CHAPTERXXIII
PhilippaandHelenmetinthedrawing-room,afewminutesbeforeeightthatevening。Philippawaswearinganewblackdress,amodelofsimplicitytotheuntutoredeye,butfullofthatundefinableappealtothemysteriouswhicheventhegreatestartistfrequentlyfailstocreateoutofanyformofcolour。Somefancyhadinducedhertostripoffherjewelsatthelastmoment,andsheworenoornamentssaveabandofblackvelvetaroundherneck。Helenlookedathercuriously。
\"Isthisafreshschemeforconquest,Philippa?\"sheasked,astheystoodtogetherbythelogfire。
Philippaunexpectedlyflushed。
\"Idon’tknowwhatIwasthinkingabout,really,\"sheconfessed。
\"Isthattheexacttime,Iwonder?\"
\"Twominutestoeight,\"Helenreplied。
\"Mr。Lessinghamisalwayssopunctual,\"Philippamurmured。\"IwonderifCaptainGriffithswoulddare!\"
\"We’vedoneourbesttowarnhim,\"Helenremindedherfriend。\"Themanissimplypig-headed。\"
\"Ican’thelpfeelingthathe’sright,\"Philippadeclared,\"whenhearguesthattheycouldn’treallyproveanythingagainsthim。\"
\"Doesthatmatter,\"Helenaskedanxiously,\"solongasheisanenemy,livingunderafalsenamehere?\"
\"Youdon’tthinkthey’d-they’d-\"
\"Shoothim?\"Helenwhispered,loweringhervoice。\"Theycouldn’tdothat!Theycouldn’tdothat!\"
Theclockbegantochime。SuddenlyPhilippa,whohadbeenlistening,gavealittleexclamationofrelief。
\"Ihearhisvoice!\"sheexclaimed。\"Thankgoodness!\"
Helen’sreliefwasalmostasgreatashercompanion’s。AmomentlaterMillsusheredintheirguest。Hewasstillwearinghisbandage,buthiscolourhadreturned。Heseemed,infact,almostgay。
\"Nothinghashappened,then?\"Philippademandedanxiously,assoonasthedoorwasclosed。
\"Nothingatall,\"heassuredthem。\"OurfriendGriffithsisterriblyafraidofmakingamistake。\"
\"Soafraidthathewouldn’tcomeanddine。Nevermind,you’llhavetotakecareofusboth,\"sheadded,asMillsannounceddinner。
\"I’lldomybest,\"hepromised,offeringhisarm。
IftheswordofDamocleswereindeedsuspendedovertheirheads,itseemedonlytoheightenthemerrimentoftheirlittlerepast。
Philippahadorderedchampagne,andthewarmthofthepleasantdiningroom,themanyappurtenancesofluxurybywhichtheyweresurrounded,theglowofthewine,andtheperfumeofthehothouseflowersuponthetable,seemedindeliciouscontrasttothefuryofthestormoutside。Theyallthreeappearedcompletelysuccessfulinastrenuousefforttodismissalldisconcertingsubjectsfromtheirminds。
LessinghamtalkedchieflyoftheEast。HehadtravelledinRussia,Persia,Afghanistan,andIndia,andhehadtheunusualbutstrikinggiftofpaintinglittlewordpicturesofsomeofthescenesofhiswanderings。Itwashalf-pastninebeforetheyrosefromthetable,andLessinghamaccompaniedthemintothelibrary。Withtheadventofcoffee,theywereforthefirsttimereallyalone。LessinghamsatbyPhilippa’sside,andHelenreclinedinalowchaircloseathand。
\"Ithink,\"hesaid,\"thatIcanventurenowtotellyousomenews。\"
Helenputdownherwork。Philippalookedathiminsilence,andhereyesseemedtodilate。
\"Ihavehesitatedtosayanythingaboutit,\"Lessinghamwenton,\"becausethereissomuchuncertaintyaboutthesethings,butI
believethatitisnowfinallyarranged。Ithinkthatwithinthenextweekortendays-perhapsalittlebefore,perhapsalittlelater-yourbrotherRichardwillbesetatliberty。\"
\"Dick?Dickcominghome?\"Philippacried,springingupfromherrecliningposition。
\"Dick?\"Helenfaltered,herworklyingunheededinherlap。\"Mr。
Lessingham,doyoumeanit?Isitpossible?
