SirHenrywaitedfortheclosingofthedoor。Thenheleanedforwardforseveralmoments。Hehadscarcelytheappearanceofamanreturnedfromaweekortwoofopen-airlifeandindulgenceinthesporthelovedbest。Thehealthytanofhiscomplexionwaslessenedratherthanincreased。Therewereblacklinesunderhiseyeswhichseemedtospeakofsleeplessnights,andabeardofseveraldays’growthwasuponhischin。HedrankthecocktailwhichMillspresentlybroughthim,atagulp,andwatchedwithsatisfactionwhilethemixerwasvigorouslyshakenandasecondonepouredout。
\"We’vehadaroughtime,Mills,\"heobserved,ashesetdowntheglass。\"Untilthismorningitscarcelyleftoffblowing。\"
\"I’msorrytohearit,sir,\"wastherespectfulreply。\"IfImaybeallowedtosayso,sir,you’relookingtired。\"
\"Iamtired,\"SirHenryadmitted。\"Ithink,ifItried,Icouldgotosleepnowfortwenty-fourhours。\"
\"Youwillpardonmyremindingyou,sofarasregardsyourletters,thatthereisnopostouttonight,sir,\"Millsproceeded。\"Ihavepreparedawarmbathandlaidoutyourclothesforachange。\"
\"Capital!\"SirHenryexclaimed。\"Itisn’taletterthat’sbotheringme,though,Mills。TherearejustafewgeographicalnotesIwanttomake。Youknow,I’mtryingtoimprovethefishermen’schartofthecoastroundhere。ThatfellowGroocock-JimmyDumble’suncle-verynearlylost=20hismotorboatlastweekthroughtrustingtotheoldone。\"
\"Justso,sir,\"Millsreplieddeferentially,placingtheemptyglassuponhistray。\"Ifyou’llexcuseme,sir,Imustgetbacktothediningroom。\"
=20
\"Quiteright,\"hismasterassented。\"Theywon’tbeoutjustyet,willthey?\"
\"Herladyshipwillprobablyberisinginabouttenminutes,sir-notbeforethat。\"
SirHenrynoddedalittleimpatiently。Directlythedoorwasclosedherosetohisfeet,stoodforamomentlisteningbythesideofhisfishingcabinet,thenopenedtheglassfrontandtouchedthespring。
Withtheaidofalittleelectrictorchwhichhetookfromhispocket,hestudiedparticularlyacertainportionofthegiantchart,madesomemeasurementswithapencil,somenotesinthemargin,andcloseditupagainwithanairofsatisfaction。Thenheresumedhisseat,drewafoldedslipofpaperfromhisbreastpocket,achartfromanother,turnedupthelampandbegantowrite。Hisface,ashestoopedlow,escapedthesoftshadeandwasforamomentalmostghastly。Everynowandthenheturnedandmadesomecalculationsontheblotting-paperbyhisside。Atlastheleanedbackwithalittlesighofrelief。Hehadbarelydonesobeforethedoorbehindhimwasopened。
\"Arewegoingtostayinhere,Mummy,orarewegoingintothedrawing-room?\"Noraasked。
\"Inhere,Ithink,\"heheardPhilippareply。
Thentheybothcamein,followedbyHelen。Norawasthefirsttoseehimandrushedforwardwithalittlecryofsurprise。
\"Why,here’sDad!\"sheexclaimed,flingingherarmsaroundhisneck。
\"Daddy,howdareyoubesittinghereallbyyourselfwhilstwearehavingdinner!Whendidyougetback?Whatafish!\"
SirHenrycloseddownhisdesk,embracedhisdaughter,andcameforwardtomeethiswife。
\"Finefellow,isn’the,Nora!\"heagreed。\"Well,Philippa,howareyou?Pleasedtoseeme,Ihope?Anothernewfrock,Ibelieve,andinwartime!\"
\"Fancyyourrememberingthatitwaswartime!\"sheanswered,standingverystillwhileheleanedoverandkissedher。
\"Nastyoneforme,\"SirHenryobservedgood-humouredly。\"Howwellyou’relooking,Helen!AnynewsofDickyet?\"
Helenattemptedanexpressionofextremegravitywithmoreorlesssuccess。
\"Nothingfresh,\"sheanswered。
\"Well,well,nonewsmaybegoodnews,\"SirHenryremarkedconsolingly。\"Jove,it’sgoodtofeelaroofoverone’sheadagain!
