“My dear Eric, I shall succeed! I’ve never doubted in all my life. Will you put yourself in my hands? We won’t discuss it now, because I want to hear about your immediate plans. You’ll be away for two years? Have you decided when you start and where you’re going?”
Eric had thought only that he was losing this girl whom he had so unnecessarily allowed himself to love. He did not want to talk about the islands of the South Pacific, but O’Rane would not leave him alone. It was unseemly and brutal, this torrent of questions from a man who was in no way concerned. O’Rane knew some one who would be only too pleased to take over the lease of the Ryder Street flat; he knew some one else who might usefully be employed to spread the news of his departure through the Press; he knew men at every stopping-place between Liverpool and the Marquesas, between Southampton and the Cape, and letters of introduction were to be had for the asking.
“You’re giving me a wonderful funeral,” said Eric.
The words were rudely conceived and rudely spoken. It was a refinement of cruelty to be whipped with questions, when his brain was too much numbed to think of anything but Ivy.
“Hardly a funeral. But you’ve closed one chapter, and I want you to begin the next. It doesn’t do any good to curse your luck. When I had this accident to my eyes, I walked straight out of hospital into my next job. Kind friends wanted to drive me in cars or to take my arm, but I had to start on my own some time. There’s such a lot to be done in life that we’ve no leisure for thinking what fun it would be to have three hands or a million pounds a minute. When King David was punished in the person of his son, he did everything in his power to keep the boy alive; when once the boy was dead, he rose up and washed his face and put off all the signs of mourning and started on his next job. If you don’t begin to-night, it’ll be harder to begin to-morrow.”
“But there’s not very much I can do to-night,” Eric objected wearily.
“I assure you there is. Did you find out whether your agent was in the club? Well, get hold of him and make your arrangements. I can’t help there, because I know nothing about the subject, but you and he must know what you fixed when you went abroad before. In the meantime I’ll get hold of my tame journalist. I’m going to say simply that you’re going abroad immediately for the good of your health; I shan’t say where or how long for. And the news won’t appear till the day after to-morrow, so you’ll have time to warn your people. Then we’ll meet—is half an hour long enough for you?—, and I shall have a lot for you to do. I’m going to find out if Gaymer’s at home—”
“I’m not going to see him!” Eric broke in.
O’Rane looked up, with his head on one side, smiling to himself:
“If I convince you that you can contribute in any way to that girl’s happiness? Dear man, don’t be absurd! I’m assuming that you love her. That means that you’ll do everything you can for her and that you’ll rack your brains to think of new things. D’you imagine that you’ve done your utmost for her by clearing out of Gaymer’s way—with the worst possible grace—and wishing them both joy of the other? You’re going to help this thing through. You’re going to set her mind at rest, you’re going to shake hands with him, you’re going to be the man they can both turn to... This has to be done with a bit of a gesture, Eric.”