\"I’vetouchednothinguntilI’vereachedwhatIconsidersanctuary,\"
heobserved。\"Mynerveshavegonerottenforthefirsttimeinmylife。Doyoumind,sir,ifIlockthedoor?\"
\"Goahead,\"SirHenryassented。
Hebroughtthewhiskyandsodahimselfacrosstheroom。Horridgeresumedhisseatandheldouthishandalmosteagerly。Foramomentortwoheshookasthoughhehadanague。Then,justassuddenlyasithadcomeuponhim,thefitpassed。Hedrainedthecontentsofthetumbleratagulp’setitdownemptybyhisside,andstretchedouthishandforacigar。
\"Theendofmyjourneydidn’thelpmattersany,\"hewenton。\"I
daren’tevenmakeforaDutchport,andwewerepickedupeventuallybyatrampsteamerfromNewcastletoLondonwithcoals。Ihadn’tbeenonboardmorethananhourbeforeasubmarinewhichhadbeenfollowingoverhauledus。Ithoughtitwasallupthen,butthefoglifted,andwefoundourselvesalmostinthemidstofasquadronofdestroyersfromHarwich。Imadeanothertransfer,andtheylandedmeintimetocatchtheearlymorningtrainfromFelixstowe。\"
\"Didtheygetthesubmarine?\"hislisteneraskedeagerly。
\"Getit!\"theotherrepeated,withasmile。\"Theyblewitintoscrapmetal。\"
\"Plentyofmovementinyourlife!\"
\"I’verunthegauntletoverthereoncetoooften,\"Horridgesaidgrimly。\"Justlookatmenow,SirHenry。I’mtwenty-nineyearsold,andit’sonlytwoyearsandahalfsinceIwasinvalidedoutofthenavyandtookthisjobon。ThelastpersonIaskedtoguessmyageputmedownatfifty。Whatshouldyouhavesaid?\"
\"Somewherenearit,\"wasthecandidadmission。\"Nevermind,Horridge,you’vedoneyourbit。Youshallpassonyourexperiencetoanewhand,takeyourpensionandtrythesouthcoastofEnglandforafewmonths。Nowlet’sgetonwithit。YouknowwhatIwanttohearabout。\"
Horridgeproducedfromhispocketalongstripofpaper。
\"They’rethere,sir,\"heannounced,\"coaledtothescuppers,everymanstandingtostationsandsteamup。There’sthelist。\"
HehandedthepaperacrosstoSirHenry,whoglanceditdown。
\"Thefastcruisersquadron,\"heobserved。\"Hm!Threenewshipswehaven’tanynoteof。Notransports,then,Horridge?’\"
\"Notasignofone,sir,\"wasthereply。\"They’reafterabombardment。\"
Herosetohisfeet,walkedtoagiantmapofEngland,andtouchedacertainportontheeastcoast。SirHenry’seyesglistened。
\"You’resure?\"
\"Itisacertainty,\"Horridgereplied。\"I’vebeenonthreeofthoseships。I’vedinedwithfouroftheofficers。They’reundersealedorders,andthecrewbelievesthatthey’regoingtoescortouthalfadozencommercedestroyers。ButIhavethetruth。That’stheirobjective,\"Horridgerepeated,touchingoncemorethespotuponthemap,\"andtheyarewaitingjustforonething。\"
SirHenrysmiledthoughtfully。
\"Iknowwhatthey’rewaitingfor,\"hesaid。\"Perhapsifthey’daHerrHorridgetosendoverhereforit,they’dhavegotitbeforenow。Asitis-well,I’mnotsure,\"hewenton。\"Itseemsapitytodisappointthem,doesn’tit?I’dlovetogivethemarunfortheirmoney。\"
Horridgesmiledfaintly。Heknewagooddealabouthiscompanion。
\"They’respoilingforit,sir,\"headmitted。SirHenryspokedownatelephoneandafewminuteslaterEnsolreappeared。
\"FindMr。Horridgeacomfortableroom,\"hischiefdirected,\"andoneofourconfidentialtypists。Youcanmakeoutyourreportatyourleisure,\"hewenton。\"Comeinandseemewhenit’sallfinished。\"
\"Certainly,sir,\"Horridgereplied,rising。
SirHenryheldouthishand。Helookedwithsomethinglikewonderatthenerve-shatteredmanwhohadrisentohisfeetwithacertainairofbriskness。
\"Horridge,\"hesaid,\"IwishIhadyourpluck。\"
\"Idon’tknowanyoneintheservicefromwhomyouneedborrowany,sir,\"wasthequietreply。
CHAPTERXIX
LessinghamsatuponafallentreeonDutchman’sCommonnearthesceneofhisromanticdescent,andlookedratherruefullyoverthemoorland,seawards。Abovehim,theskywascoveredwithlittlemassesofquicklyscuddingclouds。Afugitiveandwaterysunshineshonefeeblyuponawind-tossedseaandarain-soddenlandscape。
Hefoundacertaingrimsatisfactionincomparingthedisorderlinessofthedaywiththetumultinhisownlife。Hefeltthathehadembarkeduponanenterprisegreaterthanhiscapacity,forwhichhewasinmanywaysentirelyunsuitable。Andbehindhimwasthescourgeofthetelegramwhichhehadreceivedafewhoursago,atelegramharmlessenoughtoallappearance,butwhich,decoded,waslikeascourgetohisback。
Yourworkisunsatisfactoryandyourslacknessdeservesreprobation。
Greateventswaituponyou。Theobjectofyoursearchisnecessaryforourimminentoperations。
Thesoundofahorse’shoofsdisturbedhim。CaptainGriffiths,onagreatbaymare,glancedcuriouslyatthelonelyfigurebytheroadside,andthenpulledup。
\"Backagain,Mr。Lessingham?\"heremarked。
\"Asyousee。\"
TheCommandantfidgetedwithhishorseforamoment。ThenheapproachedalittlenearertoLessingham’sside。
