Greatheart

by Ethel M. Dell

  CHAPTER XXIV

  THE MOUNTAIN SIDE

  When Isabel opened her eyes after a slumber that had lasted for thegreater part of the day, it was to find Scott seated beside her quietlywatching her.

  She reached a feeble hand to him with a smile of welcome. "Dear Stumpy,when did you come?"

  "An hour or two ago," he said, and put the weak hand to his lips. "Youhave had a good sleep, dear?"

  "Yes," she said. "Yes. It has done me good." She lay looking at him witha smile still in her eyes. "I hope little Dinah is resting," she said."She was with me nearly all night. I didn't wish it, Stumpy, but the dearchild wouldn't leave till I was more comfortable."

  "She is resting for a little now," he said. "I am so sorry you had a badtime last night."

  "Oh, don't be sorry for me!" she said softly. "My bad times are so nearlyover now. It is a waste of time to talk about them. She sent for you, didshe?"

  He bent his head. "She knew I would wish to be sent for. She fancied youmight be wanting me."

  "I do want you," she said, and into her wasted face there came a look ofunutterable tenderness. "Oh, Stumpy darling, need you leave me again?"

  He was still holding her hand; his fingers closed upon it at her words.

  "I think the last part may be--a little steep," she said wistfully. "Iwould like to feel that you are near at hand. You have helped me sooften--so often. And then too--there is--my little Dinah. I want you tohelp her too."

  "God knows I will do my best, dear," he said.

  Her fingers returned his pressure. "She has been so much to me--so muchto me," she whispered. "When I came here, I had no hope. But the care ofher, the comforting of her, opened the dungeon-door for me. And now noGiant Despair will ever hold me captive again. But I am anxious abouther, Stumpy. There is some trouble in the background of which she hasnever spoken--of which she can never bear to speak. Have you any ideawhat it is?"

  He moved with an unwonted touch of restlessness. "I think she worriesabout the future," he said.

  "That isn't all," Isabel said with conviction. "There is more than that.It hangs over her like a cloud. It weighs her down."

  "She hasn't confided in me," he said.

  "Ah! But perhaps she will," Isabel's eyes still dwelt upon him with agreat tenderness. "Stumpy," she murmured under her breath, "forgive mefor asking! I must ask! Stumpy, why don't you win her for yourself, dear?The way is open. I know--I know you can."

  He moved again, moved with a gesture of protest. "You are mistaken,Isabel," he said. "The way is not open." He spoke wearily. He was lookingstraight before him. "If I were to attempt what you suggest," he saidslowly, "I should deprive her of the only friend to whom she can turnwith any confidence besides yourself. She trusts me now implicitly. Shebelieves my friendship for her to be absolutely simple and disinterested.And I would rather die than fail her."

  "Then you think she doesn't care?" Isabel said.

  Scott turned his eyes upon her. "Personally, I came to that conclusionlong ago," he said. "No woman could ever hang a serious romance aroundme, Isabel. I am not the right sort. If Dinah imagined for a moment thatI were capable of making love in the ordinary way, our friendship wouldgo to the bottom forthwith. No, my dear; put the thought out of yourmind! The Stumpys of this world must be resigned to go unpaired. Theymust content themselves with the outer husk. It's that or nothing."

  Isabel's smile was full of tenderness. "You talk as one who knows," shesaid. "But I wonder if you do."

  "Oh yes," Scott said. "I've learned my lesson. I've been given anordinary soul in an extraordinary body, and I've got to make the best ofit. You can't ignore the body, you know, Isabel. It plays a mighty bigpart in this mortal life. The idea of any woman falling in love with mein my present human tenement is ridiculous, and I have put it out of mymind for good."

  Isabel's eyes were shining. She clasped his hand closer. "I think you arequite wrong, Stumpy dear," she said. "If your soul matched your body,then there might be something in your argument. But it doesn't. And--ifyou don't mind my saying so--your soul is far the most extraordinarypart of your personality. Little Dinah found out long ago that youwere--greathearted."

