The Marrow of Tradition

by Charles W. Chesnutt

  XVI

  ELLIS TAKES A TRICK

  Late one afternoon a handsome trap, drawn by two spirited bays, drove upto Carteret's gate. Three places were taken by Mrs. Carteret, Clara, andthe major, leaving the fourth seat vacant.

  "I've asked Ellis to drive out with us," said the major, as he took thelines from the colored man who had the trap in charge. "We'll go by theoffice and pick him up."

  Clara frowned, but perceiving Mrs. Carteret's eye fixed upon her,restrained any further expression of annoyance.

  The major's liking for Ellis had increased within the year. The youngman was not only a good journalist, but possessed sufficient clevernessand tact to make him excellent company. The major was fond of argument,but extremely tenacious of his own opinions. Ellis handled the foils ofdiscussion with just the requisite skill to draw out the major,permitting himself to be vanquished, not too easily, but, as it were,inevitably, by the major's incontrovertible arguments.

  Olivia had long suspected Ellis of feeling a more than friendly interestin Clara. Herself partial to Tom, she had more than once thought ithardly fair to Delamere, or even to Clara, who was young andimpressionable, to have another young man constantly about the house.True, there had seemed to be no great danger, for Ellis had neither thefamily nor the means to make him a suitable match for the major'ssister; nor had Clara made any secret of her dislike for Ellis, or ofher resentment for his supposed depreciation of Delamere. Mrs. Carteretwas inclined to a more just and reasonable view of Ellis's conduct inthis matter, but nevertheless did not deem it wise to undeceive Clara.Dislike was a stout barrier, which remorse might have broken down. Themajor, absorbed in schemes of empire and dreams of his child's future,had not become cognizant of the affair. His wife, out of friendship forTom, had refrained from mentioning it; while the major, with a delicateregard for Clara's feelings, had said nothing at home in regard to hisinterview with her lover.

  At the Chronicle office Ellis took the front seat beside the major.After leaving the city pavements, they bowled along merrily over anexcellent toll-road, built of oyster shells from the neighboring sound,stopping at intervals to pay toll to the gate-keepers, most of whom werewhite women with tallow complexions and snuff-stained lips,--thetraditional "poor-white." For part of the way the road was bordered witha growth of scrub oak and pine, interspersed with stretches of clearedland, white with the opening cotton or yellow with ripening corn. To theright, along the distant river-bank, were visible here and there groupsof turpentine pines, though most of this growth had for some years beenexhausted. Twenty years before, Wellington had been the world's greatestshipping port for naval stores. But as the turpentine industry had movedsouthward, leaving a trail of devastated forests in its rear, the cityhad fallen to a poor fifth or sixth place in this trade, relying nowalmost entirely upon cotton for its export business.

  Occasionally our party passed a person, or a group of persons,--mostlynegroes approximating the pure type, for those of lighter color grewnoticeably scarcer as the town was left behind. Now and then one ofthese would salute the party respectfully, while others glanced at themindifferently or turned away. There would have seemed, to a stranger, alack, of spontaneous friendliness between the people of these two races,as though each felt that it had no part or lot in the other's life. Atone point the carriage drew near a party of colored folks who werelaughing and jesting among themselves with great glee. Paying noattention to the white people, they continued to laugh and shoutboisterously as the carriage swept by.

  Major Carteret's countenance wore an angry look.

  "The negroes around this town are becoming absolutely insufferable," heaverred. "They are sadly in need of a lesson in manners."

  Half an hour later they neared another group, who were also makingmerry. As the carriage approached, they became mute and silent as thegrave until the major's party had passed.

  "The negroes are a sullen race," remarked the major thoughtfully. "Theywill learn their lesson in a rude school, and perhaps much sooner thanthey dream. By the way," he added, turning to the ladies, "what was thearrangement with Tom? Was he to come out this evening?"

  "He came out early in the afternoon," replied Clara, "to go a-fishing.He is to join us at the hotel."

  After an hour's drive they reached the hotel, in front of whichstretched the beach, white and inviting, along the shallow sound. Mrs.Carteret and Clara found seats on the veranda. Having turned the trapover to a hostler, the major joined a group of gentlemen, among whom wasGeneral Belmont, and was soon deep in the discussion of the standingproblem of how best to keep the negroes down.

  Ellis remained by the ladies. Clara seemed restless and ill at ease.Half an hour elapsed and Delamere had not appeared.

  "I wonder where Tom is," said Mrs. Carteret.

  "I guess he hasn't come in yet from fishing," said Clara. "I wish hewould come. It's lonesome here. Mr. Ellis, would you mind looking aboutthe hotel and seeing if there's any one here that we know?"

