<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="break">
<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
<p class="pch">THE PRODIGAL MAKES GOOD</p>
<p class="drop-cap06"><span class="beg">“DICK INSISTED</span>,” explained Corporal Bracknell,
as with Joy and her foster-sister and
the boy Jim he fled down the river. “I
could see he wanted the post of danger—and I
could not refuse. Sibou is with him, and I think
they will hold the pursuit.”</p>
<p>For a moment Joy did not speak. She was
thinking of the consideration Dick Bracknell had
shown to her during the last two days, and understood
quite well that now he was endeavouring to
atone for the wrong he had once done her. Pity
surged in her heart as she thought of him weak and
ill, holding back a horde of savage men, pity and
gratitude, but no warmer emotion, for Dick Bracknell
had killed all possibility of that in that moment
at Alcombe, when, on her marriage morning she
had made that startling discovery of his perfidy.</p>
<p>“Do you think that—that Dick will get away
also?” she asked at last.</p>
<p>“I hope so,” the corporal answered evasively.
“I made him promise not to stay too long. But
he is a sick man and in the mood for anything. I
believed he rejoiced at the prospect of a fight
against odds. It is not surprising and—— Listen!
There they go again. They were both together
that time.”</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>From time to time as they raced hot-foot down
the trail the reports of rifles reached them, and
they knew that the fight was still proceeding, and
that the two defenders were holding their own.
Once when the interval between the shots was
especially long, Corporal Bracknell’s face grew very
thoughtful, and so absorbed and intent was he that
Joy addressed a question to him twice before he
heard her.</p>
<p>“Corporal Bracknell, do you think that Dick can
recover from his sickness?”</p>
<p>“I am afraid not,” replied the corporal slowly,
then gave an ejaculation as the distant report of a
rifle broke the silence behind them. “Good!
They’re still keeping it up.”</p>
<p>“Why do you think that?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Because I have seen other men like it. I have
never known one to recover.”</p>
<p>“Do ... do you think Dick knows?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he answered quietly. “I am sure of it!”</p>
<p>“It is very pitiful,” she said. “He is not all
bad——”</p>
<p>“He is very far from being that,” interrupted
the corporal.</p>
<p>“He might have made good, even yet, if he were
not so sick.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps he is making good,” replied the corporal
gently.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she answered simply. “I think he is trying.
In spite of the past I shall be in his debt.
Ah! What is that?”</p>
<p>There had been a sudden increase of clamour
behind them. Distant yells were sounding, and the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</SPAN></span>
two rifles were firing in rapid succession. For
perhaps a minute and a half this went on, then
came silence, followed by a single shot, and that
again by a silence which remained unbroken.
Corporal Bracknell stopped irresolutely.</p>
<p>“What do you think?” Joy whispered.</p>
<p>“I think it is the end one way or the other,”
was the reply. “The last yell sounded as if the
Indians were charging. In that case, unless the
rush was stopped——”</p>
<p>“Dick and your man are dead?”</p>
<p>“Something of that kind. I think I must go
back, and try and learn what has happened. There
is nothing else for it. I simply can’t desert them
without knowing what has befallen. You keep right
on until you reach the main river—I will not be
longer than necessary.”</p>
<p>“We shall wait at the fork,” she answered
quickly.</p>
<p>“But——”</p>
<p>“We shall wait,” she repeated resolutely, and
taking a rifle from one of the sleds, she handed it to
him.</p>
<p>“You may need it,” she said quietly. “And we
have one left yet.”</p>
<p>He did not speak, but nodding his thanks, turned
in the tracks, and proceeded up river once more.
He went swiftly but cautiously; and after travelling
half an hour, caught sight of a lumpy shadow coming
down the river. Hastily he took refuge against
the bank, and waited with his rifle ready. The
shadow drew nearer, and then he perceived that it
was made up of two men, one riding on the back of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</SPAN></span>
the other. At the same time he caught the sound
of a protesting voice—</p>
<p>“It’s not worth while, old horse. Put me down
and quit. They say——”</p>
<p>A moment later Roger Bracknell was running
towards them.</p>
<p>“Dick! Dick!” he cried gladly.</p>
<p>“Where ... where ... are the girls ... Joy?”
asked his cousin in a voice that sounded harsh.</p>
<p>“They are all right. They are well in front!”</p>
<p>“Good!” There was a note of relief in Dick
Bracknell’s voice, as he spoke, then he gave a
little laugh. “Behold the victors! Roger, my son,
it was topping. We stood a charge and ... and
cleared the board. It was gorgeous.”</p>
<p>He laughed weakly, and his cousin looked at
him anxiously.</p>
<p>“But you are hurt, Dick, old man?”</p>
<p>“Plugged ... with an arrow ... in the ribs.