\"Itisnotonlypossible,\"Lessinghamassuredthem,\"butIbelievethatitwillcometopass。Ihavehadtoexercisealittleduplicity,butIfancythatithasbeensuccessful。IhaveinsistedthatwithouthelpfromaninfluentialpersoninDreymarsh,Icannotbringmylaboursheretoasatisfactoryconclusion,andIhavenamedasthepriceofthathelp,Richard’sabsoluteandimmediatefreedom。
Iheardonlythismorningthattherewouldbenodifficulty。\"
Helensnatchedupherworkandgropedherwaytowardsthedoor。
\"Iwillcomebackinafewminutes,\"shepromised,hervoicealittlebroken。
Lessingham,whohadopenedthedoorforher,returnedtohisplace。
TherewerenotearsinPhilippa’sbrillianteyes,buttherewasafaintpatchofcolourinhercheeks,andherlipswerenotquitesteady。Shecaughtathishands。
\"Oh,mydear,dearfriend!\"shesaid。\"Ifonlythatlittlenightmarepartofyoudidnotexist。Ifonlyyoucouldbejustwhatyouseem,andonecouldfeelthatyouwerethereinourlivesforalways!I
feelthatIwanttotalktoyousomuch,toyouandnottheshamyou。
WhatshallIcallyou?\"
\"Bertram,please,\"hewhispered。
\"ThenBertram,dear,\"shewenton,\"formysake,becauseyouhavereallybecomedeartome,becausemyheartachesatthethoughtofyourdanger,andbecause-seehowhonestIam-Iamalittleafraidofmyself-willyougoaway?Thethoughtofyourdangerislikeanightmaretome。Itallseemssoabsurdandunreasonable-ImeanthatthedangerwhichIfearshouldbehangingoveryou。
ButIthinkthatthereisjustalittlesomethingbackofyourbrainofwhichyouhaveneverspoken,whichitwasyourdutytokeeptoyourself,anditisjustthatsomethingwhichbringsthedanger。\"
\"Iamnotafraidformyself,Philippa,\"hetoldher。\"ItookafalsestepinlifewhenIcamehere。WhatitwasthatattractedmeIdonotknow。Ithinkitwasthethoughtofthatwildrideamongsttheclouds,andthestarlight。Itseemedsuchawonderfulbeginningtoanyenterprise。And,Philippa,foronepartofmyadventure,thepartwhichconcernsyou,itwasagorgeousprelude,andfortheother-well,itjustdoesnotcountbecauseIhavenofear。Ihavefaithinmyfortune,doyouknowthat?IbelievethatIshallleavethisplaceunharmed,butIbelievethatifIleaveitwithoutyou,I
shallgobacktotheworsthellinwhichamancouldever\"Bertram,\"shepleaded,\"thinkofitall。EvenifIcaredenough-=20
andIdon’t-thereissomethingunnaturalaboutit。Doesn’titstrikeyouashorrible?Mybrother,mycousins,myfather,areallfightingthemenofthenationwhosecauseyouhaveespoused!Thereisahorrible,eternalcloudofhatredwhichitwilltakegenerationstogetridof,ifeveritdisappears。Howcanwetwospeakoflove!
Whatpartoftheworldcouldwecreepintowherepeoplewouldnotshrinkawayfromus?Imayhavelostalittleofmyhearttoyou,Bertram,Imaymissyouwhenyougoaway,Imaywastewearyhoursthinking,butthatisall。Oh,youknowthatitmustbeall!\"
\"Idonot,\"heansweredstubbornly。
\"Oh,youmustbereasonable,\"shebegged,withalittlebreakinhervoice。\"YouknowverywellthatIoughtnottolistentoyou。I
oughtnottowelcomeyouhere。Ioughttobestrongandclosemyears。\"
\"Butyouwillnotdothat!\"
\"No!\"shefaltered。\"Pleasedon’tcomeanynearer。I-\"
Shebrokeoffsuddenly。Thestruggleinherfacewasended,herexpressiontransformed。Herfingerwasheldupasthoughtobidhimlisten。Withherotherhandsheclutchedthebackofthecouch。
Hereyeswerefixeduponthedoor。Thelittlepatchofwonderfulcolourfadedfromhercheeks。
\"Listen!\"shecried,withanoteofterrorinhervoice。\"Thatwasthefrontdoor!Someonehascome!Can’tyouhearthem?\"
Lessingham’shandstolesuddenlytohispocket。Shecaughttheglitterofsomethinghalfwithdrawn,andshrankbackwithahalf-stifledmoan。
\"Notbeforeyou,dear,\"hepromised。\"Pleasedonotbeafraid。Ifthisistheend,leavemealonewithGriffiths。Ishallnothurthim。Ishallnotforget。Andifbyanychance,\"headded,\"thisistobeourfarewell,Philippa,youwillrememberthatIloveyouastheflowersoftheworldlovetheirsun。Courage!\"
Thedoorfacingthemwasopened。
\"CaptainGriffiths,\"Millsannounced。
ThroughtheopendoortheycaughtavisionoftwoothersoldiersandInspectorFisher。Griffithscameintotheroomalone,however,andwaiteduntilthedoorwasclosedbeforehespoke。Hecarriedhimselfasawkwardlyasever,buthislong,leanfaceseemedtohavetakentoitselfanewexpression。Hehadtheairofamanindulginginsomestrangepleasure。
\"LadyCranston,\"hesaid,\"Iamverysorrytointrude,butmyvisithereisofficial。\"
\"Whatisit?\"sheaskedhoarsely。
\"IhavereceivedconfirmatoryevidenceinthematterofwhichI
spoketoyouthisafternoon,\"hewenton。\"Iamsorrytodisturbyouatsuchanhour,butitismydutytoarrestthismanonachargeofespionage。\"
Lessinghamtoallappearanceremainedunmoved。
\"Amostobjectionableword,\"heremarked。
\"Amostvillainousprofession,\"CaptainGriffithsretorted。\"Thankheaventhatinthiscountrywearelearningtheartofdealingwithitsdisciples。\"