  For Ellis the party was already one too large. He had accepted thisinvitation eagerly, hoping to make friends with Clara during theevening. He had never been able to learn definitely the reason of hercoldness, but had dated it from his meeting with old Mrs. Ochiltree,with which he felt it was obscurely connected. He had noticed Delamere'sscowling look, too, at their last meeting. Clara's injustice, whateverits cause, he felt keenly. To Delamere's scowl he had paid littleattention,--he despised Tom so much that, but for his engagement toClara, he would have held his opinions in utter contempt.

  He had even wished that Clara might make some charge against him,--hewould have preferred that to her attitude of studied indifference, theonly redeeming feature about which was that it _was_ studied, showingthat she, at least, had him in mind. The next best thing, he reasoned,to having a woman love you, is to have her dislike you violently,--themain point is that you should be kept in mind, and made the subject ofstrong emotions. He thought of the story of Hall Caine's, where thewoman, after years of persecution at the hands of an unwelcome suitor,is on the point of yielding, out of sheer irresistible admiration forthe man's strength and persistency, when the lover, unaware of hisvictory and despairing of success, seizes her in his arms and, springinginto the sea, finds a watery grave for both. The analogy of this casewith his own was, of course, not strong. He did not anticipate anytragedy in their relations; but he was glad to be thought of upon almostany terms. He would not have done a mean thing to make her think of him;but if she did so because of a misconception, which he was given noopportunity to clear up, while at the same time his conscience absolvedhim from evil and gave him the compensating glow of martyrdom, it was atleast better than nothing.

  He would, of course, have preferred to be upon a different footing. Ithad been a pleasure to have her speak to him during the drive,--they hadexchanged a few trivial remarks in the general conversation. It was agreater pleasure to have her ask a favor of him,--a pleasure which, inthis instance, was partly offset when he interpreted her request to meanthat he was to look for Tom Delamere. He accepted the situationgracefully, however, and left the ladies alone.

  Knowing Delamere's habits, he first went directly to the bar-room,--theatmosphere would be congenial, even if he were not drinking. Delamerewas not there. Stepping next into the office, he asked the clerk ifyoung Mr. Delamere had been at the hotel.

  "Yes, sir," returned the man at the desk, "he was here at luncheon, andthen went out fishing in a boat with several other gentlemen. I thinkthey came back about three o'clock. I'll find out for you."

  He rang the bell, to which a colored boy responded.

  "Front," said the clerk, "see if young Mr. Delamere's upstairs. Look in255 or 256, and let me know at once."

  The bell-boy returned in a moment.

  "Yas, suh," he reported, with a suppressed grin, "he's in 256, suh. Dedo' was open, an' I seed 'im from de hall, suh."

  "I wish you'd go up and tell him," said Ellis, "that--What are yougrinning about?" he asked suddenly, noticin
g the waiter's expression.

  "Nothin', suh, nothin' at all, suh," responded the negro, lapsing intothe stolidity of a wooden Indian. "What shall I tell Mr. Delamere, suh?"

  "Tell him," resumed Ellis, still watching the boy suspiciously,--"no, I'lltell him myself."

  He ascended the broad stair to the second floor. There was an upperbalcony and a parlor, with a piano for the musically inclined. To reachthese one had to pass along the hall upon which the room mentioned bythe bell-boy opened. Ellis was quite familiar with the hotel. He couldimagine circumstances under which he would not care to speak toDelamere; he would merely pass through the hall and glance into the roomcasually, as any one else might do, and see what the darky downstairsmight have meant by his impudence.

  It required but a moment to reach the room. The door was not wide open,but far enough ajar for him to see what was going on within.

  Two young men, members of the fast set at the Clarendon Club, wereplaying cards at a small table, near which stood another, decorated withan array of empty bottles and glasses. Sprawling on a lounge, withflushed face and disheveled hair, his collar unfastened, his vestbuttoned awry, lay Tom Delamere, breathing stertorously, in what seemeda drunken sleep. Lest there should be any doubt of the cause of hiscondition, the fingers of his right hand had remained claspedmechanically around the neck of a bottle which lay across his bosom.

  Ellis turned away in disgust, and went slowly back to the ladies.

  "There seems to be no one here yet," he reported. "We came a littleearly for the evening crowd. The clerk says Tom Delamere was here toluncheon, but he hasn't seen him for several hours."

  "He's not a very gallant cavalier," said Mrs. Carteret severely. "Heought to have been waiting for us."

  Clara was clearly disappointed, and made no effort to conceal herdispleasure, leaving Ellis in doubt as to whether or not he were itsobject. Perhaps she suspected him of not having made a very thoroughsearch. Her next remark might have borne such a construction.

