Hereupon Jack sighed and ruffled up his wig, while Bentley, lying back in his chair, nodded up at the ceiling, and as for myself I stared down at the floor, lost in sombre thought.
"Well," exclaimed Jack at last, "what the devil are you shaking your heads over? Had you aided me just now instead of sitting there mumchance like two graven images--say like two accursed graven images--"
"Why," retorted Bentley, "didn't I say--"
"Say," cries Jack, "no sooner did you clap eyes on her than it's 'My sweet lass!' 'My pretty maid!' and such toys! And after all your talk of being 'harsh to be kind!' Oh, a cursed nice mess you've made on't betwixt you. Lord knows I tried to do my best--"
"To be sure," nodded Bentley, "'Come let me straighten your wig' says she, and there you sat like--egad, like a furious lamb!"
"Jack and Bentley," says I, "'tis time we realized that our Pen's a woman grown and we--old men, though it seems but yesterday we were boys together at Charterhouse. But the years have slipped away, as years will, and everything is changed but our friendship. As we, in those early days lived, and fought, and worked together, so we loved together, and she--chose Jack. And because of our love, her choice was ours also. And in a little while she died, but left us Pen--to comfort Jack if such might be, and to be our little maid. Each day she hath grown more like to what her sweet mother was, and so we have loved her--very dearly until--to-day we have waked to find our little maid a woman grown--to think, and act, and choose for herself, and we--old men."
And so I sighed, and rising crossed to the window and stood there awhile.
"Lord!" says Bentley at last, "how the years do gallop upon a man!"
"Aye!" sighed Jack, "I never felt my age till now."
"Nor I!" added Bentley.
"And now," says Jack, "what of Raikes; have you seen aught of him lately?"
"No, Jack."
"But I met Hammersley this morning," says Bentley, "and he was anxious to know when the--the--"
"Meeting was likely to take place?" put in Jack, as he paused; "Purdy tells me I shan't be able to use this foot of mine for a month or more."
"That will put it near Christmas," added Bentley.