saved other people before?"
George at once became so modest and so concerned about the insidelining of his hat, that Miss Fairbrother looked up, and added quickly--
"You have; I'm sure you have. Do tell me about it! Oh, I should like toknow!"
George took out his handkerchief and rubbed his nose very hard, aperformance that may have been actuated by emotion or equivocation.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said, with a suspicion of huskinessin his throat.
"Perhaps they were very ungrateful," Miss Fairbrother observedsympathetically.
"That's it," said George; "some people don't deserve to be saved."
"I'm afraid I haven't given you much but my thanks."
"Don't mention it. It's a pleasure to save any one like you. I'd liketo do it every day."
Miss Fairbrother suddenly became so interested in something she sawoutside the window that only one pink ear was visible to her rescuer.
"When I think of yesterday," continued George, leaning forward andspeaking slowly, "I can't understand why I called up that cab so soonand put you in it, and why I didn't stand there holding you."
He paused a moment, but Miss Fairbrother never moved. The pink earseemed to be growing pinker. George went on daringly--
"That ride home in the cab was a ride I shall always think about. Idon't think I took my eyes off you once all the way. How could I,when----"
Here the conversation, which threatened to take an alarming turn, wasinterrupted by the sudden entrance of a maid with tea.
That interval of a few minutes so destroyed the continuity of GeorgeEarly's argument that he decided to abandon it. Miss Fairbrother,having satisfied her curiosity through the window pane, immediately onthe entrance of the tea affected to forget what he had been talking of,and invited him with an uncommon lightness of spirits to draw nearer tothe small tea-table.
Whatever George Early may have thought of the lady's charms on theprevious evening, he was now convinced that they were many and various.In the office she was usually bored and a little bewildered, and attimes inclined to be cross about business problems. Her speech wasfrequently plaintive, and her hair out of curl. Here, with all theworries of business left behind, she was demure, pretty, and altogethercharming. Her eyes sparkled, and the little frowns that were apt topucker her fair brow gave place to smiling lines around the mouth. Inthat big office she looked out of place, a frail and worried littlebody; in this drawing-room she was in perfect harmony with hersurroundings, while George seemed out of place there. He felt out ofplace too, at first; but being of a nature that easily adapts itself tocircumstances, he was soon chattering as pleasantly as if he'd beenused to drawing-rooms all his life. It was evident that MissFairbrother approved of him, and felt satisfied that her rescuer was ayoung man of noble ideas and a true hero. She was probably not unawarethat he was also a good-looking young man, with well-brushed hair, anda smile that was not without charm. These things she had doubtlessoverlooked before in the worries of business.
George was not a man to miss opportunities, in spite of the adversecriticism of his fellow-workers in the firm of Fairbrother. Havingcreated a good impression, he knew that the next thing to do was tomake it lasting. Afternoon tea and pleasant conversation with a girlyou have rescued from an untimely death are not among the unsweetenedthings of this world, but George saw fit to bring his visit to an earlyclose by evincing an earnest de
sire to return to Fairbrothers' onbusiness which could not be neglected.
Miss Fairbrother approved of his close application to the firm'saffairs, but was not sure that she had thanked him sufficiently forwhat he had done for her. George assured her that by supplying him witha final cup of tea the debt would be fully paid.
Whereat Miss Fairbrother laughed--a sweet, tinkling, little darling ofa laugh.
Whereat George laughed--a polite, hearty, good-humoured laugh.
What more natural than that George's big manly hand should press MissFairbrother's little finger in taking that cup of tea, and that MissFairbrother should blush and hurriedly pour out an extra cup forherself? What more natural than that George should look at her out ofthe corner of his eye, and find her looking at him out of the corner ofher eye; and that they should both be ashamed at having caught eachother in the very act? Nothing more natural, surely.
But George knew what a good many men would not have known--that thiswas the very moment to go. And go he did.
"Good-bye," said Miss Fairbrother, smiling and holding out a verypretty white hand; "I'm very grateful to you."
"Good-bye," said George, taking the pretty hand in his; "I'm glad I wasthere."
George walked away in a most satisfied frame of mind. He haltedhalf-way up the terrace and looked back at the great portico andmassive windows of the Fairbrother mansion.
"Nice house that," he said; "nice girl too--devilish nice girl!"
Then he called a hansom and drove to Liverpool Street, for, urgent asthe firm's business happened to be, his own at the moment was of moreconsequence.
That night when Gray got home his lodger's room was vacant; GeorgeEarly had moved into West End lodgings.