\"Youareagoodwalker,Iperceive,Mr。Lessingham,\"heremarked。
\"Whenthefancytakesme,\"wastheequablereply。
\"Haveyoucomeouttoseeournewguns?\"
\"Ihadnoidea,\"Lessinghamansweredindifferently,\"thatyouhadany。\"
Griffithssmiled。
\"Wehaveasmallbatteryofanti-aircraftguns,newlyarrivedfromthesouthofEngland,\"hesaid。\"Thesecretoftheircomingandtheirlocalityhaskepttheneighbourhoodinastateoffermentforthelastweek。\"
Lessinghamremainedprofoundlyuninterested。
\"Theymostofthemspottedtheguns,\"hiscompanioncontinued,\"butnotmanyofthemhavefoundthesearchlightsyet。\"
\"Itseemsalittlelateintheyear,\"Lessinghamobserved,\"tobemakingpreparationsagainstZeppelins。\"
\"Well,theycrosshereprettyoften,youknow,\"Griffithsremindedhim。\"It’sonlyamatterofafewweeksagothatonealmostcametogriefonthiscommon。Wepickeduptheirobservationcarnotfiftyyardsfromwhereyouaresitting。\"
\"Irememberhearingaboutit,\"Lessinghamacknowledged。
\"By-the-by,\"theCommandantcontinued,smoothinghishorse’sneck,\"didn’tyouarrivethateveningortheeveningafter?\"
\"IbelieveIdid。\"
\"LiverpoolStreetorKing’sCross?TheKing’sCrosstrainwasverynearlyheldup。\"
\"Ididn’tcomebytrainatall,\"Lessinghamreplied,glancingforamomentintotheclouds,\"AndnowIcometothinkofit,itmusthavebeentheeveningafter。\"
\"Finecountyformotoring,\"Griffithscontinued,strokinghishorse’shead。
\"TheroadsIhavebeenonseemverygood,\"wasthesomewhatboredadmission。
\"Youhaven’tacarofyourownhere,haveyou?\"
\"Notatpresent。\"
CaptainGriffithsglancedbetweenhishorse’searsforafewmoments。
Thenheturnedoncemoretowardshiscompanion。
\"Mr。Lessingham,\"hesaid,\"youareawarethatIamCommandanthere?\"
\"Ibelieve,\"Lessinghamreplied,\"thatLadyCranstontoldmeso。\"
\"Itismyduty,therefore,\"Griffithswenton,\"totakealittlemorethanordinaryinterestincasualvisitors,especiallyatthistimeoftheyear。Thefactthatyouarewell-knowntoLadyCranstonis,ofcourse,anentirelysatisfactoryexplanationofyourpresencehere。Atthesametime,thereiscertaininformationconcerningstrangersofwhichwekeeparecord,andinyourcasethereisalineortwowhichwehavenotbeenabletofillup。\"
\"IfIcanbeofanyservice,\"Lessinghammurmured。
\"Precisely,\"theotherinterrupted。\"Iknewyouwouldfeellikethat。Nowyourarrivalhere-wehavethedate,Ithink-October6th。Asyouhavejustremarked,youdidn’tcomebytrain。Howdidyoucome?\"
Lessingham’ssurprisewasapparentlyquitegenuine。
\"Isthataquestionwhichyouaskmetoanswer-officially?\"heenquired。
Hisinterlocutorshruggedhisshoulders。
\"Iamnotputtingofficialquestionstoyouatall,\"hereplied,\"noramIcross-examiningyou,asmightbemyduty,underthecircumstances,simplybecauseyourfriendshipwiththeCranstonsis,ofcourse,aguaranteeastoyourposition。Butontheotherhand,Ithinkitwouldbereasonableifyouweretoanswermyquestion。\"
Lessinghamnodded。
\"Perhapsyouareright,\"headmitted。\"Asyoucantellbyfindingmeherethisafternoon,Iamagreatwalker。Iarrived-onfoot。\"
\"Isee,\"Griffithsreflected。\"Theotherquestionwhichweusuallyaskis,wherewasyourlaststoppingplace?\"
\"Stoppingplace?\"Lessinghammurmured。
\"Yes,wheredidyousleepthenightbeforeyoucamehere?\"Griffithspersisted。
Lessinghamshookhisheadasthoughoppressedbysomedistastefulmemory。
\"ButIdidnotsleepatall,\"hecomplained。\"ItwasoneoftheworstnightswhichIhaveeverspentinmylife。\"
CaptainGriffithsgathereduphisreins。
\"Well,\"hesaidwithclumsysarcasm,\"Iammuchobligedtoyou,Mr。
Lessingham,forthestraight-forwardwayinwhichyouhaveansweredmyquestions。Iwon’tbotheryouanymorejustatpresent。ShallIseeyouto-morrownightatMainsailHaul?\"
\"LadyCranstonhasaskedmetodine,\"wasthesomewhatreservedreply。
Hisinquisitornoddedandcanteredaway。Lessinghamlookedafterhimuntilhehaddisappeared,thenheturnedhisfacetowardsDreymarshandwalkedsteadilyintotheloweringafternoon。TwilightwasfallingashereachedMainsailHaul,wherehefoundPhilippaentertainingsomecallers,towhomshepromptlyintroducedhim。Lessinghamgathered,almostinthefirstfewminutes,thathispresenceinDreymarshwasbecomingasubjectofcomment。
\"Myhusbandhasplayedbridgewithyouattheclub,Ithink,\"aladybywhosesidehefoundhimselfobserved。\"Youperhapsdidn’thearmyname-Mrs。Johnson?\"
\"Icongratulateyouuponyourhusband,\"Lessinghamreplied。\"I
rememberhimperfectlywellbecausehekepthistemperwhenI
revoked。\"
\"Dearme!\"sheexclaimed。\"Hemusthavetakenafancytoyou,then。
Asarule,theyrathercomplainabouthimatbridge。\"
