CHAPTERXXVI
Philippa,latethatafternoon,foundwhatshesought-solitude。
ShehadwalkedalongthesandsuntilDreymarshlayoutofsightontheothersideofaspurofthecliffs。Beforeherstretchedalongandlevelplain,afringeofsand,andabeltofshinglybeach。Therewasnotasignofanyhumanbeinginsight,andofbuildingsonlyaquainttoweronthefarhorizon。
Shefoundadryplaceonthepebbles,removedherhatandsatdown,herhandsclaspedaroundherknees,hereyesturnedseaward。Shehadcomeoutheretothink,butitwasoddhowfugitiveandtransientherthoughtsbecame。Herhusbandwasalwaysthereinthebackground,butinthosemomentsitwasLessinghamwhowasthepredominantfigure。Sherememberedhisearnestness,histendersolicitudeforher,thecouragewhich,whennecessitydemanded,hadflamedupinhim,abornandnaturalquality。Sherememberedtheagonyofthosefewminutesontheprecedingday,whennothingbutwhatstillseemedamiraclehadsavedhim。Atonemomentshefeltherselfinclinedtopraythathemightnevercomeback。Atanother,herheartachedtoseehimoncemore。Sheknewsowellthatifhecameitwouldbeforhersake,thathewouldcometoaskherfinallythequestionwithwhichshehadfenced。Sheknew,too,thathiscomingwouldbethemomentofherlife。Shewassomuchofawoman,andthepassionatecravingofhersextogiveloveforlovewasthereinherheart,almostomnipotent。Andinthebackgroundtherewasthatbitterdesiretobringsufferinguponthemanwhohadtreatedherlikeachild,whohadplacedherinafalsepositionwithallotherwomen,whohaddawdledandidledawayhisdays,heedlessofhisduty,heedlessofeveryseriousobligation。Whenshetriedtoreason,herwayseemedsoclear,andyet,behinditall,therewasthatcoldimpulseofalmostVictorianprudishness,theinheritanceofalonglineofvirtuouswomen,aprudishnesswhichshehadonce,whenshehadbelievedthatitwaspartofhersecondnature,scoffedatasbeingtheoutcomeofoneofthefinerformsofselfishness。
Shetoldherselfthatshehadcometheretodecide,anddecisioncamenonearertoher。Alateafternoonstarshoneweaklyinthesky。Afaint,vaporousmistobscuredthehorizonandfloatedintangledwreathsuponthefaceofthesea。Onlythatlineofsandseemedstillclear-cutanddistinct,andassheglancedalongithereyeswereheldbysomethingapproaching,somethingwhichseemedatfirstnothingbutablack,movingspeck,thengraduallyresolveditselfintothesemblanceofamanonhorseback,gallopingfuriously。Shewatchedhimashedrewnearerandnearer,thesandflyingfromhishorse’shoofs,hisfiguremotionless,hiseyesapparentlyfixeduponsomedistantspot。Itwasnotuntilhehadcomewithinfiftyyardsofherthatsherecognisedhim。Hishorseshiedatthesightofherandwassuddenlyswungroundwithapowerfulwrist。Littlespecksofsand,churnedupinthemomentarystampedeofhoofs,felluponherskirt。Fortherest,shewatchedthestrugglecomposedly,astrugglewhichwasoveralmostassoonasitwasbegun。CaptainGriffithsleaneddownfromhistremblingbutsubduedhorse。
\"LadyCranston!\"heexclaimedinastonishment。
\"That’sme,\"shereplied,smilingupathim。\"Haveyoubeenridingoffyourbadtemper?\"
Heglanceddownathishorse’squiveringsides。Backasfarasonecouldseetherewasthatregularlineofhoofmarks。
\"AmIbad-tempered?\"heasked。
\"Well,\"sheobserved,\"Idon’tknowyouwellenoughtoanswerthatquestion。Iwassimplythinkingofyesterdayevening。\"
Heslippedfromhishorseandstoodbeforeher。Hislong,severefacehadseldomseemedmoremalevolent。
\"Ihadenoughtomakemebad-tempered,\"hedeclared。\"IhadtrackeddownaGermanspy,stepbystep,untilIhadhimthere,waitingforarrest-expectingit,even-andthenIgotthatwickedmessage。\"
\"Whatwasthatwickedmessageafterall?\"sheenquired。
\"Thatdoesn’tmatter,\"heanswered。\"Itwasfromaquarterwheretheyoughttoknowbetter,anditorderedmetomakenoarrest。I
havesenttotheWarOfficeto-dayafullreport,andIamprayingthattheymaychangetheirminds。\"
Philippasighed。
\"Ifyouhadn’treceivedthattelegramlastnight,\"sheobserved,\"itseemstomethatIshouldhavebeenawidowto-day。\"
Hefrowned,andstruckhisbootheavilywithhisridingwhip。
\"Yes,Iheardofthat,\"headmitted。\"Idaresayifhehadn’tgone,though,someoneelsewould。\"
\"Wouldyouhavegoneifyouhadbeenthere?\"sheasked。
\"Ifyouhadtoldmeto,\"hereplied,lookingathersteadfastly。
Philippafeltalittleshiver。Therewassomethingominousintheintensityofhisgazeandthemeaningwhichhehadcontrivedtoimparttohistone。Sherosetoherfeet。
\"Well,\"shesaid,\"don’tletmekeepyouhere。Iamgettingcold。\"
Hepassedhisarmthroughthebridleofhishorse。\"Iwillwalkwithyou,ifImay,\"heproposed。Shemadenoreply,andtheysettheirfaceshomewards。
\"IhearLessinghamhaslefttheplace,\"heremarked,alittleabruptly。