\"Thisisallahideousmistake,\"Philippadeclaredfeverishly。\"I
assureyouthatMr。Lessinghamhasvisitedmyfather’shouse,thathewaswell-knowntomeyearsago。\"
\"AstheBaronMaderstrom!Whatargumentshehasused,LadyCranston,toinduceyoutoaccepthimhereunderhisnewidentity,Idonotknow,butthefactsareveryclear。\"
\"Heseemsquiteconvinced,doesn’the?\"Lessinghamremarked,turningtoPhilippa。\"AndasIgatherthataportionoftheBritishArmy,assistedbythelocalconstabulary,iswaitingformeoutside,perhapsIhadbetterhumourhim。\"
\"Itwouldbeaswell,sir,\"CaptainGriffithsassentedgrimly。\"I
amgladtofindyouinthehumourforjesting。\"
LessinghamturnedoncemoretoPhilippa。Thistimehistonewasmoreserious。
\"LadyCranston,\"hebegged,\"won’tyoupleaseleaveus?\"
\"No!\"sheansweredhysterically。\"Iknowwhyyouwantmeto,andIwon’tgo!Youhavedonenoharm,andnothingshallhappentoyou。
Iwillnotleavetheroom,andyoushallnot-\"
Hisgestureofappealcoincidedwiththesobinherthroat。Shebrokedowninherspeech,andCaptainGriffithsmovedastepnearer。
\"Ifyouhaveanyweaponinyourpossession,sir,\"hesaid,\"youhadbetterhanditovertome。\"
\"Well,doyouknow,\"Lessinghamreplied,\"Iscarcelyseethenecessity。OnethingIwillpromiseyou,\"headded,withasuddenflashinhiseyes,\"asinglestepnearer-asinglestep,mind-andyoushallhaveasmuchofmyweaponaswillkeepyouquietfortherestofyourlife。RememberthatsolongasyouarereasonableI
donotthreatenyou。HelpmetopersuadeLadyCranstontoleaveus。\"
CaptainGriffithswasoutofhisdepths。Hewasnotacoward,buthe=20hadnohankeringafterdeath,andtherewasdeathinLessingham’sthreatandintheflashofhiseyes。Whilehehesitated,therewasaknockuponthedoor。Millscamesilentlyin。Hecarriedatelegramuponasalver。
\"Foryou,sir,\"heannounced,addressingCaptainGriffiths。\"Anorderlyhasjustbroughtitdown。\"
Griffithslookedatthepinkenvelopeandfrowned。Hetoreitopen,however,withoutaword。Asheread,hislong,upperteethclosedinuponhislip。Sohestoodthereuntiltwolittledropsofbloodappeared。
ThenheturnedtoMills。
\"Thereisnoanswer,\"hesaid。
Themanbowedandlefttheroom。Hewalkedslowlyandhelookedbackfromthedoorway。Itwasscarcelypossibleforevensoperfectlytrainedaservanttoescapefromtheatmosphereoftragedy。
\"Somethingtellsme,\"Lessinghamremarkedcoolly,assoonasthedoorwasclosed,\"thatthatmessageconcernsme。\"
TheCommandantmadenoimmediatereply。Hestraightenedoutthetelegramandreaditoncemoreunderthelamplight,asthoughtobesuretherewasnopossiblemistake。Thenhefoldeditupandplaceditinhiswaistcoatpocket。
\"Thenotionofyourarrest,sir,\"hesaidtoLessinghamharshly,\"isapparentlydistastefultosomeoneatheadquarterswhohasnotdigestedmyinformation。Iamwithdrawingmymenforthepresent。\"
\"You’renotgoingtoarresthim?\"Philippacried。
\"Iamnot,\"CaptainGriffithsanswered。\"But,\"headded,turningtoLessingham,\"thisisonlyarespite。IhavemoreevidencebehindallthatIhaveoffered。YouareBaronBertramMaderstrom,aGermanspy,livinghereinaprohibitedareaunderafalsename。
ThatIknow,andthatIshallprovetothosewhohaveinterferedwithmeintheexecutionofmyduty。Thisisnottheend。\"
HelefttheroomwithoutevenawordorasalutetoPhilippa。
Lessinghamlookedafterhimforamoment,thoughtfully。Thenheshruggedhisshoulders。
\"IamquitesurethatIdonotlikeCaptainGriffiths,\"hedeclared。
\"Thereisnobreedingaboutthefellow。\"
CHAPTERXXIV
Philippa,evenforsomemomentsafterthedepartureofCaptainGriffithsandhismyrmidons,remainedinasortofnervelesstrance。
Thecrisis,withitsbewilderingdenouement,hadaffectedhercuriously。Lessinghamrosepresentlytohisfeet。
\"Iwonder,\"heasked,\"ifIcouldhaveawhiskyandsoda?\"
Shestampedherfootathiminalittlefitofhystericalpassion。
\"You’renotnatural!\"shecried。\"Whiskyandsoda!\"
\"Well,Idon’tknow,\"heprotestedmildly,helpinghimselffromthetableinthebackground。\"IratherthoughtIwasbeingparticularlyBritish。Whenindoubt,takeadrink。ThatisRichardalltheworldover,youknow。\"
Shebrokeintoalittlemirthlesslaugh。
\"Ishallbegintothinkthatyouareaposeur!\"sheexclaimed。
Hecrossedtheroomtowardsher。
\"PerhapsIam,dear,\"heconfessed。\"Iwantyoujusttositupandlosethatunnaturallook。Iamnotreallyfullofcheapbravado,butIamaphilosopher。Somethinghashappenedtopostpone-theend。
Goodlucktoit,Isay!\"
Heraisedhistumblertohislipsandsetitdownempty。Philipparosetoherfeetandwalkedrestlesslytothewindowandback。
\"I’lltryandbereasonabletoo,\"shepromised,resumingherseat。
\"Iwasright,yousee。CaptainGriffithshasdiscoveredeverything。
CanyoutellmewhatpossiblereasonanyoneinLondoncouldhavehadforinterference?\"
\"Iseemtohavegotafrienduptherewithoutknowingit,don’tI?\"