\"Iformedtheimpression,\"Lessinghamcontinued,\"thathewasratherabetterplayerthanthemajorityoftheperformersthere。\"
Mrs。Johnson,whowasadarkandsomewhatforbidding-lookinglady,smiled。
\"Hethinksso,atanyrate,\"sheconceded。\"Didn’thetellmethatyouwereinvalidedhomefromthefront?\"
Lessinghamshookhishead。
\"Iamquitesurethatitwasnotmentioned,\"hesaid。\"Wewalkedhometogetherasfarasthehoteloneevening,butwespokeonlyofthegolfandsomeshootingintheneighbourhood。\"
Philippa,whohadbeenmaneuveringtoattractLessingham’sattention,suddenlydroppedthecakebasketwhichshewaspassing。Therewasalittlecommotion。Lessinghamwentdownonhishandsandkneestohelpcollectthefragments,andshefoundanopportunitytowhisperinhisear。
\"Becareful。Thatwomanisacat。Stayandtalktome。Pleasedon’tbother,Mr。Lessingham。Won’tyouringthebellinstead?\"
shecontinued,raisinghervoice。
Lessinghamdidashewasasked,andaffectednottonoticeMrs。
Johnson’sinvitingsmileashereturned。Philippamaderoomforhimbyherside。
\"HelenandIweretalkingthisafternoon,Mr。Lessingham,\"shesaid,\"ofthedayswhenyouandDickwerebothintheMagdalenElevenandbothhadjustachanceofbeingchosenfortheVarsity。Youneverplayed,didyou?\"
Heshookhishead。
\"Nosuchluck。Inanycase,Richardwouldhavebeeninwellbeforeme。Ialwaysmaintainedthathewasthefirstofourgoogliebowlers。\"
\"SoyouwereatMagdalenwithMajorFelstead?\"anothercallerremarkedinmildwonder。
\"Mr。Lessinghamandmybrotherweregreatfriends,\"Philippaexplained。\"Mr。LessinghamusedtocomedowntoshootinCheshire。\"
LadyCranston’sguestswereallconsciousofalittleindefinabledisappointment。Thegossipconcerningthisstranger’sappearanceinDreymarshwaspracticallystrangled。Mrs。Johnson,however,firedapartingshotassherosetogo。
\"YouwerenotinthesameregimentasMajorFelstead,wereyou,Mr。
Lessingham?\"sheasked。\"No,\"heansweredcalmly。
Philippawasbusywithheradieux。Mrs。Johnsonremainedindomitable。
\"Whatwasyourregiment,Mr。Lessingham?\"shepersisted。\"Youmustforgivemyseeminginquisitive,butIamsointerestedinmilitaryaffairs。\"
Lessinghambowedcourteously。
\"Idonotrememberalludingtomysoldieringatall,\"hesaidcoolly,\"butasamatteroffactIamintheGuards。\"
Mrs。JohnsonacceptedPhilippa’shandandtheinevitable。Hergood-bytoLessinghamwasmostaffable。Shewalkeduptheroadwiththevicar。
\"Ithink,Vicar,\"shesaidseverely,\"thatforasmallplace,DreymarshisbecomingoneoftheworstcentresofgossipIeverknew。
EveryonehasbeensayingallsortsofunkindthingsaboutthatcharmingMr。Lessingham,andthereyouare-MajorFelstead’sfriendandaGuardsman!Somehoworother,Ifeltthathebelongedtooneofthecrackregiments。Ishallcertainlyaskhimtodinneronenightnextweek。\"
Thevicarnoddedbenignly。HehadtheutmostrespectforMrs。
Johnson’scook,andhisownstandardofsocialdesirability,towhichtheobjectoftheirdiscussionhadattained。
\"IshouldbehappytomeetMr。Lessinghamatanytime,\"hepronounced,withamplecondescension。InoticedhiminchurchlastSundaymorning。\"
CHAPTERXX
\"Mydearman,whatevershallIdowithyou!\"Philippaexclaimedpathetically,asthedoorcloseduponthelastofhercallers。
\"TheGuards,indeed!\"
Lessinghamsmiledasheresumedhisplacebyherside。
\"Well,\"hesaid,\"Itoldthedearladythetruth。Youwillfindmynamewellupinthelistofthethirty-firstbattalionofthePrussianGuards。\"
Shethrewherselfbackinherchairandlaughed。\"Howamusingitwouldbeifitweren’tallsoterrible!YoureallyareaperfectpoliticalRaffles。Doyouknowthatthisafternoonyouhaveabsolutelyreestablishedyourself?Mr。Johnsonwillprobablycallonyouto-morrow-theymayevenaskyoutodine-thevicarwillwriteandaskforasubscription,andDollyFenwickwillinviteyoutoplaygolfwithher。\"
\"Donotturnmyhead,\"hebegged。
\"Allthesame,\"Philippacontinued,moregravely,\"Ishallneverhaveamoment’speacewhilstyouareintheplace。Iwasthinkingaboutyoulastnight。Idon’tbelieveIhaveeverrealisedbeforehowterribleitwouldbeifyoureallywerediscovered。Whatwouldtheydotoyou?\"
\"Whatevertheymightdo,\"hereplied,alittlewearily,\"Imustobeyorders。Myordersaretoremainhere,butevenifIweretoldthatImightgo,Ishouldfindithard。\"
\"Doyoumeanthat?\"sheasked。
\"Ithinkyouknow,\"heanswered。
\"Youmenaresostrange,\"shewenton,afteramoment’spause。
\"Yougiveussolittletimetoknowyou,youshowussolittleofyourselvesandyouexpectsomuch。\"
\"Weoffereverything,\"heremindedher。
\"Iwanttoavoidplatitudes,\"shesaidthoughtfully,\"butislovequitethesamethingforamanasforawoman?=20
\"Sometimesitismore,\"wasthepromptreply。\"Sometimeslove,forawoman,meansonlyshelter;often,foraman,lovemeanstheblendingofallknowledge,ofallbeauty,allambition,ofallthathehaslearnedfrombooksandfromlife。Sometimesamancanseenofurtherandneedstolooknofurther。\"
