Jason: A Romance

by Justus Miles Forman

And from where she stood, a little aside, Coira O'Hara said: "I beg you, too, Arthur. Go back to them."

The boy dropped down upon a tree-stump which was near and covered his face with his hands. The two who watched him could see that he was trembling violently. Over him their eyes met and they questioned each other with a mute and anxious gravity:

"What will he do?" For everything was in Arthur Benham's weak hands now.

For a little time, which seemed hours to all who were there, the lad sat still, hiding his face, but suddenly he sprang to his feet, and once more stood staring into Ste. Marie's quiet eyes. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he cried, and his voice ran up high and shrill and wavered and broke. "How do I know that? You'd tell just as smooth a story if--if you were lying--if you'd been sent here to get me back to--to what old Charlie said they wanted me for."

"You have only to go back to them and make sure," said Ste. Marie. "They can't harm you or take anything from you. If they persuaded you to sign anything--which they will not do--it would be valueless to them, because you're a minor. You know that as well as I do. Go and make sure. Or wait! Wait!" He gave a little sharp laugh of excitement. "Is Captain Stewart in the house?" he demanded. "Call him out here. That's better still. Bring your uncle here to face me without telling him what it's for, without giving him time to make up a story. Then we shall see. Send for him."

"He's not here," said the boy "He went away an hour ago. I don't know whether he'll be back to-night or not." Young Arthur stared at the elder man, breathing hard. "Good God!" he said, in a whisper, "if--old Charlie is rotten, who in this world isn't? I--don't know what to believe." Abruptly he turned with a sort of snarl upon Coira O'Hara. "Have you been in this game, too?" he cried out. "I suppose you and your precious father and old Charlie cooked it up together. What? You've been having a fine, low-comedy time laughing yourselves to death at me, haven't you? Oh, Lord, what a gang!"

Ste. Marie caught the boy by the shoulder and spun him round. "That will do!" he said, sternly. "You have been a fool; don't make it worse by being a coward and a cad. Mlle. O'Hara knew no more of the truth than you knew. Your uncle lied to you all." But the girl came and touched his arm.

She said: "Don't be hard with him. He is bewildered and nervous, and he doesn't know what he is saying. Think how sudden it has been for him. Don't be hard with him, M. Ste. Marie."

Ste. Marie dropped his hand, and the lad backed a few steps away. His face was crimson. After a moment he said: "I'm sorry, Coira. I didn't mean that. I didn't mean it. I beg your pardon. I'm about half dippy, I guess. I--don't know what to believe or what to think or what to do." He remained staring at her a little while in silence, and presently his eyes sharpened. He cried out: "If I should go back there--mind you, I say 'if'--d'you know what they'd do? Well, I'll tell you. They'd begin to talk at me one at a time. They'd get me in a corner and cry over me, and say I was young and didn't know my mind, and that I owed them something for all that's happened, and not to bring their gray hairs in sorrow to the grave--and the long and short of it would be that they'd make me give you up." He wheeled upon Ste. Marie. "That's what they'd do!" he said, and his voice began to rise again shrilly. "They're three to one, and they know they can talk me into anything. You know it, too!" He shook his head. "I won't go back!" he cried, wildly. "That's what will happen if I do. I don't want granddad's money. He can give it to old Charlie or to a gendarme if he wants to. I'm going to have enough of my own. I won't go back, and that's all there is of it. You may be telling the truth or you may not, but I won't go."

Ste. Marie started to speak, but the girl checked him. She moved closer to where Arthur Benham stood, and she said: "If your love for me, Arthur, is worth having, it is worth fighting for. If it is so weak that your family can persuade you out of it, then--I don't want it at all, for it would never last. Arthur, you must go back to them. I want you to go."