Читать книгу Crime Tears On - Carolyn Wells - Страница 8

Table of Contents

ON SUNDAY MORNING, the day after the picnic, the house seemed deserted. The women kept their rooms and some of the men had gone to play golf. Craig wandered around like a lost spirit, wondering when Yvette would come downstairs. Hetty saw him, and with the privilege of an old servant, said, ‘You won’t see the sweet face you’re lookin’ for so soon, Mr. Craig. She’s hobnobbin’ with Mrs. Lee, and they’re talkin’ right straight along, like a non-stop train of cars—Say, Mr. Craig shall I drop a hint to Miss Verne? Just a word, you know, that’ll show her how the land lies?’

‘Could you do that adroitly, Hetty?’

‘Couldn’t I just?’ Hetty disappeared up the stairs.

She went straight to Laura Lee’s room, and giving a light tap and entering at the same time, her vaunted adroitness took this form. ‘Just a word, ladies, may I speak? You see, it’s this way: Mr. Craig is sittin’ down there a mopin’ like a three-legged lamb. He wants somebody to ’sociate with, and I’m a wonderin’ if one of you two ladies wouldn’t go down and cheer him up. He’s my boy, and a smart one.’

‘Yes, he is,’ Yvette agreed, ‘I’ll go and dress, Laura, and we’ll both go down and cheer his loneliness.’

Yvette turned her attention to her wardrobe, and chose a white knitted silk sports suit, with black frogs and loops, and a white hat with a very cocky black feather. She went along the hall, moving with the same careful grace she would have shown in making a picture. In a sense she was always acting, because, with her, to live was to act and her movements and poses were all so perfect that it was a joy to watch her. And when Craig Madison saw this paragon of all the virtues coming toward him, he jumped up and ran to meet her.

‘Shall we go for a walk?’ he asked, eagerly. ‘Quick, before anybody comes to spoil it?’

‘Yes, come along,’ and Yvette held out her hand, which Craig grasped and led her swiftly down the long hall and out the back door to the gardens. They went on, through the gardens and across a field and entered a little piece of woods, where the sunlight drew traceries on the leaf strewn ground. There was a rustic settee, and they sat down, quiet for a moment, at the peace and beauty of the scene.

‘I’ve been wanting to get you alone,’ he said, ‘to thank you for coming. How could you get away, when you must have had heaps of engagements in the city?’

‘Yes, I did. But I just broke them all. I made two enemies for life, hurt deeply the feelings of a dear friend and lost a really big business opportunity, but—I wanted to come, so I came.’

‘And you came just because you wanted to see me, didn’t you?’

Craig’s handsome face looked roguish as he awaited her answer.

‘Not entirely,’ she said, frankly; ‘but you told of such a dear homey sort of place, I just felt a longing to see it, so I came.’

‘And you’re glad you did?’

‘Oh, yes, but its over so soon. I must go back to-morrow.’

‘Why must you?’

‘Week-end parties always let out on Monday.’

‘This one doesn’t. Do stay over a day or two longer.’

‘Not on your invitation.’

‘On Aunt Cornelia’s, then? Or Uncle Harley’s?’

‘Yes, either of them. But it must be spontaneous. You’re not to put them up to it. I like them both too much to impose on their hospitality.’

‘Well, something tells me they’ll invite you. They like you, you see. I say, do you know you seem different from that day I saw you at Amy Crosby’s. You’ve more life, more colour—more glamour.’

Yvette laughed out. ‘And why not, foolish boy? That day I was angry, in a jam, bothered by that man who was with me when you came, not very well dressed or made up, in fact I was unhappy. Now, here I am, among friendly, congenial people, in a charming home, wearing my best clothes, and as much make-up as I dare for fear of Aunt Cornelia—and—having a tête-à-tête with you! What more could I want, and why shouldn’t all this make me look more contented, happier and—better-looking?’

‘Yes, I think all those things have made the difference. I hope you got out of the jam successfully.’

‘Yes, I did. It was a business matter. That man who was making himself obnoxious, was one of the assistant directors, and he wanted to tell me how to read my part. Well, never mind about him.’

‘He sounded as if he were discussing a more personal matter, but you know best.’

‘Yes, I ought to. He is a bad man, don’t let’s talk about him.’

‘No, we won’t. Are you enjoying it here?’

‘Yes, I am. Everybody is lovely to me, and yet—what is it, Craig? I seem to sense undercurrents, unspoken thoughts, unvoiced opinions. Are we all sincere? Are you? Am I?’

Craig looked at her in astonishment. ‘I don’t think I quite get you.’

‘Perhaps it doesn’t matter.’

