CHAPTER III
BARBARA VANISHES
Grace's arrival was greeted by a shout, and when she stopped in front ofthe dining-tent a group of curious people surrounded her. The doubleroof of the big tent was extended horizontally, and a lamp hanging froma pole gave a brilliant light. Grace would sooner the light had beendim, for she was hot and her clothes were torn and wet with dew.Besides, she must tell her tale and admit that she had not played aheroic part.
"Where's Barbara?" Mrs. Cartwright asked.
"I don't know. Harry Vernon did not meet us and we started home by theloggers' trail. I lost Barbara by the pool. Something in the bush triedto creep up to us; a wolf, I think--"
"Oh, shucks!" remarked a frank Winnipeg girl who did not like MissHyslop. "In summer, you can't find a wolf south of Broken Range. Looksas if you were scared for nothing, but I can't see why Barbara didn'tbeat you at hitting up the pace."
Others asked questions, and when Grace got breath she tried to satisfytheir curiosity. Some of the group looked thoughtful and Mrs. Vernonsaid:
"Nothing can have hurt Barbara, and if she has lost her way, she cannotwander far, because she must be in the loop between the river and thelake. But Harry did go to meet you, and when he found you had not comeback went off again with Bob. I expect they'll soon arrive withBarbara."
They waited for half-an-hour, and then, when the splash of paddles stoleout of the dark, ran down to the beach. Presently a double-ended bateaucrossed the beam of light and grounded. A young man helped Barbara outand gave her his arm.
"You mustn't bother, Harry. I can walk all right," she said.
"Get hold," said Vernon. "You're not going to walk. If you're obstinate,I'll carry you."
Barbara leaned upon his arm, but her color was high and her lookstrained when he helped her across the stones. Harry Vernon was a tall,thin, wiry Canadian, with a quiet face. When he got to the tent heopened the curtain, and beckoning Mrs. Cartwright, pushed Barbarainside.
"You'll give her some supper, ma'am, and I'll chase the others off," hesaid. "The little girl's tired and mustn't be disturbed."
Barbara gave him a grateful look and the blood came to his sunburnedskin.
"I am a little tired," she declared, and added, too quietly for Mrs.Cartwright to hear: "You're a white man."
Vernon pulled the curtain across, and joining the others, lighted acigarette.
"The girls stopped at False Point, two miles short of the spot wefixed," he said. "I reckon Bob's directions were not plain enough. Sincewe didn't come along, they started back by the loggers' trail, while wewent to look for them by the other track. At the pool, they thought theyheard a wolf. That's so, Miss Hyslop?"
"Yes," said Grace. "I ran away and thought I heard Barbara following.But what happened afterwards?"
"She fell. Hurt her foot, had to stop, and then couldn't make good time.We found her limping along, and shoved through the bush for the river,so she needn't walk. Well, I think that's all."
It was plausible, but Grace was not altogether satisfied. Moreover, sheimagined Vernon was not, and noted that Mrs. Vernon gave him athoughtful glance. All the same, there was nothing to be said, and shewent to her tent.
At daybreak Vernon left the camp, and when he reached the pool walkedround its edge and then sat down and lighted his pipe. A few yards infront, a number of faint marks were printed on a belt of sand. By and byhe heard steps, and frowned when Winter came out from an opening in therow of trunks. They were friends, and Bob was a very good sort, butVernon would sooner he had stopped away.
"Hallo!" he said. "Why have you come along?"
"I lost my hunting-knife," Winter replied. "It was hooked to my belt andI thought the clip let go when we helped Miss Hyslop over the big log. Abully knife; I wanted to find the thing." He paused and smiled when heresumed: "I reckon you pulled out of camp to meditate?"
Vernon hesitated. Had Winter stopped a few yards off, he would havebegun some banter and drawn him away from the pool. Bob was a woodsmanand his eyes were keen. The sun was, however, rising behind the pinesand a beam of light touched the sand. There was no use in trying to hidethe marks. In fact, Vernon imagined Bob had seen them.
"No," he said. "I thought I'd try to trail the wolf Miss Hyslop talkedabout."