Sibou’s all right, though. And I tried to make
him ... leave me ... on the field of glory. B—but
he’s a mutinous beggar.”</p>
<p>Weak though he was, there was a reckless gaiety
in his manner, which almost moved the corporal to
tears.</p>
<p>“Dick, don’t you think you had better not talk?
It’s bound to try you, as you are. When we get
to the sleds I will look to your wound, and——”</p>
<p>“Not a bit of use, Roger, my boy! I know it,
you know it! This finishes me. It was a matter
of weeks, before; now it’s a matter of hours....
All the same ... I’d like to ... to see Joy,
b-before——”</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“You shall, if it’s to be done,” said his cousin
as the other’s voice broke. “I’ll take turns with
Sibou. Between us we’ll do it, somehow. And I
might as well take part of my share now. Sibou
must be fagged.”</p>
<p>They stopped and the transfer was effected, then
as they resumed their way, the wounded man leaned
over his cousin’s shoulder, and whispered—</p>
<p>“Roger you’re a good sort!”</p>
<p>The corporal made no response, and Dick Bracknell
continued, “You know that Joy was up here
looking for you?”</p>
<p>“The boy, Jim, told me so. Though why she
should——”</p>
<p>“She ... she came to tell you that ... Geoff
was dead ... that you are the heir of Harrow
Fell——”</p>
<p>“No! No!” broke out his cousin in sharp
protest.</p>
<p>“Yes! Yes! It is so. I’ve been out of it since—oh,
for years! And in any case ... I shall be
out of it ... altogether very soon. But it wasn’t
for that only ... Joy came. She came up here
to stop you from killing me ... knowing the
relation between us, she was afraid that if that happened,
people would say that you ... that you....
You understand?”</p>
<p>“Yes, I think I understand.”</p>
<p>“Such a possibility was rather rot, of course, but
Joy didn’t know that, and she knew that you were
after me. So—she’s pure gold, Joy is.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” agreed the corporal simply.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“You’ll marry her, of course, and go to ... to
the Fell?”</p>
<p>Roger Bracknell hesitated. The conversation
was inexpressibly painful to him, and to this question
he did not know what answer to make. His
cousin did not seem to notice the hesitation, and he
did not wait for an answer, but continued in a
broken way, “There have been Bracknells at the Fell
these five hundred years.... And Geoff’s gone,
and I’m going, but you’ll ... keep up the line.
When you’ve a boy, Roger, call him ... call him
Dick. I’d like to think there’ll be one of my name
who’ll be as clean and straight as I’ve been crooked.
Lord! What a mess a man can make of life!
And what a difference it would have made ... if
only I’d gone straight at the fences. But would
it?... Joy would never have married me ...
she never loved me, but you have her heart! Oh,
it is so ... I’m not blind, and, Roger, old man,
I’m glad it will be you.”</p>
<p>After that he was silent for a long time, to
Roger’s unutterable relief, and he spoke only jestingly
on the occasions when Sibou and the corporal
took him over from the other, and at last, after a
weary march, they reached the point where the
stream joined the main river, and as they did so
a figure broke from the bank and ran towards them.