‘This matters, though. There is an undercurrent in my thoughts, which will not be stilled; which keeps me wondering and thinking and despairing, by turns. Can you help me to quiet it? Can you guess what it is, and do you care?’ The last words were spoken with the earnest face near her own, with the imploring eyes looking into her startled ones, and with Craig’s arm daringly creeping round her shoulder.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ she begged, pushing him gently away, ‘No, I can’t guess, and I don’t want to try. Not now, not here. I’m changeable, you know, I’m fickle; I’m one thing today and another to-morrow. And just now, I’m in danger, yes, real danger, but you can’t help me. Nobody can help me, unless—oh, never mind, forget it.’

‘Forget it! I shall think of nothing else, until you tell me it is a thing of the past. Is it money trouble? For I can help that.’

‘Oh, no, of course not. But you’re a dear to think of it. No, its a bad man in the company, and I’ve told the manager he will have to get out or I shall. But you know, in a big company of important actors they can’t fire one of them because another of them asks it.’

‘No, I suppose not.’

‘Well, forget it, anyway. I’ll promise you this. If it ever happens that you can help, I’ll let you know.’

‘Oh, will you! I’ll be so glad to help. Come on, we must go back to the house. It’s nearly lunch time.’

They went back slowly. They found everybody in the living-room, and a wild discussion was going on. It was soon evident that the subject was the improvement of the village.

‘Since I’ve seen it,’ Yvette observed, ‘I feel that it could stand improvement, quite a lot of it. And, too, it would well repay effort. There are really lovely bits,—that is, they could be made lovely;—if I weren’t under contract, I’d turn myself into a landscape artist and help you out, Mr. Madison. But I daresay you’ve enough helpers.’

‘Enough would-be helpers,’ Harley said, ‘but they don’t help.’

‘Ignorant?’

‘No; ill-tempered, greedy, jealous, envious, deceitful―’

‘Are they mad at you?’ Yvette looked incredulous.

‘They are indeed! But what’s the use of repining. Where are those cocktails? Aggie, go and tell Wilkins we didn’t ask to have them aged in the wood!’

‘I know quite a bit about modern architecture and decoration,’ Anita said; ‘I’m sure I could help you out, Harley.’

‘My dear girl, I’m overrun with expert designers of all sorts. What I want is a peacemaker, an efficient trouble-man for real trouble, a calmer-down of ruction-loving citizens, a settler of stirred-up tempers.’

‘I’m afraid that’s beyond me, Anita said, regretfully, and her host’s ‘Thank God’ was inaudible, but none the less fervent.

‘I don’t mind the ingratitude,’ Madison went on; ‘one expects that, but it is the injustice and the real basic wickedness of men whom I considered my friends. At first, they were all with me, and ready to take their part and pay their share with what seemed true willingness. Now, for some unacknowledged reason, they are all in a rambunctious cantankerous, vicious opposition.’

‘Not all of them, Mr. Madison,’ said Ames; ‘some are still loyal to your plans and ideals. But they want to shave the expenses by buying inferior material, and having incompetent workmen, so that the plans, one by one are being ruined.’

‘That’s it,’ Harley said. ‘And worse than that, they are underhandedly persuading the various contractors to make their estimates prohibitively high, or in other ways to injury and harm every project planned.’

‘But this is criminal procedure,’ said George Lee. ‘You should get after them legally, Harley.’

‘Yes, I know all that, but I went into this whole thing as a hobby as something to enjoy. I don’t want to make any profit out of it, it is my way of doing something for my fellow townsmen that shall last and grow better with time and care. I intend to endow the thing with a trust fund, to be used as long as it will last, and I assure you that will be a long time.’

‘That’s all right, too, but you mustn’t let these thieves and robbers lay you out cold. It’s a shocking state of affairs! Just how do you stand now?’

‘Well, we’ve so far been a rather informal association, of which I am president by courtesy only. Now we propose to organise properly and become incorporated, and all that; and I shall be expected to put up a large sum of money, which I am more than willing to do, but not if it is going to be used and squandered, without my sanction. Oh, there’s a lot to be considered, and I fear it is getting to the point, where I must drop out of it, in which case I daresay I should have to fly by night, to avoid tar and feathers. The alternative would be to have a professional auditor come in and go over the whole thing, with an eye looking for dishonesty. And I fear the net result to me of such a procedure would be worse than the first proposition. So, I’m between the devil and the deep sea, and I have lost faith in my neighbours whom I have trusted for many years, and that is a blow that hurts.’

‘Indeed it must,’ Yvette said, impulsively. ‘Nothing stirs me up like ingratitude. And there is lots of it in the world. In our profession there is much jealousy and envy. And in some—many natures, they fester and become very dreadful. It is only recently that this sort of trouble has come near me. and it may clear away. But if not. I should certainly abandon my career, for a life full of discord and injustice would be unbearable.’

‘That’s right,’ Madison said. ‘Sit up here by me. Yvette. but we must not refer to our injustices at luncheon.’

‘No, indeed. And after all, they’re in the great minority, compared with our pleasures.’