Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter twelve of Exit Betty by Grace Livingston Hill. This
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter twelve. It
was one of those little ironies of fate that are
spoken about so much that when Warren Rayburn alighted from
the train in Tinsdale a Bye to Gage should be
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supporting one corner of the station and contributing a quid
now and then to the accumulations of the weak scattered
all about his feet. He spotted the stranger at once
and turned his cunning little eyes upon him, making it
obvious that he was bulging with information. It was therefore
quite natural, when Rayburn paused to take his bearings, that
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Bay should speak up and inquire if he was looking
for someone. Rayburn shook his head and passed on. But
Bay was not to be headed off so easily as
that he shuffled after him. Say, he said, in a
shackly horse and buck board that stood near, belonging to
a pal over at the freight house. If you want
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a lift, I'll take you along, think you know, said Rayburn, smiling.
I'm not going far, say said By again, as he
saw his quarry about to disappear. Your name ain't Baynes,
is it no, said Rayburn, quite annoyed by the persistent
old fellow from New York. He hazarded cheerfully, No, answered Rayburn,
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turning to go. You must excuse me. I'm in a hurry.
That's all right, said by contentedly. I'll walk a piece
with you. I was looking for a doctor to take
down to see a sick child, a doctor from New York.
You ain't buy any chance of doctor, are you, bye,
eyed the big leather bag inquiringly, No, said Rayburn, laughing
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in spite of his annoyance. I'm only a lawyer. And
with a bound he cleared the curb and hurried off
down the street, having now recognized the direction described in
Jane's diagram of Tinsdale. A bite of Gage looked after
him with twinkling eyes of dry mirth, and slowly sauntered
after him, watching him until he entered the little unpainted
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gait of the carson house and tapped at the old
gray door. Then by lunged across the street and entered
a path that ran along the railroad track for a
few rods, curving suddenly into a stretch of vacant lots
on a convenient fence rail with a good outlook toward
the west end of the village. He ensconced himself and
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set about whittling a whistle from some willow stalks. He
waited until he saw Bobby Carson hurry off toward Hathaway's
house and returned with Lizzie Hope. Waited hopefully until the
stranger finally came out of the house again, touching his
hat gracefully to the girl as she stood at the
open door. Then he hurried back to the station again
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and was comfortably settled on a tub of butter just
arrived by freight. When Rayburn reached there, he was much
occupied with his whistle and never seemed to notice. But
not a movement of the stranger escaped him, And when
the Philadelphia Express came by and the stranger got aboard
the parlor car, Old by Gage swung his lumbering length
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up on the back platform of the last car. The
hounds were hot on the trail. Now it was several
years since by Gage had been on so long a journey,
but he managed to enjoy the trip and kept in
pretty good touch with the parlor car. Although he was
never in evidence if anybody had told Warren Rayburn as
he let himself into his apartment late that night that
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he was being followed. He would have laughed and told
them it was an impossibility. When he came out to
the street the next morning and swung himself into a
car that would land him at his office, he did
not see the lank, flabby figure of the toothless by
standing just across the block and keeping tab on him
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from the back platform, nor noticed that he slid into
the office building behind him and took the same elevator up,
crowding in behind two fat men and efacing himself against
the wall of the cage. Rayburn was reading his paper
and did not look up. The figure slid out of
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the elevator after him and slithered into a shadow, watching
him slipping softly after until sure which door he took,
then waited silently until sure that the door was shut.
No one heard the slouching footsteps come down the marble hall.
By Gage always wore rubbers when he went anywhere, In particular,
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he had them on that morning. He took careful note
of the name on the door, Warren Rayburn, Attorney at law,
and the number. Then he slid down the stairs as
unobserved as he had come, and made his way to
a name and number on a bit of paper from
his pocket, which he consulted in the shelter of a doorway.
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When Warren Rayburn started on his first trip to Tinsdale,
his mind was filled with varying emotions. He had never
been able to quite get away from the impression made
upon him by that little white bride, lying so still
amid her bridal finery, and the glowering bridegroom above her.