heobserved。
\"Thisisagingmeterribly,\"Philippadeclared,throwingherselfbackintoherseat。\"AllmylifeIhavehatedmysteries。HereI
amfacetofacewithtwoabsolutelyinsolubleones。CaptainGriffithshasassuredmethatthereishereinDreymarshsomethingofsufficientimportancetoaccountforthepresenceofaforeignspy。Youhaveconfirmedit。Ihavebeentorturingmybrainaboutthatforthelasttwenty-fourhours。Nowtherehappenssomethingmoreinexplicablestill。Youarearrested,andyouarenotarrested。Youridentityisknown,andCaptainGriffithsisforbiddentodohisduty。\"
\"Itseemspuzzling,doesitnot?\"Lessinghamagreed。\"Ishouldn’tworryaboutthefirst,butthislastlittleepisodetakessomeexplaining。\"
\"Ifanythingfurtherhappensthisevening,IthinkIshallgomad,\"
Philippasighed。
\"Andsomethingisgoingtohappen,\"Lessinghamdeclared,risingtohisfeet。\"Didyouhearthat?\"
Aboveeventheroarofthewindtheyheardthebrazenreportofagunfromalmostunderneaththewindow。Theroomwassuddenlylightenedbyasinglevividflash。
\"Amortar!\"Lessinghamexclaimed。\"Andthatwasarocket,unlessI’mmistaken。\"
\"Thesignalforthelifeboat!\"Philippaannounced。\"Iwonderifwecanseeanything。\"
Shehastenedtowardsthewindow,butpausedattheabruptopeningofthedoor。Noraburstin,followedmoresedatelybyHelen。
\"Mummy,there’sawreck!\"theformercriedinexcitement。\"Iheardsomethinganhourago,andIgotup,andI’vebeensittingbythewindow,watching。Isawthelifeboatgoout,andthey’resignallingnowfortheotherone。\"
\"It’squitetrue,Philippa,\"Helendeclared。\"We’regoingtotryandfightourwaydowntothebeach。\"
\"I’llgo,too,\"Lessinghamdecided。\"PerhapsImaybeofuse。\"
\"We’llallgo,\"Philippaagreed。\"WaitwhileIgetmythingson。
Whatisit,Mills?\"sheadded,asthedooropenedandthelatterpresentedhimself。
\"Thereisatrawlerontherocksjustoffthebreakwater,yourladyship,\"heannounced。\"Theyhavejustsentupfromthebeachtoknowifwecantakesomeofthecrewin。Theyarelandingthemaswellastheycanontheline。\"
\"Ofcoursewecan,\"wasthepromptreply。\"Tellthemtosendasmanyastheywantto。Wewillfindroomforthem,somehow。I’llgoupstairsandseeaboutthefires。You’llallcomeback?\"sheadded,turningaround。
\"Wewillallcomeback,\"Lessinghampromised。
Theyfoughttheirwaydowntothebeach。Atfirstthestormcompletelydeafenedallsound。Thelanterns,wavedhereandtherebyunseenhands,seemedpartofsomeghostlytableau,ofwhichtheonlybackgroundwastheragingofthestorm。Thensuddenly,withastartlinghiss,anotherrocketcloveitswaythroughthedarkness。
Theyhadaninstantaneousbutbrilliantviewofallthatwashappening,-sawthetrawlerlyingonitsside,apparentlyonlyafewyardsfromtheshore,sawthelinestretchedtothebeach,onwhich,evenatthatmoment,amanwasbeingdrawnashore,lickedbythespray,hisstrainedfaceandwind-tossedhairclearlyvisible。
Thenallwasdarknessagainmorecompletethanever。Theystruggleddownontotheshingle,wherethelittleclusteroffishermenwerehardatworkwiththeline。AlmostthefirstpersontheyranacrosswasJimmyDumble。Hewasstandingontheedgeofthebreakwaterwithagreatlanterninhishand,superintendingtheline,and,astheydrewnear,Lessingham,whowasalittleinadvance,couldhearhisvoiceabovethestorm。Hewasshoutingtowardsthewreck,hishandtohismouth。
\"Sendthemasterovernext,youlubbers,orwe’llcuttheline。Doyouhear?\"
Therewasnoreplyor,iftherewas,itwasdrownedinthewind。
Lessinghamgrippedthefishermanbythearm。
\"Whomdoyoumeanby’master’?\"hedemanded。Dumblescarcelyglancedathisinterlocutor。
\"Why,SirHenryCranston,tobesure,\"wastheagitatedanswer。
\"Theselubbersofseahandsareallcomingofffirst,andthelinewon’tstandformorethananotheroneortwo,\"headded,droppinghisvoice。
Thenthethrillofthosefewminutes’excitementunrolleditselfintoagreatdramabeforeLessingham’seyes。SirHenrywasonthatshipasnearasanymanmightwishtobetodeath。
\"’Ere’sthenext,\"Jimmymuttered,astheyturnedthewindlassvigorously。\"Gosh,’e’saheavyone,too!\"
Thencameacrywhichsoundedlikeamoanandaboveittheshrillfearfulyellofamanwhofeelshimselfdroppingoutoftheworld’shearing。LessinghamraisedthelanternwhichstoodonthebeachbyJimmy’sside。Thelinehadbroken。Thebodyofitssuspendedtravellerhaddisappeared!Andjustthen,strangelyenough,forthefirsttimeforoveranhour,theheavensopenedinonegreatsheetoflightning,andtheycouldseethefigureofonemanleftontheship,clingingdesperatelytotherigging。
\"Tiethelinearoundme,\"Jimmyshouted。\"Lethergo。Gettheotherendonthewindlass。\"
Theypaidouttheropethroughtheirhands。Jimmykickedoffhisbootsandplungedintothecauldron。Heswambarelyadozenstrokesbeforehewascaughtonthetopofanincomingwave,tossedaboutlikeacorkandflungbackuponthebeach,wherehelaygroaning。
