"Are there combinations of five?"
"Not that I can see."
"Are there combinations of less than five?"
"There may be. There are certainly."
"Then why on earth don't you begin by reducing the biliteral cipher tothe lowest dimensions you can manage? You may light on something thatway."
A light began to dawn upon me, and I determined that my task--so soon asmy friends had left Cruden--would be to reduce Bacon's biliteral. It waswith genuine admiration for her suggestion that I answered Miss Anita:
"Your woman's intuition is quicker than my man's ratiocination. 'I shallin all my best obey you, Madam!'" She painted away steadily for sometime. I was looking at her, covertly but steadily when an odd flash ofmemory came to me; without thinking I spoke:
"When I first saw you, as you and Mrs. Jack stood on the rock, and awaybeyond you the rocks were all fringed with foam, your head looked asif it was decked with flowers." For a moment or two she paused beforeasking:
"What kind of flowers?"
Once again in our brief acquaintance I stood on guard. There wassomething in her voice which made me pause. It made my brain whirl, too,but there was a note of warning. At this time, God knows, I did not wantany spurring. I was head over heels in love with the girl, and my onlyfear was lest by precipitancy I should spoil it all. Not for the wideworld would I have cancelled the hopes that were dawning in me andfilling me with a feverish anxiety. I could not help a sort of satisfiedfeeling as I answered:
"White flowers!"
"Oh!" she said impulsively, and then with a blush continued, paintinghard as she spoke:
"That is what they put on the dead! I see!" This was a counter-strokewith a vengeance. It would not do to let it pass so I added:
"There is another 'first-column' function also in which white flowersare used. Besides, they don't put flowers on the head of corpses."
"Of whom then?" The note of warning sounded again in the meekness of thevoice. But I did not heed it. I did not want to heed it. I answered:
"Of Brides!" She made no reply--in words. She simply raised her eyes andsent one flashing glance through me, and then went on with her work.That glance was to a certain degree encouragement; but it was to a muchgreater degree dangerous, for it was full of warning. Although my brainwas whirling, I kept my head and let her change the conversation withwhat meekness I could.
We accordingly went back to the cipher. She asked me many questions, andI promised to show her the secret writings when we should go back to thehotel. Here she struck in:
"We have ordered dinner at the hotel; and you are to dine with us." Itried not to tremble as I answered:
"I shall be delighted."
"And now," she said "if we are to have lunch here to-day we had bettergo and wake Mrs. Jack. See! the tide has been rising all the time wehave been talking. It is time to feed the animals."
Mrs. Jack was surprised when we wakened her; but she too was ready forlunch. We enjoyed the meal hugely.
At half-tide the Hay boys came back. Miss Anita thought that there wasenough work for them both in carrying the basket and helping Mrs. Jackback to the carriage. "You will be able to row all right, will you not?"she said, turning to me. "You know the way now and can steer. I shallnot be afraid!"
When we were well out beyond the rock and could see the figures of Mrs.Jack and the boys getting further away each step, I took my courage inboth hands; I was getting reckless now, and said to her:
"When a man is very anxious about a thing, and is afraid that just foromitting to say what he would like to say, he may lose something that hewould give all the rest of the world to have a chance of getting--do--doyou think he should remain silent?" I could see that she, too, couldrealise a note of warning. There was a primness and a want of the usualreality in her voice as she answered me:
"Silence, they say, is golden." I laughed with a dash of bitternesswhich I could not help feeling as I replied:
"Then in this world the gold of true happiness is only for the dumb!"she said nothing but looked out with a sort of steadfast introspectiveeagerness over the million flashing diamonds of the sea; I rowed on withall my strength, glad to let go on something. Presently she turned tome, and with all the lambency of her spirit in her face, said with asweetness which tingled through me:
"Are you not rowing too hard? You seem anxious to get to Whinnyfold. Ifear we shall be there too soon. There is no hurry; we shall meet theothers there in good time. Had you not better keep outside the dangerousrocks. There is not a sail in sight; not one, so far as I know, over thewhole horizon, so you need not fear any collision. Remember, I do notadvise you to cease rowing; for, after all, the current may bear usaway if we are merely passive. But row easily; and we may reach theharbour safely and in good time!"
Her speech filled me with a flood of feeling which has no name. It wasnot love; it was not respect; it was not worship; it was not, gratitude.But it was compounded of them all. I had been of late studying secretwriting so earnestly that there was now a possible secret meaning ineverything I read. But oh! the poverty of written words beside thegracious richness of speech! No man who had a heart to feel or a brainto understand could have mistaken her meaning. She gave warning, andhope, and courage, and advice; all that wife could give husband, orfriend give friend. I only looked at her, and without a word held out myhand. She placed hers in it frankly; for a brief, blissful moment mysoul was at one with the brightness of sea and sky.
There, in the very spot where I had seen Lauchlane Macleod go down intothe deep, my own life took a new being.
CHAPTER XI