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Circumstances one by one had led to this drive, and in every one passed by he felt the direction of chance. He sped by fields of wheat, a wagon that he missed by an inch, some stragglers on the road, and then, far ahead, he saw a sign-post of the forks. As he neared it he gradually shut off the power, to stop at the cross-roads.
If they had omitted stepping inside that door, if they had dispensed with that third party, and gone away on Monday sacredly vowed to each other in their own hearts, you would have scarcely found their conduct moral. Consider these things carefully, the sign-post and the third party, and the difference they make. And now, for a finish, we will return to the sign-post.
"The Canaan Tigmores are entailed, Mr. Bernique! The next owner may have eyes!" "God grant!" growled Old Bernique. "Grey eyes, eh, Mr. Bernique?" Steering flashed his own eyes smilingly at the French Missourian. The horses were at the sign-post. "Eh, what?" cried Old Bernique, "is it that ?" "We shall meet again, Mr. Bernique?" "I ride east for many a day, I think," said Bernique dubiously.
Between the two doors there was a driveway. On this driveway the only pale thing to be seen in the darkness was the tall, black figure of a man standing perfectly still, as if watching. His attitude was unmistakable. The long lines of him, upreared from the pale streak of the driveway, were as plainly to be read as a sign-post. They signified watchfulness. His back was toward the office.
At Cincinnati there is a garden where the people go to eat ices, and to look at roses. For the preservation of the flowers, there is placed at the end of one of the walks a sign-post sort of daub, representing a Swiss peasant girl, holding in her hand a scroll, requesting that the roses might not be gathered.
There it lay, up that harmless-looking bye-road, not much more than ten miles away a ten minutes' dash would have brought us into the thick of the grey coats and spiked helmets! The shadow of that sign-post followed us for miles, darkening the landscape like the shadow from a racing storm-cloud. Bar-le-Duc seemed unaware of the cloud.
For these ten years past I have been money out of pocket for him, spending my savings on him, and he knows it, and yet he will not let me lie down to sleep on a legacy! No, sir! he will not. He is obstinate, a regular mule he is. I have talked to him these ten days, and the cross-grained cur won't stir no more than a sign-post.
Every mile or so, and at every cross-road, a sign-post was stuck up, "Keezletown Road, 2 miles," and of every countryman or darky along the way some wag would inquire the distance to Keezletown, and if he thought we could get there before night. By dawn next morning we were again on the march. I have recalled this early dawn oftener, I am sure, than any other of my whole life.
The travellers had left the pine-forest behind, and there was not a single tree in sight; nothing but large grey rocks and occasional patches of bright yellow furze amongst the miles and miles of heath-covered moor. At last they came to a large sign-post, at a corner where four roads met; and here Toby said Jessie must leave them.
"And must aid me: for the first step in this modern march of enlightenment is to leave the poor parson behind; and if one calls out 'Hold! and look at the sign-post, the traveller hurries on the faster, saying to himself, 'Pooh, pooh! that is only the cry of the parson! But my gentleman, when he doubts me, will listen to you, you're a philosopher!"
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