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It epitomized for him all the unhappy marriages of the world,
and he felt like starting out somehow in hot pursuit
of that bridegroom and making him answer for the sadness
of his bride. Whenever the matter had been brought to
his memory, he had always been conscious of the first
gladness he had felt when he knew she had escaped.
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It could not seem to him anything but a happy escape.
Little as he knew about any of the people who
played the principal parts in the little tragedy he had witnessed.
Hour after hour as he sat in the train and
tried to sleep or tried to think, he kept wondering
at himself that he was going on this wild goose chase,
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as he called it in his innermost thoughts. Yet he
knew he had to go. In fact, he had known
it from the moment James Ryan had shown him the advertisement,
not that he had ever had any idea of trying
for that horrible reward, simply that his soul had been
stirred to its most nightly depths to try somehow to
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protect her in her hiding. Of course, it had been
a mere crazy thought then, with no way of fulfillment.
But when the chance had offered of really finding her
and asking if there was anything she would like done,
he knew from the instant it was suggested that he
was going to do it, even if he lost every
other business chance he had ever had or expected to have,
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even if it took all his time and every cent
he could borrow, he knew he had to try to
find that girl. The thought that the only shelter between
her and the great awful world lay in the word
of an untaught girl like Jane Carson filled him with
terror for her. If that was true. The sooner some
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one of responsibility and sense got to her, the better
the questions he had asked of various people. That afternoon
had revealed more than he had already guessed of the
character of the bridegroom to whom he had taken such
a strong dislike on first sight. Thus he argued the
long night through between the fitful naps he caught when
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he was not wondering if he should find her, and
whether he would know her from that one brief side
of her in church. How did he know? But this
was some game put up on him to get him
into a mix up. He must go cautiously and on
no account do anything rash or make any promises until
he had first found out all about her. When morning dawned,
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he was in a state of perturbation, quite unusual for
the son and grandson of renowned lawyers noted for their
calmness and poise under all circumstances. This perhaps was why
the little incident with a Baja gage at the station
annoyed him so extremely. He felt he was doing a
questionable thing in taking this journey at all. He certainly
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did not intend to reveal his identity or business to
this curious old man. The little Gray house looked exactly
as Jane had described it, and as he opened the
gate and heard the rusty chain that held it clank,
he had a sense of having been there before. He
was pleasantly surprised, however, when the door was opened by Emily,
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who smiled at him out of shy blue eyes and
good waiting to see what he wanted. It was like
expecting a viper and finding a flower. Somehow, he had
not anticipated anything flower like in Jane's family. The mother,
too was a surprise when she came from her ironing
and pushing her wavy gray hair back from a furrowed brow,
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lifted intelligent eyes that reminded him of Jane to search
his face. Ma did not appear flustered. She seemed to
be taking account of him and deciding whether or not
she would be cordial to him. Yes, I had a
telegram from Jane this morning. She was scanning his eyes
once more to see whether there was a shadow of
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what she called shiftiness in them. Come in, she said grudgingly.
He was not led into the dining room, but seated
on one of the best varnished chairs in the parlor,
as they called the little unused front room. He felt
strangely ill at ease, and began to be convinced that
he was on the very wildest of wife goose chases
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to think of expecting to find Elizabeth Stanhope in a
place like this. If she ever had been here, she
certainly must have flown faster than she had from the
church on her wedding night. So, instead of beginning as
he had planned, to put a list of logically prepared
keen questions to a floundering and suspecting victim, he found
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the clear eyes of Ma looking into his unwaveringly, and
the wise tongue of Ma putting him through a regular
orgy of catechism before she would so much as admit
that she had ever heard of a girl named Lizzie Hope.