  "Sister Olivia," she said pettishly, "let's go up to the parlor. I canplay the piano anyway, if there's no one to talk to."

  "I find it very comfortable here, Clara," replied her sister placidly."Mr. Ellis will go with you. You'll probably find some one in theparlor, or they'll come when you begin to play."

  Clara's expression was not cordial, but she rose as if to go. Ellis wasin a quandary. If she went through the hall, the chances were at leasteven that she would see Delamere. He did not care a rap forDelamere,--if he chose to make a public exhibition of himself, it washis own affair; but to see him would surely spoil Miss Pemberton'sevening, and, in her frame of mind, might lead to the suspicion thatEllis had prearranged the exposure. Even if she should not harbor thisunjust thought, she would not love the witness of her discomfiture. Wehad rather not meet the persons who have seen, even though they nevermention, the skeletons in our closets. Delamere had disposed of himselffor the evening. Ellis would have a fairer field with Delamere out ofsight and unaccounted for, than with Delamere in evidence in his presentcondition.

  "Wouldn't you rather take a stroll on the beach, Miss Clara?" he asked,in the hope of creating a diversion.

  "No, I'm going to the parlor. _You_ needn't come, Mr. Ellis, if you'drather go down to the beach. I can quite as well go alone."

  "I'd rather go with you," he said meekly.

  They were moving toward the door opening into the hall, from which thebroad staircase ascended. Ellis, whose thoughts did not always respondquickly to a sudden emergency, was puzzling his brain as to how heshould save her from any risk of seeing Delamere. Through the side doorleading from the hall into the office, he saw the bell-boy to whom hehad spoken seated on the bench provided for the servants.

  "Won't you wait for me just a moment, Miss Clara, while I step into theoffice? I'll be with you in an instant."

  Clara hesitated.

  "Oh, certainly," she replied nonchalantly.

  Ellis went direct to the bell-boy. "Sit right where you are," he said,"and don't move a hair. What is the lady in the hall doing?"

  "She's got her back tu'ned this way, suh. I 'spec' she's lookin' at thepicture on the opposite wall, suh."

  "All right," whispered Ellis, pressing a coin into the servant's hand."I'm going up to the parlor with the lady. You go up ahead of us, andkeep in front of us along the hall. Don't dare to look back. I shallkeep on talking to the lady, so that you can tell by my voice where weare. When you get to room 256, go in and shut the door behind you:pretend that you were called,--ask the gentlemen what they want,--tellany kind of a lie you like,--but keep the door shut until you're surewe've got by. Do you hear?"

  "Yes, suh," replied the negro intelligently.

  The plan worked without a hitch. Ellis talked steadily, about the hotel,the furnishings, all sorts of irrelevant subjects, to which MissPemberton paid little attention. She was angry with Delamere, and tookno pains to conceal her feelings. The bell-boy entered room 256 justbefore they reached the door. Ellis had heard loud talking as theyapproached, and as they were passing there was a crash of broken glass,as though some object had been thrown at the door.

  "What is the matter there?" exclaimed Clara, quickening her footstepsand instinctively drawing closer to Ellis.

  "Some one dropped a glass, I presume," replied Ellis calmly.

  Miss Pemberton glanced at him suspiciously. She was in a decidedlyperverse mood. Seating herself at the piano, she played brilliantly fora quarter of an hour. Quite a number of couples strolled up to theparlor, but Delamere was not among them.

  "Oh dear!" exclaimed Miss Pemberton, as she let her fingers fall uponthe keys with a discordant crash, after the last note, "I don't see whywe came out here to-night. Let's go back downstairs."

  Ellis felt despondent. He had done his utmost to serve and to pleaseMiss Pemberton, but was not likely, he foresaw, to derive much benefitfrom his opportunity. Delamere was evidently as much or more in herthoughts by reason of his absence than if he had been present. If thedoor should have been opened, and she should see him from the hall upontheir return, Ellis could not help it. He took the side next to thedoor, however, meaning to hurry past the room so that she might notrecognize Delamere.

  Fortunately the door was closed and all quiet within the room. On thestairway they met the bellboy, rubbing his head with one hand andholding a bottle of seltzer upon a tray in the other. The boy was wellenough trained to give no sign of recognition, though Ellis guessed thedestination of the bottle.

  Ellis hardly knew whether to feel pleased or disappointed at the successof his manoeuvres. He had spared Miss Pemberton some mortification, buthe had saved Tom Delamere from merited exposure. Clara ought to know thetruth, for her own sake.

  On the beach, a few rods away, fires were burning, around which severalmerry groups had gathered. The smoke went mostly to one side, but aslight whiff came now and then to where Mrs. Carteret sat awaitingthem.