Philippasuddenlyfeltthatshewasindanger。Therewassomethinginherheartofwhichshehadneverbeforebeenconscious,somemusic,somestrangeturnofsentimentinLessinghamsvoiceorthewordsthemselves。Itwasmadness,shetoldherselfbreathlessly。
Shewasinlovewithherhusband,ifanyone。Shecouldnothavelostallfeelingforhimsosoon。Sheclaspedherhandstightly。
Lessinghamseemedconsciousofhisadvantage,andleanedtowardsher。
\"IfIwerenotofferingyoumywholelife,\"hepleaded,\"believeme,Iwouldnotopenmylips。IfIwerethinkingofepisodes。I
wouldthrowmyselfintotheseabeforeIaskedyoutogivemeevenyourfingers。Butyou,andyoualone,couldfilltheplaceinmylifewhichIhavealwaysprayedmightbefilled,notforayearorevenadecadeofyears,butforeternity。\"
\"Oh,butyouforget!\"shefaltered。
\"Iremembersomuch,\"hereplied,\"thatIknowitishardforyoutospeak。Therearebondswhichyouhavemadesacred,andyourfingersshrinkfromtearingthemasunder。Ifitwerenotforthis,Philippa-hearthespeechofarenegade-mymandateshouldbetorninpieces。Myinstructionsshouldflutterintothewaste-paperbasket,To-morrowshouldseeusonourwaytoanewcountryandanewlife。Butyoumustbeverysureindeed。\"
\"Isitbecauseofmethatyouarestayinghere?\"sheasked。
\"Uponmyhonour,no,\"heassuredher。\"Imuststayherealittlelonger,whateveritmaymeanforme。AndsoIamcontenttoremainwhatIamtoyouatthisminute。Iaskfromyouonlythatyouremainjustwhatyouare。Butwhenthemomentofmyfreedomcomes,whenmytaskhereisfinishedandIturntogo,thenImustcometoyou。\"
Sherosesuddenlytoherfeet,crossedthefloor,andthrewopenthewindow。Thebreezesweptthroughtheroom,flappingthecurtains,blowingaboutloosearticlesintoastrangeconfusion。
Shestoodthereforseveralmoments,asthoughinsearchofsomerespitefromtheemotionalatmosphereuponwhichshehadturnedherback。Whenshefinallyclosedthewindow,herhairwasinlittlestrandsaboutherface。Hereyesweresoftandherlipsquivering。
\"Youmakemefeel,\"shesaid,takinghishandforamomentandlookingathimalmostpiteously,\"youmakemefeeleverythingexceptonething。\"
\"Exceptonething?\"herepeated。
\"Can’tyouunderstand?\"shecontinued,stretchingoutherhandwithaquick,impulsivelittlemovement。\"IamhereinHenry’shouse,hiswife,themistressofhishousehold。Alltheyearswe’vebeenmarriedIhaveneverthoughtofanotherman。Ihaveneverindulgedineventheidlestflirtation。Andnowsuddenlymylifeseemsupsidedown。Ifeelasthough,ifHenrystoodbeforemenow,I
wouldstrikehimonthecheek。Ifeelsoreallover,andashamed,butIdon’tknowwhetherIhaveceasedtolovehim。Ican’ttell。
Nothingseemstohelpme。IclosemyeyesandItrytothinkofthatnewworldandthatnewlife,andIknowthatthereisnothingrepulsiveinit。Ifeelallthejoyandthestrengthofbeingwithyou。AndthenthereisHenryinthebackground。Heseemstohavehadsomuchofmylove。\"
Hesawthetearsgatheringinhereyes,andhesmiledatherencouragingly。
\"RememberthatatthismomentIamaskingyoufornothing,\"besaid。
\"Justthinkthesethingsout。Itisn’treallyamatterforsorrow,\"
hecontinued。\"Lovemustalwaysmeanhappiness-fortheonewhoisloved。\"
Sheleanedhackinthecornerofthesofatowhichhehadledher,hereyesdrynowbutstillverysoftandsweet。Hesatbyherside,fingeringsomeofthethingsinherworkbasket。Oncesheheldoutherhandandseemedtofindcomfortinhisclasp。Heraisedherfingerstohislipswithoutanyprotestfromher。Shelookedathimwithalittlesmile。
\"Youknow,I’mnotatallanIbsenheroine,\"shedeclared。\"Ican’tseemywaylikethosewonderfulemancipatedwomen。\"
\"Yet,\"hesaidthoughtfully,\"thewaytothesimplethingsissoclear。\"
Confidenceswereatanendforatime,brokenupbytheentranceofNoraandHelen,andsomeyoungmenfromtheDepot,whohadlookedinforagameofbilliards。Lessinghamrosetoleaveassoonasthelatterhadreturnedtotheirgame。Histoneandmannernowwerecompletelychanged。Heseemedillateaseandunhappy。
\"Iamgoingtohaveaday’sfishingto-morrow,\"hetoldPhilippa,\"butImustadmitthatIhaveverylittlefaithinthismanOates。
Theyalltellmethatyourhusbandhasanynumberofchartsofthecoast。DoyouthinkIcouldborrowone?\"
\"Why,ofcourse,\"shereplied,\"ifwecanfindit。\"
Shetookhimovertoherhusband’sdesk,openedsuchofthedrawersaswerenotlocked,andsearchedamongsttheircontentsruthlessly。
Bythetimetheyhadfinishedthelastdrawer,Lessinghamhadquitealittlecollectionofcharts,moreorlessfinished,inhishand。
\"Idon’tknowwhereelsetolook,\"shesaid。\"Youmightgothroughthoseandseeiftheyareofanyuse。Whatisit,Mills?\"sheadded,turningtothedoor。
