Cost Price (30 page)

As though to confirm this conclusion, the parrot made the noise he had made the day before, on reaching the yacht. This was a new one on the Customs, who laughed so much and so long that I had to laugh myself.

“You see?” said Jenny. “We must get him out of that cage.”

I took off my coat and threw it over the cage.

“Into the car, sweetheart. I think I know of a shop. We’ll go there at once.”

I drove, with Bell beside me, gingerly holding the parrot upon his knees. And twenty minutes later, the parrot had a new home.

The bird was so much overcome by his new estate that he wasted no time upon words, but clambered all over his residence, proving the swing and the bars and tasting the seed and the water and treading the sand.

“There you are,” said Jenny. “What did I say?”

“You may be right, my darling. I’m not so sure. It’s a nice, new home, and he isn’t used to it yet. I think, when he’s settled down, the power of speech may return.”

“Anyway, it’s worth it, to see the poor bird so pleased.”

“There,” said Colette, “I am with you. This passes his comprehension. It touches the heart to see his delight in that swing.”

I confess I was bound to agree. The parrot’s pleasure was pathetic. Gurgling with laughter, he pushed the swing to and fro; and then he clambered within it and crowed with delight. The cage, which had cost four pounds, was cheap at the price.

Then I drove to The Heart of Gold. And there were Mansel and Jasper, waiting to welcome us in.

It was a great reunion, for Mansel adored Jenny, and Jasper worshipped Colette. Colette presented Jasper, who bowed over Jenny’s hand, but Jenny took his arm and made him walk with her while she spoke of Colette. What she said, I do not know, but Jasper’s face was transfigured when they came back. Then we all sat down in the garden, and Mansel called for wine. And, as though to round our pleasure, a telegram came from Palin to say that he hoped to arrive that evening at nine o’clock.

“We shall be gone,” said Mansel, “for we must be aboard by eight. But I’ll leave a note for him.”

“And so will I,” said Jenny. “Give me some paper, William. I’ll write it now.”

And so she did, showing it to me as she wrote it and asking if I approved.

Dear Andrew,

I know you will make Colette happy. If you would like to make me happy, too, please bring her to stay at Maintenance very soon. I am very fond of her, and I think she is fond of me.

Our best love to you both,

Jenny Chandos.

Then she covered the letter and sealed it up.

Mansel glanced at his watch.

“It’s now past twelve,” he said, “and Jenny, Colette and Bell should be getting back. I want Jasper to see the yacht, and he’s promised to go aboard at half past three. At five o’clock Colette and he will come off and will come back here. I’m sorry to be so dictatorial, but all our movements today must be made to time.”

“Sir,” said Jasper, “you command my great admiration. You have the brain and the way of a Chief of Staff.”

Five minutes later we were again in the car. And Bell and the parrot with us.

It would not be true to say that when we reached the quay we were greeted with cheers; but the moment they saw the car, the Customs began to grin and one of them ran for the others who were in some shed.

The pinnace was at the steps, so we wasted no time. But the parrot was not the bird to let a good audience down. As I handed Jenny aboard—

“
Pas de
—!” he screamed. And then again, “
Pas de
—!”

The sentiment was laudable. Of that there can be no doubt. He who cries ‘No nonsense!’ deserves to be commended, rather than blamed. The trouble was that the word he used was not ‘nonsense’. It was a word which Christians are not supposed to use – and to say that the Customs ‘ate’ it, is less than true.

It was his Parthian shaft. He had kept the good wine until now.

All the same, I was not ungrateful. The cage was a fearful weight – and the Customs were helpless for mirth.

Colette’s face was flaming, and two red spots were burning in Jenny’s cheeks.

As I handed the cage to Bell—

“You’re a wicked bird,” said Jenny. “You did it on purpose, because you knew they were waiting to hear what you’d say. Directly you get on board you’re going to be covered up. And so you’ll stay till tomorrow.”

I must confess that the parrot looked something abashed. And then the pinnace went off, with its precious freight.

That summer afternoon was one of the very longest I ever knew.