"Looks as if you'd found some tracks," Winter remarked. "Well, they'renot a wolf's." He sat down opposite Vernon. "A man's! I saw another at asoft spot. He followed the girls from the lake and stopped for sometime. I allow I reckoned on something like that."
Vernon made an experiment. "Might have been a packer going to a loggingcamp, or perhaps an Indian."
"Shucks!" said Winter, although he gave Vernon a sympathetic smile."There are no Indians about the lake and packers' boots don't make markslike those. A city boot and a city man! A fellow who's wise to the bushlifts his feet. Anyhow, I reckon he doesn't belong to your crowd."
"A sure thing!" Vernon agreed. "I can fix where all the boys were.Besides, if somebody in our lot had wanted to talk to Miss Hyslop, hewouldn't have hung around in the woods. My mother's pretty fastidiousabout her guests. Well, I'll own up the thing bothers me."
Winter nodded. Harry was frank and honest, and Bob imagined he had feltBarbara Hyslop's charm. He was sorry for Harry. The thing was awkward.
"What are you going to do about it?" he asked.
"To begin with, I'm going to hide these tracks. After all, I don't seemuch light. I suppose I ought to tell my mother and put Mrs. Cartwrightwise; but I won't. Spying on a girl and telling is mean. All the same,I'm surely bothered. In a sense, my mother's accountable for her guestsand the girl's nice. I'd like it if I could talk to the man."
"Nothing doing there; he'll watch out. Well, we'll hide up his tracksand look for my knife. D'you think Grace Hyslop knew the job was putup?"
"I don't," said Vernon dryly. "I reckon she was puzzled, but that's all.You couldn't persuade Miss Hyslop her sister liked adventures in thedark. Anyhow, the thing's done with. We have got to let it go."
They went off and Winter pondered. Harry had got something of a knock.Perhaps he was taking the proper line; anyhow, it was the line Harrywould take, but Bob doubted. The girl was very young and the man who mether in the dark was obviously a wastrel.
When they returned for breakfast Barbara had joined the others and woresoft Indian moccasins. Bob looked at Harry and understood his frown.Harry had played up when he helped her home, but he, no doubt, thoughtthe game ought to stop. Bob wondered whether Barbara knew, because sheturned her head when Harry advanced.
After breakfast, Mrs. Vernon, carrying a small bottle, joined Mrs.Cartwright's party under the pines outside the tent. The dew was dryingand the water shone like a mirror, but it was cool in the shade. Barbaraoccupied a camp-chair and rested her foot on a stone, Mrs. Cartwrightknitted, and Grace studied a philosophical book. Her rule was tocultivate her mind for a fixed time every day. Harry Vernon strolled upto the group and Mrs. Cartwright put down her knitting.
"You're kind, but the child's obstinate and won't let me see her foot,"she said to Mrs. Vernon.
"It's comfortable now," Barbara remarked. "When something that hurt youstops hurting I think it's better to leave it alone. Besides, onedoesn't want to bother people."
"You won't bother me, and I'll fix your foot in two or three minutes soit won't hurt again," Mrs. Vernon declared. "The elixir's famous and Ihaven't known it to miss. I always carry some when we camp in thewoods." She turned to her son. "Tell Barbara how soon I cured you whenyou hurt your arm."
"You want to burn Miss Hyslop with the elixir?"
"It doesn't burn much. You said you hardly felt it, and soon after Irubbed your arm the pain was gone."
Harry glanced at Barbara and saw she was embarrassed, although her mouthwas firm. Since she did not mean to let Mrs. Vernon examine hersupposititious injury, his business was to help, and he laughed.
"Miss Hyslop's skin is not like my tough hide. You certainly fixed myarm, but it was a drastic cure, an
d I think Miss Hyslop ought to refuse.I try to indulge you, like a dutiful son, but you are not her mother."
"I am her mother and she will not indulge me," Mrs. Cartwright remarkedwith languid grievance, and Barbara gave Harry a quick, searchingglance. His face was inscrutable, but she wondered how much he knew. Shefelt shabby and ashamed.
When Mrs. Vernon went off with the elixir, Harry sat down.