Then he bethought him of her daughter's letter and handed
it over for her to read. Well, she admitted, at last,
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half satisfied, she isn't here at present. I sent her
away when I found you was coming. I wasn't sure
i'd let you see her at all if I didn't
like your looks. That's right, missus, Carson said heartily, with
real admiration in his voice. I'm glad she has someone
so careful to look out for her. Your daughter said,
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she was in a good, safe place, and I begin
to see she knew what she was talking about. Then
the strong look around Ma's lips settled into the sweeter one,
and she sent Bob after the girl. Are you a
friend of hers, she asked, watching him keenly. No, said Rayburn,
I've never seen her, but once she doesn't know me
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at all. Are you a friend of her family? Oh? No,
or any of her friends or relations. Ma meant to
be comprehensive. No, I'm sorry, I am not. I am
a rather recent comer to the city where she made
her home. I understand. Ma looked at him thoughtfully for
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a moment. It wouldn't have been called a stare. It
was too kindly for that. But Rayburn thought to himself
that he would not have liked to have borne her
scrutiny if he had anything to conceal, for he felt
as if she might read the truth in his eyes.
Are you please? Excuse me for asking, but are you
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a member of any church? Rayburn flushed and wanted to laugh,
but was embarrassed in spite of himself. Why yes, I'm
a member, he said, slowly, then with a frank lifting
of his eyes to her troubled gaze. I united with
the church when I was a mere kid, but I'm
afraid I'm not much of a member. I really am
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not what you'd call working at it much nowadays. I
go to morning service sometimes, but that's about all. I
don't want to be a hypocrite, he wondered as he spoke.
Why he took the trouble to answer the woman so fully.
Her question was in a way impertinent, much like the
way her daughter talked, yet she seemed wholly unconscious of it.
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I know, she assented sorrowfully. There's lots of them in
the church. We have them too, even in our little village.
But still, after all, you can't help having confidence more
in them that has named the name than in them
that has not. Rayburn looked at her curiously and felt
a sudden infusion of respect for her. She was putting
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the test of her faith to him, and he knew
by the little stifled sigh that he had been found wanting.
I suppose lawyers don't have much time to think about
being Christians, she apologized for him. He felt impelled to
be frank with her. I'm afraid I can't urge that excuse. Unfortunately,
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I have a good deal of time on my hands
now I've just opened my office and I'm waiting for clients.
Where were you before that? You did not just get
through studying? He saw. She was wondering whether he was
wise enough to help her protege. No, I spent the
last three years in France up at the front. The
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pupils of her eyes dilated eagerly. Yes, in every drive,
he answered, wondering that a woman of this sort should
be so interested. Now that the war was over and
you came back safe, she said, slowly, looking at him
with a kind of wistful sorrow in her eyes. My
boy was shot the first day he went over the top.
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Oh I'm sorry, said Rayburn gently, a sudden tightness in
his throat. But it was all right, She flashed a
dazzling smile at him through the tears that came into
her eyes. It wasn't as if he wasn't ready. Johnny
was always a good boy, and he joined church when
he was fourteen and always kept his promises. He used
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to pray every night just as faithful, and read his Bible.
I've got the little Testament he carried all through his
Chaplain sent it to me. It's got a bullet hole
through it and blood marks, but it's good to me
to look at because I know, Oh, Johnny's with his Savior.
He wasn't afraid to die, he said to me before
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he left. He says, MA, if anything happens to me,
it's all right, you know, MA, I ain't forgettin what
you taught me, and I ain't forgetting Christ is with me.
Missus Carson wiped her eyes furtively and tried to look cheerful.
Rayburn wished he knew how to comfort her. It makes
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a man feel mean, he said at last, trying to
fit his toe into the pattern of the ingrain carpet.
To come home alive and hold when so many poor
fellows had to give their lives, I've often wondered how
I happened to get through. She looked at him tenderly.
Perhaps your heavenly father brought you back to give you
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more chance to do things for him, and get ready
to die when your time comes. There was something startling
to this self composed city chap in hearing a thing
like this from the lips of the mother whose beloved
son was gone forever beyond her teaching, but had been ready.
Rayburn looked at her steadily, soberly, and then with a
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queer constriction in his throat, he looked down at the
floor thoughtfully and said, perhaps he did well. I can't
help being glad you're a church member, anyhow, said missus Carson,
rising to look out of the window. She needs a
Christian to help her, and i'd sooner trust a Christian
if you really meant it. When you join church, you've
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got something to fall back on. Anyhow, here she comes,
I'll just go and tell her you're in here. End
of chapter twelve.