Millshadenterednoiselessly,andwaswatchingtheproceedingsatSirHenry’sdeskwithadistinctlackoffavour。Helookedawaytowardshismistress,however,ashereplied。
\"Theyoungwomanhascalledwithreferencetoasituationasparlour-maid,yourladyship,\"heannounced。\"Ihaveshownherintothesewingroom。\"LadyCranstonglancedattheclock。
\"Isha’n’tbemorethanfiveortenminutes,\"shepromisedLessingham。
\"JustlookthroughthosetillIcomeback。\"
Shehurriedaway,leavingLessinghamaloneintheroom。Hestoodforamomentlistening。Ontheleft-handside,throughthedoorwhichhadbeenleftajar,hecouldheartheclickofbilliardballsandoccasionalpealsoflaughter。Ontheright-handsidetherewassilence。Hemovedswiftlyacrosstheroomandclosedthedoorleadingintothebilliardroom,depositedonthesofathechartswhichhehadbeencarrying,andhurriedbacktothesecretary。Withasickeningfeelingofoverwhelmingguilt,hedrewfromhispocketakeyandopened,onebyone,thedrawersthroughwhichtheyhadnotsearched。
Ittookhimbarelyfiveminutestodiscover-nothing。Withanairofreliefherearrangedeverything。WhenPhilippareturned,hewassittingonthelounge,goingthroughthechartswhichtheyhadlookedouttogether。
\"Well?\"sheasked。
\"Thereisnothinghere,\"hedecided,\"whichwillhelpmeverymuch。
WithyourpermissionIwilltakethis,\"headded,selectingoneatrandom。
Shenoddedandtheyreplacedtheothers。Thenshetouchedhimonthearm。
\"Listen,\"shesaid,\"areyouperfectlycertainthatthereisnoonecoming?\"
Helistenedforamoment。
\"Ican’thearanyone,\"heanswered。\"They’vestartedafour-handedgameofpoolinthebilliardroom。
Shesmiled。
\"ThenIwilldisclosetoyouHenry’sdramaticsecret。See!\"
Shetouchedthespringinthesideofthesecretary。Thefalseback,withitslittlecollectionoffishingflies,rolledslowlyup。ThelargeandverywonderfulchartonwhichSirHenryhadbestowedsomuchofhistime,wasrevealed。=20Lessinghamgazedatiteagerly。
\"There!\"shesaid。\"ThathasbeenagreatlabouroflovewithHenry。Itisthechart,onagreatscale,fromwhichheworks。I
don’tknowathingaboutit,andforheaven’ssakenevertellHenrythatyouhaveseenit。\"
Hecontinuedtoexaminethechartearnestly。Notapartofitescapedhim。ThenheturnedbacktoPhilippa。
\"Isthatsupposedtobethecoastontheothersideofthepoint?\"
heasked。
\"Idon’texactlyknowwhereitis,\"shereplied。\"EverytimeHenryfindsoutanythingnew,hecomesandworksatit。Ibelievethatverysoonitwillbeperfect。Thenhewillstartonanotherpartofthecoast。\"
\"Thisisnottheonlyonethathehasprepared,then?\"Lessinghamenquired。
Sheshookherhead。
\"Ibelieveitisthefifth,\"shereplied。\"Theyalldisappearwhentheyarefinished,butIhavenoideawhereto。Tometheyseemtorepresentashockingwasteoftime。\"
Lessinghamwassuddenlytaciturn。Heheldouthishand。\"Youarediningwithusto-morrownight,remember,\"shesaid。
\"Iamnotlikelytoforget,\"heassuredher。
\"Anddon’tgetdrowned,\"sheconcluded。\"Idon’tknowanyofthesefishermen-Ihatethemall-butI’mtoldthatOatesistheworst。\"
\"Ithinkthatweshallbequiteallright,\"heassuredher。\"Thanksverymuchforfindingmethecharts。WhatIhaveseenwillhelpme。\"
Helencameinforamomentandtheirfarewellwasmoreorlessperfunctory。Lessinghamwasalmostthankfultoescape。Therewasanunusualflushinhischeeks,asenseofbitterhumiliationinhisheart。Allthefervourwithwhichhehadstartedonhisperilousquesthadfadedaway。Nosenseofdutyorpatriotismcouldrevivehisdroopingspirits。Hefelthimselfsuddenlyanuncleananddishonouredbeing。
CHAPTERXXI
Towardsthreeo’clockonthefollowingafternoon,theboisterouswindofanuncertainmorningsettleddowntoworsethings。Ittorethesprayfromthecrestofthegatheringwaves,dasheditevenagainsttheFrenchwindowsofMainsailHaul,andcameboomingdowntheopenspacescliffwards,liketherumbleofsomesubterraneanartillery。AlittlegroupoffishermeninoilskinsleanedovertherailinganddiscussedthechancesofBenOatesbringinghisboatinsafely。Philippa,also,distractedbyacuriousanxiety,stoodbeforetheblurredwindow,gazingintowhatseemedalmostagreychaos。\"CaptainGriffiths,yourladyship。\"
Sheturnedaroundquicklyattheannouncement。Evenanunwelcomecalleratthatmomentwasalmostarelieftoher。
\"Howniceofyoutocomeandseemeonsuchanafternoon,CaptainGriffiths,\"sheexclaimed,astheyshookhands。\"HelenisoverattheCanteen,Noraishardatworkforonceinherlife,andIseemmostdolefullyalone。\"
Hervisitor’sreceptionofPhilippa’sgreetingpromisedlittleinthewayofenlivenment。Heseemedmoreawkwardandillateasethanever,andhistonewasalmostthreatening。
\"Iamverygladtofindyoualone,LadyCranston,\"hesaid。\"Icamespeciallytohaveafewwordswithyouonacertainmatter。\"