Thismorninghasbeentheonlypatchofdecentweatherwe’vehad。\"
\"Thismorningwaslovely,\"Helenassented。\"PhilippaandIwentandsatupinthewoods。\"
Philippa,whowasstandingbythefire,turnedandlookedatherhusbandcritically。
\"Wehavesomemendining,\"shesaid。\"Theywillbeoutinafewminutes。Don’tyouthinkyouhadbettergoandmakeyourselfpresentable?Yousmelloffish,andyoulookasthoughyouhadn’tshavedforaweek。\"
\"Guilty,mydear,\"SirHenryadmitted。\"Millsisjustgettingmesomethingtoeatinthegunroom,andthenIamgoingtohaveabathandchangemyclothes。\"
\"Andshave,Dad,\"Noraremindedhim。
\"Andshave,youyoungpest,\"herfatheragreed,pattingherontheshoulder。\"RunawayandplaybilliardswithHelen。Iwanttotalktoyourmotheruntilmydinner’sready。\"
Noraacquiescedpromptly。
\"Comealong,Helen,I’llgiveyoutwenty-fiveup。Orperhapsyou’dliketoplayshellout?\"sheproposed。\"ArthurSinclairsaysIhaveimprovedinmypottingmorethananyoneheeverknew。\"
SirHenryopenedthedoorandcloseditafterthem。ThenhereturnedandseatedhimselfontheloungebyPhilippa’sside。Sheglancedupathimasthoughinsurprise,and,stretchingoutherhandtowardsherwork-basket,tookupsomeknitting。
\"IreallythinkIshouldchangeatonce,ifIwereyou,\"shesuggested。
\"Presently。IhadasortoffoolishideathatI’dliketohaveawordortwowithyoufirst。I’vebeenawayfornearlyafortnight,haven’tI?\"
\"Youhave,\"Philippaassented。\"PerhapsthatisthereasonwhyIfeelthatIhaven’tverymuchtosaytoyou。\"
\"Thatsoundsjustatriflehard,\"hesaidslowly。
\"Iamhardsometimes,\"Philippaconfessed。\"Youknowthatquitewell。TherearetimeswhenIjustfeelasthoughIhadnoheartatall,noranysympathy;wheneverysensationImighthavehadseemsshrivelledupinsideme。\"
\"Isthathowyouarefeelingatthepresenttimetowardsme,Philippa?\"heasked。
Herneedlesflashedthroughthewoolforamomentinsilence。
\"Youhadeverywarning,\"shetoldhim。\"Itriedtomakeyouunderstandexactlyhowyourbehaviourdisgustedmebeforeyouwentaway。\"
\"Yes,Iremember,\"headmitted。\"I’mafraid,dear,youthinkI
amaworthlesssortofafellow。\"
Philippahadapparentlydroppedastitch。Shebentlowerstilloverherknitting。Therewasadistinctfrownuponherforehead,hermouthwasunrecognisable。
\"YourfriendLessinghamisherestill,Iunderstand?\"herhusbandremarkedpresently。
\"Yes,\"Philippaassented,\"heisdiningto-night。Youwillprobablyseehiminafewminutes。\"
SirHenrylookedthoughtful,andstudiedforamomentthetoeofaremarkablyunprepossessinglookingshoe。
\"You’resokeenaboutthatsortofthing,\"hesaid,\"whataboutLessingham?Heisnotsoldieringoranything,ishe?\"
\"Ihavenoidea,\"Philippareplied。\"Hewalkswithaslightlimpandadmitsthatheishereasaconvalescent,buthehasn’ttoldusverymuchabouthimself。\"
\"Iwonderyouhaven’ttackledhim,\"SirHenrycontinued。\"You’resuchanardentrecruiter,yououghttomakesurethatheisdoinghisbitofbutchery。\"
Philippalookedupatherhusbandforamomentandbackatherwork。
\"Mr。Lessingham,\"shesaid,\"isaverydelightfulfriend,whosestayhereeveryoneisenjoyingverymuch,butheisacomparativestranger。Ifeelnoresponsibilityastohisactions。\"
\"Andyoudoastomine?\"
\"Naturally。\"
SirHenry’sheadwasrestingonhishand,hiselbowonthebackofthelounge。Heseemedtobelisteningtothevoicesinthediningroombeyond。
\"Hm!\"heobserved。\"HashebeenhereoftenwhileI’vebeenaway?\"
\"Asoftenashechose,\"Philippareplied。\"Hehasbecomeverypopularintheneighbourhoodalready,andheisanexceedinglywelcomeguesthereatanytime。\"
\"Takesadvantageofyourhospitalityprettyoften,doesn’the?\"
\"Heisheremostdays。Wearealwaysratherdisappointedwhenhedoesn’tcome。\"
SirHenry’sfrowngrewalittledeeper。
\"What’stheattraction?\"hedemanded。
Philippasmiled。Itwasthesmilewhichthosewhoknewherbest,feared。
\"Well,\"sheconfided,\"IusedtoimaginethatitwasHelen,butI
thinkthathehasbecomealittlebored,talkingaboutnothingbutDickandtheircollegedays。Iamratherinclinedtofancythatitmustbeme。\"
\"You,indeed!\"hegrunted。\"Areyouawarethatyouareamarriedwoman?\"
Philippaglancedupfromherwork。Hereyebrowswereraised,andherexpressionwasoneofmildsurprise。
\"Howqueerthatyoushouldremindmeofit!\"shemurmured。\"Iamafraidthattheseaairdisturbsyourmemory。\"
SirHenryroseabruptlytohisfeet。
\"Oh,damn!\"heexclaimed。
Hewalkedtothedoor。Hisguestswerestilllingeringovertheirwine。Hecouldheartheirvoicesmoredistinctlythanever。ThenhecamebacktothesofaandstoodbyPhilippa’sside。
\"Philippa,oldgirl,\"hepleaded,\"don’tletusquarrel。Ihavehadsuchahardfortnight,anor’easterblowingallthetime,andthedirtiestseasI’veeverknownatthistimeoftheyear。ForfivedaysIhadn’tadrystitchonme,anditwastouchandgomorethanonce。
Wewereallinthewatertogether,andtherewasanastygreenwavethatlookedlikeamountainoverhead,andthesideofourownboatbendingoverusasthoughitmeanttosqueezeourribsin。Itlookedliketentooneagainstus,Phil,andIgotaworsechillthantheseaevergavemewhenIthoughtthatIshouldn’tseeyouagain。\"
Philippalaiddownherknitting。Shelookedsearchinglyintoherhusband’sface。Shewasveryfarfromindifferenttohisalteredtone。
\"Henry,\"shesaid,\"thatsoundsveryterrible,butwhydoyourunsuchrisks-unworthily?DoyouthinkthatIcouldn’tgiveyouallthatyouwant,allthatIhavetogive,ifyoucamehometomewithastorylikethisandIknewthatyouhadbeenfacingdeathrighteouslyandhonourablyforyourcountry’ssake?Why,Henry,thereisn’tamanintheworldcouldhavesuchawelcomeasIcouldgiveyou。DoyouthinkIamcold?Ofcourseyoudon’t!DoyouthinkIwanttofeelasIhavedonethislastfortnighttowardsyou?
