The Pagan Madonna - Page 125/141

"Why did he run away?" asked Jane.

"No man can tell another man; a man has to find it out for himself--the

difference between a good woman and a bad one."

"I play that statement to win," interposed Cunningham without opening his

eyes.

"There was a woman?" said Jane.

"A bad one. Pretty and clever as sin. My fault. I should have sent him to

college where he'd have got at least a glimmer of life. But I kept him

under the tutor until the thing happened. He thought he was in love, when

it was only his first woman. She wanted his money--or, more properly

speaking, mine. I had her investigated and found that she was bad all

through. When I told him boldly what she was he called me a liar. I struck

him across the mouth, and he promptly knocked me down."

"Pretty good punch for a youngster," was Cunningham's comment.

"It was," replied Cleigh, grimly. "He went directly to his room, packed,

and cleared out. In that he acted wisely, for at that moment I would have

cast him out had he come with an apology. But the following day I could

not find him; nor did I get track of him until weeks later. He had married

the woman and then found her out. That's all cleared off the slate,

though. She's been married and divorced three times since then."

"Did you expect to see him over here?"

"In Shanghai? No. The sight of him rather knocked me about. You

understand? It was his place to make the first sign. He was in the wrong,

and he has known it all these seven years."

"No," said Jane, "it was your place to make the first advance. If you had

been a comrade to him in his boyhood he would never have been in the

wrong."

"But I gave him everything!"

"Everything but love. Did you ever tell him a fairy story?"

"A fairy story!" Cleigh's face was the essence of bewilderment.

"You put him in the care of a lovable old dreamer, and then expected him

to accept life as you knew it."

Cleigh rumpled his cowlicks. A fairy story? But that was nonsense! Fairy

stories had long since gone out of fashion.

"When I saw you two together an idea popped into my head. But do you care

for the boy?"

"I care everything for him--or I shouldn't be here!"