Although he was accustomed
to the rude authority which O'Shea assumed whenever he wished to be
disagreeable, Caius had only learned to take it with an outward
appearance of indifference--his mind within him always chafed; this time
the affront to his vanity was worse because he believed that Madame Le
Maitre had prompted, or certainly permitted, the insult. It did not
soothe him to think that, with a woman's nervousness, she might have
more regard for his safety than that of the horse. The brightness died
out of the beautiful day, and in a lofty mood of ill-used indifference
he assured himself that a gentleman could take little interest in such
barbarous sport as seal-hunting. At any rate, it would go on for many a
day. He certainly had not the slightest intention of dismounting at
O'Shea's command in order to go to the hunt.
Caius held his horse as quiet as he could for some ten minutes, feigning
an immense interest in the occupation of the women; then leisurely
curvetted about, and set his horse at a light trot along the ice close
by the shore.
He rode hastily past the only place where he could have ascended the
bank, and after that he had no means of going home until he had rounded
the island and returned by the lagoon. The distance up to the end was
seven miles. Caius rode on under the lonely cliffs where the gulls
wintered, and threading his way upon smooth places on the ice, came, in
the course of not much more than an hour, up to the end of the cliffs,
crossed the neck of the sand-bar, and followed the inward shore till he
got back to the first road.
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