THE LADY OF THE BARGE
AND OTHER STORIES
By W. W. Jacobs
BOOK 4
THE WELL
Two men stood in the billiard-room of an old country house, talking.Play, which had been of a half-hearted nature, was over, and they sat atthe open window, looking out over the park stretching away beneath them,conversing idly.
"Your time's nearly up, Jem," said one at length, "this time six weeksyou'll be yawning out the honeymoon and cursing the man—woman I mean—who invented them."
Jem Benson stretched his long limbs in the chair and grunted in dissent.
"I've never understood it," continued Wilfred Carr, yawning. "It's notin my line at all; I never had enough money for my own wants, let alonefor two. Perhaps if I were as rich as you or Croesus I might regard itdifferently."
There was just sufficient meaning in the latter part of the remark forhis cousin to forbear to reply to it. He continued to gaze out of thewindow and to smoke slowly.
"Not being as rich as Croesus—or you," resumed Carr, regarding him frombeneath lowered lids, "I paddle my own canoe down the stream of Time,and, tying it to my friends' door-posts, go in to eat their dinners."
"Quite Venetian," said Jem Benson, still looking out of the window."It's not a bad thing for you, Wilfred, that you have the doorposts anddinners—and friends."
Carr grunted in his turn. "Seriously though, Jem," he said, slowly,"you're a lucky fellow, a very lucky fellow. If there is a better girlabove ground than Olive, I should like to see her."
"Yes," said the other, quietly.
"She's such an exceptional girl," continued Carr, staring out of thewindow. "She's so good and gentle. She thinks you are a bundle of allthe virtues."
He laughed frankly and joyously, but the other man did not join him."Strong sense—of right and wrong, though," continued Carr, musingly."Do you know, I believe that if she found out that you were not—-"
"Not what?" demanded Benson, turning upon him fiercely, "Not what?"
"Everything that you are," returned his cousin, with a grin that beliedhis words, "I believe she'd drop you."
"Talk about something else," said Benson, slowly; "your pleasantries arenot always in the best taste."
Wilfred Carr rose and taking a cue from the rack, bent over the board andpracticed one or two favourite shots. "The only other subject I can talkabout just at present is my own financial affairs," he said slowly, as hewalked round the table.
"Talk about something else," said Benson again, bluntly.
"And the two things are connected," said Carr, and dropping his cue hehalf sat on the table and eyed his cousin.
There was a long silence. Benson pitched the end of his cigar out of thewindow, and leaning back