\"Oh,Iexpecthe’llcomeback,\"Philippareplied。
\"Howlongisit,LadyCranston,sinceyoutooktoconsortingwithGermanspies?\"heasked。
\"Don’tbefoolish-orimpertinent,\"sheenjoined。\"YouaremakingaridiculousmistakeaboutMr。Lessingham。\"
Helaughedunpleasantly。
\"Noneedforustofence,\"hesaid。\"YouandIknowwhoheis。
WhatIdowanttoknow,whatIhavebeenwonderingallthewayfromthepointthere-fourmilesofhardgallopingandonequestion-
whyareyouhisfriend?Whatishetoyou?\"
\"Really,CaptainGriffiths,\"sheprotested,lookingupathim,\"ofwhatpossibleinterestcanthatbetoyou?\"
\"Well,itis,anyhow,\"heansweredgruffly。\"Anythingthatconcernsyouisofinteresttome。\"
Philipparealisedatthatmoment,perhapsforthefirsttime,whatitallmeant。Sherealisedthesignificanceofthoseapparentlypurposelessafternooncalls,whenthroughsheerboredomshehadhadtosendforHelentohelpherout;thesignificanceofthoselongsilences,themelancholyeyeswhichseemedtofollowhermovements。
Shefeltanunaccountabledesiretolaugh,andthen,atthefirsttwitchingsofherlips,sherestrainedherself。Sheknewthattragedywasstalkingbyherside。
\"Ithink,CaptainGriffiths,\"shesaidgravely,\"thatyouaretalkingnonsense,andyouarenotaverygoodhandatit。Won’tyoupleaserideon?\"
Hemadenomovementtomounthishorse。Heploddedalongthesoftsandbyherside-aqueer,elongatedfigure,hisgloomyeyesfixedupontheground。
\"UntilthisfellowLessinghamcameyouwereneversohard,\"hepersisted。
Shelookedathimwithgenuinecuriosity。
\"Iwasneversohard?\"sherepeated。\"DoyouimaginethatIhaveeverforasinglemomentconsideredmydemeanourtowardsyou-youofallpersonsintheworld?Isimplydon’trememberwhenyouhavebeenthereandwhenyouhaven’t。Idon’trememberthehumoursinwhichIhavebeenwhenwehaveconversed。Allthatyouhavesaidseemstometobethemostarrantnonsense。\"
Heswunghimselfintothesaddleandgatheredupthereins。
\"Thankyou,\"hesaidbitterly,\"Iunderstand。Onlyletmetellyouthis,\"hewenton,hiswhippoisedinhishand。\"Youmayhavepowerfulfriendswhosavedyour-\"
Hehesitatedsolongthatsheglancedupathimandreadallthathehadwishedtosayinhisface。
\"Mywhat?\"sheasked。
Hiscouragefailedhim。
\"Mr。Lessingham,\"heproceeded,\"fromarrest。ButifheshowshisfacehereagaininDreymarsh,Isha’n’tstoptoarresthim。Ishallshoothimonsightandchancetheconsequences。\"
\"They’llhangyou!\"shedeclaredsavagely。
Helaughedather。
\"HangmeforshootingamanwhomIcanprovetobeaGermanspy?
Theywon’tdare!Theywon’tevendaretoplacemeunderarrestforanhour。Why,whenthetruthbecomesknown,\"hewenton,hisvoicegainingcourageasthejusticeofhiscaseimpresseditselfuponhim,\"whatdoyousupposeisgoingtohappentotwowomenwhotookthisfellowinandbefriendedhim,introducedhimunderafalsenametotheirfriends,gavehimtherunoftheirhouse-thismanwhomtheyknewallthetimewasaGerman?You,LadyCranston,chafingandscoldingyourhusbandbynightandbydaybecauseheisn’twhereyouthinkheoughttobe;you,sopatrioticthatyoucannotbearthesightofhimoutofuniform;you-thehostess,thebefriender,theGodknowswhatofBertramMaderstrom!Itwillbeaprettytalewhenit’salltold!\"
\"Ireallythink,\"Philippaassertedcalmly,\"thatyouarethemostutterlyimpossibleandobnoxiouscreatureIhaveevermet。\"
Hisfacewasdangerousforamoment。TheyhadnotyetreachedthepromontorywhichshelteredthemfromDreymarsh。
\"Perhaps,\"hemuttered,leaningmalignlytowardsher,\"Icouldmakemyselfevenmoreobnoxious。\"
\"Quitepossibly,\"shereplied,\"onlyIwanttotellyouthis。Ifyoucomeasingleinchnearertome,oneofthemshallshootyou。\"
\"Yourfriendoryourhusband,eh?\"hescoffed。
Shewavedhimon。
\"Ithink,\"shetoldhim,\"thateitherofthemwouldbequitecapableofriddingtheworldofacowardlikeyou。\"
\"Acoward?\"herepeated。
\"Precisely!Isn’titacoward’sparttoterroriseawoman?\"
\"Idon’twanttoterroriseyou,\"hesaidsulkily。
\"Well,youmustadmitthatyouhaven’tshownanyparticulardesiretomakeyourselfagreeable,\"shepointedout。
Heturnedsuddenlyuponher。
\"Iamafool,Iknow,\"hedeclaredbitterly。\"I’manawkward,nervous,miserablefool,myownworstenemyastheysayofmeintheMess,turningthepeopleagainstmeIwanttohavelikeme,stumblingintoeveryblunderafoolcan。I’mthesortofmanwomenmakesportof,andyou’vedoneitforthemcruelly,perfectly。\"
\"CaptainGriffiths!\"sheprotested。\"WhenhaveIeverbeenanythingbutkindandcourteoustoyou?\"
\"Itisn’tyourkindnessIwant,noryourcourtesy!There’sacurseuponmytongue,\"hewentondesperately。\"I’mnotlikeothermen。
Idon’tknowhowtosaywhatIfeel。Ican’tputitintowords。
Everyonemisunderstandsme。You,too!HereIrodeuptoyouthisafternoonandmyheartwasbeatingforjoy,andinfiveminutesI