  Scott smiled a little. "Oh yes, I know she views me through amagnifying-glass and reveres me accordingly. Hence our friendship. But,my dear, that isn't being in love. I believe that somewhere there is ashadowy person whom she cherishes in the very inner secrecy of her heart.Who he is or what he is, I don't know. He is probably something verydifferent from the dream-being she worships. We all are. But I feel thathe is there. Probably I have never met the actual man. I have only seenhis shadow and that by inadvertence. I once penetrated the secret chamberfor one moment only, and then I was driven forth and the door securelylocked. I am not good at trespassing, you know, for all my greatness. Ihave never been near the secret chamber since."

  "Do you mean that she admitted to you that--she cared for someone?"Isabel asked.

  Scott's pale eyes had a quizzical look. "I had the consideration to backout before she had time to do anything so unmaidenly," he said. "Possiblythe shadowman may never materialize. In fact it seems more than possible.In which case the least said is soonest mended."

  "That may be what is troubling her," Isabel said thoughtfully.

  She lay still for a while, and Scott leaned back in his chair and watchedthe little pleasure-boats that skimmed the waters of the bay. The merrycries of bathers came up to the quiet room. The world was full to thebrim of gaiety and sunshine on that hot June day.

  "Stumpy," gently his sister's voice recalled him, "do you never mean tomarry, dear? I wish you would. You will be so lonely."

  He lifted his shoulders. "What can I say Isabel? If the right woman comesalong and proposes, I will marry her with pleasure. I would never dare topropose on my own,--being what I am."

  "Being a very perfect knight whom any woman might be proud to marry,"Isabel said. "That is only a pose of yours, Stumpy, and it doesn't becomeyou. I wonder--how I wonder!--if you are right about Dinah."

  "Yes, I am right," he said with conviction. "But Isabel, you willremember--it was spoken in confidence."

  She gave a sharp sigh. "I shall remember dear," she said.

  Again a brief silence fell between them; but Scott's eye no longer soughtthe sparkling water. They dwelt upon his sister's face. Pale asalabaster, clear-cut as though carven with a chisel, it rested upon thewhite pillow, and the stamp of a great peace lay upon the calm foreheadand in the quiet of the deeply-sunken eyes. There were lines of sufferingthat yet lingered about the mouth, lines of weariness and of sorrow, butthe old piteous look of craving had faded quite away. The bitter despairthat had so haunted Dinah had passed into the stillness of a greatpatience. There was about her at that time the sacred hush that fallsbefore the dawn.

  After a little she became aware of his quiet regard, and turned her headwith a smile. "Well, Stumpy? What is it?"

  "I was just wondering what had happened to you," he made answer.

  Her smile deepened. "I will tell you, dear," she said. "I have comewithin sight of the mountain-top at last."

  "And you are satisfied?" he said, in a low voice.

  Her eyes shone with a soft brightness that seemed to illumine her wholeface. "Satisfied that my beloved is waiting for me and that I shall meethim in the dawning?" she said. "Oh yes, I have known that in my heart fora long time. It troubled me terribly when I lost his letters. They hadbeen such a link, and for a while I was in outer darkness. And then--bydegrees, after little Dinah came back to me--I began to find that afterall there were other links. Helping her in her trouble helped me to bearmy own. And I came to see that ministering to a need outside one's own isthe surest means of finding comfort in sorrow for oneself. I have beenvery selfish Stumpy. I have been gradually waking to that fact for a longwhile. I used to immerse myself in those letters to try and get thefeeling of his dear presence. Very, very often I didn't succeed. And Iknow now that it was because I was forcing myself to look back
and notforward. I think material things are apt to make one do that. But whenmaterial things are taken quite away, then one is forced upon thespiritual. And that is what has happened to me. No one can take anythingfrom me now because what I possess is laid up in store for me. I ammoving forward towards it every day."

  She ceased to speak, and again for the space of seconds the silence fell.

  Scott broke it, speaking slowly, as if not wholly certain of the wisdomof speech. "I did not know," he said, "that you had lost those letters."

  Her face contracted momentarily with the memory of a past pain. "Eustacedestroyed them," she stated simply.

  His brows drew sharply together. "Isabel! Do you mean that?"