Therewasalittlemurmuramongstthefisherman,whorushedtoleanoverhim,\"Swimmingain’tnomoreusethantryingtowalkonthewater,\"oneofthemdeclared。
Lessinghamraisedthelanternwhichhewascarrying,andflasheditaround。
\"Wherearetheyoungladies?\"heasked。
\"Goneuptothehousewithtwoaswe’vejusttakenoffthewreck,\"
someoneinformedhim。
Lessinghamstoopeddown。WillinghandshelpedhimunfastenthecordfromJimmy’swaist。Hetoreoffhisowncoatandwaistcoatandboots。
Somehelped,othersoughttodissuadehim,ashesecuredthelinearoundhisownwaist。
\"We’vesentformorerockets,\"onemanshoutedinhisear。\"Themanwillbebackinhalfanhour。\"
Lessinghampushedthemononeside。Hestoodontheedgeofthebeachand,borrowingalantern,watchedforhisopportunity。Thensuddenlyhevanished。Theylookedafterhim。Theycouldseenothingbuttheropeslippingpasttheirfeet,inchbyinch。
Sometimesitwasstationary,=20sometimesitwasdrawntaut。Thefirstgreatwavethatcameflungayardorsoofslackamongstthem。Then,aftertheroarofitsbreakinghaddiedaway,theysawtheropesuddenlytighten,andpassrapidlyout,andtheexcitementbegantothicken。
\"That’undidn’tgethim,anyway,\"oneofthemmuttered。
\"He’llgothroughthenext,withluck,\"anotherdeclaredhopefully。
Lessingham,fightingforhisconsciousness,deafenedandhalfstunnedbytheroarofthewatersabouthim,stillfelttheexhilarationofthatgreatstruggle。Helookedonceintoseaswhichseemedtotouchtheclouds,drewhimselfstiff,andplungedintothedepthsofamountainoffoamingwaters,whosesummitseemedtohimlikeoneofthosegrotesqueandnightmare-distortedeffortsoftheopium-eatingbrain。Thentheroarsoundedallbehindhim,andheknewthathewasthroughthebreakers。Heswamtothesideoftheshipandclutchedholdofachain。ItwasSirHenry’sout-stretchedhandwhichpulledhimontothedeck。
\"MyGod,thatwasaswim!\"thelatterdeclared,ashepulledhisrescuerup,notintheleastrecognisinghim。\"Let’shavetheendofthatcord,quick!So!\"hewenton,payingitoutthroughhisfingersuntiltheendoftheropeappeared。\"You’dbettergetyourbreath,youngman,andthenoveryougo。I’llfollow。\"
\"I’mdamnedifIdo!\"wasthevigorousreply。\"YoustartoffwhileIgetmybreath。\"
Theyweresuddenlyhalfdrownedwithashowerofspray。SirHenryheldLessinghaminagripofiron,orhewouldhavebeensweptoverboard。
\"Getonearmthroughthechains,man,\"heshouted。\"MyGod!\"headded,peeringthroughthegloom。\"Lessingham!\"
\"Well,don’tstoptoworryaboutthat,\"wasthefiercereply。\"Let’sgetonwithourjob。\"
SirHenrythrewoffhisoilskinsandhisunderneathcoat。
\"Followmewhentheywavethelanterntwice,\"hedirected。\"Ifweeitherofusgettheknock-well,thanks!\"
LessinghamfeltthegripofSirHenry’shandashepassedhimandwentoverboardintothedarkness。Then,withonearmthroughthechains,hedrewtowardshimbymeansofhisheelthecoatwhichSirHenryhadthrownuponthedeck。Graduallyitcamewithinreachofhisdisengagedhand。Heseizedit,shookitout,anddivedeagerlyintothebreastpocket。Therewereseveralsmallarticleswhichhethrewruthlesslyaway,andthenasquarepacket,wrappedinoilcloth,whichbenttohisfingers。Anotherbreakingwavethrewhimonhisback。Onearmwasstillthroughthechain,theothergrippedwhatsomeilluminatinginstincthadalreadyconvincedhimwasthechart!Assoonashehadrecoveredhisbreath,agrimeffortofhumourpartedhislips。Helaythereforamomentandlaughedtillthespray,thistimewitharushofgreenwaterunderneath,verynearlyswepthimfromhisplace。
Theywerewavingalanternonthebeachwhenhestruggledagaintohisfeet。
Heslippedthelittlepacketdownhisclothesnexttohisskin,andgropedabouttofindtheendofthelinewhichSirHenryandhehadfastenedtoastaplebelowthechains。Thenhedrewalongbreath,grippedtheropeandshouted。Asecondortwolaterhewasbackinthecauldron。
Astheypulledhimontothebeach,hehadbutoneidea。Whateverhappened,hemustnotloseconsciousness。Thepacketwasstillthereagainstthecalfofhisleg。Itmustbehisownhandswhichremovedhisclothes。Itseemedtohimthatthosefewbronzedfaces,thosehalfadozenrudelanterns,hadbecomemagnifiedandmultipliedahundredfold。Itwasanarmyofblue-jerseyedfishermenwhichpattedhimonthebackandwelcomedhim,lanternslikethestarsflashingeverywherearound。Hesethisteethandfoughtagainstthebuzzinginhisears。Hetriedtospeak,andhisvoicesoundedlikeaweak,farawaywhisper。
\"Iamallright,\"hekeptonsaying。
Thenhefelthimselfleaningontwobrawnyarms。Hisfeetfollowedthemesmericinfluenceoftheirmovement。Washegoingintotheclouds,hewondered?Theystoppedtoopenagate,thegateleadingtothegardensofMainsailHaul。Howdidhegetthere?Hehadnoidea。Moremovementsofhisfeet,andthenunexpectedwarmth。Helookedaroundhim。Therewerevoices。Helistened。Theonevoice?
