Lonesome Road

Rachel interrupted him.

“This is nonsense. Gale Brandon saved my life.”

He looked at her with compassion.

“You don’t know very much about him, do you? You haven’t known him very long. Are you sure you even know his real name?”

“His name is Brandon.”

“Or Brent,” said Cosmo Frith. And then, as Rachel stared, “Your father had a partner by the name of Brent, hadn’t he?”

“Cosmo!”

“You have been trying to find this partner or his son, haven’t you, ever since my uncle died? The father’s name was Sterling Brent. The son was only a child when his father was your father’s partner-about five or six years old, I believe, and everyone called him So

“How do you know?” said Rachel. “Father looked for the Brents, and I’ve looked for them. We made sure that Sterling Brent was dead, but we went on looking for the child. How do you know that his name was Gale? Because that has been one of the difficulties-no one knew his name. My father, Na

There was a fluctuating color in her cheek. Her eyes were bright and restless.

Cosmo nodded.

“Must seem odd. But odd things happen, my dear. I’ll tell you how this one happened. Only a month or two ago I was digging into an old trunk that I’ve had stored since the year one, and there was a packet of letters from your mother to mine. They were very fond of each other, you know. Well, I was going to consign them to the flames. No use keeping old letters. When I saw my own name-and you know how it is, that’s a thing you can’t pass-at least I can’t. So I looked to see what Aunt Emily had got to say about me, and this is what it was: ‘Mr. Brent’s little boy is with us on a visit. They call him So

“Did you keep the letter?” He shook his head.

“I’m afraid not, but that’s what was in it. You may depend upon it this fellow Gale Brandon is Gale Brent all right. Na

“Na

“Oh, he’s been in to see her once or twice, wanting to know when you came, and how long you would stay, and she says she could swear to him. Anyway it’s easily proved, because if he was So

Rachel sat back in her chair.

“You seem to have gone well into it with Na

“Now you’re vexed,” said Cosmo in a rueful voice. “But that doesn’t matter-you can be as angry as you like. Only, my dear, you needn’t be, because it all just came out when we were talking. You know what Na

Rachel said, “He doesn’t hate me.”

“Does he tell you that? Do you believe him? Listen to me, my dear. Who knew you were going to Na

Rachel’s eyes brightened.

“Gale Brandon. And he pushed me over? So far, so good. But why did he pull me up again?”

Cosmo put up a deprecating hand.

“Oh, my dear, can’t you find an answer to that? I’m afraid I can. You had gone over the cliff, but you hadn’t gone the whole way down. You were still alive, and a potential danger to him. He tries to dislodge you by rolling down one of the‘ stones from the broken wall, but it’s so dark he can’t see where you are. And then perhaps something startles him-a footstep, or a light. He may have seen Louisa’s lantern. She says she stood for a time at the top of the path to see whether you were in sight. He may have seen her. He may-I don’t know, but I suppose he may have had a return to sanity. Hatred isn’t sane, you know. It carries a man off his balance, and he does what he does, and then-my dear, I don’t know, but perhaps the sight of Louisa’s lantern may have brought him back. He begins to realize what he has done, he begins to think. Anyone may have seen his car outside the cottage. If you are going to speak and say that you were pushed, he is bound to be suspected. What is he to do? Just what he does do, my dear-be the first to find you, and put himself beyond suspicion by staging a gallant rescue.”

Rachel felt a cold horror which seeped into her mind and numbed it. Amongst all the dreadful things which she had thought of, and to which she had in some horrible way become accustomed, this new thing loomed up and dwarfed them all in horror. Always afterwards she knew how there had come into being that phrase-his heart was wrung. She did actually feel as if a hand had been laid on her heart-had closed upon it-twisted it.

She did not know that every vestige of color had left her face. But Cosmo Frith showed his alarm by coming to her side. He bent over her at first with a hand upon her shoulder. Then, still holding her, he went down upon his knees by the chair.

“My dear, dear Rachel-don’t take it like that! Has he stolen so much of you that you can’t bear to know what he is? You’ve only known him for a few weeks-I’ve loved you all my life. I’ve told you so over and over-perhaps I’ve told you too often. That’s the way of the faithful lover-he’s always there, and so-well, everyone gets used to him. But now, my dear, now-now, when there’s a chance that I can do something for you at last-won’t you let me do it? Won’t you trust me and let me take you out of all this? There are wonderful things that we could do together, wonderful places to see. Forget I’m the cousin you’ve known all your life, or only remember it to think how long I’ve loved you, and to think I’m your lover now and always will be, and that if you will let me I’ll teach you-oh, my dear, I know I can teach you-to love me too.”

Rachel was very deeply moved. This was not the Cosmo with whom she had shared a cousinly past. There was a warmth and an emotion which he had never shown her before. The thought that it was her danger which had evoked it could not fail to call up her own warmest feelings. After the long strain, the imminent terror, the chill of inevitable suspicion, this sense of kinship, kindness and protection was astonishingly grateful. If there had been no Gale Brandon, the moment might have brought Cosmo all he dreamed of. Even twenty-four hours ago he might have had his chance, but the water had gone down stream under yesterday’s bridge since then, and that flow once past returns no more.

Rachel let herself rest against his arm for a moment. Then she drew back and said very kindly indeed,

“Oh, Cosmo dear, I never knew you cared-like that. But-” She felt the jerk of his arm at the word.

“Rachel!”

“Oh, Cosmo dear, I can’t. It isn’t any good. You’re like my brother-you always have been-and I just can’t think of you in any other way.”

He drew back, got up, and walked away.

“Is that your last word?”

“I’m afraid so.”

There was a horrid strained pause. Then the telephone bell rang. Rachel had never been so glad to hear it in all her life. As she went to the writing-table and took up the receiver, Cosmo stopped for a moment beside her and laid his hand upon her arm. He said quite low,