  She pressed his hand. "Yes, dear. I knew you would feel it badly so Ididn't tell you before. He acted for the best. I see that quite clearlynow. And--in a sense--the best has come of it."

  Scott got to his feet with the gesture of a man who can barely restrainhimself. "He did--that?" he said.

  She reached up a soothing hand. "My dear, it doesn't matter now. Don't beangry with him. I know that he meant well."

  Scott's eyes looked down into hers, intensely bright, burningly alive."No wonder," he said, breathing deeply, "that you never want to see himagain!"

  "No, Stumpy; that is not so." Gently she made answer; her hand held hisalmost pleadingly. "For a long time I felt like that, it is true. But nowit is all over. There is no bitterness left in my heart at all. We havegrown away from each other, he and I. But we were very close friendsonce, and because of that I would give much--oh, very much--to be friendswith him again. It was in a very great measure my selfishness that camebetween us, my pride too. I had influence with him, Stumpy, and I didn'ttry to use it. I simply threw him off because he disapproved of myhusband. I might have won him, I feel that I could have won him if I hadtried. But I wouldn't. And afterwards, when my mind was clouded, myinfluence was all gone. I wish I could get it back again. I feel as if Imight. But he is keeping away now because of Dinah. And I am afraid toothat he feels I do not want him--" her eyes were suddenly dim with tears."That is not so, Stumpy. I do want him. Sometimes--in the night--I longfor him. But, for little Dinah's sake--"

  She paused, for Scott had suddenly turned and was pacing the roomrapidly, unevenly, as if inaction had become unendurable.

  She lay and watched him while the great tears gathered and ran down herwasted face.

  He came back to her at length and saw them. He stood a moment lookingdownwards, then knelt beside her and very tenderly wiped them away.

  "My dear," he said softly, "you mustn't ever cry again. It breaks myheart to see you. If you want Eustace, he shall come to you. Dinah wasspeaking to me about it only a short time ago. She will not stand in theway of his coming. In fact, I gathered that if you wish it, she wishes italso."

  "That is so like little Dinah," whispered Isabel. "But, Stumpy, do youthink we ought to let her face that?"

  "I shall be here," he said.

  "Oh, yes, dear. You will be here." She regarded him wistfully. "Stumpy,don't'--don't let yourself get bitter against Eustace!" she pleaded. "Youhave always been so splendid, so forbearing, till now."

  Scott's lips were stern. "Some things are hard to forgive, Isabel," hesaid.

  "But if I forgive--" she said.

  His face changed; he bowed his head suddenly down upon her pillow."Nothing will give you back to me--when you are gone," he whispered.

  Her hand was on his head in a moment. "Oh, my dear, are you grievingbecause of that? And I have been such a burden to you!"

  "A burden beloved," he said, speaking with difficulty. "And you weregetting better. You were better. He--threw you back again. He broughtyou--to this."

  Her fingers pressed his forehead. "Not entirely, Stumpy. Be generous,dear! It may have hastened matters a little--only a very little. And evenso, what of it, if the journey has been shortened? Perhaps the way hasbeen a little steeper, but it has brought me more quickly to my goal.Stumpy, Stumpy, if it weren't for leaving you, I would go as gladly--asgladly--as a happy bride--to her wedding."

  She broke off, breathing fast.

  He lifted his head swiftly, and saw the shadow of mortal pain gatheringin her eyes. He commanded himself on the instant and rose. Self-containedand steady, he found and administered the remedy that was always kept athand.

  Then, as the spasm passed, he stooped and quietly kissed the whiteforehead. "Don't trouble about me, dear!" he said. "God knows I would notkeep you from your rest."

  And with that calmly he turned and left her.

  But Biddy, whom he sought a few moments later to send her to hermistress, saw in him notwithstanding his composure, an intensity ofsuffering that struck dismay to her honest heart. "The Lord preserve us!"she said. "But Master Scott has the look of a man with a sword in hissoul!" She wiped her own tears away with a trembling hand. "And what'llhe do at all when Miss Isabel's gone," she said, "unless Miss Dinah doesthe comforting of him?"