“Was it that that made you ill to start with—my going off, I mean!”
It was a curious change of feeling to have taken place in a couple of hours, but Philippa actually found herself wishing that she could answer in the affirmative, and casting about in her mind for some honest reply which would yet lay some burden of responsibility upon those careless shoulders.
“I have been laid up only a week, but I think I was run down by all the strain and suspense. We had a terrible fortnight—”
Barney frowned and drew his hand away from the coverlet.
“So had I. I was beastly sick. It is all right, though, Phil. I’ve brought home enough money to pay you back. I got some rattling good tips. That old Johnny I told you of—”
“Oh Barney, Barney, it was not the money! I never thought of the money,” cried Phil, with such a wail of despair as brought the boy’s eyes upon her with startled questioning. The two faces confronted each other, so like, yet so unlike, and the boy flushed darkly through his tan.
“Well, you needn’t have worried about—that either. I told you I would remember. I gave my promise, and I—kept it, Phil. There were lots of things I wanted to do. It was awfully dull not being able to go about with the other fellows, but I kept my word. And I wanted to spend the money, too. There was the ’cutest little monkey you ever saw, trained to do all sorts of tricks. It was jolly hard lines not being able to bring it home as a present to you girls, but I thought under the circumstances it might be bad form.”
“Oh Barney, Barney!” cried Philippa, laughing uncontrollably even as the tears rolled down her cheeks. It was such balm in Gilead to know that the promise had been kept; it was so ridiculously, inimitably like Barney that he should mix up monkeys with the story of his repentance. “I’m so very, very thankful for everything,” she whispered; “for the things you didn’t do, and—the monkey that didn’t come. Kiss me, Barney. I shall get well quickly now that you are back.”
Barney did as he was asked, not once, but many times over, and kept his big fingers clasped closely round hers while he asked anxiously:
“You won’t want to send me back to an office, will you, Phil? The Hermit has been telling me about his brother in Canada. That’s the sort of thing I should like if it could be arranged. It will be beastly leaving home again. I never knew it was such a thundering nice place until I left this time. But it is my only chance; I should never do any good in the City. You will let me go, won’t you, Phil?”