第4章

"Well," he answered explosively, "until you turn away from that altar, I do not recognize the right of any man to keep me quiet, or your right either.Why should I be held by your engagement? I was not consulted about it.I did not give my consent, did I? I tell you, you are the only woman in the world I will ever marry, and if you think I am going to keep silent and watch some one else carry you off without making a fight for you, you don't know me.""If you go on," said the girl, "it will mean that I shall not see you again.""Then I will write letters to you."

"I will not read them," said the girl.The young man laughed defiantly.

"Oh, yes, you will read them!" He pounded his gauntleted fist on the rim of the wheel."You mayn't answer them, but if Ican write the way I feel, I will bet you'll read them."His voice changed suddenly, and he began to plead.It was as though she were some masculine giant bullying a small boy.

"You are not fair to me," he protested."I do not ask you to be kind, I ask you to be fair.I am fighting for what means more to me than anything in this world, and you won't even listen.Why should I recognize any other men! All Irecognize is that _I_ am the man who loves you, that `I am the man at your feet.' That is all I know, that I love you."The girl moved as though with the cold, and turned her head from him.

"I love you," repeated the young man.

The girl breathed like one who has been swimming under water, but, when she spoke, her voice was calm and contained.

"Please!" she begged, "don't you see how unfair it is.I can't go away; I HAVE to listen."The young man pulled himself upright, and pressed his lips together.

"I beg your pardon," he whispered.

There was for some time an unhappy silence, and then Winthrop added bitterly: "Methinks the punishment exceeds the offence.""Do you think you make it easy for ME?" returned the girl.

She considered it most ungenerous of him to sit staring into the moonlight, looking so miserable that it made her heart ache to comfort him, and so extremely handsome that to do so was quite impossible.She would have liked to reach out her hand and lay it on his arm, and tell him she was sorry, but she could not.He should not have looked so unnecessarily handsome.

Sam came running toward them with five grizzly bears, who balanced themselves apparently with some slight effort upon their hind legs.The grizzly bears were properly presented as: "Tommy Todd, of my class, and some more like him.And,"continued Sam, "I am going to quit you two and go with them.

Tom's car broke down, but Fred fixed it, and both our cars can travel together.Sort of convoy," he explained.

His sister signalled eagerly, but with equal eagerness he retreated from her.

"Believe me," he assured her soothingly, "I am just as good a chaperon fifty yards behind you, and wide awake, as I am in the same car and fast asleep.And, besides, I want to hear about the game.And, what's more, two cars are much safer than one.Suppose you two break down in a lonely place?

We'll be right behind you to pick you up.You will keep Winthrop's car in sight, won't you, Tommy?" he said.

The grizzly bear called Tommy, who had been examining the Scarlet Car, answered doubtfully that the only way he could keep it in sight was by tying a rope to it.

"That's all right, then," said Sam briskly, "Winthrop will go slow."So the Scarlet Car shot forward with sometimes the second car so far in the rear that they could only faintly distinguish the horn begging them to wait, and again it would follow so close upon their wheels that they heard the five grizzly bears chanting beseechingly Oh, bring this wagon home, John, It will not hold us a-all.

For some time there was silence in the Scarlet Car, and then Winthrop broke it by laughing.

"First, I lose Peabody," he explained, "then I lose Sam, and now, after I throw Fred overboard, I am going to drive you into Stamford, where they do not ask runaway couples for a license, and marry you."The girl smiled comfortably.In that mood she was not afraid of him.

She lifted her face, and stretched out her arms as though she were drinking in the moonlight.

"It has been such a good day," she said simply, "and I am really so very happy.""I shall be equally frank," said Winthrop."So am I."For two hours they had been on the road, and were just entering Fairport.For some long time the voices of the pursuing grizzlies had been lost in the far distance.

"The road's up," said Miss Forbes.

She pointed ahead to two red lanterns.

"It was all right this morning," exclaimed Winthrop.

The car was pulled down to eight miles an hour, and, trembling and snorting at the indignity, nosed up to the red lanterns.

They showed in a ruddy glow the legs of two men.

"You gotta stop!" commanded a voice.

"Why?" asked Winthrop.

The voice became embodied in the person of a tall man, with a long overcoat and a drooping mustache.

"'Cause I tell you to!" snapped the tall man.

Winthrop threw a quick glance to the rear.In that direction for a mile the road lay straight away.He could see its entire length, and it was empty.In thinking of nothing but Miss Forbes, he had forgotten the chaperon.He was impressed with the fact that the immediate presence of a chaperon was desirable.Directly in front of the car, blocking its advance, were two barrels, with a two-inch plank sagging heavily between them.Beyond that the main street of Fairport lay steeped in slumber and moonlight.

"I am a selectman," said the one with the lantern."You been exceedin' our speed limit."The chauffeur gave a gasp that might have been construed to mean that the charge amazed and shocked him.

"That is not possible," Winthrop answered."I have been going very slow--on purpose--to allow a disabled car to keep up with me."The selectman looked down the road.

"It ain't kep' up with you," he said pointedly.

"It has until the last few minutes."

"It's the last few minutes we're talking about," returned the man who had not spoken.He put his foot on the step of the car.

"What are you doing?" asked Winthrop.