Hermomentaryimpulseofreliefathisvisitpassedaway。Thereseemedtohersomethingsinisterinhismanner。Shewassuddenlyconsciousthattherewasanewdangertobefaced,andthatthisman’sattitudetowardsherwas,forsomereasonorother,inimical。
Afterthefirstshock,however,shepreparedherselftodobattle。
\"Well,youseemverymysterious,\"sheobserved。\"Ihaven’tbrokenanylaws,haveI?Nolightsflashingfromanyofmywindows?\"
\"SofarasIamaware,therearenocomplaintsofthesort,\"theCommandantacknowledged,stillspeakingwithanunnaturalrestraint。
\"Mycall,Ihope,mayhetermed,tosomeextent,atleast,afriendlyone。\"
\"Hownice!\"shesighed。\"Thenyou’llhavesometea,won’tyou?\"
\"Notatpresent,ifyouplease,\"hebegged。\"IhavecometotalktoyouaboutMr。HamarLessingham。\"
\"Really?\"Philippaexclaimed。\"Whateverhasthatpoormanbeendoingnow。\"
\"Dreymarsh,\"hervisitorproceeded,\"havingbeenconstituted,duringthelastfewmonths,aprotectedarea,itismydutytoexamineandenquireintothebusinessofanystrangerwhoappearshere。Mr。HamarLessinghamhasbeenlargelyacceptedwithoutcomment,owingtohisfriendshipwithyou。Iregrettostate,however,thatcertainfactshavecometomyknowledgewhichmakemewonderwhetheryouyourselfmaynotinsomemeasurehavebeendeceived。\"
\"Thissoundsveryridiculous,\"Philippainterposedquietly。
\"Afewweeksago,\"CaptainGriffithcontinued,\"wereceivedinformationthatthisneighbourhoodwouldprobablybevisitedbysomepersonconnectedwiththeSecretServiceofGermany。ThereisstrongevidencethatthepersoninquestionisMr。HamarLessingham。\"
\"AgraduateofMagdalen,mybrother’sintimatefriend,andafrequentvisitoratmyfather’shouseinCheshire,\"Philippaobserved,withfaintsarcasm。
\"Thepossibilityofyourhavingmadeamistake,LadyCranston,\"
CaptainGriffithsrejoined,\"has,Imustconfess,onlyjustoccurredtome。TheauthoritiesatMagdalenCollegehavebeenappealedto,andnooneofthenameofLessinghamwasthereduringanyoneofyourbrother’sterms。\"
Philippatooktheblowwell。Shesimplystaredathercallerinanoncomprehendingmanner。
\"Wehavealsoinformation,\"hecontinuedgravely,\"fromWoodNortonHall-fromyourmother,infact,LadyCranston-thatnocollegefriendofyourbrother,ofthatname,hasevervisitedWoodNorton。\"
\"Goon,\"Philippabegged,alittlefaintly。\"DidIeverlivetheremyself?WasRichardeveratMagdalen?\"
CaptainGriffithsproceededwiththeairofamanwhohasatasktofinishandintendstodoso,regardlessofinterruptions。
\"IhavehadsomeconversationwithMr。Lessingham,inthecourseofwhichIaskedhimtoexplainhismethodofreachinghere,andhislasthabitation。Hesimplyfencedwithmeinthemostbarefacedfashion。Hepracticallydeclinedtogivemeanyaccountofhimself。\"
Philipparoseandrangthebell。
\"IsupposeImustgiveyousometea,\"shesaid,\"althoughyouseemtohavecomehereonpurposetomakemyheadache。\"
\"Myobjectincominghere,\"CaptainGriffithsrejoined,alittlestiffly,\"istosaveyousomemeasureofpersonalannoyance。\"
\"Oh,pleasedon’tthinkthatIamungrateful,\"Philippabegged。
\"Ofcourse,itisallsomeabsurdmistake,andI’msureweshallgettothebottomofitpresently-Tellmewhatyouthinkofthestorm?\"
sheadded,asMillsenteredwiththeteatray。\"Doyouthinkitwillgetanyworse,becauseIamterrifiedtodeathalready?\"
\"Iamnojudgeoftheweatherhere,\"heconfessed。\"Ibelievethefishermenarepreparingforsomethingunusual。\"
Sheseatedherselfbeforetheteatrayandinsisteduponperformingherdutiesashostess。Afterwardsshelaidherhanduponhisarmandaddressedhimwithanairofcompletecandour。
\"Now,CaptainGriffiths,\"shebegan,\"dolistentome。Justonemomentofcommonsense,ifyouplease。WhatdoyousupposetherecouldpossiblybeinourharmlessseasidevillagetoinduceanyonetoriskhislifebycominghereonbehalfoftheSecretServiceofGermany?\"
\"Dreymarsh,\"CaptainGriffithsreplied,\"wasnotmadeaprohibitedareafornothing。\"
\"But,mydearman,bereasonable,\"Philippapersisted。\"Thereareperhapsathousandsoldiersintheplace,theusualpreparationsalongthecliffforcoastdefence,asmallbatteryofanti-aircraftguns,andacoupleofsearchlights。Thereisn’tagrocer’sboyintheplacewhodoesn’tknowallthis。There’snoconcealmentaboutit。YoumustadmitthatGermanydoesn’tneedtosendoveraSecretServiceagenttoacquaintherselfwiththeseinsignificantfacts。\"
Hervisitorsmiledveryfaintly。Itwasthefirsttimehehadrelaxedevensofarasthis。
\"IamnotinpossessionofanyinformationwhichIcanimparttoyou,LadyCranston,\"hesaid,\"butIamnotpreparedtoacceptyourstatementthatDreymarshcontainsnothingofgreaterinterestthanthethingswhichyouhavementioned。\"