Theonefacebendingoverhis,hereyeswetwithtears,herwhispersanincoherentstreamofbrokenwords。Thenthewarmthseemedtocomebacktohisveins。Hesatupandfoundhimselfonthecouchinthelibrary,theraindrippingfromhiminlittlepools,andheknewthathehadsucceeded。Hehadnotfainted。
\"Iamallright,\"herepeated。\"WhatamessIammaking!\"
Thevoicesaroundhimwerestillalittletangled,butthehandwhichheldasteamingtumblertohislipswasPhilippa’s。
\"Drinkitall,\"shebegged。
Hefeltthetearscomeintohiseyes,feltthewarmbloodstreamingthroughhisbody,feltalittlewetpatchatthebackofthecalfofhisleg,andthehandwhichsetdowntheemptytumblerwasalmoststeady。
\"There’sahotbathready,\"Philippatoldhim;\"somedryclothes,andabedroomwithafirein。DoletMillsshowyoutheway。\"
Heroseatonce,preparedtofollowher。Hisfeetwerenotquitesosteadyashewouldhavewished,butbemadeaverypresentableshow。Mills,withalittleapology,heldouthisarm。Philippawalkedbyhisotherside。
\"Assoonasyouhavefinishedyourbathandgotintosomedryclothes,\"Philippawhispered,\"pleasering,orsendMillstoletusknow。\"
Hewasevenabletosmileather。
\"Iamquiteallright,\"heassuredheroncemore。
CHAPTERXXV
Philippa,unusuallyearlyonthefollowingmorning,glancedattheemptybreakfasttablewithalittleairofdisappointment,andrangthebell。
\"Mills,\"sheenquired,\"isnoonedown?\"
\"SirHenryis,Ibelieve,onthebeach,yourladyship,\"themananswered,\"andMissHelenandMissNoraarewithhim。\"
\"AndMr。Lessingham?\"
\"Mr。Lessingham,yourladyship,\"Millscontinued,lookingcarefullybehindhimasthoughtobesurethatthedoorwasclosed,\"hasdisappeared。\"
\"Disappeared?\"Philipparepeated。\"Whatdoyoumean,Mills?\"
\"IleftMr。Lessinghamlastnight,yourladyship,\"Millsexplained,\"inasuitofthemaster’sclothesandapparentlypreparingforbed-Ishouldsaythismorning,asitwasprobablyabouttwoo’clock。
Icalledhimathalfpasteight,asdesired,andfoundtheroomempty。
Thebedhadnotbeensleptin。\"
\"Wastherenonoteormessage?\"Philippaaskedincredulously。
\"Nothing,yourladyship。Oneofthemaidservantsbelievesthatsheheardthefrontdooropenatfiveo’clockthismorning。\"
\"Ringupthehotel,\"Philippainstructed,\"andseeifheisthere。\"
Millsdepartedtoexecutehiscommission。Philippastoodlookingoutofthewindow,acrossthelawnandshrubberyanddownontothebeach。Therewasstillaheavysea,butitwasmerelytheswellfromthedaybefore。Thewindhaddropped,andthesunwasshiningbrilliantly。SirHenry,Helen,andNorawerestrollingaboutthebeachasthoughsearchingforsomething。Aboutfiftyyardsout,thewreckedtrawlerwaslyingcompletelyonitsside,withtheendofonefunnelvisible。Scatteredgroupsofthevillagerswereexaminingitfromthesands。InduecourseMillsreturned。
\"ThehotelpeopleknownothingofMr。Lessingham,yourladyship,beyondthefactthathedidnotreturnlastnight。TheyreceivedamessagefromHill’sGarage,however,abouthalfanhourago,tosaythattheirmechanichaddrivenMr。LessinghamearlythismorningtoNorwich,wherehehadcaughtthemailtraintoLondon,TheboywastosaythatMr。Lessinghamwouldbebackinadayorso。\"
Philippapushedopenthewindowsandmadeherwaydowntowardsthebeach。Sheleanedovertherailofthepromenadeandwavedherhandtotheothers,whoclambereduptheshingletomeether。
\"Scarcelyseenyouyet,mydear,haveI?\"SirHenryobserved。
Hestoopedandkissedherforehead,asalutewhichshesufferedwithoutresponse。Helenpointedtothewreck。
\"Itdoesn’tseempossible,doesit,\"shesaid,\"thatmen’slivesshouldhavebeenlostinthatlittlespace。Twomenweredrowned,theysay,throughthebreakingoftherope。Theyrecoveredthebodiesthismorning。\"
\"Everythingelseseemstohavebeenwashedonshoreexceptmycoat,\"
SirHenrygrumbled。\"Iwasdownhereatdaylight,lookingforit。\"
\"Yourcoat!\"Philipparepeatedscornfully。\"Fancythinkingofthat,whenyouonlyjustescapedwithyourlife!\"
\"Buttotellyouthetruth,mydear,\"SirHenryexplained,\"mypocketbookandpapersofsomevaluewereinthepocketofthatcoat。
Ican’tthinkhowIcametoforgetthem。IthinkitwasthesurpriseofseeingthatfellowLessinghamcrawlontothewrecklookinglikeadrownedrat。Jove,whatapluckhemusthave!\"
=20
\"Thefishermencantalkofnothingelse,\"Noraputinexcitedly。
\"Mummy,itwassimplysplendid!HelenandIhadgoneupwithtwooftherescuedmen,butIgotbackjustintimetoseethemfastentheroperoundhiswaistandwatchhimplungein。\"
\"Howishethismorning?\"Helenasked。
\"Gone,\"Philippareplied。
Theyalllookedatherinsurprise。
\"Gone?\"SirHenryrepeated。\"What,backtothehotel,doyoumean?\"
