The Red Derelict

by Bertram Mitford

  CHAPTER NINETEEN.

  INTERIM--PEACE!

  One glowing summer morning saw Delia Calmour spinning her bicycle alongat a great rate up the Hilversea drive. It was Sunday, and she had cometo attend the chapel, a thing she had done more than once of late, sincethe time she had given efficient musical aid on a certain informaloccasion we wot of. Some weeks had gone by since then, and now it wasgolden August. The beautiful landscape lay in a shimmer of heat, butthe glad shout of the cuckoo echoed no more, and the chorus of birdvoices had undergone considerable abatement, but the stillness and theglowing richness of the summer haze shed a peace around as of the peaceof heaven.

  She was late; yes, as she alighted and chained her bicycle to therailings she heard the roll of the organ within. She was late, but notvery. Mass had hardly begun, she decided, as her ears caught theopening bars of the _Kyrie_ in Mozart Number 1. She hesitated a momentwhether to do so or not, then went up to the choir-loft. Two thingsstruck her as Yvonne handed her the score: one, that the choir was inless strength than usual; the other, that Wagram was at the organ. Hehalf turned, astonished, as the full, rich soprano sounded forth among,if not slightly above, the rest, then settled down to his work withrenewed satisfaction. She was doubly glad that she had come, for sheknew that her musical talent was of genuine practical assistance, and assuch was thoroughly appreciated.

  "Take the organ for this," whispered Wagram just before the offertory."You can sing and play at the same time; I can't. We are going to haveArcadelt--your favourite."

  She complied, and was astonished at herself and the tone and expressionshe managed to get out of the instrument, while not in the leastdrowning the voices, among which her own led, clear and rich. So wereothers, for more than one head turned round inquiringly towards thechoir-loft, among them that of the old Squire.

  "No--no; keep it all through," whispered Wagram, as she would have gotup. "I shall be free to make one more to sing then."

  Again she obeyed, and threw her best into it, and her best was very goodindeed. The music at Hilversea was above the average, but to-day it hadsurpassed itself.

  "Well done, Miss Calmour," said Haldane enthusiastically as they metoutside after the service. "What degree in music have you taken, may Iask?"

  "None, Mr Haldane. But I know you're only chaffing me."

  "'Pon my honour, I'm not. If you haven't, you ought, to have. Theyought to make you a Mus. Doc. at least. Oughtn't they, Wagram?"

  "Of course," said the latter, joining them. "Thanks so much for yourhelp, Miss Calmour. If you had come a bit earlier I would have askedyou to play from the very first. Our regular organist's away, andsomeone had to take his place, so I threw myself--rather heroically, Ithink--into the breach. He'd have been jealous, though, if he'd heardyou."

  "I'm afraid you'll make me very conceited, Mr Wagram," laughed the girlrather deprecatingly. "But I am so glad if I have really been of anyuse."

  "By Jove!" Haldane was saying to himself. "By Jove! but she is apretty girl."

  Nor was he overstating matters. Delia was dressed, plainly as usual, incool white, which suited well her clear, mantling complexion and lighthazel eyes, the latter bright with animation. She looked her best herenow in the hot August sun, and what has been said of her musicalaccomplishment applies equally to her physical aspect--her best was verygood indeed.

  "You'll come up and lunch with us, Miss Calmour?" said Wagram. "It'smuch too hot to ride back all the way to Bassingham in the middle of theday, especially after all your exertions on our behalf."

  Delia accepted, hoping she was not betraying too much delight by hertone. Sunday at Siege House was the least tolerable day in the week,and now she wondered if she were going to have a day of heaven.

  "Here, Gerard," called out Wagram, as two boys came up, accompanied byYvonne, with whom one of them at any rate seemed to be engaged inaltercation. "Miss Calmour, this is my rascal," he explained genially."The other has a parent of his own to give him a character, so I won't."

  Both were straightly-built, handsome boys of fourteen, a completecontrast to each other, though both of the same height--one dark, theother golden-haired and blue-eyed. The first, however, moved Delia'sinterest the most as they came up and shook hands. So this was Wagram'sson! The other was Haldane's. The two were sworn pals, and were at thesame school.

  "Why didn't you go and serve Mass, you scamps?" went on Wagram.

  "Oh, we do that enough at Hillside, pater," answered Gerard, hanging onto his father's arm in a sort of insinuating and conciliatory way;"besides, we got in--er--a little late."

  Delia, listening, remembered Wagram's remark when they had come upon thespeaker's acolyte dress in the sacristy the day that she had first triedher hand at the organ. He was an exact replica of his father, shedecided--just what Wagram might have been at his age.

