But a chance sentence of Dolly Grey’s cut his oaths and cast aside the promises he had laid on himself.
Dolly had wakened fresh and unshaken from his sleep, and had slid the after-effects of the drink from his healthy body as lightly as he had from his mind—as only the young and responsibility-free can. And he had found Steve, and, because he wanted to eat, made Steve eat with him. He talked gaily throughout the meal, and announced his intention of going along to see Miss Ess presently, and from that went into a hymn of praise of the girl’s pluck and fortitude. And in the gay chatter a sentence caught Steve and wrenched his straying thoughts back to what the lad was saying.
“Funny thing the way she collapsed at the finish, y’ know,” said Dolly. “Kept up like a Briton all through, and laughed and joked at all the discomfort, and was as cool and plucky as you like even when we couldn’t find a way of climbing that tree, and the water was crawling up on us. Then when it’s all over, and you get the boat alongside, and Seaman Dick shins up—pouf, away goes all her pluck, and she’s as scared at being dropped out of the tree as a kid. Hysteria, I s’pose, ’cos she was half crying and half tittering, sort of. Funny thing, too—what d’you think she said when Dick went to put the rope round her? ‘Don’t touch me—I’m too wet to touch.’ And she said that two or three times——”
Steve dropped knife and fork with a clatter.
“What did she say?” he asked sharply.
“‘Don’t touch me,’ she said. ‘Don’t touch me—I’m too wet to touch....’ Dash funny notion, wasn’t it? Couldn’t help grinnin’, seeing we were both wringin’ wet ourselves—I’d just been soused in the river five minutes before. Hardly know what she was thinking of ... that we would wet ourselves touching her wet things, perhaps ... but it was dash funny, now, wasn’t it?”
“You’re sure that’s what she said?” asked Steve, slowly. “Those very words—‘Don’t touch me.’”
“I’m sure enough,” said Dolly, looking at him in some surprise. “Said it over and over two or three times, and Dick What’s-his-Name’ll tell you the same thing. ’Course it was only reaction and hysteria, and she didn’t know what she was saying. I’m not surprised.... But you mustn’t think she wasn’t a good plucked ’un for all that’ y’ know. I wouldn’t like you to get that notion from me. She’s pluck to her boot heels,” he went on warmly, while Steve sat, with his thoughts whirling, hardly heeding the words.
“Don’t touch me”.... So she didn’t mean what he had taken the meaning to be ... she’d said the same thing to Seaman Dick West and Dolly up there....
He broke in on Dolly’s talk. “Dolly, I’m going to see Miss Ess before you do, if you don’t mind.”