hadmadeanenemyofyou。DamnthatfellowLessingham!Itisallhisfault!\"
Withouttheslightestwarninghebroughtdownhishuntingcropuponhishorse’sflanks。Themaregaveonegreatplunge,andhewasoff,ridingatafuriousgallop。Philippawatchedhimwithimmenserelief,Inthefardistanceshecouldseetwolittlespecksgrowinglargerandlarger。Shehurriedontowardsthem。
\"WhateverdidyoudotoCaptainGriffiths,Mummy?Norademanded。
\"Whyhepasseduswithoutlookingdown,gallopinglikeamadman,andhisfacelooked-well,whatdiditlooklike,Helen?\"
Helenwasgazinguneasilyalongthesands。
\"Likeamanridingforhisenemy,\"shedeclared。
CHAPTERXXVII
PhilippaandHelenlookedatoneanotheralittledolefullyacrosstheluncheontable。
\"Isupposesonemissesthechild,\"Helensaid。
\"Ifeeltoodepressedforwords,\"Philippaadmitted。
\"Afewdaysago,\"Helenremindedhercompanion,\"weweregettingalltheexcitementthatwasgoodforanyone。\"
\"Andalittlemore,\"Philippaagreed。\"Idon’tknowwhythingsseemsoflatnow。Wereallyoughttobegladthatnothingterriblehashappened。\"
\"WhatwithHenryandMr。Lessinghambothaway,\"Helencontinued,\"andCaptainGriffithsnotcomingneartheplace,wereallyhaverevertedtothenormal,haven’twe?Iwonder-ifMr。Lessinghamhasgoneback。\"
\"Idonotthinkso,\"Philippamurmured。
Helenfrownedslightly。
\"Personally,\"shesaid,withsomeemphasis,\"Ihopethathehas。\"
\"Ifweareconsideringthepersonalpointofviewonly,\"Philipparetorted,\"Ihopethathehasnot。\"
Helenlookedherdisapproval。
\"Ishouldhavethoughtthatyouhadhadenoughplayingwithfire,\"
sheobserved。
\"Oneneverhasuntilonehasburnedone’sfingers,\"Philippasighed。
\"Iknowperfectlywellwhatisthematterwithyou,\"shecontinuedseverely。\"YouarefrettingbecausecurriedchickenisDick’sfavouritedish。\"
\"Iamnotsuchababy,\"Helenprotested。\"Allthesame,itdoesmakeonethink。Iwonder-\"
\"Iknowexactlywhatyouweregoingtosay,\"Philippainterrupted。
\"YouweregoingtosaythatyouwonderedwhetherMr。Lessinghamwouldkeephispromise。\"
\"Whetherhewouldbeableto,\"Helencorrected。\"Itdoesseemsoimpossible,doesn’tit?\"
\"SodoesMr。Lessinghamhimself,\"Philipparemindedher。\"Itisn’texactlyausualthing,isit,tohaveaperfectlycharmingandwell-bredyoungmanstepoutofaZeppelinintoyourdrawing-room。\"
\"Youreallybelieve,then,\"Helenaskedeagerly,\"thathewillbeabletokeephispromise?\"
Philippanoddedconfidently。
\"Doyouknow,\"shesaid,\"IbelievethatMr。Lessingham,bysomemeansoranother,wouldkeepanypromiseheevermade。IamexpectingtoseeDickatanymomentnow,soyoucangetonwithyourlunch,dear,andnotsitlookingatthecurrywithtearsinyoureyes。\"
\"Itisn’tthecurrysomuchasthechutney,\"Helenprotestedfaintly。
\"Heneverwouldtouchanyothersort。\"
\"Well,Ishouldn’tbesurprisedifhewereheretofinishthebottle,\"Philippadeclared。\"Ihaveafeelingthismorningthatsomethingisgoingtohappen。\"
\"HowlonghasNoragoneawayfor?\"Helenenquired,afteramoment’spause。
\"Afortnightorthreeweeks,\"Philippaanswered。\"HergrandmotherwiredthatshewouldbegladtohaveheruntilChristmas。\"
\"Justwhy,\"Helenaskedseriously,\"haveyousentheraway?\"
Philippatoyedwithhercurry,andglancedaroundasthoughsheregrettedMills’absencefromtheroom。
\"Ithoughtitbest,\"shesaidquietly。\"Yousee,Iamnotquitesurewhattheimmediatefutureofthismenageisgoingtobe。\"
Helenleanedacrossthetableandlaidherhanduponherfriend’s。
\"Dear,\"shesighed,\"itworriesmesotohearyoutalklikethat。\"
\"Why?\"
\"Becauseyouknowperfectlywell,althoughyouprofesstoignoreit,thatatthebottomofyourheartthereisnooneelsebutHenry。
Itisn’tfair,youknow。\"
\"Towhomisn’titfair?\"Philippademanded。
\"ToMr。Lessingham。\"
Philippawasthoughtfulforafewmoments。
\"Perhaps,\"sheadmitted,\"thatisapointofviewwhichIhavenotsufficientlyconsidered。\"
Helenpressedhomeheradvantage。
\"Idon’tthinkyourealise,Philippa,\"shesaid,\"howmadlyinlovewithyouthemanis。Inaperfectlyingenuousway,too。Noonecouldhelpseeingit。\"
\"Thenwheredoestheunfairnesscomein?\"Philippaasked。\"Itiswithinmypowertogivehimallthathewants。\"
\"Butyouwouldn’tdoit,Philippa。Youknowthatyouwouldn’t!\"
Helenobjected。\"Youmayplaywiththeideainyourmind,butthat’sjustasfarasyou’deverget。\"
Philippalookedherfriendsteadilyintheface。\"Idisagreewithyou,Helen,\"shesaid。Helensetdowntheglasswhichshehadbeenintheactofraisingtoherlips。Itwasherfirstreallyseriousintimationofthetragedywhichhoveredoverherfuturesister-in-law’slife。Somehoworother,Philippahadseemed,eventoher,sofarremovedfromthatstrenuousworldofover-drugged,over-excitedfemininedecadence,towhomthechangingofahusbandoraloverismerelyanincidentintheday’sexcitements。