  "Reggie's just as bad, Mr Wagram," struck in Yvonne, who deemed it hermission to "round up" her brother in matters of the kind. "He slippedaway from me when we were talking to old Mrs Clancy, and I believe hewas at the bottom of it."

  "Oh, well, as it's the beginning of the holidays, I suppose they must beallowed some law," rejoined Wagram.

  "Give me your key, Miss Calmour, and I'll unlock your bike and wheel itup to the house," said Gerard.

  "That will be good of you," answered Delia, with a smile that won theboy's heart there and then. She was mentally contrasting him with theraw, uncleanly, unlicked cub, which mainly constituted her experience ofthe animal hight `boy' of the same age. Yet about this one on the otherhand there was nothing priggish, nothing self-conscious. He was purelyand entirely natural.

  During lunch the old Squire congratulated her on her playing, and alsoon the excellence of her illustrated article in _The Old Country Side_,which had appeared that week.

  "We were wondering how in the world you managed to say so much in solimited a space," he observed, "and to say just the right thing, too.What a memory you must have, child!"

  Delia was thinking that, whatever else might slip her memory, no singledetail about Hilversea Court was likely to do so.

  "And the illustrations were excellent," went on the Squire--"excellent."

  "Rather," assented Haldane. "I wish my box were not too insignificantfor _The Old Country Side_, Miss Calmour, then you could scare up anillustrated interview with it."

  "And bring in Poogie," said Yvonne. "Oh, and--incidentally--father."

  "Where do I come in?" hazarded her brother.

  "To spoil the picture, of course."

  "Thanks," answered the boy, with a good-humoured laugh. Yvonne lookedat him and shook her golden head.

  "Do you know, Miss Calmour, Reggie is the most provoking child. It'ssimply impossible to tease him. I'm always trying, and you've just gota sample of how I succeed. Is he the same at Hillside, Gerard?"

  "Can't tell tales out of school."

  Then Yvonne retorted, and the banter went on fast and furious, butalways good-tempered, and sometimes really humorous, until it finallymerged into plans for fishing on the morrow.

  "They are threatening to take us all down to the west park presently,Miss Calmour," said Wagram soon after lunch. "Do you feel up to thatamount of exertion?"

  Delia replied that she would have been delighted, only it was time tothink of getting back.

  "Of getting back?" repeated Wagram. "Are you obliged to? Because ifnot, won't you stay and play for us again this evening? It would be agreat help."

  "Yes; do stay, Miss Calmour," urged Yvonne, cordially impulsive.

  "There will be a bright moon to ride back by, and I can offer you myescort."

  "Can I go too, pater?" said Gerard, eagerly scenting the fun of amoonlight bicycle ride.

  "Certainly. You wouldn't leave your venerated dad to return over threemiles of lonely road unprotected, would you?"

  "Then I shall be very pleased to stay," answered the girl, her wholeface lighting up. Days such as this constituted t
o her everything thatwas worth living for, and now there was more of it before her thanbehind.

  The old Squire had withdrawn, laughingly explaining that he could not dowithout his forty winks on a hot Sunday afternoon. The workings ofFate, or Providence, are indeed strange. Some such working it must havebeen that moved Haldane to declare that he too felt drowsy, and it wasmuch too hot for exercise. In a word, he resisted all persuasion tojoin in the walk; had he yielded the subsequent events of this ourhistory might have turned out very differently.

  They reached the paddock, and the great sable antelope, which wasinclined to be tame, condescended to stalk up in a lordly manner and befed with some crusts they had brought for the purpose. The gnus,however, kept their distance away in the middle, whisking their tails,and prancing, and shaking their fierce-looking heads. Suddenly Wagram,chancing to look round, became aware of the propinquity of a stranger.He was a little distance off along the fence, and with the aid of abough had managed to climb up, and was holding on, watching the animals.

  "That's a cool customer," he said after watching him for a few minutes."I must go and talk to him."

  "Going to turn him away, pater?" asked Gerard.

  "No, I won't do that; but I'll drop him a friendly hint that he mustn'tmake this the scene of his daily walks. You remain here."

  The stranger was not in the least confused or apologetic as Wagramaccosted him. The latter recognised with some interest theweather-beaten, white-bearded face of the man who had been pointed outto him as Develin Hunt.

  "Good specimens these," he said approvingly. "I've shot many of them,so I ought to know."

  "Yes. They'd be dangerous if they weren't shut in," said Wagram.

  "Very likely. Wild animals enclosed generally do get that way."

