To Him That Hath: A Tale of the West of Today. Ralph Connor

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СКАЧАТЬ all attempts at friendly exchange of courtesy, that the unhappy and enraged Stillwell, becoming utterly demoralized, lost his nerve, lost his control and hopelessly lost every chance he ever possessed of winning a single game of the set which closed with the score six to nothing.

      At the conclusion of the set Stillwell, with no pretense of explanation or apology, left the courts to his enemy who stood waiting his appearance in a silence so oppressive that it seemed to rest like a pall upon the side lines. So overwhelming was Stillwell's defeat, so humiliating his exhibition of total collapse of morale that the company received the result with but slight manifestation of feeling. Without any show of sympathy even his friends slipped away, as if unwilling to add to his humiliation by their commiseration. On the other side, the congratulations offered Maitland were for the most part lacking in the spontaneity that is supposed to be proper to such a smashing victory. Some of his friends seemed to feel as if they had been called upon to witness an unworthy thing. Not so, however, with either Frances Amory or Sidney Templeton. Both greeted Captain Jack with enthusiasm and warmth, openly and freely rejoicing in his victory.

      “By Jove, Maitland, that was tremendous, appalling, eh, what?”

      “I meant it to be so,” said Maitland grimly, “else I should not have played with him.”

      “It was coming to him,” said Frances. “I am simply completely delighted.”

      “Can I give you a lift home, Frances?” said Maitland. “Let us get away. You, too, Templeton,” he added to Sidney, who was lingering near the young lady in obvious unwillingness to leave her side.

      “Oh, thanks! Sure you have room?” he said. “All right. You know my cousin left me in your care.”

      “Oh, indeed! Well, come along then, since our hero is so good. Really, I am uplifted to quite an unusual height of glorious exultation.”

      “Don't rub it in, Frank,” said Jack gloomily. “I made an ass of myself, I know quite well.”

      “What rot, Jack. Every one of your friends was tickled to death.”

      “Adrien, for instance, eh?” said Jack with a bitter little laugh, taking his place at the wheel.

      “Oh, Adrien!” replied Frances. “Well, you know Adrien! She is—just Adrien.”

      As he turned into the street there was a sound of rushing feet.

      “Hello, Captain Jack! Oh, Captain Jack! Wait for me! You have room, haven't you?”

      A whirlwind of flashing legs and windblown masses of gold-red hair, which realised itself into a young girl of about sixteen, bore down on the car. It was Adrien's younger sister, Patricia, and at once her pride and her terror.

      “Why, Patsy, where on earth did you come from? Of course! Get in! Glad to have you, old chap.”

      “Oh, Captain Jack, what a game! What a wonderful game! And Rupert has been playing all summer and awfully well! And you have hardly played a game! I was awfully pleased—”

      “Were you? I'm not sure that I was,” replied Captain Jack.

      “Well, you WERE savage, you know. You looked as if you were in a fight.”

      “Did I? That was very rotten of me, wasn't it?”

      “Oh, I don't know exactly. But it was a wonderful game. Of course, one doesn't play tennis like a fight, I suppose.”

      “No! You are quite right, Pat,” replied Captain Jack. “You see, I'm afraid I lost my temper a bit, which is horribly bad form I know, and—well, I wanted to fight rather than play, and of course one couldn't fight on the tennis court in the presence of a lot of ladies, you see.”

      “Well, I'm glad you didn't fight, Captain Jack. You have had enough of fighting, haven't you? And Rupert is really very nice, you know. He has a wonderful car and he lets me drive it, and he always brings a box of chocolates every time he comes.”

      “He must be perfectly lovely,” said Captain Jack, with a grin at her.

      The girl laughed a laugh of such infectious jollity that Captain Jack was forced to join with her.

      “That's one for you, Captain Jack,” she cried. “I know I am a pig where chocs are concerned, and I do love to drive a car. But, really, Rupert is quite nice. He is so funny. He makes Mamma laugh. Though he does tease me a lot.”

      Captain Jack drove on in silence for some moments.

      “I was glad to see you playing though to-day, Captain Jack.”

      “Where were you? I didn't see you anywhere.”

      “Not likely!” She glanced behind her at the others in the back seat. She need not have given them a thought, they were too deeply engrossed to heed her. “Do you know where I was? In the crutch of the big elm—you know!”

      “Don't I!” said Captain Jack. “A splendid seat, but—”

      “Wouldn't Adrien be shocked?” said the girl, with a deliciously mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Or, at least, she would pretend to be. Adrien thinks she must train me down a bit, you know. She says I have most awful manners. She wants Mamma to send me over to England to her school. But I don't want to go, you bet. Besides, I don't think Dad can afford it so they can't send me. Anyway, I could have good manners if I wanted to. I could act just like Adrien if I wanted to—I mean, for a while. But that was a real game. I felt sorry for Rupert, a little. You see, he didn't seem to know what to do or how to begin. And you looked so terrible! Now in the game with Cousin Sidney you were so different, and you played so awfully well, too, but differently. Somehow, it was just like gentlemen playing, you know—”

      “You have hit it, Patsy—a regular bull!” said Captain Jack.

      “Oh, I don't mean—” began the girl in confusion, rare with her.

      “Yes, you do, Pat. Stick to your guns.”

      “Well, I will. The first game everybody loved to watch. The second game—somehow it made me wish Rupert had been a Hun. I'd have loved it then.”

      “By Jove, Patsy, you're right on the target. You've scored again.”

      “Oh, I'm not saying just what I want—but I hope you know what I mean.”

      “Your meaning hits me right in the eye. And you are quite right. The tennis court is no place for a fight, eh? And, after all, Rupert Stillwell is no Hun.”

      “But you haven't been playing this summer at all, Captain Jack,” said the girl, changing the subject. “Why not?” The girl's tone was quite severe. “And you don't do a lot of things you used to do, and you don't go to places, and you are different.” The blue eyes earnestly searched his face.

      “Am I different?” he asked slowly. “Well, everybody is different. And then, you know, I am busy. A business man has his hours and he must stick to them.”

      “Oh, I don't believe you a bit. You don't need to be down at the mills all the time. Look at Rupert. He doesn't need to be at his father's office.”

      “Apparently СКАЧАТЬ