CHAPTER XXV
And meanwhile what had been going on at Old Place? Outwardly very little,yet one long-expected, though when it happened, surprising, thing hadoccurred. Also Janet, as the day went on, felt more and more worriedabout Jack.
He wandered in and out of the house like an unhappy, unquiet spirit, forthe sudden departure of Enid Crofton for London two days before had takenhim utterly by surprise, the more so that she had left no address, andhe was suspicious of--he knew not what! It was reasonable to suppose shehad gone to pay the debt for which he had provided the money; but thenwhy keep her address in town secret from him?
At last, this morning, there had come a postcard to Rosamund, asking tobe met at the station, alone, with the Old Place pony-cart. It was areasonable request, for the funny little vehicle only held two people anda minute quantity of luggage. Still Jack had felt annoyed she had notasked him to meet her. She seemed to him absurdly over-cautious.
About ten minutes before the motoring party's return, Rosamund hurried inwith a casual message that Enid was very tired, and so had gone straightto bed; that she hoped some of them would come in and see her on themorrow, Sunday. In any case they would all meet at church.
Jack was puzzled, hurt, and bitterly disappointed, and at once he wentoff to write a note which should be, while wildly loving, yet clear inits expressions of surprise that she had not sent him some sort ofmessage appointing a time for their next meeting. He found the letterunexpectedly difficult to write, and he had already torn up twobeginnings, when the door behind him burst open, and, turning roundirritably, he saw Timmy rush across to a window and shout exultantly,"Mum? We're back! And we've brought Josephine and her kittens. Mr.Trotman said she'd be all right now."
Jack Tosswill jumped up from his chair. It was as if his pent-up feelingsof anger had found a vent at last: "You have, have you?" he cried in anenraged voice. "Then I'll see to the shooting of the brute this veryminute!"
Quick as thought, Timmy rushed back to the door and turned the key in thelock. Then he bounded again to the open window. "Mum!" he screamed at thetop of his voice. "Come here--I'm frightened!"
Janet Tosswill, walking quickly across the lawn, was horrified at thelook of angry despair on the child's face.
"What's happened?" she asked, and then, suddenly, she saw Jack's blazingeyes.
"J-Janet," he began, stuttering in his rage, "either that cat is shotto-day, or I leave this house for ever."
Even in the midst of poor Janet's agitation, she could not help smilingat the melodramatic tone in which the usually self-contained Jack utteredhis threat. Still--
"It was very, very wrong of you, Timmy, to bring back your cat to-day,"she said sternly. "Had I known there was any idea of such a thing Ishould have absolutely forbidden it. Josephine is not fit to come backhere yet; you know what Dr. O'Farrell said."
The colour was coming back into Timmy's face. He had a touching belief inhis mother's power of saving him from the consequences of his own naughtyactions.
"I'm very sorry," he began whimperingly. "It was not my fault, Mum. EvenMr. Trotman said there was nothing the matter with her."
And now Jack was beginning to repent of his hasty, cruel words. He was asangry as ever with Timmy, but he was ashamed of having spoken as he haddone to Janet--the woman who, as he knew deep in his heart, was not onlythe best of step-mothers, but the best of friends, to his sisters andhimself.
"Of course I don't mind her being at Trotman's, but I do very much objectto her being here," he said ungraciously.
"I'll see about her being sent back to Epsom to-day," said Janet quietly.She turned to her son: "Now then, Timmy, I'm afraid we shall have to askpoor Godfrey to start back at once after tea."
"Oh, I say," called out Jack awkwardly. "I don't want the cat to go assoon as that, Janet. To-morrow will do all right. All I ask is that thebrute shall be taken away before it has a chance of seeing Mrs. Croftonagain."
"Very well; the cat shall go to-morrow."
Drawing her little boy quickly after her, Janet left the drawing-room,crossed the corridor, walked into the empty schoolroom, and then, toTimmy's unutterable surprise, burst into bitter tears.
Now Timmy had never seen his mother cry--and she herself was very muchtaken aback. She would have given a great deal to have been left alonejust then to have her cry out, but Timmy's scared little face touchedher.
"I can't think why you did it," she sobbed. "I always thought you weresuch an intelligent boy. Oh, Timmy, surely you understood how angry itwould make Jack and Rosamund if you brought Josephine back now, to-day?"
"I never thought of them," he said woefully. "We were so happy,Mum--Godfrey, Betty and I. Oh, why are people so horrid?"