Philippa,withherfrailandalmostflowerlikebeauty,herloveofthewholesomewaysoflife,andherstrongaffections,representedotherthings。Now,forthefirsttime,Helenwasreallyafraid,afraidforherfriend。
\"Butyoucouldn’tever-youwouldn’tleaveHenry!\"
Philippaseemedtofindnothingmonstrousintheidea。
\"ThatisjustwhatIamseriouslythinkingofdoing,\"sheconfided。
Helenaffectedtolaugh,buthermirthwasobviouslyforced。TheirconversationceasedperforcewiththereturnofMillsintotheroom。
Thenthewonderfulthinghappened。Thewindowsofthediningroomfacedthedrivetothehouseandbothwomencouldclearlyseeamotorcarturninatthegateandstopatthefrontdoor。Itwasobviouslyahiredcar,asthedriverwasnotinlivery,butthetall,mulled-upfigureinunfamiliarclotheswhooccupiedthefrontseatwasforthemomentamysterytothem。OnlyHelenseemedtohavesomewonderfulpremonitionofthetruth,apremonitionwhichshewasafraidtoadmiteventoherself。Herhandbegantoshake。
Philippalookedatherinamazement。
\"Youlookasthoughyouhadseenaghost,Helen!\"sheexclaimed。
\"Whoonearthcanitbe,comingatthistimeoftheday?\"
Helenwasspeechless,andPhilippadivinedatoncethecauseofheragitation。Shesprangtoherfeet。
\"Helen,youdon’timagine-\"shegasped。\"Listen!\"
Therewasavoiceinthehail-afamiliarvoice,thoughstrainedalittleandhoarse;Mills’decorousgreetings,agitatedbutfervent。
Andthen-MajorRichardFelstead!
\"Dick!\"Helenscreamed,asshethrewherselfintohisarms。\"Oh,Dick!Dick!\"
Itwasanincoherent,breathlessmoment。Somehoworother,Philippafoundherselfsharingherbrother’sembrace。ThenthefireofquestionsandanswerswaspresentlyinterruptedbyMills,triumphantlybearinginafreshdishofcurry。
\"WhatwilltheMajortaketodrink,yourladyship?\"heasked。
Felsteadlaughedalittlechokingly。
\"Uponmyword,there’ssomethingwonderfullysoundaboutMills!\"
hesaid。\"It’saghoulishthingtoaskforinthemiddleoftheday,isn’tit,Philippa,butcanIhavesomechampagne?\"
\"Youcanhavethewholecellarful,\"Philippaassuredhimjoyously。
\"Besureyoubringthebest,Mills。\"
\"ThePerrierJonet1904,yourladyship,\"wasthemurmuredreply。
Mills’disappearancewasverybrief,andinaveryfewmomentstheyfoundthemselvesseatedoncemoreatthetable。Theysatoneoneithersideofhim,watchinghisglassandhisplate。Bydegreestheirquestionsandhisanswersbecamemoreintelligible。
\"Whendidyougethere?\"theywantedtoknow。
\"IarrivedinHarwichaboutdaylightthismorning,\"hetoldthem;
\"cameacrossfromHolland。Ihiredacaranddrovestraighthere。\"
\"Whendidyouknowyouwerecominghome?\"Helenasked。
\"Onlytwodaysago,\"hereplied。\"Ineverwassosurprisedinmylife。EvennowIcan’trealisemygoodluck。Ican’tseewhatI’vedone。Thelasttwomonths,infact,seemtometohavebeenadream。
Jove!\"hewenton,ashedrankhiswine,\"IneverthoughtIshouldbesuchapigastocaresomuchforeatinganddrinking!\"
\"Andthinkwhatweeksofityouhavebeforeyou?\"Helenexplained,clappingherhands。\"PhilippaandIwillhaveanewinterestinlife-tomakeyoufat。\"
Helaughed。
\"Itwon’tbeverydifficult,\"hepromisedthem。\"Ihadseveralmonthsofsemi-starvationbeforethemiraclehappened。ItwasalljustthechanceofhavinghadapalupatMagdalenwho’sbeenservingintheGermanArmy-BertramMaderstromwashisname。Yourememberhim,Philippa?HewasaSwedeinthosedays。\"
\"Whatadearhemusthavebeentohaverememberedandtohavebeensofaithful!\"Philippaobserved,lookingawayforamoment。
\"He’sarealgoodsort,\"Felsteaddeclaredenthusiastically,\"althoughHeavenknowswhyhe’sturnedGerman!Heworkedlikeaslaveforme。Idaresayhedidn’tfinditsodifficulttogetmebetterquartersandaservant,anddecentfood,butwhentheytoldmethatIwasfree-well,itnearlyknockedmesilly。\"
\"Thedearfellow!\"Philippamurmuredpensively。
\"Doyourememberhim,eitherofyou?\"Felsteadcontinued。\"Rathergood-lookinghewas,andalittleshy,butquiteasportsman。\"
\"I-seemtoremember,\"Philippaadmitted。
\"Thenamesoundsfamiliar,\"Helenechoed。\"Dohavesomemorechutney,Dick。\"
\"Thanks!WhatapigIammakingofmyself!\"heobservedcheerfully。
\"YougirlswillthinkIcan’ttalkaboutanyonebutMaderstrom,butthewholebusinessbeatsmesocompletely。Ofcourse,weweregreatpals,inaway,butIneverthoughtthatIwastheappleofhiseye,oranythingofthatsort。Howhegottheinfluence,too,Ican’timagine。Andoh!IknewtherewassomethingelseIwasgoingtoaskyougirls,\"Felsteadwenton。\"Haveyoueverhadaletter,orratheralettereach,uncensored?Justalineortwo?