\"Hisbedhasnotbeensleptin,\"Philippatoldthem。\"Hemusthaveslippedawayearlythismorning,gonetoHill’sGarage,hiredacar,andmotoredtoNorwich。FromtherehewentontoLondon。Hehassentwordthathewillbebackinafewdays。\"
\"IhopetoGodhewon’t!\"SirHenrymuttered。
Philippaswungrounduponhim。
\"Whatdoyoumeanbythat?\"shedemanded。\"Don’tyouwanttothankhimforsavingyourlife?\"
\"Mydear,Icertainlydo,\"SirHenryreplied,\"butjustnow-well,Iamalittletakenaback。GonetoLondon,eh?ToreawaywithoutwarninginthemiddleofthenighttoLondon!Andcomingback,too-that’sthestrangepartofit!\"
Onewouldthink,fromSirHenry’sexpression,thathewasfindingfoodformuchsatisfactioninthisrecitalofLessingham’ssuddendisappearance。
\"Heisawonderfulfellow,thisLessingham,\"headdedthoughtfully。
\"Hemusthave-yes,byGod,hemusthave-Inthatstorm,too!\"
\"Ifyoucouldspeakcoherently,Henry,\"Philippaobserved,\"IshouldliketosaythatIamexceedinglyanxioustoknowwhyMr。Lessinghamhasdesertedussoprecipitately。\"
SirHenrywouldhavetakenhiswife’sarm,butsheavoidedhim。Heshruggedhisshouldersandploddedupthesteeppathbyherside。
\"ThewholequestionofLessinghamisratheraproblem,\"hesaid。
\"Ofcourse,youandHelenhaveseenverymuchmoreofhimthanI
have。Isn’tittruethatpeoplehavebeguntomakecuriousremarksabouthim?\"
\"Howdidyouknowthat,Henry?\"Philippademanded。
\"Well,onehearsthings,\"hereplied。\"Ishouldgather,fromwhatIheard,thathispositionherehadbecomealittleprecarious。
Hencehissuddendisappearance。\"
\"Butheiscomingbackagain,\"Philipparemindedherhusband。
\"Perhaps!\"
Philippasignifiedherdesirethatherhusbandshouldremainalittlebehindwithher。Theywalkedsidebysideupthegravelpath。
Philippakeptherhandsclaspedbehindher。
\"ToleavethesubjectofMr。Lessinghamforatime,\"shebegan,\"I
feelveryreluctanttoaskforexplanationsofanythingyoudo,butImustconfesstoacertaincuriosityastowhyIshouldfindyoulunchingattheCantonwithtwoverybeautifulladies,afewdaysago,whenyouleftherewithJimmyDumbletofishforwhiting;andalsowhyyoureturnhereonatrawlerwhichbelongstoanotherpartofthecoast?\"
SirHenrymadeagrimace。
\"Iwasbeginningtowonderwhethercuriositywasdead,\"heobservedgood-humouredly。\"Ifyouwouldn’tmindgivingmeanother-well,tobeonthesafesideletussayeightdays-IthinkIshallbeabletoofferyouanexplanationwhichyouwillconsidersatisfactory。\"
\"Thankyou,\"Philipparejoined,withcoldsurprise;\"Iseenoreasonwhyyoushouldnotanswersuchsimplequestionsatonce。\"
SirHenrysigheddeprecatingly,andmadeanothervainattempttotakehiswife’sarm。
\"Philippa,bealittlebrick,\"hebegged。\"IknowIseemtohavebeenplayingthepartofafooljustlately,buttherehasbeenasortofreasonforit。\"
\"Whatreasoncouldtherepossiblybe,\"shedemanded,\"whichyoucouldnotconfideinme?\"
Hewassilentforamoment。Whenhespokeagaintherewasanewearnestnessinhistone。
\"Philippa,\"hesaid,\"Ihavebeenworkingforsometimeatalittleschemewhichisn’tripetotalkaboutyet,noteventoyou,butwhichmayleadtosomethingwhichIhopewillalteryouropinion。
Youcouldn’tseeyourwaycleartotrustmealittlelonger,couldyou?\"hebegged,withratheraplaintivegleaminhisblueeyes。
\"Itwouldmakeitsomucheasierformetosaynomorebutjusthaveyousittight。\"
\"Iwonder,\"sheansweredcoldly,\"ifyourealisehowmuchIhavesuffered,sittingtight,asyoucallit,andwaitingforyoutodosomething!\"
\"Myfishingexcursions,\"hewentondesperately,\"havenotbeenaltogetheramatterofsport。\"
\"Iknowthatquitewell,\"shereplied。\"Youhavebeenmakingthatchartyoupromisedyourmiserablefishermen。Noneofthosethingsinterestme,Henry。Ifear-Iamverymuchinclinedtosaythatnoneofyourdoingsinterestme。Leastofall,\"shewenton,hervoicequiveringwithpassion,\"doIappreciateintheleastthesemysteriousappealsformypatience。Ihavesomecommonsense,Henry。\"
\"You’reasuspiciouslittlebeast,\"hetoldher。
\"Suspicious!\"shescoffed。\"Whatawordtousefromamanwhogoesofffishingforwhiting,andislunchingattheCarlton,somedaysafterwards,withtwoladiesofextraordinaryattractions!\"
\"Thatwasatrifleawkward,\"SirHenryadmitted,withalittleburstofcandour,\"butitgoesinwiththerest,Philippa。\"
\"Thenitcanstaywiththerest,\"sheretorted,\"exactlywhereI
haveplaceditinmymind。Pleaseunderstandme。Yourconductforthelasttwelvemonthsabsolvesmefromanytietheremaybebetweenus。Ifthisexplanationthatyoupromisecomes-intime,andI
feellikeit,verywell。Untilitdoes,Iamperfectlyfree,andyou,asmyhusband,arenon-existent。Thatismyreply,Henry,toyourrequestforfurtherindulgence。\"
