II

“I’ve been, I suppose, a very wicked man,” said Simeon Lee.

He was leaning back in his chair. His chin was raised and with one finger he was stroking hisjaw reflectively. In front of him a big fire glowed and danced. Beside it sat Pilar, a little screen ofpapier-m?ché held in her hand. With it she shielded her face from the blaze. Occasionally shefanned herself with it, using her wrist in a supple¹ gesture. Simeon looked at her with satisfaction.

He went on talking, perhaps more to himself than to the girl, and stimulated² by the fact of herpresence.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ve been a wicked man. What do you say to that, Pilar?”

Pilar shrugged³ her shoulders. She said:

“All men are wicked. The nuns⁴ say so. That is why one has to pray for them.”

“Ah, but I’ve been more wicked than most.” Simeon laughed. “I don’t regret it, you know.

No, I don’t regret anything. I’ve enjoyed myself .?.?. every minute! They say you repent⁵ when youget old. That’s bunkum. I don’t repent. And as I tell you, I’ve done most things .?.?. all the goodold sins! I’ve cheated and stolen and lied .?.?. lord, yes! And women—always women! Someonetold me the other day of an Arab chief who had a bodyguard⁶ of forty of his sons—all roughly thesame age! Aha! Forty! I don’t know about forty, but I bet I could produce a very fair bodyguard ifI went about looking for the brats⁸! Hey, Pilar, what do you think of that? Shocked?”

Pilar stared.

“No, why should I be shocked? Men always desire women. My father, too. That is why wivesare so often unhappy and why they go to church and pray.”

Old Simeon was frowning.

“I made Adelaide unhappy,” he said. He spoke⁹ almost under his breath, to himself. “Lord,what a woman! Pink and white and pretty as they make ’em when I married her! And afterwards?

Always wailing¹⁰ and weeping. It rouses the devil in a man when his wife is always crying .?.?.

She’d no guts¹¹, that’s what was the matter with Adelaide. If she’d stood up to me! But she neverdid—not once. I believed when I married her that I was going to be able to settle down, raise afamily—cut loose from the old life. .?.?.”

His voice died away. He stared—stared into the glowing heart of the fire.

“Raise a family .?.?. God, what a family!” He gave a sudden shrill¹² pipe of angry laughter.

“Look at ’em—look at ’em! Not a child among them—to carry on! What’s the matter with them?

Haven’t they got any of my blood in their veins¹³? Not a son among ’em, legitimate¹⁴ or illegitimate.

Alfred, for instance—heavens above, how bored I get with Alfred! Looking at me with his dog’seyes. Ready to do anything I ask. Lord, what a fool! His wife, now—Lydia—I like Lydia. She’sgot spirit. She doesn’t like me, though. No, she doesn’t like me. But she has to put up with me forthat nincompoop Alfred’s sake.” He looked over at the girl by the fire. “Pilar—remember—nothing is so boring as devotion.”

She smiled at him. He went on, warmed by the presence of her youth and strong femininity.

“George? What’s George? A stick! A stuffed codfish! a pompous¹⁵ windbag¹⁶ with no brains andno guts—and mean about money as well! David? David always was a fool—a fool and a dreamer.

His mother’s boy, that was always David. Only sensible thing he ever did was to marry that solidcomfortable-looking woman.” He brought down his hand with a bang on the edge of his chair.

“Harry¹⁷’s the best of ’em! Poor old Harry, the wrong ‘un! But at any rate he’s alive!”

Pilar agreed.

“Yes, he is nice. He laughs—laughs out loud—and throws his head back. Oh, yes, I like himvery much.”

The old man looked at her.

“You do, do you, Pilar? Harry always had a way with the girls. Takes after me there.” Hebegan to laugh, a slow wheezy chuckle¹⁸. “I’ve had a good life — a very good life. Plenty ofeverything.”

Pilar said:

“In Spain we have a proverb. It is like this:

“Take what you like and pay for it, says God.”

Simeon beat an appreciative¹⁹ hand on the arm of his chair.

“That’s good. That’s the stuff. Take what you like .?.?. I’ve done that—all my life—takenwhat I wanted. .?.?.”