TherewasnonecessityforPhilippatoplayapartnow。Thesuggestioncontainedinhervisitor’swordshadreallyleftherinastateofwonder。
\"Youaremakingmyfleshcreep!\"sheexclaimed。\"Youdon’tmeantosaythatwehavesecretshere?\"
\"Ihavesaidthelastwordwhichitispossibleformetosayuponthesubject,\"hedeclared。\"Youwillunderstand,Iamsure,thatIamnothereinthecharacterofaninquisitor。Isimplythoughtitmyduty,inviewofthefactthatyouhadmadeyourselfthesocialsponsorforMr。Lessingham,toplacecertaininformationbeforeyou,andtoask,unofficially,ofcourse,ifyouhaveanyexplanationtogive?Youmayeven,\"hewenton,hesitatingly,\"appreciatethemotiveswhichledmetodoso。\"
\"Mydearman,whatexplanationcouldIhave?\"Philippaprotested,\"itisanabsoluteandundeniablefactthatMr。LessinghamwasatMagdalenwithmybrother,andalsothathevisitedusatWoodNorton。Iknowboththesethingsofmyownknowledge。Theonlypossibleexplanation,therefore,isthatyouhavebeenmisinformed。\"
\"Or,\"CaptainGriffithsventured,\"thatMr。HamarLessinghaminthosedayspassedunderanothername。\"
\"Anothername?\"Philippafaltered。
\"Somesuchname,perhaps,\"hecontinued,\"asBertramMaderstrom\"
Therewasashortsilence。CaptainGriffithshadleanedbackinhischairandwascaressinghisupperlip。HiseyeswerefixeduponPhilippaandPhilippasawnothing。Herlittleheeldughardintothecarpet。Inafewsecondstheroomceasedtospin。
Nevertheless,hervoicesoundedtoherpitifullyinadequate。
\"Whatanabsurdityallthisis!\"sheexclaimed。
\"Maderstrom,\"CaptainGriffithssaidthoughtfully,\"was,curiouslyenough,anintimatecollegefriendofyourbrother’s。HewasalsoavisitoratWoodNortonHall。AtneitherplaceisthereanytraceofMr。HamarLessingham。Perhapsyouhavemadeamistake,LadyCranston。Perhapsyouhaverecognisedthemanandfailedtorememberhisname。Ifso,nowisthemoment。todeclareit。\"
\"Iamverymuchobligedtoyou,\"Philipparetorted,\"butIhavenevermetorheardofthisMr。Maderstrom-\"
\"BaronMaderstrom,\"heinterrupted。
\"BaronMaderstrom,then,inmylife;whereasMr。LessinghamI
rememberperfectly。\"
\"Iamsorry,\"CaptainGriffithssaid,settingdownhisemptyteacupandrisingslowlytohisfeet。\"Wecannothelponeanother,then。\"
\"IfyouwantmetotransferMr。Lessingham,whomIrememberperfectly,intoaGermanbaronwhomIneverheardof,\"Philippadeclaredboldly,\"Iamafraidthatwecan’t。\"
\"BaronMaderstromwasaSwedishnobleman,\"CaptainGriffithsobserved。
\"SwedishorGerman,Iknownothingofhim,\"Philippapersisted。
\"Thereremains,then,nothingmoretobesaid。\"
\"Iamafraidnot,\"Philippaagreedsweetly。
\"Underthecircumstances,\"CaptainGriffithsasked,\"youwillnot,Iamsure,expectmetodineto-night\"
\"NotifyouobjecttomeetingMr。HamarLessingham,\"Philippareplied。
Hervisitor’sfacesuddenlydarkened,andPhilippawonderedvaguelywhetheranythingmorethanprofessionalsuspicionwasresponsibleforthatlittlestormofpassionwhichforamomenttransformedhisappearance。Hequicklyrecovered,however。
\"Imaystill,\"heconcluded,movingtowardsthedoor,\"beforcedtopresentmyselfhereinanothercapacity。\"
CHAPTERXXII
Theconfinementofthehouse,afterthedepartureofherunwelcomevisitor,stifledPhilippa。Attiredinamackintosh,withascarfaroundherhead,shemadeherwayontothequay,and,clingingtotherailing,draggedherselfalongtowherethefishermenweregatheredtogetherinalittlegroup。Thestormasyetshowednosignsofabatement。
\"HasanythingbeenheardofBenOates’boat?\"sheenquired。
Anoldfishermanpointedseawards。
\"Thereshecomes,ma’am,uponthecrestofthatwave;look!\"
\"Willshegetin?\"Philippaaskedeagerly。
Therewerevariedopinions,expressedinindistinctmutterings。
\"She’sweatheringitgrand,\"thefishermantowhomshehadfirstspoken,declared。\"We’vealinereadyyonder,andwe’rereckoningongetting’emashoreallright。LuckyforBenthatthegentlemanalongwithhimisafinesailor。Lookatthat,mum!\"headdedinexcitement。\"Seethewayhebroughtherheadroundtoit,justintime。Boys,they’llcomeinonthenextone!\"
Onebyonethesailorsmadetheirwaytotheveryedgeofthewave-splashedbeach。Therewereafewmoreminutesofbreathlessanxiety。Then,aftertheboathaddisappearedcompletelyfromsight,hiddenbyahugegreywallofsea,sheseemedsuddenlytoclimbtothetopofit,tohoverthere,tobecomemixedupwiththesprayandthesurfandagreatgreenmassofwaters,andthenfinally,withaharshcrashoftimbersandashoutfromthefishermen,tobeflunghighanddryuponthestones。Philippa,clutchingtheironrailing,sawforamomentnothingbutchaos。Herkneesbecameweak。Shewasunabletomove。Therewasaqueerdizzinessinherears。Thesoundofvoicessoundedlikepartofanunrealnightmare。Thenshewasawareofasinglefigureclimbingthestepstowardsher。Therewasbloodtricklingdownhisfacefromthewoundintheforehead,andhewaslimpingslightly。
