Derrick Vaughan - Novelist | Page 8

saw her I knew that our cruise could not possibly be dull.
As to Miss Freda, when we first caught sight of her she was standing
near the companion, dressed in a daintily made yachting costume of
blue serge and white braid, and round her white sailor hat she wore the
name of the yacht stamped on a white ribbon; in her waist-band she had
fastened two deep crimson roses, and she looked at us with frank,
girlish curiosity, no doubt wondering whether we should add to or
detract from the enjoyment of the expedition. She was rather tall, and
there was an air of strength and energy about her which was most
refreshing. Her skin was singularly white, but there was a healthy glow
of colour in her cheeks; while her large, grey eyes, shaded by long
lashes, were full of life and brightness. As to her features, they were
perhaps a trifle irregular, and her elder sisters were supposed to eclipse
her altogether; but to my mind she was far the most taking of the three.
I was not in the least surprised that Derrick should fall head over ears in
love with her; she was exactly the sort of girl that would infallibly
attract him. Her absence of shyness; her straightforward, easy way of
talking; her genuine goodheartedness; her devotion to animals--one of
his own pet hobbies--and finally her exquisite playing, made the result
a foregone conclusion. And then, moreover, they were perpetually
together. He would hang over the piano in the saloon for hours while
she played, the rest of us lazily enjoying the easy chairs and the fresh

air on deck; and whenever we landed, these two were sure in the end to
be just a little apart from the rest of us.
It was an eminently successful cruise. We all liked each other; the sea
was calm, the sunshine constant, the wind as a rule favourable, and I
think I never in a single fortnight heard so many good stories, or had
such a good time. We seemed to get right out of the world and its
narrow restrictions, away from all that was hollow and base and
depressing, only landing now and then at quaint little quiet places for
some merry excursion on shore. Freda was in the highest spirits; and as
to Derrick, he was a different creature. She seemed to have the power
of drawing him out in a marvellous degree, and she took the greatest
interest in his work--a sure way to every author's heart.
But it was not till one day, when we landed at Tresco, that I felt certain
she genuinely loved him--there in one glance the truth flashed upon me.
I was walking with one of the gardeners down one of the long shady
paths of that lovely little island, with its curiously foreign look, when
we suddenly came face to face with Derrick and Freda. They were
talking earnestly, and I could see her great grey eyes as they were lifted
to his--perhaps they were more expressive than she knew--I cannot say.
They both started a little as we confronted them, and the colour
deepened in Freda's face. The gardener, with what photographers
usually ask for--'just the faint beginning of a smile,'--turned and
gathered a bit of white heather growing near.
"They say it brings good luck, miss," he remarked, handing it to Freda.
"Thank you," she said, laughing, "I hope it will bring it to me. At any
rate it will remind me of this beautiful island. Isn't it just like Paradise,
Mr. Wharncliffe?"
"For me it is like Paradise before Eve was created," I replied, rather
wickedly. "By the bye, are you going to keep all the good luck to
yourself?"
"I don't know," she said laughing. "Perhaps I shall; but you have only
to ask the gardener, he will gather you another piece directly."

I took good care to drop behind, having no taste for the third- fiddle
business; but I noticed when we were in the gig once more, rowing
back to the yacht, that the white heather had been equally divided--one
half was in the waist-band of the blue serge dress, the other half in the
button-hole of Derrick's blazer.
So the fortnight slipped by, and at length one afternoon we found
ourselves once more in Southampton Water; then came the bustle of
packing and the hurry of departure, and the merry party dispersed.
Derrick and I saw them all off at the station, for, as his father's ship did
not arrive till the following day, I made up my mind to stay on with
him at Southampton.
"You will come and see us in town," said Lady Probyn, kindly. And
Lord Probyn invited us both for the shooting at Blachington in
September.