"Quite friendly. There was nothing that I could notice out of thecommon--except," he went on, with a slight hardening of the voice,"except that he kept his eyes fixed on Lilla, in a way which was quiteintolerable to any man who might hold her dear."
"Now, in what way did he look?" asked Sir Nathaniel.
"There was nothing in itself offensive; but no one could help noticingit."
"You did. Miss Watford herself, who was the victim, and Mr. Caswall, whowas the offender, are out of range as witnesses. Was there anyone elsewho noticed?"
"Mimi did. Her face flamed with anger as she saw the look."
"What kind of look was it? Over-ardent or too admiring, or what? Was itthe look of a lover, or one who fain would be? You understand?"
"Yes, sir, I quite understand. Anything of that sort I should of coursenotice. It would be part of my preparation for keeping myself-control--to which I am pledged
."
"If it were not amatory, was it threatening? Where was the offence?"
Adam smiled kindly at the old man.
"It was not amatory. Even if it was, such was to be expected. I shouldbe the last man in the world to object, since I am myself an offender inthat respect. Moreover, not only have I been taught to fight fair, butby nature I believe I am just. I would be as tolerant of and as liberalto a rival as I should expect him to be to me. No, the look I mean wasnothing of that kind. And so long as it did not lack proper respect, Ishould not of my own part condescend to notice it. Did you ever studythe eyes of a hound?"
"At rest?"
"No, when he is following his instincts! Or, better still," Adam wenton, "the eyes of a bird of prey when he is following his instincts. Notwhen he is swooping, but merely when he is watching his quarry?"
"No," said Sir Nathaniel, "I don't know that I ever did. Why, may Iask?"
"That was the look. Certainly not amatory or anything of that kind--yetit was, it struck me, more dangerous, if not so deadly as an actualthreatening."
Again there was a silence, which Sir Nathaniel broke as he stood up:
"I think it would be well if we all thought over this by ourselves. Thenwe can renew the subject."
CHAPTER VII--OOLANGA
Mr. Salton had an appointment for six o'clock at Liverpool. When he haddriven off, Sir Nathaniel took Adam by the arm.
"May I come with you for a while to your study? I want to speak to youprivately without your uncle knowing about it, or even what the subjectis. You don't mind, do you? It is not idle curiosity. No, no. It ison the subject to which we are all committed."
"Is it necessary to keep my uncle in the dark about it? He might beoffended."
"It is not necessary; but it is advisable. It is for his sake that Iasked. My friend is an old man, and it might concern him unduly--evenalarm him. I promise you there shall be nothing that could cause himanxiety in our silence, or at which he could take umbrage."
"Go on, sir!" said Adam simply.
"You see, your uncle is now an old man. I know it, for we were boystogether. He has led an uneventful and somewhat self-contained life, sothat any such condition of things as has now arisen is apt to perplex himfrom its very strangeness. In fact, any new matter is trying to oldpeople. It has its own disturbances and its own anxieties, and neitherof these things are good for lives that should be restful. Your uncle isa strong man, with a very happy and placid nature. Given health andordinary conditions of life, there is no reason why he should not live tobe a hundred. You and I, therefore, who both love him, though indifferent ways, should make it our business to protect him from alldisturbing influences. I am sure you will agree with me that any labourto this end would be well spent. All right, my boy! I see your answerin your eyes; so we need say no more of that. And now," here his voicechanged, "tell me all that took place at that interview. There arestrange things in front of us--how strange we cannot at present evenguess. Doubtless some of the difficult things to understand which liebehind the veil will in time be shown to us to see and to understand. Inthe meantime, all we can do is to work patiently, fearlessly, andunselfishly, to an end that we think is right. You had got so far aswhere Lilla opened the door to Mr. Caswall and the negro. You alsoobserved that Mimi was disturbed in her mind at the way Mr. Caswalllooked at her cousin."
"Certainly--though 'disturbed' is a poor way of expressing herobjection."
"Can you remember well enough to describe Caswall's eyes, and how Lillalooked, and what Mimi said and did? Also Oolanga, Caswall's West Africanservant."
"I'll do what I can, sir. All the time Mr. Caswall was staring, he kepthis eyes fixed and motionless--but not as if he was in a trance. Hisforehead was wrinkled up, as it is when one is trying to see through orinto something. At the best of times his face has not a gentleexpression; but when it was screwed up like that it was almostdiabolical. It frightened poor Lilla so that she trembled, and after abit got so pale that I thought she had fainted. However, she held up andtried to stare back, but in a feeble kind of way. Then Mimi came closeand held her hand. That braced her up, and--still, never ceasing herreturn stare--she got colour again and seemed more like herself."
"Did he stare too?"
"More than ever. The weaker Lilla seemed, the stronger he became, justas if he were feeding on her strength. All at once she turned round,threw up her hands, and fell down in a faint. I could not see what elsehappened just then, for Mimi had thrown herself on her knees beside herand hid her from me. Then there was something like a black shadowbetween us, and there was the nigger, looking more like a malignant devilthan ever. I am not usually a patient man, and the sight of that uglydevil is enough to make one's blood boil. When he saw my face, he seemedto realise danger--immediate danger--and slunk out of the room asnoiselessly as if he had been blown out. I learned one thing, however--heis an enemy, if ever a man had one."
"That still leaves us three to two!" put in Sir Nathaniel.