Why,it’smisery!Itmakesmefeelinclinedtocommitanyfolly,anymadness,togetridofitall。\"
Herhusbandhesitated。Afrownhaddarkenedhisface。Hehadtheairofonewhoisontheeveofaconfession。
\"Philippa,\"hebegan,\"youknowthatwhenIgooutonthesefishingexpeditions,IalsoputinsomeworkatthenewchartwhichIamsoanxioustoprepareforthefishermen。\"
Philippashookherheadimpatiently。
\"Don’ttalktomeaboutyourfishermen,Henry!I’massickwiththemasIamwithyou。Youcanseetwentyorthirtyofthemanymorning,loungingaboutthequay,strappingyoungfellowswhoshelterthemselvesbehindthepleaofprivilegedemployment。Wearenotoriousdownhereforourskulkers,andyou-youwhoshouldbetheonemantosetthemanexample,areasbadastheyare。Youdeliberatelyencouragethem。\"
SirHenryabandonedhispositionbyhiswife’sside,Hisfacedarkenedandhiseyesflashed。=20
\"Skulkers?\"herepeatedfuriously。
Philippalookedathimwithoutflinching。
\"Yes!Don’tyouliketheword?\"
Theangryflushfadedfromhischeeksasquicklyasithadcome。Helaughedalittleunnaturally,tookupacigarettefromanopenbox,andlitit。
\"Itisn’tapleasantone,isit,Philippa?\"heobserved,thrustinghishandsintohisjacketpocketsstrollingaway。\"Ifonedoesn’tfeelthecall-well,thereyouare,yousee。Jove,that’safinefish。
Hestoodadmiringthecodlinguponthescales。Philippacontinuedherwork。
\"Ifyouintendtospendtherestoftheeveningwithus,\"shetoldhimcalmly,\"pleaseletmeremindyouagainthatwehaveguestsfordinner。Yourpresentattiremaybecomfortablebutitisscarcelybecoming。\"
Heturnedawayandcamebacktowardsher。Ashepassedthelamp,shestarted。
\"Why,you’rewet,\"sheexclaimed,\"wetthrough!\"
\"OfcourseIam,\"headmitted,feelinghissleeve,\"buttotellyouthetruth,intheinterestofourconversationIhadquiteforgottenit。Herecomeourguests,beforeIhavehadtimetoescape。IcanhearyourfriendLessingham’svoice。\"
CHAPTERXII
Thethreedinnerguestsenteredtogether,Lessinghaminthemiddle。
SirHenry’spresencewasobviouslyasurprisetoallofthem。
\"Noideathatyouwereback,sir,\"Harrisonobserved,shakinghands。
SirHenrygreetedthemallgood-humouredly。\"Iturnedupaboutthreequartersofanhourago,\"heexplained,\"justtoolatetojoinyouatdinner。\"
\"Badluck,sir,\"Sinclairremarked。\"Ihopethatyouhadgoodsport?\"
\"Notsobad,\"SirHenryadmitted。\"Wehadtogofarenoughforit,though。WhatdoyouthinkofthatforanOctobercodling?\"
Theyallapproachedthescalesandadmiredthefish。SirHenrystoodwithhishandsinhispockets,listeningtotheircomments。
\"Youareenjoyingyourstayhere,Ihope,Mr。Lessingham?\"heenquired。
\"Onecouldscarcelyfailtoenjoyeventhebriefestholidayinsodelightfullyhospitableaplace,\"wasthesomewhatmeasuredreply。
\"You’rebywayofbeingafishermanyourself,Ihear?\"SirHenrycontinued。
\"Inaverysmallway,\"Lessinghamacknowledged。\"Ihavebeenoutonceortwice。\"
\"WithBenOates,eh?\"
\"Ibelievethatwastheman’sname。\"
Philippaglancedupfromherworkwithalittleexclamationofsurprise。
\"Ihadnoideaofthat,Mr。Lessingham。WhatevermadeyouchooseBenOates?Heisamostdisgracefulperson。\"
\"Itwasentirelybyaccident,\"Lessinghamexplained。\"Imethimonthefront。Ithappenedtobeafinemorning,andhewasratherpressinginhisinvitation。\"
\"I’mafraidhedidn’tshowyoumuchsport,\"SirHenryobserved。
\"FromwhatJimmyDumble’sbrothertoldhim,heseemstohavetakenyouinentirelythewrongdirection,andonthewrongtide。\"
\"Wehadasmallcatch,\"Lessinghamreplied。\"Ireallywentmoreforthesailthanthesport,soIwasnotdisappointed。\"
\"Thecoastitself,\"SirHenryremarked,\"isratheraninterestingone。\"
\"Ishouldimagineso,\"Lessinghamassented。\"Mr。BenOates,indeed,toldmesomewonderfulstoriesaboutit。Hespokeofbroadchannelsdownwhichadreadnoughtcouldapproachwithinahundredyardsoftheland。\"
\"Heisquiteright,too,\"hishostagreed。
\"There’salotofdeepwaterabouthere。Thewholeofthecoastisverycuriousinthatway。Whatthe-whatthedickensisthis?\"