When Jasper had left with Carson about a quarter past three, Time seemed to slow to a standstill, and more than once I thought that my watch had stopped. Of such is the hell of waiting, when you can do nothing else…when Time is arrayed against you, and can, if your enemy knows it, be used to bring you down.

It was oppressively hot, and Mansel and I sat out in the little courtyard, smoking and drinking beer and hardly exchanging a word. We were very nearly home. But I knew I should not be easy, until we were on the high seas. Neither would Mansel. Within the three-mile limit, the yacht could be stopped.

There was little enough to fear. We had flown the last of our fences and flown it well. And now we were in the straight. But we were not home. And Carson had lately reported that there were now two policemen watching the inn. It is when you are almost home that the slightest risk increases in menace and stature, and peril is magnified.

I was to go aboard first, for we did not know how much the Italians knew; and for us to be seen together might verify some report. So I was to take my leave, as soon as Colette and Jasper returned to The Heart of Gold.

And then, at last, some clock chimed a quarter past five.

“Any minute now,” said Mansel. “You’ll leave in a quarter of an hour. Send the pinnace for us at seven o’clock. We may be a little while, for they’ll probably comb my baggage as they combed yours. But try not to worry, William. It’s going to be quite all right.”

“Those wallahs outside,” I said. “When they see you leaving with luggage–”

“They won’t,” said Mansel. “I thought of that yesterday morning, before the police came on. While you were aboard, Carson took it off to the station and parked it there. And he’s not coming back to the inn. When he’s driven you down to the quay, he will return the car. And he will meet me at the station at six forty-five. From there we shall take a taxi down to the quay.”

I sighed.

“Talk about staff work…You do deserve to win. If you’re not aboard by eight, I shall come ashore.”

Mansel set a hand on my shoulder.

“No, my faithful William. I had to leave you, and now you may have to leave me. Whether or no I’m on board, the yacht will weigh anchor at eight. Those are the Captain’s orders, and he will carry them out.
And you must stay with the gems
. It’s about a hundred to one that I shall fetch up. But, if I don’t – well, they can do nothing to me. They
have
got something on you, for you have forced a frontier and flattened a Boche. But they have nothing on me. They can make me miss the boat, but that is all they can do. And if they do that – well, I shall be in England before you and shall come aboard at Fowey instead of Trieste.”

And there Colette and Jasper came into the court.

“Come, Jasper,” said Mansel, rising. “I want to talk to you.”

As they left the courtyard, I turned to Colette.

“Well, my sweet, are you happy?”

“I have never been so happy in all my life. And I owe it all to you, Adam.”

“Don’t be absurd. You owe it all to yourself.”

“I am not absurd,” cried Colette. “Except that I found you, I have done nothing at all. But you have taken my hand and raised me to your estate. I know very well that I am a daw among peacocks–”

“Colette, my beauty, I cannot stay here and listen to talk like this. Please believe that it hurts me. And it is not fair to Andrew, who loves you so well. Think what you please of yourself, but remember this. Andrew Palin would never marry beneath him – he is not of that kind. You do not know who your father and mother were: but I think they must both be rejoicing to see their daughter taking her rightful place,”

Colette raised her eyes to mine: her lovely face was transfigured by some most powerful emotion, I could not share: her parted lips were trembling; her eyes were brimming with tears.

“I do not know which I love best – you, my darling, or Eve.”

I drew her into my arms.

“I knew you two would get on.”

“Adam, Adam, you never told me the half. I know I have named her rightly, for she belongs to Paradise, body and soul. Once you called me a nymph, but she is the goddess to whom the nymphs belong. We talked till two this morning, and all about you.”

“My God,” said I. “Were you stuck as fast as that?”

“Why not?” said Colette. “You are the biggest thing in both of our lives.”

I held her off.

“Colette,” I said, “you are going to marry Andrew – a very good friend of mine and one of the best of men. He will make you a splendid husband, and you will make him an equally splendid wife. When you know him as you know me, you will see the truth of my words. God forbid that you should endure together what you and I endured a fortnight or so ago. But together you will encounter the rough as well as the smooth: and it is sharing the rough that ties men and women together – ties them more tightly together than a lifetime of halcyon days.”

