By and by she tried, not to make excuses for Brandon, but to understand
his point of view, and was forced to admit that it was not unreasonable.
Her father now and then allowed, or perhaps encouraged, his guests to
play for high stakes, and she had hated to see the evening gatherings of
extravagant young men at their house in England. Indeed, she had eagerly
welcomed the change when he had offered to take her abroad because
business necessitated his leaving the country. Things had been better at
Santa Brigida, but after a time the card playing had begun again. The men
who now came to their house were, however, of a different type from the
rather dissipated youths she had previously met. They were quieter and
more reserved; men of experience who had known adventure. Still, she
disliked their coming and had sometimes felt she must escape from a life
that filled her with repugnance. The trouble was that she did not know
where to find a refuge and could not force herself to leave her father,
who had treated her with good-humored indulgence.
Then she began to wonder what was the business that had brought him to
Santa Brigida. He did not talk about it, but she was sure it was not
gambling, as Brandon thought. No doubt he won some money from his
friends, but it could not be much and he must lose at times. She must
look for another explanation and it was hard to find. Men who did not
play cards came to the house in the daytime and occasionally late at
night, and Kenwardine, who wrote a good many letters, now and then went
away down the coast. There was a mystery about his occupation that
puzzled and vaguely alarmed her, and she could turn to nobody for advice.
She had refused her aunt's offer of a home and knew it would not be
renewed. They had cast her off and done with her. Getting up presently
with a troubled sigh, she went to her room.
In the meantime, Jake stayed in the patio with the others. A thin, dark
Spaniard, who spoke English well, and two Americans occupied the other
side of the table; a fat German sat nearly opposite the Spaniard and next
to Jake. The heat made them languid and nobody wanted to play cards,
although there was a pack on the table. This happened oftener than
Brandon thought.
"It's a depressing night and an enervating country," Kenwardine remarked.
"I wonder why we stay here as we do, since we're apt to leave it as poor
as when we came. The people are an unstable lot, and when you've spent
your time and energy developing what you hope is a profitable scheme,
some change of policy or leaders suddenly cuts it short."