IthinkImentionedMaderstromwhichIshouldnothavebeenallowedtodointheordinaryprisonletters。\"
Felsteadwashelpinghimselftocheese,andhesawnothingofthequickglancewhichpassedbetweenthetwowomen。
\"Yes,wehadthem,Dick,\"Philippatoldhim。\"Itwasoneafternoon-itdoesn’tseemsoverylongago。Andoh,howthankfulwewere!\"
Felsteadnodded。
\"Hegotthemacrossallright,then。Tellme,didtheycomethroughHolland?Whatwasthepostmark?\"
\"Thepostmark,\"Philipparepeated,alittledoubtfully。\"YouheardwhatDickasked,Helen?Thepostmark?\"
\"Idon’tthinktherewasone,\"Helenreplied,glancinganxiouslyatPhilippa。
Felsteadsetdownhisglass。
\"Nopostmark?Youmeannoforeignpostmark,Isuppose?TheywerepostedinEngland,eh?\"
Philippashookherhead。
\"Theycametous,Dick,\"shesaid,\"byhand。\"
Felsteadwas,withoutadoubt,astonished。HeturnedroundinhischairtowardsPhilippa。
\"Byhand?\"herepeated。\"Doyoumeantosaythattheywereactuallybroughtherebyhand?\"
Perhapssomethinginhismannerwarnedthem。Philippalaughedasshebentoverhischair。
\"Wewilltellyouhowtheycame,presently,\"shedeclared,\"butnotuntilyouhavefinishedyourlunch,drunkthelastdropofthatchampagne,andhadatleasttwoglassesoftheportthatMillshasbeendecantingsocarefully。Afterthatwewillsee。JustnowI
haveonlyonefeeling,andIknowthatHelenhasit,too。Nothingelsemattersexceptthatwehaveyouhomeagain。
Felsteadpattedhissisteronthecheek,drewherfacedowntohisandkissedher。
\"It’ssowonderfultobeathome!\"heexclaimedapologetically。
\"ButImustwarnyouthatIamtherabidestpersonalive。IwentouttothewarwithacertainamountofrespectfortheGermans。I
havecomebackloathingthemlikevermin。Ispent-butIwon’tgoon。\"
Millsmadehisappearancewiththedecanterofport。
\"Ibegyourladyship’spardon,\"hesaid,ashefilledFelstead’sglass,\"butMr。Lessinghamhasarrivedandisinthelibrary,waitingtoseeyou。\"
=20
CHAPTERXXVIII
ToMajorRichardFelstead,Mills’announcementwaswithoutsignificance。Forthefirsttimehebecameconscious,however,ofsomethingwhichseemedalmostlikeasecretunderstandingbetweenhissisterandhisfianc=82e。
\"TellMr。LessinghamIshallbewithhiminaminuteortwo,ifhewillkindlywait,\"Philippainstructed。
\"WhoisMr。Lessingham?\"Richardenquired,assoonasthedoorhadclosedbehindMills。\"Seemsaqueertimetocall。\"
HelenglancedatPhilippa,whoselipsframedadecidednegative。
\"Mr。Lessinghamisagentlemanstayingintheneighbourhood,\"thelatterreplied。\"Youwillprobablymakehisacquaintancebeforelong。Incidentally,hesavedHenry’slifetheothernight。\"
\"Soundsexciting,\"Richardobserved。\"WhatformofdestructionwasHenrycourting?\"
\"Therewasatrawlershipwreckedinthestorm,\"Philippaexplained。
\"Youcanseeitfromallthefrontwindows。Henrywasonboard,returningfromoneofhisfishingexcursions。TheyweretryingtofindDumble’sanchorageandweredriveninontothatlowridgeofrock。Aropebroke,orsomething,theyhadnomorerockets,andMr。Lessinghamswamoutwiththeline。\"
\"Soundslikeapluckychap,\"Richardadmitted。
Philipparosetoherfeetregretfully。
\"Iexpecthehascometowishusgood-by,\"shesaid。\"I’llleaveyouwithHelen,Dick。Don’tletheroverfeedyou。Andyouknowwherethecigarsare,Helen。TakeDickintothegunroomafterwards。You’llhaveitalltoyourselvesandthereisafirethere。\"
Philippaenteredthelibraryinastateofagitationforwhichshewasgladtohavesomereasonableexcuse。SheheldoutbothherhandstoLessingham。
\"Dickisback-justarrived!\"sheexclaimed。\"Ican’ttellyouhowhappyweare,andhowgrateful!\"
Lessinghamraisedherfingerstohislips。
\"Iamglad,\"hesaidsimply。\"Doyoumeanthatheisinthehousehere,now?\"
\"HeisinthediningroomwithHelen。\"
Lessinghamforamomentwasthoughtful。
