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been nice to see you again, Helen." A handshake. "And
you, my dear"  to Lucie  "are more of a personality
than I expected. It's not everyone who can fight back at
Matt, you know. He gets a bit touchy over it, but keep
it up, keep it up."
Lucie saw the hard line of Helen's jaw as she said-good-
bye to Mrs. Garrett in the porch. All of them went to
the car, but Matt turned suddenly on the boys.
"Back into the house," he said. "I'm not having any
more trouble before your people get back. You, too,
Lucie; you're not used to this atmosphere."
Lucie herded the two boys into the hall. When the car
had gone and the other two came in, she asked how soon
she could be taken back to the cabin.
Matt said offhandedly, "There's no hurry. You're
better off here. I have to ride out a way myself, but I
shan't be more than a couple of hours."
"Let me go with you. Matt," begged Helen.
"You'-re not dressed for it. But you can do something
for me, if you like. I want a check on the sacks of feed
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in the barn  types and numbers; one of the hands will
do the counting. Can I leave it with you?"
"Of course, and I'll pack today's eggs if the boys are
busy." She took his arm as they moved across the room
to the door. "Look, Matt, I -know you don't care for the
battery system with hens, but someone t61d me the other
day . . ."
Lucie heard no more, except the closing of the door.
She found Scott staring at her, turned to Micky.
"What did you have for breakfast, Mick?"
"Some cornmeal."
"Two spoonfuls," elaborated Scott.
"1 had three, I did so," contradicted Micky. "And I
had a sausage and some egg. I'm full to here."
"Then you must have some exercise. What shall it be?"
"If Uncle Matt was here we could play Mounties," said
Scott regretfully.
"Well, I'm no horse. First of all we'll march like
soldiers right through the house, upstairs as well. Then
we'll make the beds and give Mrs. Malloy a shock. After
that you must teach me the sort of exercises you do at
school."
"You get busy," said Scott. "Helen just sits." He paused.
"She doesn't eat parfaits or ice cream. And she doesn't
like you."
"Now you're being silly. Come on, form up for march-
ing."
Scott pulled his brother to his feet. "Let me lead, and
Micky come between us." He got into position and
looked over his shoulder, said inconsequentially, "When
Helen's silky to Uncle Matt you'd better watch out. Left,
right, left, right."
For the children, the morning passed swiftly. When
Lucie thought they had enough of somersaulting, march-
ing, leaping and wooden-sword play, she persuaded them
to empty the toy cupboard, with the result that several'
half-finished models were unearthed and worked upon.
Later, everything would be tossed back into the dimness,
and tomorrow, with the mist gone, they would be out-
doors again, chopping logs, climbing the lower branches
of the trees, putting up their small tent, wearing then-
head feathers and denims.
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 It was about twelve-thirty when Helen came in. She
went straight upstairs to the boys' room and said charm-
ingly,
"Time to wash, Scotty boy. Uncle Matt thinks the mist
will lift this afternoon and he's promised to take us all
for a drive."
"Is Lucie coming?"
"We'll drop her at the cabin on our way out. Go along
to the bathroom, both of you."
"All right, but don't call me Scotty boy."
As they vanished Helen lifted her shoulders. "Being
with you seems to make them unmanageable." She glanced
at the toys. "I expect you've had more enjoyment than
they have."
Lucie moved round her. "They've been happy enough,"
she said. "I need a wash myself."
"Just a minute." Helen's hand lifted slightly, to detain
her. "I was a bit hasty with you last night. It was good
of you to disguise the scratch, and say nothing to anyone.
I hoped you'd go this morning, but I didn't really see how
you could, so I'm not angry about it."
"How benevolent of you."
Helen smiled serenely. "I don't blame you for getting
a bit steamed up, but you're a bonehead, you know. You
don't belong around here. Can't you see that?"
"Perfectly."
"Then why do you cling?"
"Do you suggest that I walk back to the cabin?"
"I don't mean just the fact of your being held here
by mist," Helen explained reasonably. "I mean Matt.
Yesterday you worked yourself up about something you
thought you saw out in the fog, and when I refuted it
last night you became insulting. There's only one ex-
planation of your behaviour, and I won't be callous
enough to put it into words." If she saw the set pallor
of Lucie's face she gave no sign. She went on coolly,
logically, "Perhaps I can end this torment you're putting
yourself through. Mart's sister and her husband are due
back on Friday by air, and Mart's making arrangements
for the two of us to take the boys down to the airport in
a ranch wagon, to meet them and bring them back. He's
181
already given the instructions to Mrs. Malloy about the
bedrooms."
Lucie said, "Congratulations," and walked into the
bedroom she had used last night. She washed her hands
and adjusted the cuffs of the white blouse, touched up
her lips. And then she saw herself in the mirror and was
startled. Her eyes, dark and wounded, stared from a
face that reflected her cold bruised spirit, her mouth was
painfully compressed and a nerve throbbed at the base of
her throat. Her courage was gone. Only pride was left.
She came out of the room quietly, went down the stairs,
across the hall and out of the house. The fog pressed in
and she was grateful for it. She walked quickly round the
house and across to the cottage. As she had expected, the
door was locked, but it didn't matter. She was away from-
the house, breathing air into her lungs, feeling the
moisture about her and taking pleasure in the sense of
freedom.
In England, she had found that two things helped her
through bad patches. One of them, odd enough, was
cooking for someone else. The other was the old panacea
of walking. Here at the ranch she couldn't cook, but she
could walk. Visibility was down to half a dozen yards,
but there was no danger of running into something. Grass
stretched ahead, miles of it, and here and there the mist [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]