A sheepish sort of silence followed this speech.
It was broken by a sudden laugh from Tanny.
“The things that happen to us!” she said,
laughing rather shrilly. “Suddenly, like
a thunderbolt, we’re all struck into silence!”
“Rum game, eh!” said Jim, grinning.
“Isn’t it funny! Isn’t life
too funny!” She looked again at her husband.
“But, Rawdy, you must admit it was your own
fault.”
Lilly’s stiff face did not change.
“Why FAULT!” he said, looking at her coldly.
“What is there to talk about?”
“Usually there’s so much,” she said
sarcastically.
A few phrases dribbled out of the silence. In
vain Jim, tried to get Lilly to thaw, and in vain
Tanny gave her digs at her husband. Lilly’s
stiff, inscrutable face did not change, he was polite
and aloof. So they all went to bed.
In the morning, the walk was to take place, as arranged,
Lilly and Tanny accompanying Jim to the third station
across country. The morning was lovely, the
country beautiful. Lilly liked the countryside
and enjoyed the walk. But a hardness inside himself
never relaxed. Jim talked a little again about
the future of the world, and a higher state of Christlikeness
in man. But Lilly only laughed. Then Tanny
managed to get ahead with Jim, sticking to his side
and talking sympathetic personalities. But Lilly,
feeling it from afar, ran after them and caught them
up. They were silent.
“What was the interesting topic?” he said
cuttingly.
“Nothing at all!” said Tanny, nettled.
“Why must you interfere?”
“Because I intend to,” said Lilly.
And the two others fell apart, as if severed with
a knife. Jim walked rather sheepishly, as if
cut out.
So they came at last past the canals to the wayside
station: and at last Jim’s train came.
They all said goodbye. Jim and Tanny were both
waiting for Lilly to show some sign of real reconciliation.
But none came. He was cheerful and aloof.
“Goodbye,” he said to Jim. “Hope
Lois will be there all right. Third station
on. Goodbye! Goodbye!”
“You’ll come to Rackham?” said Jim,
leaning out of the train.
“We should love to,” called Tanny, after
the receding train.
“All right,” said Lilly, non-committal.
But he and his wife never saw Jim again. Lilly
never intended to see him: a devil sat in the
little man’s breast.
“You shouldn’t play at little Jesus, coming
so near to people, wanting to help them,” was
Tanny’s last word.
LOW-WATER MARK