  "They're roasting oysters," said Mrs. Carteret. "I wish you'd bring mesome, Mr. Ellis."

  Ellis strolled down to the beach. A large iron plate, with a turned-uprim like a great baking-pan, supported by legs which held it off theground, was set over a fire built upon the sand. This primitive oven washeaped with small oysters in the shell, taken from the neighboringsound, and hauled up to the hotel by a negro whose pony cart stood nearby. A wet coffee-sack of burlaps was spread over the oysters, which,when steamed sufficiently, were opened by a colored man and servedgratis to all who cared for them.

  Ellis secured a couple of plates of oysters, which he brought to Mrs.Carteret and Clara; they were small, but finely flavored.

  Meanwhile Delamere, who possessed a remarkable faculty of recuperationfrom the effects of drink, had waked from his sleep, and remembering hisengagement, had exerted himself to overcome the ravages of theafternoon's debauch. A dash of cold water braced him up somewhat. Abottle of seltzer and a big cup of strong coffee still furtherstrengthened his nerves.

  When Ellis returned to the
veranda, after having taken away the plates,Delamere had joined the ladies and was explaining the cause of hisabsence.

  He had been overcome by the heat, he said, while out fishing, and hadbeen lying down ever since. Perhaps he ought to have sent for a doctor,but the fellows had looked after him. He hadn't sent word to his friendsbecause he hadn't wished to spoil their evening.

  "That was very considerate of you, Tom," said Mrs. Carteret dryly, "butyou ought to have let us know. We have been worrying about you verymuch. Clara has found the evening dreadfully dull."

  "Indeed, no, sister Olivia," said the young lady cheerfully, "I've beenhaving a lovely time. Mr. Ellis and I have been up in the parlor; Iplayed the piano; and we've been eating oysters and having a mostdelightful time. Won't you take me down there to the beach, Mr. Ellis? Iwant to see the fires. Come on."

  "Can't I go?" asked Tom jealously.

  "No, indeed, you mustn't stir a foot! You must not overtax yourself sosoon; it might do you serious injury. Stay here with sister Olivia."

  She took Ellis's arm with exaggerated cordiality. Delamere glared afterthem angrily. Ellis did not stop to question her motives, but took thegoods the gods provided. With no very great apparent effort, MissPemberton became quite friendly, and they strolled along the beach, insight of the hotel, for nearly half an hour. As they were coming up sheasked him abruptly,--

  "Mr. Ellis, did you know Tom was in the hotel?"

  Ellis was looking across the sound, at the lights of a distant steamerwhich was making her way toward the harbor.

  "I wonder," he said musingly, as though he had not heard her question,"if that is the Ocean Belle?"

  "And was he really sick?" she demanded.

  "She's later than usual this trip," continued Ellis, pursuing histhought. "She was due about five o'clock."

  Miss Pemberton, under cover of the darkness, smiled a fine smile, whichforeboded ill for some one. When they joined the party on the piazza,the major had come up and was saying that it was time to go. He hadbeen engaged in conversation, for most of the evening, with GeneralBelmont and several other gentlemen.

  "Here comes the general now. Let me see. There are five of us. Thegeneral has offered me a seat in his buggy, and Tom can go withyou-all."

  The general came up and spoke to the ladies. Tom murmured his thanks; itwould enable him to make up a part of the delightful evening he hadmissed.

  When Mrs. Carteret had taken the rear seat, Clara promptly took theplace beside her. Ellis and Delamere sat in front. When Delamere, whohad offered to drive, took the reins, Ellis saw that his hands wereshaking.

  "Give me the lines," he whispered. "Your nerves are unsteady and theroad is not well lighted."

  Delamere prudently yielded the reins. He did not like Ellis's tone,which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one whohad been suffering. He wondered if the beggar knew anything about hisillness. Clara had been acting strangely. It would have been just likeEllis to have slandered him. The upstart had no business with Claraanyway. He would cheerfully have strangled Ellis, if he could have doneso with safety to himself and no chance of discovery.

  The drive homeward through the night was almost a silent journey. Mrs.Carteret was anxious about her baby. Clara did not speak, except now andthen to Ellis with reference to some object in or near the road.Occasionally they passed a vehicle in the darkness, sometimes barelyavoiding a collision. Far to the north the sky was lit up with the glowof a forest fire. The breeze from the Sound was deliciously cool. Soonthe last toll-gate was passed and the lights of the town appeared.

  Ellis threw the lines to William, who was waiting, and hastened to helpthe ladies out.

  "Good-night, Mr. Ellis," said Clara sweetly, as she gave Ellis her hand."Thank you for a very pleasant evening. Come up and see us soon."

  She ran into the house without a word to Tom.