\"Don’tyouthink,\"hesuggested,\"thatitwouldbebettertokeepusapart?\"
\"Iwaswondering,\"sheconfessed。
\"Haveyoutoldhimaboutmybringingtheletters?\"
Sheshookherhead。
\"Wenearlydid。ThenIstopped-Iwasn’tsure。\"
\"Youwerewise,\"hesaid。
\"Areyouwise?\"sheaskedhimquickly。=20
=20
\"Incomingbackhere?\"
Shenodded。
\"CaptainGriffithsknowseverything,\"sheremindedhim。\"Heissimplyfuriousbecauseyourarrestwasinterferedwith。Ireallybelievethatheisdangerous。\"
Lessinghamwasunmoved。
\"Ihadtocomeback,\"hesaidsimply。
\"Whydidyougoawaysosuddenly?\"
\"Well,Ihadtodothat,too,\"hereplied,\"onlythegoverningcauseswereverydifferent。Wewillspeak,ifyoudonotmind,onlyofthecausewhichhasbroughtmeback。ThatIbelieveyouknowalready。\"
Philippawascuriouslyafraid。Shelookedtowardsthedoorasthoughwithsomevaguehopeofescape。Sherealisedthatthenecessityfordecisionhadarrived。
\"Philippa,\"hewenton,\"doyouseewhatthisis?\"
Hehandedhertwofoldedslipsofpaper。Shestarted。Atthetopofonesherecognisedasmallphotographofherself。
\"Whatarethey?\"sheasked。\"Whatdoesitmean?\"
\"TheyarepassportsforAmerica,\"hetoldher。
\"For-forme?\"shefaltered。
\"Foryouandme。\"
Theyslippedfromherfingers。Hepickedthemupfromthecarpet。
Herfacewashiddenforamomentinherhands。
\"Iknowsowellhowyouarefeeling,\"hesaidhumbly。\"Iknowhowterribleashockthismustseemtoyouwhenitcomessonear。Youaresodifferentfromtheotherwomenwhomightdothisthing。Itissomuchharderforyouthanforthem。\"
Sheliftedherhead。Therewasstillsomethingofthelookofascaredchildinherface。
\"Don’timaginemebetterthanIam,\"shebegged。\"Iamnotreallydifferentfromanyotherwoman,onlyitisthefirsttimethissortofthinghasevercomeintomylife。\"
\"Iknow。Yousee,\"hewenton,alittlewistfully,\"youhavenottakenme,asyet,veryfarintoyourconfidence,Philippa。YouknowthatIloveyouasamanlovesonlyonce。Itsoundslikeanemptyphrasetosayit,butifyouwillgivemeyourlifetotakecareof,Ishallonlyhaveonethought-tomakeyouhappy。CouldIsucceed?Thatiswhatyouhavetoaskyourself。Youarenothappynow。Doyouthinkthat,ifyoustayonhere,thefutureislikelytobeanybetterforyou?\"
Sheshookherheaddrearily。
\"Ibelieve,\"sheconfessed,\"thatIhavereachedtheverylimitofmyendurance。\"
Hecamealittlenearer。Hishandsresteduponhershouldersverylightly,yettheyseemedlikesomeenvelopingchain。Morethaneverinthosefewmomentssherealisedthespiritualqualitiesofhisface。Hiseyeswereaglow。Hisvoice,alittlebrokenwithemotion,waswonderfullytender。Helookedatherasthoughsheweresomepreciousandsacredthing。
\"Iamrich,\"hesaid,\"andtherearefewpartsoftheworldwherewecouldnotlive。Wecouldfindourwaytotheislands,likeyourgreatwriterStevensoninwhomyoudelightsomuch;islandsfullofcolour,andwonderfulbirds,andstrangeblueskies;
islandswherethepeaceofthetropicsdullsmemory,andtimeheatsonlyintheheart。Theworldisagreatplace,Philippa,andtherearecornerswherethesordidcrimeofthisghastlybutcheryhasscarcelybeenheardof,wherethehorrorandthetaintofitareasthoughtheyneverexisted,wherethesunandmoonarestillunashamed,andthegreymonstersridenowhereuponthesapphireseas。\"
\"Itsoundslikeafairytale,\"shemurmured,withahalfpatheticsmile。
\"Lovealwaysfashionslifelikeafairytale,\"hereplied。
Shestoodperfectlystill。
\"Youmusthavemyanswernow,atthismoment?\"sheaskedatlast。
\"Thereareyetsomehours,\"hetoldher。\"Ihaveaverypowerfulautomobilehere,andto-nightthereisafullmoon。Ifweleavehereatteno’clock,wecancatchthesteamerto-morrowafternoon。
Everythinghasbeenmadeveryeasyforme。Andfortune,too,iswithus-yourvindictivecommandant,CaptainGriffiths,isinLondon。Yousee,youhavethewholeafternoonforthought。I