\"Ratherafoolishone,mydear,\"heanswered,pattinghershoulder,\"butthenyouareratherachild,aren’tyou?\"
Sheswungawayfromhimangrily。
\"Don’ttouchme!\"sheexclaimed。\"ImeaneverywordofwhatIhavesaid。Asformybeingachild-well,youmaybesorrysomedaythatyouhavepersistedintreatingmelikeone。\"
SirHenrypausedforamoment,watchingherdisappearingfigure。
Therewasanunusualshadeoftroubleinhisface。Hisloveforandconfidenceinhiswifehadbeensoabsolutethatevenherthreatshadseemedtohimlikelittlemorselsofwoundedvanitythrowntohimoutofthefrothofhertemper。Yetatthatmomentadarkerthoughtcrossedhismind。Lessingham,herealised,wasnotarival,afterall,tobedespised。Hewasamanofcourageandtact,eventhoughSirHenry,inhisownmind,hadlabelledhimasafool。IfindeedhewerecomingbacktoDreymarsh,whatcoulditbefor?HowmuchhadPhilippaknownabouthim?Hestoodthereforafewmomentsinindecision。Agreatimpulsehadcometohimtobreakhispledge,totellherthetruth。Thenhemadehisdisturbedwayintothebreakfastroom。
\"Where’syourmother,Nora?\"heasked,asHelentookPhilippa’splaceattheheadofthetable。
\"Shewantssomecoffeeandtoastsentuptoherroom。\"Noraexplained。\"Thewindmadehergiddy。\"
SirHenrybreakfastedinsilence,rangthebell,andorderedhiscar。
\"Yougoingawayagain,Daddy?\"Noraasked。
\"IamgoingtoLondonthismorning,\"hereplied,alittleabsently。
\"ToLondon?\"Helenrepeated。\"DoesPhilippaknow?\"
\"Ihaven’ttoldheryet。\"
HelenturnedtowardsNora。
\"Iwishyou’drunupandseeifyourmotherwantsanymorecoffee,there’sadear,\"shesuggested。
Noraacquiescedatonce。Assoonasshehadlefttheroom,HelenleanedoverandlaidherhanduponSirHenry’sarm。
\"Don’tgotoLondon,Henry,\"shebegged。
\"ButmydearHelen,Imust,\"hereplied,alittlecurtly。
\"Iwouldn’tifIwereyou,\"shepersisted。\"Youknow,you’vetriedPhilippaveryhighlately,andsheisinanextremelyemotionalstate。Sheisallworkedupaboutlastnight,andIwouldn’tleaveheraloneifIwereyou。\"
SirHenry’sblueeyesseemedsuddenlylikepointsofsteelasheleanedtowardsher。
\"YouthinkthatsheisinlovewiththatfellowLessingham?\"heaskedbluntly。
\"No,Idon’t,\"Helenreplied,\"butIthinksheismorefuriouswithyouthanyoubelieve。Formonthsyouhaveacted-well,howshallIsay?\"
\"Oh,likeacoward,ifyoulike,orafool。Goon。\"
\"Shehasaskedforexplanationstowhichsheisperfectlyentitled,\"
Helencontinued,\"andyouhavegivenhernone。Youhavetreatedherlikesomethingbetweenadollandachild。Philippaisasgoodandsweetasanywomanwhoeverlived,buthasn’titeveroccurredtoyouthatwomenarerathermysteriousbeings?Theymaysometimesdo,outofafurioussenseofbeingwronglytreated,outofasortofaggravatedpique,whattheywouldneverdoforanyotherreason。Ifyoumustgo,comebackto-night,Henry。Comeback,andifyouareobstinate,andwon’ttellPhilippaallthatshehasarighttoknow,tellheraboutthatluncheonintown。\"
SirHenryfrowned。
\"It’sallverywell,youknow,Helen,\"hesaid,\"butawomanoughttotrustherhusband。\"
\"Iamyourfriend,remember,\"Helenreplied,\"anduponmyword,I
couldn’ttrustandbelieveeveninDick,ifhebehavedasyouhavedoneforthelasttwelvemonths。\"
SirHenrymadeagrimace。
\"Well,thatsettlesit,Isuppose,then,\"heobserved。\"I’llhaveonemoretryandseewhatIcandowithPhilippa。Perhapsahintofwhat’sgoingonmaysatisfyher。\"
Heclimbedthestairs,meetingNoraonherwaydown,andknockedathiswife’sdoor。Therewasnoreply。Hetriedthehandleandfoundthedoorlocked。
\"Areyouthere,Philippa?\"heasked。
\"Yes!\"sherepliedcoldly。
\"IamgoingtoLondonthismorning。CanIhaveafewwordswithyoufirst?\"
\"No!\"
SirHenrywasalittletakenaback。
\"Don’tbesilly,Philippa,\"hepersisted。\"Imaybeawayforfourorfivedays。\"
Therewasnoanswer。SirHenrysuddenlyrememberedanotherentrancefromanewlyaddedbathroom。HeavailedhimselfofitandfoundPhilippaseatedinaneasy-chair,calmlyprogressingwithherbreakfast。Sheraisedhereyebrowsathisentrance。
\"Thesearemyapartments,\"sheremindedhim。
\"Don’tbealittlefool,\"heexclaimedimpatiently。
Philippadeliberatelybutteredherselfapieceoftoast,pickedupherbook,andbecameatonceimmersedinit。
\"Youdon’twishtotalktome,then?\"hedemanded。
\"Idonot,\"sheagreed。\"Youhavehadalltheopportunitieswhichanymanshouldneed,ofexplainingcertainmatterstome。Mycuriosityinthemhasended;alsomyinterest-inyou。YousayyouaregoingtoLondon。Verywell。Praydonothurryhomeonmyaccount。\"
SirHenry,asheturnedtoleavetheroom,madethecommonmistakeofamanarguingwithawoman-heattemptedtohavethelastword。
\"PerhapsIambetteroutoftheway,eh?\"
\"Perhapsso,\"Philippaassentedsweetly。