CHAPTER XII
BROTHER AND SISTER
After lunch, Jane, pleading sleepiness, crawled into the port bunk inthe saloon and drew the tan curtains. People are apt to respect afeigned desire for sleep far more than a genuine desire for thoughtfulsolitude and she wanted to think over the events of the morning.
She believed that she owed it to Jack to tell him of her engagement toBreck and yet she felt a strange hesitancy, for as much as she adoredher brother, she knew that he would neither understand nor approve ofher marrying the quixotic deck hand. The fact that he was aBreckenridge would not alter the case in the least for her brother.Jack was one of those steady, easy-going young men with a kind butpeculiarly unsocial outlook. Jane knew that he would have a slightfeeling of contempt for a man who had offered himself in marriage to agirl whom he could neither support in the fabled "manner she wasaccustomed to" nor yet offer a stable income to her.
He would look on the Hurricane Island project as the wildest of wildideas. The nomadic life she would probably share with Breck would haveno appeal to the ease-loving young Kentuckian. His dream of perfecthappiness was their lovely old home with Ellen as its mistress andlong evenings spent together by the open fire. Jane realized that herbrother was a typical "country gentleman" of the last century with afew modern touches in the way of slang. Nor did the differences intheir character make her devotion to him any less, but it did make herrather dread the interview she had planned to have with him justbefore it was time for Frederick Gray to make his appearance. Of herfather's attitude in the matter, she had no fear. He was of theopinion that whatever his children did was right. Aunt Min wasradically opposed to any new idea, but when the novelty of a situationhad worn off she softened.
"It may be up-hill work but Breck and I are strong enough to see itthrough," Jane decided. "The worst part will be talking to Jack. Iwill never convince him of the fact that I had even more to do with itthan Breck did."
"Jane has been asleep long enough. I'm going down and make her goswimming in this icy water with me."
Frances left the others on deck and went down into the saloon. Shejerked back the curtains to find Jane with her knees drawn up underher chin, her hands clasped around her ankles.
"What a graceful position to sleep in, Jane. I do hope you had a goodnap."
"As long as I am caught, I will admit that I withdrew into this shellto solve the problems of the universe, which being successfullysolved, I want very much to go swimming," Jane said, undoubling andemerging from her retreat.
Frances looked at her friend rather quizzically. "But it's so unlikeour Plain Jane to have problems. Is there anything that I can do? Imean in the way of solving? I'm rather eager to try that new positionin thinking."
"It was a very trying experience for me--that thinking--but, havingcome to the world-shaking conclusion that the only thing to do in acase like this is to do what you think is right, especially when whatyou think is right is what you want to do, I am not going to worry anymore," said Jane, catching the bathing suit Frances flung at her.
"What a wise but completely unintelligible Jane it is! But I supposeI must just abide my time and, finally, the secret will be revealed toyour humble and admiring slave. Ah, well, I can wait if I have to. Butlet me say that I have suspected it ever since the night you asked meif I knew whether Breck had his slicker on or not," said Francessolemnly.
"What in the world are you talking about?"
"Don't you remember that night at Plymouth, when you went up in thegraveyard by yourself, and when you came back I said you looked likeyou had had one million adventures? Well, when we returned to the boatit started raining, don't you remember? And Mr. Wing and Breck went upon deck to see something about that interminable old anchor. I wasjust about asleep and you woke me up asking me if I knew whether Breckhad a raincoat or not. 'There is something strange about this,' sez Ito meself, sez I, and I have been a quiet but interested observer eversince."
"You are a darling, Frances, and the world lost a great detective whenwe Camp Fire Girls made such a good friend," and Jane gave her hand anaffectionate little pat.
"Tell me all about it when you feel like it," and, with Jane'spromise to do so soon, they went up on deck.
"You lazy ones put on your bathing suits and let's take the tender andgo over and see Tim's boat. We can swim from the beach. I feel likethe water won't be so cold where it's shallower," Frances suggested.
The others, having heard Jane's glowing account of the "Sabrina,"readily agreed. Soon they were off, leaving Breck, Mr. Wing and Tim tomake Frederick Gray feel at home if he should come before the othersgot back, though, as Jane said, Fred had enough poise to carry offalmost any situation.
There was a stretch of sandy beach, flanked by gray boulders, near the"Sabrina's" anchorage, and after inspecting Tim's beautiful littleboat they all went ashore.
Jane whispered to Jack that she wanted to talk to him for a fewminutes and they went over to one of the sunbaked rocks, while therest of the crowd stood ankle deep in the cold water, trying to forcethemselves into it.
"I'll never get into it by degrees," Frances shivered, as she tookthree or four tentative steps. "Come on, Mabel, I believe the wateraround that farthest rock will be deep enough to make a shallowdrive."
Jack looked at Jane with surprise. "What is it?" he asked.
"What do you think of Breck?"
"All this mystery to know what I think of Breck?" Jack was amused."Why, I suppose he is all right. Never paid much attention to him.Seems a bit sullen to me. I don't reckon I've said two words to himsince I have been on board." Jack's eyes followed Ellen's littlefigure as it ran bravely out into the chilly water, hesitated asecond, made a rather poor surface dive and began swimming shorewardwith very irregular and splashy strokes.
"It is funny Ellen can't learn to swim," Jane said as she, too,watched her friend's efforts.
"I think she does remarkably well," Jack said quickly. "But what madeyou ask me what I thought of Breck?"
"I simply wanted to know your opinion of your prospectivebrother-in-law."
For a minute Jack looked at her blankly, then laughed as if what hissister said was a huge joke.
"I am serious, Jack dear, I intend to marry Breck when we get back toNew York and will write Daddy to that effect tonight," Jane spokecalmly but with convincing assurance.
"It is preposterous," Jack said hotly. "It is ridiculous to discussit. Of course, Daddy will forbid it. If you insist, he won't give youany money and, of course, you could hardly live on a deck hand'ssalary. Besides, what would a deck hand do for a living in thewinter?"
Jane smiled a little at Jack's ideas about money. "Daddy won't say aword in the first place, and you seem to have forgotten that the moneymother left me would allow me to live very comfortably in the secondplace, and Breck isn't a deck hand in the third place. Didn't you hearwhat he said when he set Tim's leg?"
"No, I was out in the tender, but anybody that has knocked around canset a leg."
"What are your objections to him besides his lack of money?" Jane saida little contemptuously.
"A Pellew would hardly marry--"
"Oh, Jack dear, don't say it, please," Jane interrupted him, "it wouldsound so stupid and snobbish. It is only fair to tell you that hisfull name is Allen Breckenridge, you know the ones that live inCalifornia, and he went to Harvard and studied medicine. Then he hada fuss with his father and broke with him. He went with a Frenchambulance unit in the war. When he came back, he went on a newspaperand, this summer, he signed up with Mr. Wing because he wanted time towrite and yet he needed money to live on while doing so. The 'Boojum'solved the problem. Jack, don't you see what a peach he is?"
Jack admitted that Breck's being a Breckenridge altered thingssomewhat. But he remained firm in his belief that the affair was animpossible one.
"But, Jack dear, you mustn't change your opinion of him just becausehe is from one of those terrible things known as a 'good family'--asfar as that goes, I th
ink it is a terrible family and they havebehaved abominably to him. I want you to like him because he is afine, interesting man," Jane pleaded. She was constantly givenopportunities to regret that her brother was not as open-minded as shewas.
"Jane, please believe that your happiness is my chief concern. Whatyou have told me of him seems to me condemning. I see him as animpulsive, unstable person, inclined to drifting."
"I know that you think I am an incurable romantic and that I see himin a sort of glamour. I don't. I have been with him a lot and we havehad long talks. I love him terribly, but I realize he has the usualquota of faults. What he needs is a steady hand on the reins and,Jack, you know my hand is fairly reliable. You respect my judgment ofhorses, why won't you respect my judgment of husbands? Of course, whatyou have said, what you will say, can't affect me in the least, but Ido wish you would wish me happiness and say that you will try to likeBreck," finished Jane.
Jack sat silent for a while, his head in his cupped hands, finally hesaid, "Forgive me. I was a rotter to say what I did about Breck'sbeing a deck hand. I will like him and try to make him like me. Youare a great little sister and Breck is a mighty lucky man."
A victory so far, thought Jane, and decided to spare Jack theHurricane Island project till Fred came. "You are rather a darling,Jack," she said, "and I think Ellen will be a splendid swimmer soon.Run along down to her now and help her with that scissors kick."