Читать книгу Adventurers of the Night - James Owen Hannay - Страница 6

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I left Mrs. Maher's room with my tobacco in my pocket. I had a half-pound packet which, as things turned out, was very fortunate for me. In the hall of the hotel, I came on Molly Floyd and Tommy. They were talking earnestly. I supposed that he was telling her that he could not get the boat. That is what he should have been telling her; but I am inclined to think that he was doing nothing of the sort. He was planning how he and she could best induce me to alter my decision and break my promise to Patterson.

The moment Molly saw me she came over to me with an outstretched hand, and a most engaging smile. Tommy was plainly a little ashamed of himself. He slipped quietly out of the door and disappeared, though he did not go very far away.

"I was just going up to your house to see you," she said, "so it's great luck meeting you here. Tommy tells me you've lent your boat."

Tommy, when I was speaking to him half an hour before, did not know her name. She had evidently got hold of his and was on the friendliest terms with him.

"Unfortunately," I said, "I promised the boat to Mr. Patterson yesterday."

"Is that the young man who travelled in the train with us?"

"Yes," I said.

"Then I'm sure he'll let us have the boat. He looked quite nice--not at all what you call a curmudgeon. A curmudgeon is the right word, isn't it? For a dog in the manger kind of person?"

Curmudgeon is the right word; but I fancy Molly was a little confused about the derivation, though a dog in the manger is no doubt a cur.

"You'll ask him to let us have the boat, won't you?" said Molly. "He'd do it if you asked him."

I thought I might wiggle out of a difficult position by paying Molly a little compliment. She deserved it, for she was looking even prettier than she looked the day before.

"He'd be far more likely to do it if you asked him," I said.

"There isn't another boat to be got," said Molly. "I've tried and tried. But all the men who have boats tell me silly stories that aren't a bit true. And we simply must get to Inisheeny. Now don't you think you ought to help us? As a clergyman, I mean. It's the duty of all clergymen to succour those in distress, by being Good Samaritans."

Molly was misusing a parable. The priest passed by on the other side, and the main point about the Samaritan was that he was not a clergyman. But I let that pass. She was smiling at me again in such a way that I felt for a moment as if it were part of a clergyman's ordinary duty to lend boats to young ladies whose characters were under general suspicion. But my reason--a faculty on which one can rely at sixty years of age--came to my help.

"Why do you want to go to Inisheeny?"

"I don't," she said. "At least, I do rather, but only for the fun of desert islanding. I've always wanted to desert island, and this is the first time I've ever had the chance. But it's father who really wants to go."

"But why?" I asked.

She looked at me very doubtfully. Tommy appeared suddenly from round a corner, and put his head and shoulders through the open door. Molly signalled to him to go away. Then she sank her voice into a whisper, as if she had something very private to say to me.

"Are you interested in crannogs?" she asked.

The question was entirely unexpected. For a moment or two, such was my surprise, I could not recollect what sort of thing a crannog is. Even if I had stopped to think I could not then and there have given any clear description of a crannog, though I know a lot about the things now. Startled as I was by Molly's question I could not feel sure of anything except that crannogs are Irish and Ancient. They might be songs, crosses, shrines, bells, brooches, or ornamental designs. But I was very much afraid of putting an abrupt stop to Molly's confidences if I allowed it to appear that I was unsympathetic about crannogs.

"I'm not exactly an expert on the subject," I said. "But I'm interested. Every educated man must be more or less interested in crannogs."

I saw at once that I had said the wrong thing. Molly stopped smiling and looked slightly depressed.

"That's a pity," she said. "If you're interested in crannogs I simply can't tell you why father wants to go to Inisheeny. He'd be furious if I did. Father is a perfect darling in every way, and I love him. But he's liable to get a bit ratty if he thinks anybody else is after his thing, especially a crannog. You know what I mean, don't you?"

With a nephew like Tommy in my house I am kept in touch with the later developments of the English language. I know that "ratty" means irritable. The rest of Molly's meaning was still a little obscure to me.

"Just like a dog with a bone," Molly went on. "He doesn't mind a cow or a sheep, because he knows they won't take his bone, but if another dog comes along----Well, that's father. I wonder if you'd mind pretending not to know or care anything about crannogs, when you're taking us out to Inisheeny in your boat, I mean."