SirHenry,whohadbeenstrollingabouttheroom,pickedupaHomburghatfromthefarsideofatableofcurios。Philippaglancedupathisexclamation。
\"That’sNora’strophy,\"sheexplained。\"Itoldhertotakeituptoherownroom,butshe’salwayswantingtoshowittoherfriends。\"
\"Nora’strophy?\"SirHenryrepeated。\"Why,it’snothingbutanordinaryman’shat。\"
\"Nevertheless,it’saverytravelledone,sir,\"Harrisonpointedout。
\"MissNorapickedituponDutchman’sCommon,themorningaftertheobservationcarwasfoundthere。\"
SirHenryheldoutthehat。
\"ButNoradoesn’tseriouslysupposethattheGermanscomeoverinthissortofheadgear,doesshe?\"hedemanded。
\"Ifyou’lljustlookinsidethelining,sir,\"Sinclairsuggested。
SirHenryturneditupandwhistledsoftly。\"ByJove,it’saGermanhat,allright!\"heexclaimed。\"Doesn’tlookabadshape,either。\"
Hetriediton。Therewasalittlepealoflaughterfromthemen。
Philippahadceasedherknittingandwaswatchingfromthecouch。
SirHenrylookedathimselfinthelooking-glass。
\"Well,that’sfunny,\"heobserved。\"Ishouldn’thavethoughtitwouldhavebeensomuchtoosmallforme。Here,justtryhowyou’dlookinit,Mr。Lessingham,\"headded,handingitacrosstohim。
Lessinghamacceptedthesituationquitecoolly,andplacedthehatcarefullyonhishead。
\"Itdoesn’tfeelparticularlycomfortable,\"heremarked。
\"Thatmaybe,\"SirHenrysuggested,\"becauseyouhaveitonwrongsideforemost。Ifyou’djustturnitround,Ibelieveyouwouldfinditaverygoodfit。\"
Lessinghamatonceobeyed。SirHenryregardedhimwithadmiration。
\"Excellent!\"heexclaimed。\"Lookatthat,Philippa。Mighthavebeenmadeforhim,eh?\"
Lessinghamlookedathimselfintheglassandremovedthehatfromhisheadwith,somecasualobservation。Hewasentirelyathisease。
Hishostturnedtowardsthedoor,whichMillswasholdingopen。
\"CaptainGriffiths,sir,\"thelatterannounced。
SirHenrygreetedhisvisitorbriefly。
\"Howareyou,Griffiths?\"hesaid。\"Gladtoseeyou。Excusemycostume,butIamjustbackfromafishingexpedition。WearealladmiringMr。Lessinghaminhismagichat。\"
CaptainGriffithsshookhandswithPhilippa,noddedtotheothers,andturnedtowardsLessingham。
\"Putitonagain,there’sagoodfellow,Lessingham,\"SirHenrybegged。\"Yousee,wehavefoundamodernversionofCinderella’sslipper。ThehatwhichfellfromtheZeppelinontoDutchman’sCommonfitsourfriendlikeaglove。IneverthoughttheGermansmadesuchgoodhats,didyou,Griffiths?\"
\"Ialwaysthoughttheyimportedtheirfelthats,\"CaptainGriffithsacknowledged。\"IsthatreallytheonewiththeGermannameinside,whichMissNorabroughthome?\"
\"Thisisthegenuinearticle,\"Lessinghamassented,takingitfromhisheadandpassingitontothenewcomer。\"Notwithstandingthenameinside,IshouldstillbelievethatitwasanEnglishhat。Itfeelstoocomfortableforanythingelse。\"
TheCommandanttookthehattoalampandexamineditcarefully。
Hedrewouttheliningandlookedallthewayround。Suddenlyhegaveventtoalittleexclamation。
\"Herearetheowner’sinitials,\"hedeclared,\"ratherfaintbutstilldistinguishable,-B。M。Hm!There’snodoubtaboutitsbeingaGermanhat。\"
\"B。M。,\"SirHenrymuttered,lookingoverhisshoulder。\"Howveryinteresting!B。M。,\"herepeated,turningtoPhilippa,whohadrecommencedherknitting。\"Isitmyfancy,oristheresomethingalittlefamiliaraboutthat?\"
\"IamsurethatIhavenoidea,\"Philippareplied。\"Itconveysnothingtome。\"
Therewasabriefbutapparentlypointlesssilence。Philippa’sneedlesflashedthroughherwoolwitheasyregularity。Lessinghamappearedtobesharingthemildcuriositywhichtheothersshowedconcerningthehat。SirHenrywasstandingwithknittedbrows,intheobviousattitudeofamanseekingtoremembersomething。
\"B。M。,\"hemurmuredsoftlytohimself。\"TherewassomeoneI’veknownorheardofinEngland-What’sthat,Mills?\"
\"Yourdinnerisserved,sir,\"Mills,whohadmadeasilententrance,announced。
SirHenryapparentlythoughtnomoreofthehatoritspossibleowner。Hethrewituponaneighbouringtable,andhisfaceexpressedanewinterestinlife。
\"Jove,I’mravenous!\"heconfessed。\"You’llexcuseme,won’tyou?