Pilar said, her voice high and clear, and suddenly arresting:

“And you have paid for it?”

Simeon stopped laughing to himself. He sat up and stared at her. He said, “What’s that yousay?”

“I said, have you paid for it, Grandfather?”

Simeon Lee said slowly:

“I—don’t know. .?.?.”

Then, beating his fist on the arm of the chair, he cried out with sudden anger:

“What makes you say that, girl? What makes you say that?”

Pilar said:

“I—wondered.”

Her hand, holding the screen, was arrested. Her eyes were dark and mysterious. She sat, herhead thrown back, conscious of herself, of her womanhood.

Simeon said:

“You devil’s brat⁷ .?.?.”

She said softly:

“But you like me, Grandfather. You like me to sit here with you.”

Simeon said: “Yes, I like it. It’s a long time since I’ve seen anything so young and beautiful.?.?. It does me good, warms my old bones .?.?. And you’re my own flesh and blood .?.?. Good forJennifer, she turned out to be the best of the bunch after all!”

Pilar sat there smiling.

“Mind you, you don’t fool me,” said Simeon. “I know why you sit here so patiently and listento me droning on. It’s money — it’s all money .?.?. Or do you pretend you love your oldgrandfather?”

Pilar said: “No, I do not love you. But I like you. I like you very much. You must believethat, for it is true. I think you have been wicked, but I like that too. You are more real than theother people in this house. And you have interesting things to say. You have travelled and youhave led a life of adventure. If I were a man I would be like that, too.”

Simeon nodded.

“Yes, I believe you would .?.?. We’ve gypsy blood in us, so it’s always been said. It hasn’tshown much in my children—except Harry—but I think it’s come out in you. I can be patient,mind you, when it’s necessary. I waited once fifteen years to get even with a man who’d done mean injury. That’s another characteristic of the Lees—they don’t forget! They’ll avenge²⁰ a wrong ifthey have to wait years to do it. A man swindled me. I waited fifteen years till I saw my chance—and then I struck. I ruined him. Cleaned him right out!”

He laughed softly.

Pilar said:

“That was in South Africa?”

“Yes. A grand country.”

“You have been back there, yes?”

“I went back last five years after I married. That was the last time.”

“But before that? You were there for many years?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about it.”

He began to talk. Pilar, shielding her face, listened.

His voice slowed, wearied. He said:

“Wait, I’ll show you something.”

He pulled himself carefully to his feet. Then, with his stick, he limped slowly across theroom. He opened the big safe. Turning, he beckoned²¹ her to him.

“There, look at these. Feel them, let them run through your fingers.”

He looked into her wondering face and laughed.

“Do you know what they are? Diamonds, child, diamonds.”

Pilar’s eyes opened. She said as she bent²² over:

“But they are little pebbles²³, that is all.”

Simeon laughed.

“They are uncut diamonds. That is how they are found—like this.”

Pilar asked incredulously:

“And if they were cut they would be real diamonds?”

“Certainly.”

“They would flash and sparkle?”

“Flash and sparkle.”

Pilar said childishly:

“O-o-o, I cannot believe it!”

He was amused.

“It’s quite true.”

“They are valuable?”

“Fairly valuable. Difficult to say before they are cut. Anyway, this little lot is worth severalthousands of pounds.”

Pilar said with a space between each word:

“Several—thousands—of—pounds?”

“Say nine or ten thousands—they’re biggish stones, you see.”

Pilar asked, her eyes opening:

“But why do you not sell them, then?”

“Because I like to have them here.”

“But all that money?”

“I don’t need the money.”

“Oh—I see,” Pilar looked impressed.

She said:

“But why do you not have them cut and made beautiful?”

“Because I prefer them like this.” His face was set in a grim line. He turned away and beganspeaking to himself. “They take me back—the touch of them, the feel of them through my fingers.?.?. It all comes back to me, the sunshine, and the smell of the veldt, the oxen—old Eb—all theboys—the evenings. .?.?.”

There was a soft tap on the door.

Simeon said: “Put ’em back in the safe and bang it to.”

Then he called: “Come in.”

Horbury came in, soft and deferential²⁴.

He said: “Tea is ready downstairs.”

 

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