\"Mr。Lessingham!\"shecalledout,ashereachedthetopmoststep。
Hetookaneagersteptowardsher。
\"Philippa!\"heexclaimed。\"Why,whatareyoudoinghere?\"
\"Iwasfrightened,\"shefaltered。\"Areyouhurt?\"
\"Notintheleast,\"heassuredher。\"Wehadaroughsailhome,that’sall,andthatfellowOatesdrankhimselfhalfunconscious。
Comealong,letmehelpyouupthestepsandoutofthis。\"
Sheclungtohisarm,andtheystruggleduptheprivatepathtothehouse。Millslettheminwithmanyexpressionsofconcern,andHelencamehurryingtothemfromthebackground。
\"Iwentouttoseethestorm,\"Philippaexplainedweakly,\"andI
sawMr。Lessingham’sboatbroughtin。\"
\"AndMr。Lessinghamwillcomethiswayatonce,\"Heleninsisted。
\"Ihaven’thadarealcasesinceIgotmycertificate,andI’mgoingtobindhisheadup。\"
Philippabegantofeelherstrengthreturning。Thehorrorwhichlaybehindthosefewminutesofnightmareroseupagaininhermind。
Millshadhurriedonintothebathroom,andtheothertwowerepreparingtofollow。Shestoppedthem。
\"Mr。Lessingham,\"shesaid,\"listen。CaptainGriffithshasbeenhere。Heknowsorguesseseverything。\"
\"Everything?\"
Philippanodded。
\"Helenmustbindyourheadup,ofcourse,\"shecontinued。\"Afterthat,think!Whatcanwedo?CaptainGriffithsknowsthattherewasnoHamarLessinghamatcollegewithDick,thathenevervisitedWoodNorton,thatthereissomemysteryaboutyourarrivalhere,andhetoldmetomyfacethathebelievesyoutobeBertramMaderstrom。\"
\"Whatameddlesomefellow!\"Lessinghamgrumbled,holdinghishandkerchieftohisforehead。
\"Oh,pleasebeserious!\"Helenbegged,lookingupfromthebandagewhichshewaspreparing。\"Thisishorrible!\"
\"Don’tIknowit!\"Philippagroaned。\"Mr。Lessingham,youmustpleasetryandescapefromhere。Youcanhavethecar,ifyoulike。
Theremustbesomeplacewhereyoucangoandhideuntilyoucangetawayfromthecountry。\"
\"ButI’mdininghereto-night,\"Lessinghamprotested。\"I’mnotgoingtohideanywhere。\"
Thetwowomenexchangedglancesofdespair。
\"Can’tImakeyouunderstand!\"Philippaexclaimedpathetically。
\"You’reindangerhere-reallyindanger!\"
Lessingham’sdemeanourshowednoappreciationofthesituation。
\"Ofcourse,Icanquiteunderstand,\"hesaid,\"thatGriffithsissuspiciousaboutme,but,afterall,noonecanprovethatIhavebrokenthelawhere,andIshallnotmakethingsanybetterbyattemptinganoperabouffeflight。CanIhavemyheadtiedupandcomeandtalktoyouaboutitlateron?\"
\"Oh,ifyoulike,\"Philippaassentedweakly。\"Ican’targue。\"
Shemadeherwayuptoherroomandchangedherwetclothes。Whenshecamedown,Lessinghamwasstandingonthehearthruginthelibrary,withapieceofbutteredtoastinonehandandacupofteaintheother。Hisheadwasveryneatlyboundup,andheseemedquiteathisease。
\"Youknow,\"bebegan,ashewheeledachairuptothefireforher,\"thatmanGriffithsdoesn’tlikeme。Henevertooktomefromthefirst,Icouldseethat。Ifitcomestothat,Idon’tlikeGriffiths。
Heisoneofthosemean,suspicioussortofcharacterswecouldverywelldowithout。\"
Philippa,whohadrehearsedalittlespeechseveraltimesinherbedroom,triedtobefirm。
\"Mr。Lessingham,\"shesaid,\"youknowthatwearebothyourfriends。
Dolisten,please。CaptainGriffithsisCommandanthereandinapositionofauthority。Hehasaverylargepower。Ihonestlybelievethatitishisintentiontohaveyouarrested-ifnotto-night,withinaveryfewdays。\"
\"Idonotseehowhecan,\"Lessinghamobjected,helpinghimselftoanotherpieceoftoast。\"Ihavecommittednocrimehere。Ihaveplayedgolfwithalltherespectableoldgentlemenintheplace,andIhavegiventhecommitteesomeexcellentadviceastothetwonewholes。Ihaveplayedbridgedownattheclub-wewillcallitbridge!-andIhavekeptmytemperlikeanangel。IhavedinedatMessandtoldthematleastadozennewstories。Ihavekeptmyblindsdrawnatnight,andIhavenotawirelesssecretedupthechimney。Ireallycannotseewhattheycoulddotome。\"
Philippatriedbluntness。
\"YouhaveservedintheGermanarmy,andyouarelivinginaprotectedareaunderafalsename,\"shedeclared。
\"Well,ofcourse,thereissometruthinwhatyousay,\"headmitted,\"buteveniftheyhavetumbledtothatandcanproveit,Ishoulddonogoodbyrunningaway。Tobeperfectlyserious,\"headded,settinghiscupdown,\"thereisonlyonethingatthepresentmomentwhichwouldtakemeoutofDreymarsh,andthatisifyoubelievethatmypresenceherewouldfurthercompromiseyouandMissFairclough。\"
Philippawasbeginningtofindhercourage。\"We’reinitalready,uptotheneck,\"sheobserved。\"Ireallydon’tseethatanythingmatterssofarasweareconcerned。\"
\"Inthatcase,\"hedecided,\"Ishallhavethehonourofpresentingmyselfattheusualtime。\"