Bob Hampton of Placer - Page 129/205

Unkind as the Fates had proved to Brant earlier in the day, they

relented somewhat as the sun rose higher, and consented to lead him to

far happier scenes. There is a rare fortune which seems to pilot

lovers aright, even when they are most blind to the road, and the young

soldier was now most truly a lover groping through the mists of doubt

and despair.

It was no claim of military duty which compelled him to relinquish Miss

Spencer so promptly at the hotel door, but rather a desire to escape

her ceaseless chatter and gain retirement where he could reflect in

quiet over the revelations of Hampton. In this quest he rode slowly up

the valley of the Bear Water, through the bright sunshine, the rare

beauty of the scene scarcely leaving the slightest impress on his mind,

so busy was it, and so preoccupied. He no longer had any doubt that

Hampton had utilized his advantageous position, as well as his

remarkable powers of pleasing, to ensnare the susceptible heart of this

young, confiding girl. While the man had advanced no direct claim, he

had said enough to make perfectly clear the close intimacy of their

relation and the existence of a definite understanding between them.

With this recognized as a fact, was he justified in endeavoring to win

Naida Gillis for himself? That the girl would find continued happiness

with such a man as Hampton he did not for a moment believe possible;

that she had been deliberately deceived regarding his true character he

felt no doubt. The fellow had impressed her by means of his

picturesque personality, his cool, dominating manner, his veneer of

refinement; he had presumed on her natural gratitude, her girlish

susceptibility, her slight knowledge of the world, to worm his way into

her confidence, perhaps even to inspire love. These probabilities, as

Brant understood them, only served to render him more ardent in his

quest, more eager to test his strength in the contest for a prize so

well worth the winning. He acknowledged no right that such a man as

Hampton could justly hold over so innocent and trustful a heart. The

girl was morally so far above him as to make his very touch a

profanation, and at the unbidden thought of it, the soldier vowed to

oppose such an unholy consummation. Nor did he, even then, utterly

despair of winning, for he recalled afresh the intimacy of their few

past meetings, his face brightening in memory of this and that brief

word or shy glance. There is a voiceless language of love which a

lover alone can interpret, and Brant rode on slowly, deciphering its

messages, and attaining new courage with every step of his horse.