Mills,seethatthesegentlemenhavecigarsandcigarettes-inthebilliardroom,Ishouldthink。You’llfindtheyoungpeoplethere。
I’llcomeinandhaveagameofpillslater。\"
Thetwoyoungsoldiers,withCaptainGriffiths,followedSirHenryatoncefromtheroom。Lessingham,however,lingered。Hestoodwithhishandsbehindhim,lookingatthecloseddoor。
\"Areyougoingtostayandtalknonsensewithme,Mr。Lessingham?\"
Philippaasked。
\"IfImay,\"heanswered,withoutchanginghisposition。
Philippalookedathimcuriously。
\"Doyouseeghoststhroughthatdoor?\"
Heshookhishead。
\"Doyouknow,\"hesaid,asheseatedhimselfbyherside,\"therearetimeswhenIfindyourhusbandquiteinteresting。\"
CHAPTERXIII
Philippaleanedbackinherplace。
\"Exactlywhatdoyoumeanbythat,Mr。Lessingham?\"shedemanded。
Heshookhimselffreefromacurioussenseofunreality,andturnedtowardsher。
\"Imustconfess,\"hesaid,\"thatsometimesyourhusbandpuzzlesme。\"
\"Notnearlysomuchashepuzzlesme,\"Philipparetorted,alittlebitterly。
\"Hashealwaysbeensodesperatelyinterestedindeep-seafishing?\"
Philippashruggedhershoulders。
\"Moreorless,butneverquitetothisextent。Thethinghasbecomeanobsessionwithhimlately。Ifyouarereallygoingtostayandtalkwithme,doyoumindifwedon’tdiscussmyhusband?Justnowthesubjectisratherapainfulonewithme。\"
\"Icanquiteunderstandthat,\"Lessinghammurmuredsympathetically。
\"WhatdoyouthinkofCaptainGriffiths?\"sheasked,alittleabruptly。
\"Ihavethoughtnothingmoreabouthim。ShouldI?Isheofanyrealimportance?\"
\"Heismilitarycommandanthere。\"
Lessinghamnoddedthoughtfully。
\"Isupposethatmeansthatheisthemanwhooughttobeonmytrack,\"heobserved。
\"Ishouldn’tbeintheleastsurprisedtohearthathewas,\"Philippasaiddrily。\"Ihavetoldyouthathecameandaskedaboutyoutheothernight,whenhedinedhere。Heseemedperfectlysatisfiedthen,butheishereagainto-nighttoseeHenry,andhe=20nevervisitsanywhereinanordinaryway。\"
\"Areyouuneasyaboutme?\"Lessinghamenquired。
\"Iamnotsure,\"sheansweredfrankly。\"SometimesIamalmostterrifiedandwouldgiveanythingtohearthatyouwereonyourwayhome。AndatothertimesIrealisethatyouarereallyveryclever,thatnothingislikelytohappentoyou,andthattheplacewillseemdullerthaneverwhenyoudogo。\"
\"Thatisverykindofyou,\"hesaid。\"Inanycase,Ifearthatmyholidaywillsoonbecomingtoanend。\"
\"Yourholiday?\"sherepeated。\"Isthatwhatyoucallit?\"
\"Ithasbeenlittleelse,\"herepliedindifferently。\"Thereisnothingtobelearnthereoftheslightestmilitarysignificance。\"
\"Wetoldyouthatwhenyouarrived,\"Philipparemindedhim。
\"Iwasperhapsfoolishnottobelieveyou,\"heacknowledged。
\"Soyourveryexcitingjourneythroughthecloudshasendedinfailure,afterall!\"shewenton,amomentortwolater。
\"Failure?No,Ishouldnotcallitfailure。\"
\"Youhavereallymadesomediscoveries,then?\"sheenquireddubiously。
\"Ihavemadethegreatestdiscoveryintheworld。\"
Hereyebrowsweregentlyraised,thecornersofhermouthquivered,hereyesfell。
\"Dearme!Inthisquietspot?\"shesighed。
\"Yes!\"
\"IsitHelenorme?\"
\"Philippa!\"heprotested。
Hereyebrowsweremoreraisedthanever。Hermouthhadlostitsalluringcurve。
\"Really,Mr。Lessingham!\"sheexclaimed。\"HaveIevergivenyoutherighttocallmebymyChristianname?\"
\"Inmycountry,\"heanswered,\"wedonotwaittoask。Wetake。\"
\"RankPrussianism,\"shemurmured。\"Ireallythinkyouhadbettergobackthere。Youareadoptingtheirmethods。\"
\"Imayhavetoatanymoment,\"headmitted,\"ortosomemoredistantcountrystill。Iwantsomethingtotakebackwithme。\"
\"Youwantakeepsake,ofcourse,\"Philippadeclared,lookingaroundtheroom。\"Youcanhavemyphotograph-theoneoverthere。Helenwillgiveyouoneofhers,too,Iamsure,ifyouaskher。SheisjustasgratefultoyouaboutRichardasIam。\"
\"Butfromyou,\"hesaidearnestly,\"Iwantmorethangratitude。\"
\"Dearme,howpersistentyouare!\"Philippamurmured。\"Areyoureallydeterminedtomakelovetome?\"
\"Ah,don’tmockme!\"hebegged。\"WhatIamsayingtoyoucomesfrommyheart。\"