wantyouonlyforyourhappiness。Atteno’clockIshallcomehere。Ifyouarecomingwithme,youmustbereadythen。Youunderstand?\"
\"Iunderstand,\"sheassented,underherbreath。\"Andnow,\"shewenton,raisinghereyes,\"somehowIthinkthatyouareright。
ItwouldbebetterforyouandDicknottomeet。\"
\"Iamsureofit,\"heagreed。\"Ishallcomeformyansweratteno’clock。Iwonder-\"
Hestoodlookingather,hiseyeshungrytofindsomesigninherface。Therewassomuchkindnessthere,somuchthatmightpass,even,foraffection,andyetsomethingwhich,behinditall,chilledhisconfidence。Helefthissentenceuncompletedandturnedtowardsthedoor。Suddenlyshecalledhimback。Sheheldupherfinger。Herwholeexpressionhadchanged。Shewasalarmed。
\"Wait!\"shebegged。\"IcanhearDick’svoice。Waittillhehascrossedthehail。\"
Theybothstood,foramoment,quitesilent。ThentheyheardalittleprotestingcryfromHelen,andagood-humouredlaughfromRichard。Thedoorwasthrownopen。
\"Youdon’tmindourcomingthroughtothegunroom,Phil?\"herbrotherasked。\"We’renot-MyGod!\"
Therewasaqueersilence,brokenbyHelen,whostoodonthethreshold,thepictureofdistress。
\"Itriedtogethimtogotheotherway,Philippa。
Richardtookaquickstepforward。Hishandswereoutstretched。
\"Bertram!\"heexclaimed。\"Isthisamiracle?Youherewithmysister?\"
Lessinghamheldouthishand。SuddenlyRicharddroppedhis。Hisexpressionhadbecomesterner。
\"Idon’tunderstand,\"hesaidsimply。\"Somebodypleaseexplain。\"
CHAPTERXXIX
Forafewbriefsecondsnooneseemedinclinedtotakeuponthemselvestheonusofspeech。Richard’samazementseemedtoincreaseuponreflection。
\"Maderstrom!\"heexclaimed。\"Bertram!Whatinthenameofallthat’sdiabolicalareyoudoinghere?\"
\"Iamjustaderelict,\"Lessinghamexplained,withafaintsmile。
\"Gladtoseeyou,Richard。YouareadayearlierthanIexpected。\"
\"YouknewthatIwascoming,then?\"Richarddemanded。
\"Naturally,\"Lessinghamreplied。\"Ihadthegreatpleasureofarrangingforyourrelease。\"
\"Lookhere,\"Richardwenton,\"I’mgropingaboutabit。Idon’tunderstand。ForgivemeifIrunoffthetrack。I’mnotforgettingourfriendship,Maderstrom,orwhatIowetoyousinceyoucameandfoundmeatWittenburg。Butforallthat,youhaveservedintheGermanArmyandareanenemy,andIwanttoknowwhatyouaredoinghere,inEngland,inmybrother-in-law’shouse。\"
\"Noparticularharm,Richard,Ipromiseyou,\"Lessinghamrepliedmildly。
\"Youarehereunderafalsename!\"
\"HamarLessingham,ifyoudonotmind,\"theotherassented。\"I
prefermyownname,butIdonotfancythattheuseofitwouldensuremeaverywarmwelcomeoverherejustnow。Besides,\"headded,withaglanceatPhilippa,\"IhavetoconsiderthefriendswhosehospitalityIhaveenjoyed。\"
InashadowysortofwaythetruthbegantodawnuponRichard。Histonebecamegrimmerandhismannermoremenacing。
\"Maderstrom,\"hesaid,\"wemetlastunderdifferentcircumstances。
IwilladmitthatIcutapoorfigure,butminewasatleastanhonourableimprisonment。Iamnotsosurethatyoursisanhonourablefreedom。\"
Philippalaidherhanduponherbrother’sarm。
\"Dick,dear,dorememberthattheywerestarvingyoutodeath!\"
shebegged。
\"Youwouldneverhavelivedthroughit,\"Helenechoed。
\"YouaretalkingtoMr。Lessingham,\"Philippaprotested,\"asthoughhewereanenemy,insteadofthebestfriendyoueverhadinyourlife。\"
Richardwavedthemaway。
\"Youmustleavethistous,\"heinsisted。\"MaderstromandIwillbeabletounderstandoneanother,atanyrate。Whatareyoudoinginthishouse-inEngland?Whatisyourmissionhere?\"
\"Whateveritmayhavebeen,itisaccomplished,\"Lessinghamsaidgravely。\"Atthepresentmoment,myplansaretoleaveyourcountryto-night。\"
\"Accomplished?\"Richardrepeated。\"Whatthedevildoyoumean?