Again Molly startled me abominably. She took a great deal for granted. I had not, at that time, even promised to lend her the "Aurora." I had certainly not said that I was going out to Inisheeny myself.

"You needn't actually tell a lie," said Molly. "All you have to do is just not talk about crannogs. That'll give father the impression that you know nothing about them. I'd hardly call that deceit, would you?"

"Oh, no," I said. "That wouldn't be deceit. In fact I don't think it would be deceit if I said straight out that I know nothing at all about crannogs."

"That's all right then," said Molly. "Your conscience will be quite clear, and what I always say is, that so long as your conscience is clear nothing else really matters. We'd better start at once, hadn't we?"

I am a weak-willed old man, I suppose--easily turned and driven. My enemies, if I have any, may say that a pretty girl can wind me round her finger. But I honestly believe that I was less influenced by Molly's pretty face than by her astonishing impudence. I made but a feeble defence.

"I'm not sure," I said, "about starting at all. You see I promised Mr. Patterson----"

"Did you really and truly promise?" said Molly.

"I almost swore it," I said. "So you see----"

"Well, then," said Molly, "if I were you----" she came over quite close to me, laid her hand on my arm, and looked up at me. "I'd be jolly careful to keep out of his way till afterwards. That's why I said we'd better start at once."

"I see that," I said. "If we're going to start the sooner we do it the better."

Molly ran to the door of the hotel and called Tommy.

"It's all right," she said, "your uncle is going to take us out to Inisheeny in his yacht. Isn't it sweet of him?"

I could not quite hear what Tommy said in reply. I think his words were "Good egg."

"He's coming himself," said Molly, "which will be far nicer for father." (I was sorry she added "for father.") "And we're going to start at once."

"I must go home first to change my clothes," I said, "but I won't be long."

"Right," said Molly, "I'll have father down at the pier in half an hour. You'll be there, won't you, Tommy, and bring the things I told you to get? You settled about that, I suppose."

"Rather," said Tommy.

I took no special notice of what she was saying to him. It did not even occur to me that they must have calculated on my complete surrender since they had arranged beforehand what things they were going to take to the island. I did not, even then, understand the sort of expedition I was in for. I went back to the rectory, walking hurriedly and rather nervously through the town. I was very much afraid of meeting Patterson. I had no good excuse to make for failing to keep the promise I had made him, and I knew that he would not believe in Dr. Floyd's passion for crannogs. He would regard that as a very suspicious way of covering up the real object of his visit to the island. Fortunately, I did not meet Patterson, though I ran into Sergeant Morris, who was lounging about outside the hotel. He was probably engaged in keeping an eye on the Floyds, by Patterson's order.

I got out of my clerical clothes as quickly as I could, putting on a very old coat, a fisherman's jersey, and a pair of grey flannel trousers. There is nothing which interferes with the pleasure of boating so effectively as good clothes, even clothes only as good as my every-day suit. Then I spent ten minutes in my study--all the time I could spare--searching my shelves for some book which would tell me plainly what a crannog is. "A Guide to the Antiquarian Exhibits of the National Museum" was my best find; but it was unsatisfactory. The author assumed that his readers must know the elementary facts. All I gathered was that there are a good many crannogs in Ireland--eight or ten of them were named though there was no mention of one on Inisheeny. They have been, according to this author, "opened" from time to time, and found to contain a great variety of interesting things, such as swords, carved bones, and canoes. That was all I was able to find out from that book, and I did not look for another because I was unwilling to keep Molly waiting. I did not even take that book with me. I was afraid that Dr. Floyd might turn "ratty" if he saw a learned work dealing with crannogs in my pocket.

When I reached the pier I found that our expedition was creating much popular interest. All the Carrigahooly fishermen, even the man who had been in bed, were there, staring silently at Molly and her father. Mrs. Maher was there, apparently expostulating with Molly. Sergeant Morris was standing, dignified and aloof, at the end of the pier, keeping his eye on Dr. Floyd. The small travelling trunk, the two handbags, and the large green canvas bundle which the Floyds had brought with them in the train, were lying together at the top of the flight of stone steps which leads down to the water. This gave me rather a shock. I had supposed that we were to sail out to the island and come back again in the evening. It looked to me as if the Floyds meant to stay there. I was quite clear on one point. They could not possibly sleep on my yacht. The "Aurora," a five-ton boat, has a small cabin opening off the cockpit, and a large sail locker forward, covered by a hatch. I have often slept on the boat myself; and once or twice Poacher Quin has coiled himself up along with my spare jib and the anchor chain in the locker forward. But an elderly professor--no doubt, a man of sedentary habits and accustomed to modest comfort--would be utterly out of place on a boat of the sort. A girl, even an active and cheerful girl like Molly, would be simply impossible.