Philippalaughedathimquietly。Therewasjustalittlebreakinhervoice,however。
\"Don’theabsurd!\"
\"Thereisnothingabsurdaboutit,\"hereplied,withanoteofsadnessinhistone。\"Ifeltitfromthemomentwemet。Istruggledagainstit,butIhavefeltitgrowingdaybyday。Icameherewithmymindfilledwithdifferentpurposes。Ihadnothoughtofamusingmyself,nothoughtofseekingherethehappinesswhichuptillnowIseemtohavemissed。IcameasaservantbecauseIwassent,amechanicalbeing。Youhavechangedeverything。ForyouIfeelwhatIhaveneverfeltforanywomanbefore。Iplacebeforeyoumycareer,myfreedom,myhonour。\"
Philippasighedverysoftly。
\"Doyoumindringingthebell?\"shebegged。
\"Thebell?\"herepeated。\"Whatfor?\"
\"IwantHelentohearyou,\"sheconfided,withawonderfullittlesmile。
\"Philippa,don’tmockme,\"hepleaded。\"Ifthisisonlyamusementtoyou,tellmesoandletmegoaway。Itisthefirsttimeinmylifethatawomanhascomebetweenmeandmywork。Iamnolongermasterofmyself。Iamobsessedwithyou。Iwantnothingelseinlifebutyourlove。\"
TherewasanalmoststartlingchangeinPhilippa’sface。Thebanterwhichhadservedherwithsomucheffect,whichshehadrelieduponasherdefensiveweapon,wassuddenlyuseless。Lessinghamhadcreatedanatmospherearoundhim,anatmosphereofsincerity。
\"Areyouinearnest?\"shefaltered。
\"GodknowsIam!\"heinsisted。
\"You-youcareforme?\"
\"Somuch,\"heansweredpassionately,\"thatforyoursakeIwouldsacrificemyhonour,mycountry,mylife。\"
\"ButI’veonlyknownyouforsuchashorttime,\"Philippaprotested,\"andyou’reanenemy。\"
\"Idiscardmybirth。Irenouncemyadoptedcountry,\"hedeclaredfiercely。\"Youhavesweptmylifeclearofeveryscrapofambitionandpatriotism。Youhavefilleditwithonethingonly-agreat,consuminglove。\"
\"Haveyouforgottenmyhusband?\"
\"DoyouthinkthatifhehadbeenadifferentsortofmanIshouldhavedaredtospeak?Askyourselfhowyoucancontinuetolivewithhim?Youcancallhimwhichyouwill。Bothareequallydisgraceful。Yourheartknowsthetruth。Heiseitheracowardoraphilanderer。\"
Philippa’scheeksweresuddenlywhite。Hereyesflashed。Hiswordshadstunghertothequick。
\"Acoward?\"sherepeatedfuriously。\"YoudaretocallHenrythat?\"
Lessinghamroseabruptlytohisfeet。Hemovedrestlesslyabouttheroom。Hisfistswereclenched,histonethickwithpassion。
\"Ido!\"hepronounced。\"Philippa,lookatthismatterwithoutprejudice。Doyoubelievethatthereisasinglemanofanycountry,ofyourhusband’sageandrank,whowouldbecontenttotrawltheseasforfishwhilsthiscountry’sbloodisbeingdraineddry?Whowouldweighacodling,\"headded,pointingscornfullytothescales,\"whilstthefuneralmarchofheroesisbeatingthroughouttheworld?
Thethingisinsensate,impossible!\"
Philippa’sheaddrooped。Herhandswerenervouslyintertwined。
\"Don’t!\"shepleaded,\"Ihavesufferedsomuch。\"
\"Forgiveme,\"hebegged,withasuddenchangeofvoice。\"IfIammistakeninyourhusband-andthereisalwaysthechance-Iamsorry。IwillconfessthatImyselfhadadifferentopinionofhim,butIcanonlyjudgefromwhatIhaveseenandfromthatthereisnooneintheworldwhowouldnotagreewithmethatyourhusbandisunworthyofyou。\"
\"Oh,pleasestop!\"Philippacried。\"Stopatonce!\"
Lessinghamcamebacktohisplacebyherside。Hisvoicewasstillshaking,butithadgrownverysoft。
\"Philippa,forgiveme,\"herepeated。\"Ifyouonlyknewhowithurtstoseeyoulikethis!YetImustspeak。Thereisjustonceineveryman’slifetimewhenhemusttellthetruth。Thattimehascomewithme-Iloveyou。\"
\"Sodoesmyhusband,\"shemurmured。
\"Iwillonlyremindyou,then,thatheshowsitinstrangefashion,\"
Lessinghamcontinued。\"Hesetsyourwishesatdefiance。Hewhoshouldbeanexampleinasmallplacelikethis,isonlyanobjectofcontemptintheneighbourhood。EvenI,whohaveonlylivedhereforsoshortatime,havecaughttheburdenofwhatpeoplesay。\"
Philippawipedhereyes。
\"Please,doyoumind,\"shebegged,\"notsayinganythingmoreaboutHenry。YouareonlyremindingmeofthingswhichItryallthetimetoforget。\"
\"Believeme,\"Lessinghamansweredwistfully,\"Iamonlytoocontenttoignorehim,toforgetthatheexists,torememberonlythatyouarethewomanwhohaschangedmylife。\"