"Why are people so selfish?" she asked sadly. "I'm surprised at Betty; Ishould have thought that she, at least, would have understood that thecat must stay away a little longer."
"It wasn't Betty's fault," said Timmy hastily. He waited a moment, thenadded cunningly, "It was really Mr. Trotman's fault; he said Josephineought to come home."
But his mother went on a little wildly: "It isn't an easy job, takingover another woman's children--and doing the very best you can for them!To-day, Timmy, you've made me feel as if I was sorry that I ever did it."
"Sorry that you married Daddy?" asked Timmy in an awe-struck voice.
Janet Tosswill nodded.
"Sorry that I was ever born?" cried Timmy. He flung his skinny arms roundher bent neck.
She looked up and smiled wanly. "No, Timmy, I shall never be able to saythat, however naughty you may be."
But Timmy was not to be let off yet.
"What happened to-day has hurt me very, very much," she went on. "It willbe a long time before I shall feel on the old, happy terms with Jackagain. Without knowing it, Timmy, you've pierced your mother's heart."
But even as she uttered these, to Timmy, dreadful words, Janet Tosswillgot up, and dried her eyes. "Now then, we must go and see about Josephinebeing shut up in some place of safety, where she and her kittens will notoffend the eyes of Jack and Rosamund. How about the old stable?"
She was her own calm, satirical, determined self again. But Timmy felt,perhaps for the first time in his life, deeply conscious of sin. Hismother's phrase made him feel very uneasy. Had he really pierced herheart--could a mother's heart be permanently injured by a wicked child?
It was a very mournful, dejected, anxious boy who walked into the kitchenbehind Janet Tosswill.
Timmy had a very vivid imagination, and during the drive back he hadamused himself by visualising the scene when he would place Josephine andher kittens in their own delightful, roomy basket in the scullery. Itwould be such fun, too, introducing Flick to the two kittens! At Betty'ssuggestion, Flick had been shut out from the scullery after Josephine'skittens were born, and that though the dog and the cat got on extremelywell together. In fact, Flick was the only creature in the world withwhom Josephine, since she had reached an approximately mature age, evercondescended to play.
And now poor Josephine and her kittens were to be banished to the oldstable, and to-morrow driven back ignominiously to Epsom, all because ofthat tiresome, hateful Mrs. Crofton!
There was no one in the kitchen, and it did not look as tidy as itgenerally looked; though the luncheon things had been washed up, they hadnot been put away.
Mother and son walked on into the scullery to find Betty there, boilingsome water over a spirit lamp. "Betty? How very delightful you look!" herstep-mother exclaimed. "Just like an old picture, child! Wherever did youget that charming motor-bonnet?"
And then Timmy chipped in: "_I_ thought of it," he said triumphantly; "itwas _my_ idea, Mum, but Godfrey paid for it. He said he hadn't givenBetty a proper present yet, so he _had_ to pay for it, and, and--"
Janet was just a little surprised. She was very old-fashioned in someways, and she had brought up her step-daughters to be, as regarded moneymatters at any rate, as old-fashioned as herself. It seemed to her verystrange th
at Betty had allowed Godfrey Radmore to give her such a presentas a hat! Yet another thing puzzled her. She had understood that thethree of them were going off some way into Sussex to look at a house, butthey had evidently been up to London. Motor bonnets don't grow on countryhedges.
"Where's the cat?" she asked, looking round.
"Godfrey has taken her up to the nursery," said Betty, "partly to showher to Nanna, and partly because we thought it would be better for her tobe quiet up there than down here."
"Oh, Mum--do say that she can stay up there," cried Timmy pleadingly. "Ihate the thought of her being in that dark old stable!"
"Very well; put her in the night nursery."
Even as she spoke, Janet was still gazing at her eldest step-daughter.Betty certainly looked extraordinarily charming this afternoon. It showedthat the child required more change than she had had for many a long day.They had got too much, all of them, into thinking of her as a stand-by.After all she was only eight and twenty! Janet, with a sigh, looked backto the days when she had been eight and twenty, a very happy, independentyoung lady indeed, not long before she had met and married her quiet,wool-gathering John, so losing her independence for ever.
"I suppose you haven't heard the great news," she exclaimed, forgettingthat Timmy was there.
"What news?" asked Betty.
She glanced at her step-mother. Surely Janet hadn't been crying? Janetnever cried. She had not cried since that terrible day when the news hadcome of George's death.