It was Joy.</p>
<p>“You are all here?” she cried. “Safe?”</p>
<p>“Safe! Yes,” laughed Dick weakly. “But a
little damaged.”</p>
<p>“What is it?” she asked, turning towards the
corporal.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“Dick is wounded,” he answered gravely. “I am
afraid it is serious. And as I think we have little
to fear from the Indians now, it will perhaps be
best if we cross the main river and camp. We can
put him upon one of the sleds——”</p>
<p>“Yes! Yes!” she cried, and a moment later she
had turned to the wounded man, and was talking to
him in a low voice.</p>
<p>Roger moved away. He did not know what she
was saying and he had no wish to know, but half
an hour later as his cousin lay by a fire which had
been lit, he saw that his eyes were shining with a
quiet happiness.</p>
<p>“Better, Dick?” he inquired.</p>
<p>“In soul, yes!” was the answer.</p>
<p>“I’m glad of that,” replied the corporal simply.</p>
<p>“It’s like a cleansing to have a good woman’s
approval. You can’t know, Roger, old boy. You
haven’t been deep in the mire—but there it is.”</p>
<p>He allowed his cousin and Joy to examine his
wound, and they found the arrow broken off in his
side. The corporal looked at the girl and shook
his head. There was little to be done, except draw
out the arrow, and bandage the wound as well as
they could, and when that was done the injured
man was visibly weaker.</p>
<p>Corporal Bracknell busied himself with the preparation
of a meal, leaving Joy and his cousin together,
and not till after the meal when Dick was
dozing had he any opportunity of further speech
with Joy. Then walking in the shadow of the trees
he talked with her.</p>
<p>“Dick has told me why you came,” he said,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</SPAN></span>
going straight to his point. “I am very grateful.”</p>
<p>“I was afraid that there might be trouble between
you,” she answered frankly.</p>
<p>“We had already met twice, before you came,”
he explained quietly. “On the first occasion Dick
spared my life; and on the second, though the meeting
began stormily enough, we parted complete
friends.”</p>
<p>“I am glad of that, more glad than I can tell.”</p>
<p>“Not more than I am. But there are things I
want to ask you, very badly. I know how you
came to go to Dick’s cabin, but I do not know who
those men were who kept both Dick and you there
in a state of siege. Have you any idea?”</p>
<p>As he asked the question Joy Gargrave’s face
grew very thoughtful.</p>
<p>“It was Dick’s man who fastened the door on
us. That was part of a plan for kidnapping me,
which Dick had arranged, and at first I thought that
he——”</p>
<p>“It was not Joe. We found him shot,” interrupted
the corporal.</p>
<p>“I do not think it was he now. At first Dick
was inclined to that idea, and then he thought it
might be my boy, Jim; but I pointed out that the
latter would scarcely attack Babette, and she was
attacked whilst walking outside the hut, you know.”</p>
<p>He looked at her and saw that her eyes were full
of trouble. She was keeping something back, and
after a moment he pressed her for the truth.</p>
<p>“You have suspicions, Miss Gargrave. Tell me
exactly what you think.”</p>
<p>“I scarcely like to,” was the reply. “What I<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</SPAN></span>
have is no more than a suspicion, and it is almost
too horrible for words.”</p>
<p>“Tell me,” he urged again.</p>
<p>“I will,” she broke out impulsively, “and God
forgive me if I do him wrong! I think my cousin
Adrian was responsible—Mr. Rayner, you know,
whom you met at North Star.”</p>
<p>“I thought so.”</p>
<p>“You thought so?” she cried. “Then you know
he was up here?”</p>
<p>“I did not know, but I guessed. I was on his
trail when I met your boy Jim.”</p>
<p>“And he was on yours, I am sure,” said Joy
quickly. “He followed you when you left Dick’s
cabin. I think he meant to kill you. He knew
that you suspected him of that attack on Dick at
North Star——”</p>
<p>“I suspected him of worse things than that.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I know. Dick told me. Oh, how terrible
it is!”</p>
<p>She hid her face in her hands for a moment, and
then as she lifted it, he asked, “Have you any
idea why he should do a thing like that, or why he
should make an attempt upon you?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she replied in a shaking voice. “Babette,
who is very frank, says he wants my money. He
would have married me, knowing all the time that
I was married to Dick. He even threatened me
when I would not accept him, and events have compelled
me to the belief that Babette is right, and
that he will allow nothing to stand in his way, not
even my life.”</p>
<p>Roger Bracknell nodded his head thoughtfully.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“I think you are right,” he answered slowly.
“We must be very careful. If there is real warrant
for our suspicions, then Adrian Rayner will be a
very desperate man——”</p>
<p>“I am sure of that,” she interjected impulsively.
“I felt it, when he left North Star on our arrival.
Did I tell you that he was there when we came
back? No! Well, he was, and I ordered him
away, and as soon as I could I came to look for
you——”</p>
<p>“It was good of you to be so anxious for my
welfare,” he broke in quickly.</p>
<p>They had turned and were walking back to the
fire, and in the light it shed he saw her face grow
suddenly crimson. She looked towards the recumbent
figure of Dick Bracknell, lying towards the
fire, then back again to himself.</p>
<p>“That was but natural,” she said quietly. “You
were working for me, and when I knew that a
danger unknown to you threatened you, I felt that
I must make you aware of it. You understand?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he answered quietly. “And if we can
only meet Adrian Rayner we shall be able to prove
or disprove all that we suspect. You and Babette
and myself know him and Sibou knows the man
who was responsible for your father’s death. If
Adrian Rayner and he should prove to be the
same, then the matter will be beyond dispute.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she agreed slowly. “Yes. But it will
be very terrible.”</p>
<p>They approached the fire, just as Dick Bracknell
moved and opened his eyes. He looked at Joy,
and she, reading the unspoken request in his eyes,
went and seated herself by his side.</p>
<hr class="chap" /></div>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />