Carnac's Folly

Chapter 14

THE HOUSE OF THE THREE TREES

During Carnac's absence, Denzil had lain like an animal, watching, as it

were, the doorway out of which Tarboe came and went. His gloom at last

became fanaticism. During all the eight months of Carnac's absence he

prowled in the precincts of memory.

While Junia was at home he had been watchfully determined to save her

from Tarboe, if possible. He had an obsession of wrong-mindedness which

is always attached to crime. Though Luke Tarboe had done him no wrong,

and was entitled, if he could, to win Junia for himself, to the mind of

Denzil the stain of his brother's past was on Tarboe's life. He saw

Tarboe and Junia meet; he knew Tarboe put himself in her way, and he was

right in thinking that the girl, with a mind for comedy and coquetry, was

drawn instinctively to danger.

Undoubtedly the massive presence of Tarboe, his animal-like, bull-headed

persistency, the fun at his big mouth and the light in his bold eye had a

kind of charm for her. It was as though she placed herself within the

danger zone to try her strength, her will; and she had done it without

real loss. More than once, as she waited in the office for old John Grier

to come, she had a strange, intuitive feeling that Tarboe might suddenly

grip her in his arms.

She flushed at the thought of it; it seemed so absurd. Yet that very

thought had passed through the mind of the man. He was by nature a

hunter; he was self-willed and reckless. No woman had ever moved him in

his life until this girl crossed his path, and he reached out towards her

with the same will to control that he had used in the business of life.

Yet, while this brute force suggested physical control of the girl, it

had its immediate reaction. She was so fine, so delicate, and yet so full

of summer and the free unfettered life of the New World, so unimpassioned

physically, yet so passionate in mind and temperament, that he felt he

must atone for the wild moment's passion--the passion of possession,

which had made him long to crush her to his breast. There was nothing

physically repulsive in it; it was the wild, strong life of conquering

man, of which he had due share. For, as he looked at her sitting in his

office, her perfect health, her slim boyishness, her exquisite lines and

graceful turn of hand, arm and body, or the flower-like turn of the neck,

were the very harmony and poetry of life. But she was terribly provoking

too; and he realized that she was an unconscious coquette, that her

spirit loved mastery as his did.

Denzil could not know this, however. It was impossible for him to analyse

the natures of these two people. He had instinct, but not enough to judge

the whole situation, and so for two months after Carnac disappeared he

had lived a life of torture. Again and again he had determined to tell

Junia the story of Tarboe's brother, but instinctive delicacy stopped

him. He could not tell her the terrible story which had robbed him of all

he loved and had made him the avenger of the dead. A half-dozen times

after she came back from John Grier's office, with slightly heightening

colour, and the bright interest in her eyes, and had gone about the

garden fondling the flowers, he had started towards her; but had stopped

short before her natural modesty. Besides, why should he tell her? She

had her own life to make, her own row to hoe. Yet, as the weeks passed,

it seemed he must break upon this dangerous romance; and then suddenly

she went to visit her sick aunt in the Far West. Denzil did not know,

however, that, in John Grier's office as she had gone over figures of a

society in which she was interested, the big hand of Tarboe had suddenly

closed upon her fingers, and that his head bent down beside hers for one

swift instant, as though he would whisper to her. Then she quickly

detached herself, yet smiled at him, as she said reprovingly:

"You oughtn't to do that. You'll spoil our friendship."

She did not wait longer. As he stretched out his hands to her, his face

had gone pale: she vanished through the doorway, and in forty-eight hours

was gone to her sick aunt. The autumn had come and the winter and the

spring, and the spring was almost gone when she returned; and, with her

return, Catastrophe lifted its head in the person of Denzil.

Perhaps it was imperative instinct that brought Junia back in an hour

coincident with Carnac's return--perhaps. In any case, there it was. They

had both returned, as it were, in the self-same hour, each having endured

a phase of emotion not easy to put on paper.

Denzil told her of Carnac's return, and she went to the house where

Carnac's mother lived, and was depressed at what she saw and felt. Mrs.

Grier's face was not that of one who had good news. The long arms almost

hurt when they embraced her. Yet Carnac was a subject of talk between

them--open, clear eyed talk. The woman did not know what to say, except

to praise her boy, and the girl asked questions cheerfully, unimportantly

as to sound, but with every nerve tingling. There was, however, so much

of the comedienne in her, so much coquetry, that only one who knew her

well could have seen the things that troubled her behind all. As though

to punish herself, she began to speak of Tarboe, and Mrs. Grier's face

clouded; she spoke more of Tarboe, and the gloom deepened. Then, with the

mask of coquetry still upon her she left Carnac's mother abashed,

sorrowful and alone.

Tarboe had called in her absence. Entering the garden, he saw Denzil at

work. At the click of the gate Denzil turned, and came forward.

"She ain't home," he said bluntly. "She's out. She ain't here. She's up

at Mr. Grier's house, bien sur."

To Tarboe Denzil's words were offensive. It was none of Denzil's business

whether he came or went in this house, or what his relations with Junia

were. Democrat though he was, he did not let democracy transgress his

personal associations. He knew that the Frenchman was less likely to say

and do the crude thing than the Britisher.

Tarboe knew of the position held by Denzil in the Shale household; and

that long years of service had given him authority. All this, however,

could not atone for the insolence of Denzil's words, but he had

controlled men too long to act rashly.

"When will Mademoiselle be back?" he asked, putting a hand on himself.

"To-night," answered Denzil, with an antipathetic eye.

"Don't be a damn fool. Tell me the hour when you think she will be at

home. Before dinner--within the next sixty minutes?"