"What news?" she asked again.
"Mr. Barton--I really can't call him Lionel yet--came over this afternoonand--and--"
Timmy rushed forward in front of his mother, his little face all aglow:"Oh, Mum! You don't mean to say that he's popped?" he cried.
"Timmy, don't be vulgar!" exclaimed Janet severely.
Betty began to laugh a little wildly. "How very, very strange that itshould have happened to-day--"
"I don't think it's strange at all," said Janet quietly. "The strangething is that it hasn't happened before! But there it is--they're engagednow. He seems to have told her that he thought it wrong to make his offeruntil he had saved L100. She has gone over to Oakford, and they are busymaking an inventory of the things they will have to buy."
"Has he actually saved L100?" asked Betty.
"No, he never could have done that. He's had a legacy left him, and heseems to think that L100 will start them most splendidly and comfortablyon their married life. He _is_ a fool!"
The door which gave on to the stairs which led from the scullery to theupper floor opened, and Godfrey Radmore stepped down. "Am I the fool?" heasked pleasantly.
Janet answered, smiling: "No, no; you're anything but that. I was onlytelling Betty that Dolly and Mr. Barton are engaged at last." She turnedto Betty. "Of course, he's coming to supper to-night. I've been wonderingwhat we can do in the way of something extra to celebrate the occasion.We _were_ going to have cold mutton."
"At any rate I'll go and see what the village pub. can produce in the wayof champagne," exclaimed Godfrey. He turned to his godson. "Timmy? Run upand look at Josephine and her kittens. I've put them in the old nightnursery for a bit."
And then, when the boy had gone, he went up to Janet and, to hersurprise, put his arm through hers: "I'm glad about Dolly," he saidheartily.
"It proves how very little one really knows of human nature." She sighed,but it was a happy sigh. "I was beginning to believe that he would neverwhat Timmy calls 'pop,' and yet the poor fellow was only waiting to be alittle forward in the world. Someone's left him L100, so he felt he couldembark on the great adventure. Your father and I have already talked itover a little"--she turned to Betty--"and we think we could squeeze outL100 a year somehow."
"I think we could," said Betty, hesitatingly. "After all, L1 is now onlywhat 8/- was before the War."
"But not to us," cried Janet; "not to us!"
And then, to the utter discomfiture of both her companions, she began tolaugh and cry together.
Godfrey rushed over to the sink. He took up a cup, filled it with water,rushed back to where Janet was standing, shaking, trembling all over,making heroic efforts to suppress her mingled tears and laughter, anddashed the water into her face.
"Thank you," she gasped; "thank you, Godfrey! I'm all right now. I may aswell tell you both the truth. There's been a row--an awful row--betweenJack and Timmy, and it thoroughly upset me. It was only over thecat--over Josephine--but of course it proved that what Betty and I weretalking about this morning is true. Jack's madly in love with Mrs.Crofton--and--and--it's all so pitiful and absurd--"
"I doubt if you're quite fair to Mrs. Crofton, Janet," said Godfrey, in asingular tone. "I fancy she really does care for Jack. Of course it seemsodd to all of us, but still, after all, odder things have been known! Ifyou ask me whether they will marry in the end--that's quite anothermatter. If you ask me whether they're engaged, well, yes, I'm inclined tothink they are!"
Even Betty felt violently disturbed and astonished.
"Oh, Godfrey!" she exclaimed. "D'you really think that?"
"I can't tell you what makes me think so, or rather I'd rather not tellyou. But I don't think you need worry, if you'll only take a long view.They can't marry yet, and long before they could marry, she'll have gottired of him, and fond of someone else."
Betty gave him a quick look. Was he really unconscious of the reason whyMrs. Crofton had come to Beechfield?
Through her mind in a flash there crowded the many small, almostimperceptible, impressions made on her mind by the new tenant of TheTrellis House. Enid Crofton in love with Jack? Betty shook her head. Theidea was absurd. And yet Godfrey had spoken very decidedly just now. Butmen, even very shrewd, intelligent men, are at a hopeless disadvantagewhen dealing with the type of woman to which Enid Crofton belonged.
As for Janet she exclaimed, with sudden passion, "I would give anythingin this world to see Mrs. Crofton leave Beechfield for ever--" Shestopped abruptly, for at that moment the staircase door to her rightburst open, and Timmy stepped down into the scullery.