Philippalookedathiminsomethinglikedismay,ratherlikeachildwhohasstartedanenginewhichshehasnoideahowtostop。
\"Butyoumustnot-youmustnottalktomelikethis!\"
Hishandcloseduponhers。Itlayinhisgrasp,unyielding,cold,yetpassive。
\"Whynot?\"hewhispered。\"Ihavetheoneunalterableright,andI
amwillingtopaythegreatprice。\"
\"Right?\"shefaltered。
\"Therightoflovingyou-therightoflovingyoubetterthananywomanintheworld。\"
Therewasaqueersilence,onlypartlydue,asshewasinstantlyaware,totheemotionofthemoment。Adoorbehindthemhadopened。
Philippa’squickersenseshadrecognisedherhusband’sfootsteps。
Lessinghamrosedeliberatelytohisfeet。Inhishearthewelcomedtheinterruption。Thismight,perhaps,bethedecisivemoment。SirHenrywasstrollingtowardsthem。Hismannerandhistone,however,werealikegood-natured。
\"Iwastoorderyouintothebilliardroom,Mr。Lessingham,\"heannounced。\"Sinclairhasbeensentfor-anightroutemarch,orsomesuchhorror-andtheywantyoutomakeafour。\"
Lessinghamhesitated。Hehadapassionateinclinationtofacethesituation,totellthismanthetruth。SirHenry’scourteousindifference,however,waslikeaharrier。Herecognisedtheinevitable。
\"IamafraidIamratheroutofpractice,\"hesaid,\"butIshallbedelightedtodomybest。\"
CHAPTERXIV
SirHenrywasobviouslynotinthebestoftempers。Foramild-manneredandeasy-goingman,hisexpressionwasscarcelynormal。
\"Thatfellowwasmakinglovetoyou,\"hesaidbluntly,assoonasthedoorwasclosedbehindLessingham。
Philippalookedupatherhusbandwithanairofpleasantcandour。
\"Hewasdoingitverynicely,too,\"sheadmitted。
\"Youmeantosaythatyoulethim?\"
\"Ilistenedtowhathehadtosay,\"sheconfessed。\"Itdidn’toccurtoyou,Isuppose,\"herhusbandremarked,withsomewhatstrainedsarcasm,\"thatyouwereanotherman’swife?\"
\"Iamdoingmybesttoforgetthatfact,\"Philipparemindedhim。
\"Isee!Andheistohelpyou?\"
\"Possibly。\"
SirHenry’sirritationwasfastmergingintoanger。
\"Ishallturnthefellowoutofthehouse,\"hedeclared。
Philippashruggedhershoulders。
\"Whydon’tyou?\"
Heseatedhimselfonthecouchbyhiswife’sside。\"Lookhere,Philippa,don’tlet’swrangle,\"hebegged。\"I’mafraidyou’llhavetomakeupyourmindtoseeagooddeallessofyourfriendLessingham,anyway。\"
Philippa’sbrowswereknitted。Shewasconsciousofavagueuneasiness。
\"Really?Andwhy?\"
\"Foronething,\"herhusbandexplained,\"becauseIdon’tintendtohavehimhangingaboutmyhouseduringmyabsence。\"
\"Thebestwaytopreventthatwouldbenottogoaway,\"Philippasuggested。
\"Well,inallprobability,\"heannouncedguardedly,\"Iamnotgoingawayagain-atleastnotjustyet。\"
Philippa’smannersuddenlychanged。Shelaiddownherwork。Herhandrestedlightlyuponherhusband’sshoulder。
\"Youmeanthatyouaregoingtogiveupthosehorriblefishingexcursionsofyours?\"
\"ForthepresentIam,\"heassuredher。
\"Andareyougoingtodosomething-somework,Imean?\"sheaskedbreathlessly。
\"FortheimmediatepresentIamgoingtostayathomeandlookafteryou,\"hereplied。
Philippa’sfacefell。Hermannerbecamenotablycolder。
\"Youareverywise,\"shedeclared。\"Mr。Lessinghamisamostfascinatingperson。Weareallhalfinlovewithhim-evenHelen。\"
\"Thefellowmusthaveawaywithhim,\"SirHenryconcededgrudgingly。
\"Asarulethepeopleherearenotover-keenonstrangers,unlesstheyhaveimmediateconnectionsintheneighbourhood。EvenGriffiths,whosincetheymadehimCommandant,isamanofmanysuspicions,seemsinclinedtoaccepthim。\"
\"CaptainGriffithsdinedheretheothernight,\"Philipparemarked,\"andInoticedthatheandMr。Lessinghamseemedtogetonverywell。\"
\"Thefellow’sallrightinhisway,nodoubt,\"SirHenrybegan。
\"Ofcourseheis,\"Philippainterrupted。\"HelenlikeshimquiteasmuchasIdo。\"
\"DoeshemakelovetoHelen,too?\"SirHenryventured。
\"Don’ttalknonsense!\"Philipparetorted。\"Heisn’tthatsortofamanatall。Ifhehasmadelovetome,hehasdonesobecauseI
haveencouragedhim,andifIhaveencouragedhim,itisyourfault。\"
SirHenry,withanimpatientexclamation,rosefromhisplaceandtookacigarettefromanopenbox。
