"It is Mrs. Whiteoak!" she called out.
The door opened and he stood there, in shirt and trousers but barefoot. He said, in his soft voice:
"Come in, Missis. My boss he want to see you. You wait here and I bring him. You go inside and shut the door".
She entered the house. Tite’s copy-book was open on the table. He had been at work, the ink was still wet on his laborious pot-hooks. Her heart was warm with pity for Wilmott as she looked about the room where he had made himself so comfortable, so mentally at ease. It was very tidy. Try as he might he would never shake off the punctilious habits inflicted on him by that wife. He came quickly into the room and closed the door behind him. He looked pale and his eyes were heavy.
"You have not slept either", she said.
"I did not trouble to go to bed. But I’m sorry you should lie awake on my account. After all, we have jumped to a conclusion. There might conceivably be another Mrs. Wilmott-one who would be welcomed by her husband". He smiled grimly. "I must try to find out more particulars from Miss Vaughan. Yesterday my mind refused to work. I was as near to panic as I have ever been".
"I’m afraid you have reason for it", she said. "When I had Daisy to myself I brought up the matter again and found that the Mrs. Wilmott she met came from the very part of London you lived in. She was pretty, too-very neat in appearance, Daisy said, but rather precise in her speech, with a high-pitched voice and a little quirk at the corner of her mouth".
"My God", he exclaimed, "you’ll have the girl suspicious!"
"I don’t think so. Anyhow, we had to make certain. I think we can be certain, don’t you?"
"My wife will never rest till she finds me!" he exclaimed. He looked wildly about the room.
"Don’t look so desperate".
"I am desperate. I tell you, Adeline, I will not live with my wife again. I’ll hang myself from one of these rafters first!"
"She must not find you".
"She will find me! You don’t know her. I tell you she’s indefatigable. Nothing will stop her".
"You tell me this", cried Adeline. "Yet you took passage to Canada without changing your name! You lived in Quebec under your own name! What did you expect?"
He spoke more calmly. "I thought she would abide by my decision".
"Was that her habit?"
"Don’t be sarcastic, Adeline. I left her well provided for. She had the child. Why should she follow me?"
"Oh, listen to the man!" Adeline folded her arms to imprison her exasperation. "Oh, the innocence! It is no wonder she is seeking you, James. For what a blank you have left in her life! How can she be herself without you there to badger and to hector and harass? God help her, she is like a waterfall with nothing to fall over!"
"Well, she won’t have me! I shall clear out. To think that she may walk in here at any moment! Did she mention a child?"
"Yes, she spoke of her daughter, who had mumps on the voyage out".
Wilmott’s face showed no fatherly concern at this news.
"Is the girl like her mother?" asked Adeline.
"No, but she is absolutely under her influence".
"Who wouldn’t be?" exclaimed Adeline. "Who could live in the same house with such a woman and not be under her influence? You couldn’t, James".
"I kept my secret hidden from her all those years", he said grimly. "My secret intention to leave her".
"You did well. What have you told Tite?"
"That I may be going away".
She swept to him and took his head between her hands. She looked compellingly into his eyes. "You shall not go!" she said.
He drew violently away from her. "Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me-I love you too well! I have to keep telling myself that Philip is my friend".
"We must take Philip into our confidence". Her hands had dropped to her sides as though they had not touched him. She looked at him calmly. "We must tell him all. He and I will go to the town and see if we can find out where your wife is. It’s just as you say, she’s had plenty of time to follow you here".
"What will Philip think of me?"
"He’ll be on your side. You have impoverished yourself for her. You can’t deliver over your body to her. What man would expect you to? Not Philip!"
"I wish it were not necessary to tell him".
"Tell him yourself. As man to man you’ll make him understand".
"If anyone can do that, you can, Adeline".
She smiled. "Oh, I might do it too well".
"What do you mean by that?"
"I get carried away. I might make the situation too melodramatic. Philip might want to keep out of it. I’ll send him to you. You shall tell him in your own dignified way".
"I still think it would be better for me to leave".
"There is no need for that", she declared. "I shall tell the woman you are dead".
Wilmott gave a sardonic laugh. "She’ll never believe you", he said.
Adeline’s eyes were blazing when she turned on him. "Not believe me!" she cried. "If I can’t convince a flibbertigibbet like that, my name is not Adeline Whiteoak!" She took his hand, as though sealing a compact. Then she went to the door. "To think", she said, "that Henrietta may walk up this path at any moment!"
Then she showed her white teeth in a mischievous smile and added: "Leave Henrietta to me".
Wilmott stood looking at the russet plaits of her hair beneath the little velvet hat, and the intimate grace of her nape as it melted into her shoulder. It was hard for him to believe in the existence of Henrietta.
"The first thing is to find Philip", she said finally, "and to send him here to you".
"My God, what an interview!"
He went with her to where the horse was tethered, and helped her to mount. "Everything will be all right", she called back to him as she rode away.
She was half-way to Jalna when she saw a carriage approaching. It was of the type hired out by livery stables and drawn by a pair of lean horses. She saw that a woman and a young girl were in the seat behind the driver.
Adeline’s heart began to thud rapidly against her side, but she hastened forward. As she passed the dust-covered carriage she took a good look at the occupants.
The driver wore a shabby livery and weather-beaten top-hat. He had a harassed, almost a plaintive look. He was comforting himself by chewing tobacco, a trickle from which discoloured his chin. Behind him, very upright on the uncomfortable seat, sat a smallish fresh-coloured woman. She was pretty and self-possessed, looking young to be the mother of the lumpish girl at her side. She gave Adeline a keen look, then leaned forward and poked the driver in the back.
"Stop the horses", she commanded.
Either from stupidity or self-will he continued on his way, his eyes fixed on the flies that buzzed above the heads of the horses, moving with them in a horrid halo.
Mrs. Wilmott poked him again but more fiercely.
"I shall certainly complain of you to your master", she declared. "You are the stupidest man I have ever seen. Stop the horses and try to attract that lady’s attention!"
The driver gave her a lowering look over his shoulder. "Did you say master?" he growled. "We don’t call no one master in this country. This here country is a free country. But if you want me to holler to the lady, I will".
He gave a loud bellow of, "Hi there, Ma’am! You’re wanted!"
His horses had not required any order to stop but now made as though to go into the ditch where they saw the long grass. He wrenched at the reins. "Whoa", he bellowed. "Stay on the road, can’t you? It’s bad enough to traipse all over the countryside without you pullin’ the arms off me!" The horses, with hanging heads, settled down to wait.