CHAPTER VII
HAPHAZARD QUESTING
MASTERS, who was not minded to let the value of a small weekly stipend stand between him and the possession of riches, had now abandoned even the pretense of work. He let it be known, casually, at the cottage that he was temporarily idle, while awaiting orders. As a matter of fact, he was awaiting the dismissal that now could not be long delayed. To May, however, he confessed the truth, that he had chosen to sacrifice a paltry certainty for the sake of possible wealth. She had protested against the recklessness of his conduct, but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Masters went his way of crafty greed without a moment’s faltering. He had exulted on learning from the conversation overheard among the three friends that the systematized search was to be abandoned in favor of a foolish fancy—as he deemed it. While Saxe Temple and his companions loitered in expectation of some psychic guidance, Masters would give himself to the quest with an energy that must win him the victory. It was in a very cheerful frame of mind that he betook himself to the cottage on the following morning. Upon his arrival, however, he was at once confronted with a new phase of the situation, which filled him with rage.
The engineer found Mrs. West and Billy Walker chatting cozily on the porch, as usual. Mrs. West beamed kindly in her greeting, for she enjoyed the breezy manner of this handsome young man. Billy merely grunted. To judge from the expression of his face, the utterance were better inarticulate.
Masters leaned his long length against a pillar at the head of the flight of steps, and joined genially in the conversation for a few minutes, despite the manifest grumpiness of Billy Walker, who, never a courtier, was at no pains to conceal his distaste for the engineer’s society. Mrs. West, however, was amiability itself, and Masters was minded to ignore the superciliousness of the other man’s manner, though fully conscious of it. He felt that, under the circumstances, he could ill afford to be too finical over such a trifle, notwithstanding the irritation to his vanity. So he rolled a cigarette from the chip tobacco and wheat-straw paper which he affected, and chatted jauntily with Mrs. West. When he deemed that a sufficient interval had elapsed, the engineer prepared the way to continue his delayed search of the cottage:
“I’ll just take a look inside. Miss Thurston promised me a book.”
Forthwith, he reprobated himself for having employed this particular ruse, for Mrs. West said:
“Miss Thurston isn’t in the cottage, Mr. Masters. You will find her down at the boat-house.”
Masters thanked her with his most winning smile, and strolled away toward the lake. Mrs. West looked after him with a femininely appreciative smile.
“What a delightful gentleman Mr. Masters is!” she remarked innocently to Billy; by way of answer, there came a rumbling, luckily again quite inarticulate.