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the cruise of the jasper b.-第8部分

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He felt the frown slipping; but it was a point of honor with him

to retain it。



〃She WILL be a sailin' vessel when she gets her sticks into her;〃

said the Cap'n; fumbling with his neckwear。



〃Let me fix that for you;〃 said the lady。  And before the Cap'n

could protest she was arranging his tie for him。  〃You old sea

captains!〃 she said; untying the scarf and making the ends

even。 〃As if anyone could possibly be afraid to sail in anything

one of YOU had charge of!〃  She gave the necktie a little final

pat。  〃There; now!〃



The Captain's frown was gone past replacement。  But he still felt

that he owed something to himself。



〃If you was to ask me;〃 he said; turning to Cleggett; 〃whether

what I'd got to say to you would do later; or whether it wouldn't

do later; I'd answer you it would; or it wouldn't; all accordin'

to whether you wanted to hear it now; or whether you wanted to

hear it later。  And as far as SAILIN' her is concerned; Mr。

Cleggett; I'll SAIL her; whether you turn her into a battleship

or into one of these here yachts。  I come of a seafarin' fambly。〃



And then he said to the lady; indicating the tie and bobbing his

head forward with a prim little bow:  〃Thank ye; ma'am。〃



〃Isn't he a duck!〃 said the lady; following him with her eyes; as

he went behind the cabin。  There the Cap'n chewed; smoked; and

fished; earnestly and simultaneously; for ten minutes。



Indeed; the blonde lady; from the moment when Elmer began to put

ice into the box; seemed to have regained her spirits。  The

little dog; which was an indicator of her moods; had likewise

lost its nervousness。  When Kuroki had tea ready; the dog lay

down at his mistress' feet; beside the table。



〃Dear little Teddy;〃 said the lady; patting the animal upon the

head。



〃Teddy?〃 said Cleggett。



〃I have named him;〃 she said; 〃after a great American。  To my

mind; the greatestTheodore Roosevelt。  His championship of the

cause of votes for women at a time when mere politicians were

afraid to commit themselves is enough in itself to gain him a

place in history。〃



She spoke with a kindling eye; and Cleggett had no doubt that

there was before him one of those remarkable women who make the

early part of the twentieth century so different from any other

historical period。  And he was one with her in her admiration for

Roosevelta man whose facility in finding adventures and whose

behavior when he had found them had always made a strong appeal

to Cleggett。  If he could not have been Cleggett he would have

liked to have been either the Chevalier d'Artagnan or Theodore

Roosevelt。



〃He is a great man;〃 said Cleggett。



But the lady; with her second cup of tea in her hand; was

evidently thinking of something else。 Leaning back in her chair;

she said to Cleggett:



〃It is no good for you to deny that you think I'm a horridly

unconventional sort of person!〃



Cleggett made a polite; deprecatory gesture。



〃Yes; yes; you do;〃 she said; decidedly。  〃And; really; I am!  I

am impulsive!  I am TOO impulsive!〃  She raised the cup to her

lips; drank; and looked off towards the western horizon; which

the sun was beginning to paint ruddily; she mused; murmuring as

if to herself:  〃Sir Archibald always thought I was too

impulsive; dear man。〃



After a meditative pause she said; leaning her elbows on the

table and gazing searchingly into Cleggett's eyes:



〃I am going to trust you。  I am going to reward your kindness by

telling you a portion of my strange story。  I am going to depend

upon you to understand it。〃



Cleggett bowed and murmured his gratitude at the compliment。 

Then he said:



〃You could trust me with〃  But he stopped。 He did not wish

to be premature。



〃With my life。  I could trust you with my life;〃 finished the

lady; gravely。  〃I know that。  I believe that。  I feel it;

somehow。  It is because I do feel it that I tell you〃  She

paused; as if; after all; she lacked the courage。  Cleggett said

nothing。 He was too fine in grain to force a confidence。 After a

moment she continued:  〃I can tell you this;〃 she said; with a

catch in her voice that was almost a sob; 〃that I am practically

friendless。 When you call a taxicab for me in a few moments; and

I leave you; with Elmer and my boxes; I shall have no place to

go。〃



〃But; surely; madam〃



〃Do not call me madam。  Call me Lady Agatha。 I am Lady Agatha

Fairhaven。  What is your name?〃



Cleggett told her。



〃You have heard of me?〃 asked Lady Agatha。



Cleggett was obliged to confess that he had not。 He thought that

a shade of disappointment passed over the lady's face; but in a

moment she smiled and remarked:



〃How relative a thing is fame!  You have never heard of me!  And

yet I can assure you that I am well enough known in England。  I

was one of the very first militant suffragettes to break a

windowif not the very first。  The point is; indeed; in dispute。



And were it not for my devotion to the cause I would not now be

in my present terrible plightdoomed to wander from pillar to

post with that thing〃 (she pointed with a shudder to the box into

which Elmer was still gloomily poking ice)…〃chained to me like

alike a〃 She hesitated for a word; and Cleggett; tactlessly

enough; with some vague recollection of a classical tale in his

mind; suggested:



〃Like a corpse。〃



Lady Agatha turned pale。  She gazed at Cleggett with

terror…stricken eyes; her beautiful face became almost haggard in

an instant; he thought she was about to faint again; but she did

not。  As he looked upon the change his words had wrought; filled

with wonder and compunction; Cleggett suddenly divined that her

occasional flashes of gayety had been; all along; merely the

forced vivacity of a brave and clever woman who was making a

gallant fight against total collapse。



〃Mr。 Cleggett;〃 she said; in a voice that was scarcely louder

than a whisper; 〃I am going to confide everything to youthe

whole truth。  I will spare myself nothing; I will throw myself

upon your mercy。



〃I firmly believe; Mr。 CleggettI am practically certainthat

the box there; upon which Elmer is sitting; contains the body of

Reginald Maltravers; natural son of the tenth Earl of Claiborne;

and the cousin of my late husband; Sir Archibald Fairhaven。〃





CHAPTER VI



LADY AGATHA'S STORY



It was with the greatest difficulty that Cleggett repressed a

start。  Another man might have shown the shock he felt。  But

Cleggett had the iron nerve of a Bismarck and the fine manner of

a Richelieu。  He did not even permit his eyes to wander towards

the box in question。  He merely sat and waited。



Lady Agatha; having brought herself to the point of revelation;

seemed to find a difficulty in proceeding。  Cleggett; mutely

asking permission; lighted a cigarette。



〃Ohif you will!〃 said Lady Agatha; extending her hand towards

the case。  He passed it over; and when she had chosen one of the

little rolls and lighted it she said:



〃Mr。 Cleggett; have you ever lived in England?〃



〃I have never even visited England。〃



〃I wish you knew England。〃  She watched the curling smoke from

her tobacco as it drifted across the table。  〃If you knew England

you would comprehend so much more readily some parts of my story。



〃But; being an American; you can have no adequate conception of

the conservatism that still prevails in certain quarters。  I

refer to the really old families among the landed aristocracy。 

Some of them have not changed essentially; in their attitude

towards the world in general; since the reign of Queen Elizabeth。



They make of family a fetish。 They are ready to sacrifice

everything upon the altar of family。  They may exhibit this pride

of race less obviously than some of the French or Germans or

Italians; but they have a deeper sense of their own dignity; and

of what is due to it; than any of your more flighty and

picturesque continentals。  There are certain things that are

done。 Certain things are not done。  One must conform or〃



She interrupted herself and delicately flicked the ash from her

cigarette。



〃Conform; or be jolly well damned;〃 she finished; crossing one

leg over the other and leaning back in her chair。  〃This; by the

way; is the only decent cigarette I have found in America。  I

hate to smoke perfumeI like tobaccoand most of your shops

seem to keep nothing but the highly scented Turkish and Egyptian

varieties。〃



〃They were made in London;〃 said Cleggett; bowing。



〃Ah!  But where was I?  Oh; yesone must conform。  Especially if

one belongs to; or has married into; the Claiborne family。  Of

all the men in England the Earl of Claiborne is the most

conservative; the most reactionary; the most deeply encrusted

with prejudice。  He would stop at little where the question

concerned the prestige of the aristocracy in general; he would

stop at nothing where the Claiborne family is concerned。



〃I am telling you all this so that you may get an inkling of the

blow it was to him when I became a militant suffragist。  It was

blow enough to his nephew; Sir Archibald; my late husband。  The

Earl maintains that it hastened poor Archibald's death。  But that

is ridiculous。  Archibald had undermined his constitution with

dissipation; and died following an operation for gravel。  He was

to have succeeded to the title; as both of the Earl's legitimate

sons were dead without issueone of them perished in the Boer

War; and the other was killed in the hunting field。



〃Upon Archibald's death the old Earl publicly acknowledged

Reginald Maltravers; his natural son; and took steps to have him

legitimatized。  For all of the bend sinister upon his escutcheon;

Reginald Maltravers was as fanatical concerning the family as his

father。  Perhaps more fanatical; because he secretly suffered for

the irregularity of his own position in the worl
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