The Blue Castle √ (Project K.)

Chapter 18

Valancy was acquainted with Barney by now--well acquainted, it seemed, though she had spoken to him only a few times. But then she had felt just as well acquainted with him the first time they had met. She had been in the garden at twilight, hunting for a few stalks of white narcissus for Cissy's room when she heard that terrible old Grey Slosson coming down through the woods from Mistawis--one could hear it miles away. Valancy did not look up as it drew near, thumping over the rocks in that crazy lane. She had never looked up, though Barney had gone racketting past every evening since she had been at Roaring Abel's. This time he did not racket past. The old Grey Slosson stopped with even more terrible noises than it made going. Valancy was conscious that Barney had sprung from it and was leaning over the ramshackle gate. She suddenly straightened up and looked into his face. Their eyes met--Valancy was suddenly conscious of a delicious weakness. Was one of her heart attacks coming on?--But this was a new symptom.

His eyes, which she had always thought brown, now seen close, were deep violet--translucent and intense. Neither of his eyebrows looked like the other. He was thin--too thin--she wished she could feed him up a bit--she wished she could sew the buttons on his coat--and make him cut his hair--and shave every day. There was something in his face--one hardly knew what it was. Tiredness? Sadness? Disillusionment? He had dimples in his thin cheeks when he smiled. All these thoughts flashed through Valancy's mind in that one moment while his eyes looked into hers.

"Good-evening, Miss Stirling."

Nothing could be more commonplace and conventional. Any one might have said it. But Barney Snaith had a way of saying things that gave them poignancy. When he said good-evening you felt that it was a good evening and that it was partly his doing that it was. Also, you felt that some of the credit was yours. Valancy felt all this vaguely, but she couldn't imagine why she was trembling from head to foot--it must be her heart. If only he didn't notice it!

"I'm going over to the Port," Barney was saying. "Can I acquire merit by getting or doing anything there for you or Cissy?"

"Will you get some salt codfish for us?" said Valancy. It was the only thing she could think of. Roaring Abel had expressed a desire that day for a dinner of boiled salt codfish. When her knights came riding to the Blue Castle, Valancy had sent them on many a quest, but she had never asked any of them to get her salt codfish.

"Certainly. You're sure there's nothing else? Lots of room in Lady Jane Grey Slosson. And she always gets back some time, does Lady Jane."

"I don't think there's anything more," said Valancy. She knew he would bring oranges for Cissy anyhow--he always did.

Barney did not turn away at once. He was silent for a little. Then he said, slowly and whimsically:

"Miss Stirling, you're a brick! You're a whole cartload of bricks. To come here and look after Cissy--under the circumstances."

"There's nothing so bricky about that," said Valancy. "I'd nothing else to do. And--I like it here. I don't feel as if I'd done anything specially meritorious. Mr. Gay is paying me fair wages. I never earned any money before--and I like it." It seemed so easy to talk to Barney Snaith, someway--this terrible Barney Snaith of the lurid tales and mysterious past--as easy and natural as if talking to herself.

"All the money in the world couldn't buy what you're doing for Cissy Gay," said Barney. "It's splendid and fine of you. And if there's anything I can do to help you in any way, you have only to let me know. If Roaring Abel ever tries to annoy you--"

"He doesn't. He's lovely to me. I like Roaring Abel," said Valancy frankly.

"So do I. But there's one stage of his drunkenness--perhaps you haven't encountered it yet--when he sings ribald songs--"