did you ... get back?” she asked jerkily.
“About an hour ago, by freighter. I could see there was a party on here as I passed on my way home, so I got changed and came along.” A pause. “You must be quite settled in now. What are you doing out here alone?”
“Getting some air.”
“And waiting for Michael?”
“No. I thought he’d come to fetch me. My father must be ready to go home.”
“Is Jim all right?”
“Yes,” she said guardedly.
“Sorry I came back early?”
“I don’t care what you do, so long as I’m not a target for your amusement.”
His voice hardened. “Have you been sore at me all this time?”
“I haven’t thought about you,” she replied untruthfully, “but I did hope we might have another couple of weeks of peace.”
“Oh, come,” he said, a taunt in his tones. “You’re too young to want peace; you’re not even the type. How do you like Motu?”
“Very much.”
“Find enough to do?”
“Plenty.”
“And you find young Foster a charming playmate? I thought you would.” He walked with her, slowly. “You didn’t ask me if I had a good leave.”
“I think you can be depended on to get all the enjoyment available, wherever you might be.” But in spite of herself she queried, “Did you stay much longer at Zanzibar?”
“Four or five days. Then I made my way to Colombo. I was there about ten days before starting the homeward trip.”
“Do you have a girl there too?”
His voice didn’t alter. “That’s a leading question, sweetie. Ask it some other time, earlier in the day.”
She knew the answer already and it made her angry. He thought he could do as he liked, anywhere. A girl on every island except where he worked. If he had one here he might have to marry her, and that wouldn’t do at all for Mr. Cortland. They were nearing the house and she asked quickly,
“Why are you back two or three weeks early?”
“I’ve been waiting for that,” he said. “You’ve edged round it and finally plunged. I’m back early because the company cabled me at an address I gave them. They’re sending a couple of men with solid proposals at the end of the month.”
“Oh.” She spoke flatly, in husky tones. “It’s nearly two weeks to the end of the month.”
“I need that time to get things weighed up here. I’m sure of the younger men and old Stebbings, but not of the Professor, old Gracey or your father.”
“So you’re going to work on them.”
“What’s wrong with that? I happen to believe in the change-over.”
“Well, I ... I can’t say I wish you luck, can I?”
The tremor in her voice brought him to a halt, facing her. “You won’t believe this, but I’d sell even if I weren’t going into the company afterwards. There’s nothing I like better than producing copra, but I have no affection for one particular acreage of trees, and I feel the company’s offer will be so generous that no youngish man would dream of refusing to sell. Where the older men are concerned the money could mean security and freedom. You must see that.”
“They have security now and they don’t particularly want freedom.”
“You’re prejudiced. What has your father said about it?”
“We haven’t discussed it.”
“Not at all?” he demanded. “There must have been some talk of it here!”
“Almost none. I suppose the younger men accepted it and the older ones were sceptical. My father says there have been rumours of that kind before.”
“And you,” he said grimly, “have taken good care to avoid the subject. You may think you’re being kind to your father, but you’re not.”
“I want him to have what he wants,” she said. “He’s given all he has to Motu, and I think Motu owes him his kind of happiness. He’ll make his own decisions.”
“Very well,” in cool, exasperated tones. “I’ll be over tomorrow. Care to give me dinner?”
“Would you trust it - from me?”
His eyes narrowed and glinting in the darkness he said,
“About an hour ago, by freighter. I could see there was a party on here as I passed on my way home, so I got changed and came along.” A pause. “You must be quite settled in now. What are you doing out here alone?”
“Getting some air.”
“And waiting for Michael?”
“No. I thought he’d come to fetch me. My father must be ready to go home.”
“Is Jim all right?”
“Yes,” she said guardedly.
“Sorry I came back early?”
“I don’t care what you do, so long as I’m not a target for your amusement.”
His voice hardened. “Have you been sore at me all this time?”
“I haven’t thought about you,” she replied untruthfully, “but I did hope we might have another couple of weeks of peace.”
“Oh, come,” he said, a taunt in his tones. “You’re too young to want peace; you’re not even the type. How do you like Motu?”
“Very much.”
“Find enough to do?”
“Plenty.”
“And you find young Foster a charming playmate? I thought you would.” He walked with her, slowly. “You didn’t ask me if I had a good leave.”
“I think you can be depended on to get all the enjoyment available, wherever you might be.” But in spite of herself she queried, “Did you stay much longer at Zanzibar?”
“Four or five days. Then I made my way to Colombo. I was there about ten days before starting the homeward trip.”
“Do you have a girl there too?”
His voice didn’t alter. “That’s a leading question, sweetie. Ask it some other time, earlier in the day.”
She knew the answer already and it made her angry. He thought he could do as he liked, anywhere. A girl on every island except where he worked. If he had one here he might have to marry her, and that wouldn’t do at all for Mr. Cortland. They were nearing the house and she asked quickly,
“Why are you back two or three weeks early?”
“I’ve been waiting for that,” he said. “You’ve edged round it and finally plunged. I’m back early because the company cabled me at an address I gave them. They’re sending a couple of men with solid proposals at the end of the month.”
“Oh.” She spoke flatly, in husky tones. “It’s nearly two weeks to the end of the month.”
“I need that time to get things weighed up here. I’m sure of the younger men and old Stebbings, but not of the Professor, old Gracey or your father.”
“So you’re going to work on them.”
“What’s wrong with that? I happen to believe in the change-over.”
“Well, I ... I can’t say I wish you luck, can I?”
The tremor in her voice brought him to a halt, facing her. “You won’t believe this, but I’d sell even if I weren’t going into the company afterwards. There’s nothing I like better than producing copra, but I have no affection for one particular acreage of trees, and I feel the company’s offer will be so generous that no youngish man would dream of refusing to sell. Where the older men are concerned the money could mean security and freedom. You must see that.”
“They have security now and they don’t particularly want freedom.”
“You’re prejudiced. What has your father said about it?”
“We haven’t discussed it.”
“Not at all?” he demanded. “There must have been some talk of it here!”
“Almost none. I suppose the younger men accepted it and the older ones were sceptical. My father says there have been rumours of that kind before.”
“And you,” he said grimly, “have taken good care to avoid the subject. You may think you’re being kind to your father, but you’re not.”
“I want him to have what he wants,” she said. “He’s given all he has to Motu, and I think Motu owes him his kind of happiness. He’ll make his own decisions.”
“Very well,” in cool, exasperated tones. “I’ll be over tomorrow. Care to give me dinner?”
“Would you trust it - from me?”
His eyes narrowed and glinting in the darkness he said,
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