"Ma'm'selle is under no orders. She didn't say when she would be

back--but no!"

"Do you think she'll be back for dinner?" asked Tarboe, smothering his

anger, but get to get his own way.

"I think she'll be back for dinner!" and he drove the spade into the

ground.

"Then I'll sit down and wait." Tarboe made for the verandah.

Denzil presently trotted after and said: "I'd like a word with you."

Tarboe turned round. "Well, what have you got to say?"

"Better be said in my house, not here," replied Denzil. His face was

pale, but there was fire in his eyes. There was no danger of violence,

and, if there were, Tarboe could deal with it. Why should there be

violence? Why should that semi-insanity in Denzil's eyes disturb him? The

one thing to do was to forge ahead. He nodded.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked presently, as they passed through the

gate.

"To my little house by the Three Trees. I've got things I'd like to show

you, and there's some things I'd like to say. You are a big hulk of a

man, and I'm nobody, but yet I've been close to you and yours in my

time--that's so, for sure."

"You've been close to me and mine in your time, eh? I didn't know that."

"No, you didn't know it. Nobody knew it--I've kept it to myself. Your

family wasn't all first-class--but no."

They soon reached the plain board-house, with the well-laid foundation of

stone, by the big Three Trees. Inside the little spare, undecorated room,

Tarboe looked round. It was all quiet and still enough. It was like a

lodge in the wilderness. Somehow, the atmosphere of it made him feel

apart and lonely. Perhaps that was a little due to the timbered ceiling,

to the walls with cedar scantlings showing, to the crude look of

everything-the head of a moose, the skins hanging down the sides of the

walls, the smell of the cedar, and the swift movement of a tame red

squirrel, which ran up the walls and over the floor and along the

chimney-piece, for Denzil avoided the iron stove so common in these new

cold lands, and remained faithful to a huge old-fashioned mantel.

Presently Denzil faced him, having closed the door. "I said I'd been near

to your family and you didn't believe me. Sit down, please to, and I'll

tell you my story."

Seating himself with a little curt laugh, Tarboe waved a hand as though

to say: "Go ahead. I'm ready."

It was difficult for Denzil to begin. He walked up and down the room,

muttering and shaking his head. Presently, however, he made the Sign of

the Cross upon himself, and, leaning against the wall, and opposite to

Tarboe, he began the story he had told Carnac.

His description of his dead fiancee had flashes of poetry and

excruciating touches of life:

"She had no mother, and there was lots of things she didn't know because

of that--ah, plenty! She had to learn, and she brought on her own tragedy

by not knowing that men, even when good to look at, can't be trusted;

that every place, even in the woods and the fields where every one seems

safe to us outdoor people, ain't safe--but no. So she trusted, and then

one day--"

For the next five minutes the words poured from him in moroseness. He

drew a picture of the lonely wood, of the believing credulous girl and

the masterful, intellectual, skilful man. In the midst of it Tarboe

started. The description of the place and of the man was familiar. He had

a vision of a fair young girl encompassed by clanger; he saw her in the

man's arms; the man's lips to hers, and--

"Good God--good God!" he said twice, for a glimmer of the truth struck

him. He knew what his brother had done. He could conceive the revenge to

his brother's amorous hand. He listened till the whole tale was told;

till the death of the girl in the pond at home--back in her own little

home. Then the rest of the story shook him.

"The verdict of the coroner's court was that he was shot by his own

hand--by accident," said Denzil. "That was the coroner's verdict, but

yes! Well, he was shot by his own gun, but not by his own hand. There was

some one who loved the girl, took toll. The world did not know, and does

not know, but you know--you--you, the brother of him that spoiled a

woman's life! Do you think such a man should live? She was the sweetest

girl that ever lived, and she loved me! She told me the truth--and he

died by his own gun--in the woods; but it wasn't accident--it wasn't

accident--but no! The girl had gone, but behind her was some one that

loved her, and he settled it once for all."

As he had told the story, Denzil's body seemed to contract; his face took

on an insane expression. It was ghastly pale, but his eyes ware aflame.

His arms stretched out with grim realism as he told of the death of

Almeric Tarboe.

"You've got the whole truth, m'sieu'. I've told it you at last. I've

never been sorry for killing him--never--never--never. Now, what are you

going to do about it--you--his brother--you that come here making love

too?"

As the truth dawned upon Tarboe, his great figure stretched itself. A

black spirit possessed him.

When Denzil had finished, Tarboe stood up. There was dementia, cruelty,

stark purpose in his eyes, in every movement.

"What am I going to do? You killed my brother! Well, I'm going to kill

you. God blast your soul--I'm going to kill you!"

He suddenly swooped upon Denzil, his fingers clenched about the thick

throat, insane rage was on him.

At that moment there was a knock at the door, it opened, and Carnac

stepped inside. He realized the situation and rushed forward. There was

no time to struggle.

"Let him go," he cried. "You devil--let him go." Then with all his might,

he struck Tarboe in the face. The blow brought understanding back to

Tarboe. His fingers loosed from the Frenchman's throat, and Carnac caught

Denzil as he fell backwards.

"Good God!" said Carnac. "Good God, Tarboe! Wasn't it enough for your

brother to take this man's love without your trying to take his life?"

Carnac's blow brought conviction to Tarboe, whose terrible rage passed

away. He wiped the blood from his face.

"Is the little devil all right?" he whispered.

Denzil spoke: "Yes. This is the second time M'sieu' Carnac has saved my

life."

Carnac intervened. "Tell me, Tarboe, what shall you do, now you know the

truth?"

At last Tarboe thrust out a hand. "I don't know the truth," he said.

By this Carnac knew that Denzil was safe from the law.