"If you could bring Mr. Cartwright out, I might persuade my father tocome along," he said. "The old man likes Cartwright; declares he's asport."
"He is a ship-owner." Grace remarked. "I think he used to shoot, butit's some time since."
Harry looked at Barbara and his eyes twinkled. "American English isn'tOxford English, but your people are beginning to use it and Miss Barbaralearns fast. All the same, running the Independent Freighters is quite asporting proposition, and I imagine Mr. Cartwright generally makes good.The old man and I would back him to put over an awkward deal everytime."
"My husband is a good business man," Mrs. Cartwright agreed. "But youbelong to Winnipeg and I understand his business is at Montreal."
"The steamship _Conference_ understood something like that, untilCartwright put them wise. You see, we Western people grow the wheat thatgoes down the lakes, and when the _Conference_ got to know anIndependent boat was coming out they went round and offered Montrealshippers and brokers a drawback on the rates. That is, if the shippersgave them all their stuff, they'd meet their bills for a rebate sometime afterwards. Bully for the shippers, but it left the Western men,who raised the wheat, in the cold. Well, while the _Conference_ gotafter him at Montreal, Cartwright came West and booked all the grain hecould load before it started off. When the _Conference_ got wise, thecargo was in the Independent freighter's hold. Cartwright's surely abusiness man."
Barbara laughed and Mrs. Cartwright languidly agreed, but Grace frowned.Although she did not approve Cartwright, he was the head of her house,and to know his clever tricks were something of a joke hurt her dignity.Harry saw her frown.
"Anyhow, Cartwright's promise stands," he resumed. "If he ran his boatacross half empty, he'd make good. You can trust him."
He went off and Barbara mused unhappily. She thought Harry had talked tohelp her over an awkward moment, and she was grateful but disturbed. Itlooked as if he knew something and he might know much. All the same,when he talked about her step-father she agreed. Cartwright was bold andclever, and, although he was sometimes not very scrupulous, people didtrust him. Barbara wished she had his cleverness and his talent forremoving obstacles. There were obstacles in her path and the path wasdark. Yet she had promised to take it and must make good. She tried tobanish her doubts and began to talk.
After lunch she allowed one of the party to help her on board a canoe.The afternoon was calm, and the light breeze that now and then sighed inthe pine-tops hardly ruffled the shining water. In the evening, when thestraight trunks cut against a blaze of gold and green, they sat by asmudge fire that kept off the mosquitoes and sang to an accompaniment ofbanjos and mandolins. Barbara sang with the others, but it cost her aneffort. The tranquil day was nearly done and she felt it was the lasttranquillity she might know for long. Her companions were frank andkind, Canadians, but her sort, and she was going to make a bold plungewith another who was not. Yet she knew one could not rebel for nothing,and she had pluck. The light faded behind the trees, a loon's wild cryrang across the dark water, and the party went to bed.
In the morning Grace awoke Mrs. Cartwright quietly.
"Barbara is gone," she said.
"Ridiculous!" said Mrs. Cartwright.
"She is gone. Her clothes are not about; but we must be calm and notdisturb the camp. Mrs. Vernon ought to know, but nobody else. You see,it's important--"
Mrs. Cartwright saw, and a few minutes afterwards her hostess knew.
"It's plain I must give Harry my confidence, to some extent," Mrs.Vernon said, and went to look for her son.
She found him going off for a swim, and when she told her tale hefrowned.
"In a way, perhaps, I'm accountable, but we'll talk about this again,"he said. "Get Mrs. Cartwright on board the launch and come alongyourself. As soon as Bob's inside his clothes we'll start."
"But Bob--" Mrs. Vernon began.
"Bob _knows_, and I'll need a partner. If Miss Hyslop didn't leave thesettlement on the night express, she'll be hitting the trail through thewoods for the United States. You must hustle."
Mrs. Vernon left him, and a few minutes afterwards the fast motor launchswung out from the landing and sped down river with a white wave at herbows. Grace watched the boat vanish behind a wooded point and then wentto her tent. She was horribly angry and shocked. Barbara had cheated herand disgraced them all.