"Gormala!" I answered.
"And who is Gormala?" For quite a minute or two I walked on withoutspeaking, for I wanted to think before I answered. I felt that it wouldbe hard to explain the odd way in which the Seer-woman seemed to havebecome tangled up in my life; and yet I wanted to tell this girl. Ifeared that she might laugh at me; that she might think me ridiculous;that she might despise me; or even that she might think me a lunatic!Then again Gormala might come and tell things to her. There was noaccounting for what the woman might do. She might come upon us at anymoment; she might be here even now! The effect of her following orwatching me had begun to tell on my mind; her existence haunted me. Ilooked around anxiously, and breathed freely. There was no sign of her.My eyes finally fetched up on the face of the girl.... Her beautiful,dark eyes were fixed on me with interest and wonder.
"Well!" she said, after a pause, "I don't suppose I'm more inquisitivethan my neighbours, but I should just like to know, right here, what'swrong with you. You looked round that time just as if you were haunted!Why did you run away that time and search round as if some one had takena pot-shot at you and you wanted to locate him? Why did you groan beforeyou went, and come back humming? Who is Gormala, anyhow; and why wereyou glad that you didn't see her? Why didn't you answer me when I askedyou who she was? Why did you walk along with your head up and your eyesstaring, as though you were seeing visions? And why----"
All at once she stopped, and a swift blush swept over her face and evenher neck. "Oh," she said in a low tone with a note of pathos in hervoice, "I beg your pardon! my unruly tongue ran away with me. I have noright to ask so many questions--and from a stranger too!" She stopped assuddenly as she had begun.
"You might have spared me that!" I said "I know I have been rude indelaying to answer your question about Gormala; but the fact is thatthere are so many odd things in connection with her that I was reallyconsidering whether you would think me a fool or a lunatic if I toldthem to you. And you certainly would not understand why I didn't wantto see her, if I didn't. And perhaps not even if I did," I added as anafterthought. The girl's awkwardness slipped from her like a robe; theblush merged into a smile as she turned to me and said:
"This is most interesting. O! do tell me--if you don't mind."
"I shall be delighted" I said, and I only expressed my thought."Gormala" I began; but just then the stout lady in front of us, who wasnow a considerable way ahead, turned round and called to us. I couldonly hear "Miss Anita;" but the girl evidently understood, for shecalled out:
"All right! We are coming at once!" and she hurried on. It gave me athrill of pleasure that she said "we" not "I;" it was sweet to have apart in such a comprehension. As we went she turned to me and said:
"You must tell me all about it; I shan't be happy till I hear the wholestory, whatever it is. This is all too lovely and exciting. I hadn't anidea when we went out sleepily this morning that there would be so muchin the day to think of afterwards." I felt that I had taken my couragein both hands as I said:
/> "You'll both dine with me at the hotel, won't you. You have missedlunch and must be hungry, so we can dine early. It will be such a truepleasure to me; and I can tell you all about everything afterwards, ifwe can manage to get a moment alone."
She paused, and I waited anxiously. Then she spoke with a delightfulsmile:
"That must be as Mrs. Jack says. But we shall see!" With this I had tobe content for the present.
When we came up to her, Mrs. Jack said in a woeful way:
"Oh, Miss Anita, I don't know what to do. The sand is so heavy, and myclothes are so weighty with the wet, and my boots squish so with thewater in them that I'm beginning to think I'll never be able to get warmor dry again; though I'm both warm enough and dry enough in other ways."As she spoke she moved her feet somewhat after the manner of a beardancing, so as to make her wet boots squeak. I would have liked to havelaughed, though I really pitied the poor thing; but a glance at theconcern on Miss Anita's face checked me. Very tenderly she began to helpand comfort the old lady, and looked at me pleadingly to help her. "Whydear" she said "no wonder it is hard walking for you with your clothesso wringing wet," and she knelt down on the wet sand and began to wringthem out. I looked around to see what I could do to help. Just opposite,where we were the outcrop of rock on which the Hawklaw is based sent upa jagged spur of granite through the sand, close under the bent-coveredhillocks. I pointed to this and we led the old lady over to it and madeher sit down on a flat rock. Then we proceeded to wring her out, sheall the while protesting against so much trouble being taken abouther. We pulled off her spring-side boots, emptied them out and, withconsiderable difficulty, forced them on again. Then we all stood up, andthe girl and I took her arms and hurried her along the beach; we allknew that nothing could be done for real comfort till we should havereached the hotel. As we went she said with gratitude in every note ofher voice, the words joggling out of her as she bumped along:
"Oh, my dears, you are very good to me."
Once again the use of the plural gave me pleasure. This time, however,it was my head, rather than my heart, which was affected; to be sobracketted with Miss Anita was to have hope as well as pleasure.