\"QuitetimeIstayedathome,Icansee。Allthesame,thefellow’sratherapuzzle。Ican’thelpwonderinghowhesucceededinmakingsuchaneasyconquestofaladywhohasscarcelybeennotoriousforherflirtations,andayoungwomanwhoismadlyinlovewithanotherman。Hehasn’t-\"
\"Hasn’twhat?\"
\"Hehasn’t,\"SirHenrycontinued,blowingoutthematchwhichhehadbeenholdingtohiscigaretteandthrowingitaway,\"beeninthepositionofbeingabletorenderyouorHelenanyservice,hashe?\"
\"Idon’tunderstandyou,\"Philippareplied,alittleuneasily。
\"There’snothingtounderstand,\"SirHenrywenton。\"Iwassimplytryingtofindsomeexplanationforhisveni,vidi,vici。\"
\"Idon’tthinkyouneedgoanyfurtherthanthefact,\"Philippaobserved,\"thatheiswell-bred,charmingandcompanionable。\"
\"Incidentally,\"SirHenryqueried,\"doyouhappentohavecomeacrossanyoneherewhoeverheardofhimbefore?\"
\"Idon’trememberanyone,\"Philippareplied。\"HewasatcollegewithRichard,youknow。\"
SirHenrynodded。
\"Ofcourse,that’sawonderfulintroductiontoyouandHelen,\"headmitted。\"Andby-the-by,thatremindsme,\"hewenton,\"Ineversawsuchachangeintwowomeninmylife,asinyouandHelen。
AfewweeksagoyouwerefrettingyourselvestodeathaboutDick。
Nowyoudon’tseemtomentionhim,youbothofyoulookasthoughyouhadn’tacareintheworld,andyetyousayyouhaven’theardfromhim。Uponmyword,thisisgettingtobeahouseofmysteries!\"
\"TheonlymysteryinitthatIcansee,isyou,Henry,\"shedeclared。
\"Me?\"heprotested。\"I’moneofthesimplest-mindedfellowsalive。
Whatistheremysteriousaboutme?\"
\"Yourignominiouslife,\"wasthecoldreply。
\"Jove,Igotitthattime!\"hegroaned,-\"gotitintheneck!Butdidn’tItellyoujustnowthatIwasturningoveranewleaf?\"
\"Thenproveit,\"Philippapleaded。\"LetmewritetoRaytonandbeghimtousehisinfluencetogetyousomethingtodo。Iamsureyouwouldbehappier,andIcan’ttellyouwhatadifferenceitwouldmaketome。\"
\"It’sthatindoorworkIcouldn’tstick,oldthing,\"heconfided。
\"Youknow,they’resayingallthetimeit’sayoungman’swar。
They’dmakemetakesomeone’splaceathomebehindadesk。\"=20
\"Buteveniftheydid,\"sheprotested,\"eveniftheyputyouinacoalcellar,wouldn’tyoubehappiertofeelthatyouwerehelpingyourcountry?Wouldn’tyoubegladtoknowthatIwashappier?\"
SirHenrymadeawryface。
\"Itseemstomethatyouroutlookisatriflesuperficial,dear,\"
hegrumbled。\"However-nowwhatthedickensisthematter?\"
ThedoorhadbeenopenedbyMills,withhisusualsmoothness,butJimmyDumble,outofbreathandexcited,pushedhiswayintotheroom。
\"Hullo?Whatisit,Jimmy?\"hispatrondemanded。
\"Begyourpardon,sir,\"wasthealmostincoherentreply。\"I’verunallthewayup,andthere’sararewindblowing。There’soneofour-ourtrawlerslyingoffthePoint,andshe’ssentupthreegreenandsixyellowballs。\"
\"Whiting,byGod!\"SirHenryexclaimed。
\"Whiting!\"Philipparepeated,inagoniseddisgust。\"Whatdoesthismean,Henry?\"
\"Itmustbeashoal,\"herhusbandexplained。\"Itmeansthatwe’vegottogetamongstthemquick。IstheIdadownonthebeach,Jimmy?\"
\"Shethereallright,sir,\"wasthesomewhatdoubtfulreply,\"butus’llhaveararejobtogetaway,sir。Thattherenor’easterisblowinggreatgunsagainandit’sacrueltide。\"
\"We’vegottogetoutsomehow,\"SirHenrydeclared。\"Mills,myoilskinsandflaskatonce。Isha’n’tchangeathing,butyoumightbringacardiganjacketandthewhiskyandsoda。\"
Millswithdrew,alittledazed。Philippa,whosefingerswereclenchedtogether,foundhertongueatlast。
\"Henry!\"sheexclaimedfuriously。
\"Whatisit,mydear?\"
\"Doyoumeantotellmethatafteryourpromise,\"shecontinued,\"afterwhatyouhavejustsaid,youarestartingoutto-nightforanotherfishingexpedition?\"
\"Whiting,mydear,\"SirHenryexplained。\"Onecan’tpossiblymisswhiting。Wherethedevilaremykeys?-Heretheyare。Nowthen。\"
Hesatdownbeforehisdesk,tooksomepapersfromthetopdrawer,rummagedaboutforamomentortwoinanother,andfoundwhatseemedtobeacoupleofchartsinoilskincases。Allthetimethewindwasshakingthewindows,andastormofrainwasbeatingagainstthepanes。