Accomplished?Areyouplayingthespyinthiscountry?\"
\"Youwouldprobablyconsidermymissionespionage,\"Lessinghamadmitted。
\"Andyouhavebroughtittoasuccessfulconclusion?\"
\"Ihave。\"
Philippathrewherarmsaroundherbrother’sneck。\"Dick,\"shepleaded,\"pleaselisten。Mr。Lessinghamhasbeenhere,inthisdistrict,eversincehelandedinEngland。Whatpossibleharmcouldbedo?Wehaven’tasinglesecrettobelearned。Everybodyknowswhereourfewgunsare。Everybodyknowswhereoursoldiersarequartered。Wehaven’taharbouroranysecretfortifications。
Wehaven’tanyshippinginformationwhichitwouldbeoftheleastusesignallinganywhere。Mr。Lessinghamhasspenthistimeamongsttrifleshere。TakeHelenawaysomewhereandforgetthatyouhaveseenhiminthehouse。RememberthathehassavedHenry’slifeaswellasyours。\"
\"Iinvitenoconsiderationuponthataccount,\"Lessinghamdeclared。
\"AllthatIdidforyouinGermany,Idid,orshouldhaveattemptedtodo,formyoldfriend。Yourreleasewasdifferent。Iamforcedtoadmitthatitwasthepricepaidformysojournhere。Iwillonlyaskyoutorememberthatthebargainwasmadewithoutyourknowledge,andthatyouareinnowayresponsibleforit。\"
\"Aprice,\"Richardpronouncedfiercely,\"whichIrefusetopay!\"
Lessinghamshruggedhisshoulders。
\"Thealternative,\"heconfessed,\"isinyourhands。\"
Richardmovedtowardsthetelephone。
\"Iamsorry,Maderstrom,\"hesaid,\"butmydutyisclear。WhoisCommandanthere,Philippa?\"
Philippastoodbetweenherbrotherandthetelephone。Therewasaqueer,angrypatchofcolourinhercheeks。Hereyeswereonfire。
\"Richard,\"sheexclaimed,\"youshallnotdothisfrommyhouse!
Iforbidyou!\"
\"Dowhat?\"
\"Giveinformation。Doyouknowwhatitwouldmeaniftheybelievedyou?\"
\"Death,\"heanswered。\"Maderstromknewtheriskheranwhenhecametothiscountryunderafalsename。\"
\"Perfectly,\"Lessinghamadmitted。
\"ButIwon’thaveit!\"Philippaprotested。\"Hehasbecomeourfriend。Daybydaywehavegrowntolikehimbetterandbetter。
Hehassavedyourlife,Dick。Hehasbroughtyoubacktous。
Thinkwhatitisthatyoupurpose!\"
\"Itiswhateverysoldierhastoface,\"Richarddeclared。
\"Youmendrivemecrazywithyourfoolishideas!\"Philippacrieddesperately。\"Thewarisinyourbrains,Ithink。Youwouldcarryitfromthebattlefieldsintoyourdailylife。Becausetwogreatcountriesareatwar,iseverythingtogoby-chivalry?-allthefiner,sweeterfeelingsoflife?Ifyoutwometonthebattlefield,itwouldbedifferent。Hereinmydrawing-room,I
willnothavethisblackdemonofthewardraggedinasanexcuseformurder!TakeDickaway,Helen!\"shebegged。\"Mr。Lessinghamisleavingto-night。Iwillpledgemywordthatuntilthenheremainsaharmlesscitizen。\"
\"Womendon’tunderstandthesethings,Philippa-\"Richardbegan。
\"Thankheavensweunderstandthembetterthanyoumen!\"Philippainterruptedfiercely。\"Youhavebutoneidea-tostrike-thenarrowideaofmenthatbreedswarfare。Itellyouthatifeveruniversalpeacecomes,ifeverthenationsaretaughtthehorrorofthislustforblood,thiscriminaloutrageagainstcivilisation,itisthewomenwhowillbecometheteachers,becauseamongstyourinstinctsthebrutishonesofforcearethefirsttoleaptothesurfaceattheslightestprovocation。Wewomenseefurther,weknowmore。Isweartoyou,Richard,thatifyouinterfereIwillneverforgiveyouaslongasIlive!\"
Richardstaredathissisterinamazement。Thereseemedtobesomenewspiritbornwithinher。Throughoutalltheirdayshehadneverknownhersomuchinearnest,sopassionatelyinsistent。Helookedfromhertothemanwhomshesoughttoprotect,andwhoanswered,unasked,thethoughtsthatwereinhismind。
\"WhateverharmImayhavebeenabletodo,\"Lessinghamannounced,\"isfinished。Ileavethisplaceto-night,probablyforever。AsfortheCommandant,\"hewentonwithafaintsmile,\"heisalreadyuponmytrack。Thereisnothingyoucantellhimaboutmewhichhedoesnotknow。Itisjustamatterofhours,thetossofacoin,whetherIgetawayornot。\"
\"They’vefoundyouout,then?\"Richardexclaimed。
\"Onlyamiraclesavedmefromarrestaweekago,\"Lessinghamacknowledged。\"YourCommandanthereisatthepresentmomentinLondonforthesolepurposeofdenouncingme。\"
\"Andyetyouremainhere,payingafternooncalls?\"Richardobservedincredulously。\"I’mhangedifIcanseethroughthis!\"
\"Yousee,\"Lessinghamexplainedgently。\"Iamafatalist!\"
ItwasHelenwhofinallyledherloverfromtheroom。Helookedbackfromthedoor。
\"Maderstrom,\"hesaid,\"youknowquitewellhowpersonallyIfeeltowardsyou。Iamgratefulforwhatyouhavedoneforme,eventhoughIambeginningtounderstandyourmotives。Butasregardstheotherthingswearebothsoldiers。IamgoingtotalktoHelenforatime。IwanttounderstandalittlemorethanIdoatpresent。\"
Lessinghamnodded。
\"Letmehelpyou,\"hebegged。\"Hereistheissueinplainwords。