The Broad Highway

"No, no!" He sprang to his feet, and threw wide his ragged arms

with a swift, passionate gesture. "It means Life--and Helen. My

God!" he went on, speaking almost in a whisper, "I never knew how

much I wanted her--how much I had wilfully tossed aside--till now!

I never realized the full misery of it all--till now! I could

have starved very well in time, and managed it as quietly as most

other ruined fools. But now--to see the chance of beginning again,

of coming back to self-respect and--Helen, my God!" And, of a

sudden, he cast himself upon his face, and so lay, tearing up the

grass by handfuls. Then, almost as suddenly, he was upon his

feet again, and had caught up his hat. "Sir," said he somewhat

shamefacedly, smoothing its ruffled nap with fingers that still

quivered, "pray forgive that little ebullition of feeling; it

is over--quite over, but your tidings affected me, and I am not

quite myself at times; as I have already said, turnips and unripe

blackberries are not altogether desirable as a diet."

"Indeed," said I, "you seemed strangely perturbed."

"Mr. Vibart," said he, staring very hard at the battered hat, and

turning it round and round, "Mr. Vibart, the devil is surprisingly

strong in some of us."

"True," said I.

"My cousin, Sir Jasper, is a bookish fellow, and, as I have said,

a fool where anything else is in question; if this meeting is

allowed to take place, I feel that he will most certainly be killed,

and his death would mean a new life--more than life to me."

"Yes," said I.

"And for a moment, Mr. Vibart, I was tempted to sit down in the

ditch again, and let things take their course. The devil, I

repeat, is remarkably strong in some of us."

"Then what is your present intention?"

"I am going to London to find Sir Maurice Vibart--to stop this

duel."

"Impossible!" said I.

"But you see, sir, it so happens that I am possessed of certain

intelligence which might make Sir Maurice's existence in England

positively untenable."

"Nevertheless," said I, "it is impossible."

"That remains to be seen, Mr. Vibart," said he, and speaking,

turned upon his heel.

"One moment," said I, "was not your cousin, Sir Jasper, of the

middle height, slim-built and fair-haired, with a habit of

plucking at his lips when at all nervous or excited?"