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Page 92
Lloyd rose to her feet.
"You may draw on me for the amount," she said quietly.
Garlock uncrossed his legs and sat up abruptly in the deep-seated chair.
Tremlidge screwed his monocle into his eye and stared, while Campbell
turned about sharply at the sound of Lloyd's voice with a murmur of
astonishment. Bennett alone did not move. As before, he leaned heavily
against the mantelpiece, his hands in his pockets, his head and his huge
shoulders a little bent. Only from under his thick, knotted frown he
shot a swift glance toward his wife. Lloyd paid no attention to the
others. After that one quiet movement that had brought her to her feet
she remained motionless and erect, her hands hanging straight at her
sides, the colour slowly mounting to her cheeks. She met Bennett's
glance and held it steadily, calmly, looking straight into his eyes. She
said no word, but all her love for him, all her hopes of him, all the
fine, strong resolve that, come what would, his career should not be
broken, his ambition should not faint through any weakness of hers, all
her eager sympathy for his great work, all her strong, womanly
encouragement for him to accomplish his destiny spoke to him, and called
to him in that long, earnest look of her dull-blue eyes. Now she was no
longer weak; now she could face the dreary consequences that, for her,
must follow the rousing of his dormant energy; now was no longer the
time for indirect appeal; the screen was down between them. More
eloquent than any spoken words was the calm, steady gaze in which she
held his own.
There was a long silence while husband and wife stood looking deep into
each other's eyes. And then, as a certain slow kindling took place in
his look, Lloyd saw that at last Bennett _understood_.
After that the conference broke up rapidly. Campbell, as the head and
spokesman of the committee, noted the long, significant glance that had
passed between Bennett and Lloyd, and, perhaps, vaguely divined that he
had touched upon a matter of a particularly delicate and intimate
nature. Something was in the air, something was passing between husband
and wife in which the outside world had no concern--something not meant
for him to see. He brought the interview to an end as quickly as
possible. He begged of Bennett to consider this talk as a mere
preliminary--a breaking of the ground. He would give Bennett time to
think it over. Speaking for himself and the others, he was deeply
impressed with that generous offer to meet the unexpected deficiency,
but it had been made upon the spur of the moment. No doubt Mr. Bennett
and his wife would wish to talk it over between themselves, to consider
the whole matter. The committee temporarily had its headquarters in his
(Campbell's) offices. He left Bennett the address. He would await his
decision and answer there.
When the conference ended Bennett accompanied the members of the
committee downstairs and to the front door of the house. The three had,
with thanks and excuses, declined all invitations to dine at Medford
with Bennett and his wife. They could conveniently catch the next train
back to the City; Campbell and Tremlidge were in a hurry to return to
their respective businesses.
The front gate closed. Bennett was left alone. He shut the front door of
the house, and for an instant stood leaning against it, his small eyes
twinkling under his frown, his glance straying aimlessly about amid the
familiar objects of the hallway and adjoining rooms. He was thoughtful,
perturbed, tugging slowly at the ends of his mustache. Slowly he
ascended the stairs, gaining the landing on the second floor and going
on toward the half-open door of the "workroom" he had just quitted.
Lloyd was uppermost in his mind. He wanted her, his wife, and that at
once. He was conscious that a great thing had suddenly transpired; that
all the calm and infinitely happy life of the last year was ruthlessly
broken up; but in his mind there was nothing more definite, nothing
stronger than the thought of his wife and the desire for her
companionship and advice.
He came into the "workroom," closing the door behind him with his heel,
his hands deep in his pockets. Lloyd was still there, standing opposite
him as he entered. She hardly seemed to have moved while he had been
gone. They did not immediately speak. Once more their eyes met. Then at
length:
"Well, Lloyd?"
"Well, my husband?"
Bennett was about to answer--what, he hardly knew; but at that moment
there was a diversion.
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