  "Now you're here you're welcome to look at them," said Wagrampleasantly, "but I thought I'd just mention that this is privateground."

  The man dropped from his perch with a cat-like nimbleness, rathernoticeable in one of his apparent years.

  "Meaning I'm trespassing?" he said shortly.

  "That's the word," laughed Wagram. "But, as I said before, as you arehere pray see all you came to see; I have no wish that you should hurryaway. Good-afternoon."

  The stranger stood gazing after him.

  "So that's Wagram Wagram!" he said to himself. "Why, chalk from cheeseisn't in it in the difference between him and that bright boy Everard.Lord, Lord! it's a rum world. To think that now he should be turning meoff, and soon I shall be turning him off--bag and baggage. But I hopeit won't come to that. No; somehow or other I don't think it will. Hehas every inducement to be reasonable--oh, and I hope he will. He's afine fellow, but--necessity knows no law."

  "I say, pater, that chap's got some cheek," said Gerard as his fatherrejoined them. "Look, he hasn't moved. Didn't you tell him to clear?"

  "No; I told him he needn't hurry as he was here."

  And, indeed, the stranger seemed to have taken Wagram literally at hisword, for he had climbed up again to his former position, and wasplacidly puffing at a pipe.

  "Look at those three, Miss Calmour," said Wagram presently, referring tothe children, who had started some romping game; "they can no more keepquiet for half-an-hour when they get together than a lot of kittens.Yvonne is generally the one who sets it going. Look at her now--issuingher commands as usual."

  The tall, beautiful child was standing erect, her blue eyes sparkling,and cheeks flushed with the glow of health and exercise, tossing backthe golden flash of her flowing hair. There was grace in each unstudiedgesticulation, music in the high, sweet key in which she wasexpostulating rapidly with her playfellows.

  "She is too sweet," murmured Delia.

  "Isn't she? By the way, you haven't told me yet what you think of myson and heir--"

  Breaking off, the speaker turned. It was only the trespassing stranger,who raised his hat and passed on his way.

  "--Though, really, it's hardly a fair question, as coming from me."

  "I think he's one of the best-looking and best-mannered boys I've everseen; Mr Haldane's son is the other."

  "You do us proud," laughed Wagram. "But Hilversea is a dullish placefor one boy to get through his holidays in, shut up with two old fogeys,so he's generally over at Haldane's, or Haldane's boy is over here.They divide it up between them, and get all the fun they want."

  Delia was about to reply that she could not imagine the word "dull" inconnection with Hilversea under any circumstances whatever; but itstruck her that the remark would sound banal, and she refrained.

  "We shall be going North on Thursday for the grouse," he went on."Haldane and I always `split' a moor. Then these young scamps will bein clover. We're going to let them take out a gun this time, andthey're about half mad with anticipation."

  "I expect so," said Delia, to whom, however, the whole of thisannouncement brought a heart-sinking. She knew enough by this time ofthe manners and customs of Hilversea to be aware that such a move wasprobable; but somehow, now that it was on the eve of becoming anaccomplished fact--well, she felt depressed. "Does old Mr Wagramshoot?"

  "Doesn't he! If he isn't quite so good at right and left now as a fewyears back, even yet he can hold his own with the great majority. Wemust round up those riotous children now and begin strolling homeward."

  Of late something had occurred to Wagram and set him wondering, andto-day it struck him more than ever. This was a certain unaccountablechange which had come over this girl. She seemed of late to haveacquired a subtle and unconscious refinement, not only in speech andmanner but also in look, which certainly was not there when he had firstmade her acquaintance under dramatic circumstances; indeed, were thatacquaintance to be made over again, and now, assuredly one dictum inwhich he had summed her up would be omitted. The fact was there, butthere was no explaining it. It puzzled him. To one other this changehad become manifest, and her it did not puzzle at all. That one wasClytie; and, going over things in her mind, that extremely attractiveschemer nodded her plotting head complacently and smiled to herself.

  The westering sunlight flooded down upon the vernal sheen of tossing oakfoliage and smoothly undulating grass with a richness of glow that waswell-nigh unearthly in the sensuous stillness of the August evening.One of this group sauntering there it thrilled through and through. Thechildren, excited with their game, were laughing and chattering--frequently all at once. But Delia, while bearing her part as brightlyand intelligibly as ever in conversation with her host, was conscious ofan absorbing _arriere-pensee_--that, if there were such a thing as a dayof paradise, she was going through just that. The while a yet furtherback and subtle thread of thought kept crying aloud that the paradisewas a fool's paradise.