Tommy was already on the deck of the "Aurora," hoisting the mainsail. He finished the work as I reached the pier, hauled the dinghy alongside and jumped into her.

Molly ran up to me. Mrs. Maher followed her, still expostulating.

"Mrs. Maher is telling me," said Molly, "that we can't possibly sleep on the island. But we can, can't we?"

"You certainly can't sleep on the boat," I said. "She's not big enough."

"I don't want to sleep on the boat. I want to sleep in one of the cottages on the island."

Mrs. Maher, who does not move as quickly as Molly, reached me then.

"I'm after telling the young lady," she said, "that there's no place for the like of her in any of the houses on Inisheeny, and what's more, if she sleeps in one of them beds she'll be sorry for it after, for----"

Molly stamped her foot.

"Don't say that disgusting thing again," she said.

Mrs. Maher did say it again; but she had some respect for Molly's feelings. She said it in a very low tone, with her mouth close to my ear. I caught her point at once. I could hardly have failed to do so, for she gave the insects--several of them--their very plainest names.

"I don't think you'd better try it," I said to Molly. "Mrs. Maher is sure to be right. And we can easily come back to-night. But you can't possibly sleep on the boat. Remember that."

I thought it well to be perfectly firm on that point.

"Oh, well!" said Molly. "We have a small tent. Lucky I brought it, isn't it?"

I glanced at the green canvas bundle. It could not be or contain a tent of any considerable size; but that was Molly's concern, not mine.

"Father meant to sleep in it," she said, "and I meant to sleep in a cottage; but if I can't, I can't. So I'll have the tent and father will sleep on the yacht. There'll be lots of room for him, won't there?"

There is not lots of room for anyone on a five-ton boat; but if Floyd chose to sleep on board he could have the seat along one side of the cabin. That would mean the sail locker for Tommy, which would do him no harm. But I was doubtful about Floyd. I do not resent discomfort myself; but it was likely that he would very much dislike a night in the "Aurora's" cabin. The man was, by his daughter's account, inclined to be "ratty" about trifles. I was afraid that I was in for an unpleasant time.

Tommy, who had been rowing rapidly, reached the steps and hailed me. I went down to him at once.

"Tommy," I said, "did you understand that we're going to spend a night at Inisheeny?"

"Rather," he said.

"Then I think you ought to have told me," I said.

I suppose he saw the justice of that complaint; for he told me something more at once.

"We'll be there about a week," he said.

"No, we won't," I said. "This is Tuesday, and whatever happens I mean to be back for Sunday, even if I have to take the 'Aurora' and leave the rest of you marooned there."

"Right-o!" said Tommy.

I do not think that either he or Molly would have minded much if I had left them on the island; but I hoped that Floyd would object.

"I don't believe there's a thing to eat on board," I said, "except a couple of tinned tongues. You finished the biscuits last day you were out and I never thought of ordering another box."

"That's all right," said Tommy, "I got a whole packing case full of food at Mahony's this morning. Molly said I was to. It's in the cabin now, and anyway there are always lots of lobsters and potatoes on Inisheeny. What more can anyone possibly want?"

"And I've brought a pound of tea," said Molly.

She was halfway down the steps when she spoke, and was holding on to the small trunk. It seemed inclined to make a rush for the dinghy on its own account. It was resting on the slippery part of the steps where the seaweed grows, and would have come down fast if it had started at all.

"China tea," said Molly. "Father isn't allowed to drink Indian tea on account of his digestion."

I began to feel seriously annoyed. A man who is particular about tea, and knows the meaning of the word digestion, ought not to be taken out to sea in a small boat. He would certainly be very ill, and therefore very bad tempered, after feeding for two days on tinned food from Mahony's shop. A diet of lobsters and potatoes would probably kill him.

My only consolation was that I had my half-pound of tobacco in my pocket, and an unopened bottle of whisky in the "Aurora's" locker. I also had on board plenty of methylated spirit for the "Primus" stove.