Things were beginning to move fast with me.
When we got to Cruden there was great local excitement, and much runningto and fro on the part of the good people of the hotel to get dryclothes for the strange ladies. None of us gave any detail as to how thewetting took place; by some kind of common consent it was simply madeknown for the time that they had been overtaken by the tide. When oncethe incomplete idea had been started I took care not to elaborate it. Icould see plainly enough that though the elder lady had every wish to beprofuse in the expression of her gratitude to me, the younger one notonly remained silent but now and again restrained her companion by awarning look. Needless to say, I let things go in their own way; it wastoo sweet a pleasure to me to share anything in the way of a secret withmy new friend, to imperil such a bliss by any breach of reticence. Theladies were taken away to bedrooms to change, and I asked that dinnerfor the three of us might be served in my room. When I had changed myown clothes, over which operation I did not lose any time, I waited inthe room for the arrival of my guests. Whilst the table was being laid Ilearned that the two ladies had come to the hotel early in the day in adogcart driven by the younger one. They had given no orders except thatthe horse should be put up and well cared for.
It was not long before the ladies appeared. Mrs. Jack began to expressher gratitude to me. I tried to turn it aside, for though it moved mea little by its genuineness, I felt somewhat awkward, as though I wereaccepting praise under false pretences. Such service as I had been ableto render, though of the utmost importance to them, had been so easy ofexecution to me that more than a passing expression of thanks seemedout of place. After all I had only accepted a wetting on behalf of twoladies placed in an awkward position. I was a good swimmer; and my partof the whole proceeding was unaccompanied by any danger whatever, Ithought, of course, had it been later in the coming of the storm, thingsmight have been very different. Here I shuddered as my imagination gaveme an instantaneous picture of the two helpless women in the toils ofthe raging sea amongst those grim rocks and borne by that racing tidewhich had done poor Lauchlane Macleod to death. As if to emphasise myfears there now came a terrific burst of wind which seemed to sweep overthe house with appalling violence. It howled and roared above us, sothat every window, chimney and door, seemed to bear the sound right inupon us. Overhead was heard, between the burst which shook the windowsand doors, that vague, booming sound, which conveys perhaps a bettersense of nature's forces when let loose, than even the concreteexpression of their violence. In this new feeling of the possibilitiesof the storm, I realised the base and the truth of the gratitude whichthe ladies felt; and I also realised what an awful tragedy might havecome to pass had I or some one else not come down the path fromWhinnyfold just when I did.
I was recalled to myself by an expression of concern by Mrs. Jack:
"Look how pale he has got. I do hope he has not been hurt." MechanicallyI answered:
"Hurt! I was never better in my life," then I felt that my pallor musthave left me and that I grew red with pleasure as I heard Miss Anitasay:
"Ah! I understand. He did not have any fear for himself; but heis beginning to feel how terrible it was for us." The fulness ofunderstanding on the part of the beautiful girl, her perfect and readysympathy, the exactness of her interpretation of my mind, made for me aninexpressible pleasure.
When I told Mrs. Jack that I had ventured to claim them both as myguests, and hoped that they would honour me by dining with me, shelooked at her companion in the same inquiring way which I had alreadynoticed. I could not see the face of the younger lady at the moment asit was turned away from me, but her approval was manifest; the answerwas made gladly in the affirmative. Then I put forth a hope that theywould allow me to have a carriage ready to take them home, whenever theymight desire, so that they might feel at ease in remaining till they hadbeen thoroughly restored after their fatigue. I added that perhaps itwould be good for Miss Anita. Mrs. Jack raised her eyebrows slightly,and I thought there was a note of distance in her voice, as though sheresented in a quiet way my mentioning the name:
"Miss Anita!" she said; and there was that unconscious stiffening ofthe back which evidences that one is on guard. I felt somewhat awkward,as though I had taken a liberty. The younger lady saw my difficulty, andwith a quick smile jumped to the rescue.
"Oh Mrs. Jack" she said "I quite forgot that we were never introduced;but of course he heard you mention my name. It was rather hurried ourmeeting; wasn't it? We must set it right now." Then she added verydemurely:
"Dear Mrs. Jack, will you present to Miss Anita, Mr.----" she looked atme interrogatively.
"Archibald Hunter" I said, and the presentation was formally made. ThenMiss Anita answered my question about the carriage:
"Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Archibald Hunter" I thought shedwelt on the name, "but we shall drive back as we came. The storm willnot be quite so bad inland, and as it does not rain the cart will be allright; we have plenty of wraps. The lamps are good, and I know the road;I noted it well as we came. Is not that right?" she added, turning toher companion.
"Quite right, my dear! Do just as you like," and so the manner of theirgoing was arranged.