“But I loved you before,” said Colette. “That was why I went.”

So much for my homily. But I never could argue with women – I have not the art.

I took a deep breath.

“I must be going, sweetheart. I think, perhaps, I shall see you before very long. And then you will be Mrs Palin, and–”

“No, no. Just Colette. And you will always be Adam: and Eve will always be Eve…She – she said I was to kiss you, my darling, with all her heart and mine.”

I bent my head, and her arms went about my neck.

“Say it once more,” she breathed: “once more, my very darling, and never again.”

“Light of my eyes,” I whispered, and wondered what I had done to be honoured like this.

Then I went off to find Jasper and bid that good man good-bye.

With my hand in his—

“It was a good day for us, sir, when we found you asleep in the greenwood a month ago.”

I smiled.

“It was a good day for me.”

“Of that, I am not so sure. Never mind. I want you to know precisely what you have done for me. You have reached me down the moon and have given it into my hands. I have never cried for it, sir: but I have longed for it for the last ten years – an idle thing to do, for strolling players have nothing to do with moons. And then you gave it to me. In a word, you have raised Colette to her proper place. I have no words to thank you – I know that you want no thanks. But now I can live and die happy, because I have seen my darling come by her own.”

“Let us put it like this,” said I. “No one of us three, by himself, could reach the moon. But I climbed on to your shoulders, and then Colette climbed up and stood upon mine. And so she was able to reach it and give it into your hands.”

Twenty minutes later, I was again on board.

Jenny was standing beside me, and I was watching the quay with my binocular.

“There they are,” I said. “The taxi’s just come to rest…Mansel is paying the man, and the Customs are telling the porters to take the luggage away… They’re taking it into a shed: Carson is going with it, and Mansel is strolling behind…They’re out of sight now.” I laid the binocular down. “I don’t see how they can waste more than a quarter of an hour.”

A slim arm slid within mine.

“Come and walk, my darling. It’s better than standing here.”

For twenty minutes we strolled the deck of the yacht and Jenny made me tell her some of my tale again. She found the scene in the barn as moving as any other – except of course, the battle I had with the torrent, to save my life. And I think, perhaps, she was right, for when I was in the barn, I was badly placed. Tired as I was, I had to work very hard and, while I was working, to watch two desperate men. The car was outside, to give our presence away. Any moment the police might have entered, and found me with the gems in my hands – and Friar lying dead in the waggon, for what that was worth. But the very finger of Fortune was on my shoulder that day.

“Poor Sloper,” said Jenny. “I’m sorry he lost his life.”

“So am I,” said I. “He was a merry rogue; he was very decent to me; and he was faithful to death. But if he hadn’t died and if he’d kept up with Orris, it’s very much more than likely that they would have got me down.”

“That’s right. He had to die, if you were to live. But I’m glad you didn’t do it. Just look at the lives, my darling, these gems have cost. Three, five years ago, and now four more. You know, it was a shame about Goat.”

“My sweet,” I said, “I couldn’t agree with you more. Friar will not be forgiven for putting Goat down. Goat was in his service – and had no reason to think that his master was going to strike. It was a cold-blooded murder, done to suit Friar’s convenience: and Friar thought no more of it than you or I would think of stopping a passing car, to ask for a lift.”

“I’m glad he’s dead,” said Jenny.

“So am I. I’m sorry I had to do it, but he was a dangerous man. And did he want those gems? But his staff-work was very bad. That very first night he posted no sentinel. And Punter had told him and Palin had actually shown him what he was up against: yet he brought no planks or trestles to build a stage.” I broke off, to glance at my watch. “My God, it’s half past seven. They ought to be here by now.”

I hastened to where I had laid the fieldglasses down.

These showed me the pinnace, waiting at the foot of the steps: but Mansel was not to be seen, and only one Customs Officer lounged on the quay.

Another ten minutes dragged by, while I kept using my glasses and laying them down: and Jenny stood beside me, her eyes on the distant quay.

“There’s somebody coming, William.”