Ondescending,heatedandangry,tothedrawing—room,shefoundAgathatherealone,lookingoutofwindowasifthelandscapewereespeciallyunsatisfactorythistime。
"Selfishlittlebeasts！"exclaimedJane,makingaminiaturewhirlwindwithherskirtsasshecamein。"Charlieisaperfectlittlefiend。Hespendsallhistimethinkinghowhecanannoyme。Ugh！He'sjustlikehisfather。"
"Thankyou,mydear,"saidSirCharlesfromthedoorway。
Janelaughed。"Iknewyouwerethere,"shesaid。"Where'sGertrude？"
"Shehasgoneout,"saidSirCharles。
"Nonsense！Shehasonlyjustcomeinfromdrivingwithme。"
"Idonotknowwhatyoumeanbynonsense,"saidSirCharles,chafing。"IsawherwalkingalongtheRiversideRoad。Iwasinthevillageroad,andshedidnotseeme。Sheseemedinahurry。"
"Imetheronthestairsandspoketoher,"saidAgatha,"butshedidn'thearme。"
"Ihopesheisnotgoingtothrowherselfintotheriver,"saidJane。Then,turningtoherhusband,sheadded:"Haveyouheardthenews？"
"TheonlynewsIhaveheardisfromthispaper,"saidSirCharles,takingoutajournalandflingingitonthetable。
"ThereisaparagraphinitstatingthatIhavejoinedsomeinfernalSocialisticleague,andIamtoldthatthereisanarticleinthe'Times'onthespreadofSocialism,inwhichmynameismentioned。ThisisallduetoTrefusis;andIthinkhehasplayedmeamostdishonorabletrick。Iwilltellhimso,too,whennextIseehim。"
"YouhadbetterbecarefulwhatyousayofhimbeforeAgatha,"
saidJane。"Oh,youneednotbealarmed,Agatha;Iknowallaboutit。Hetoldusinthelibrary。Wewentoutthismorning——GertrudeandI——andwhenwecamebackwefoundMr。TrefusisandAgathatalkingverylovinglytooneanotherontheconservatorysteps,newlyengaged。"
"Indeed！"saidSirCharles,disconcertedanddispleased,buttryingtosmile。"Imaythencongratulateyou,MissWylie？"
"Youneednot,"saidAgatha,keepinghercountenanceaswellasshecould。"Itwasonlyajoke。Atleastitcameaboutinajest。
Hehasnorighttosaythatweareengaged。"
"Stuffandnonsense,"saidJane。"Thatwon'tdo,Agatha。Hehasgoneofftotelegraphtohissolicitor。Heisquiteinearnest。"
"Iamagreatfool,"saidAgatha,sittingdownandtwistingherhandsperplexedly。"IbelieveIsaidsomething;butIreallydidnotintendto。HesurprisedmeintospeakingbeforeIknewwhatI
wassaying。AprettymessIhavegotmyselfinto！"
"Iamgladyouhavebeenoutwittedatlast,"saidJane,laughingspitefully。"YouneverhadanypityformewhenIcouldnotthinkoftheproperthingtosayatamoment'snotice。"
Agathaletthetauntpassunheeded。Hergazewanderedanxiously,andatlastsettledappealinglyuponSirCharles。"WhatshallI
do？"shesaidtohim。
"Well,MissWylie,"hesaidgravely,"ifyoudidnotmeantomarryhimyoushouldnothavepromised。Idon'twishtobeunsympathetic,andIknowthatitisveryhardtogetridofTrefusiswhenhemakesuphismindtoactsomethingoutofyou,butstill——"
"Nevermindher,"saidJane,interruptinghim。"Shewantstomarryhimjustasbadlyashewantstomarryher。Youwouldbepreciouslydisappointedifhecriedoff,Agatha;forallyourinterestingreluctance。"
"Thatisnotso,really,"saidAgathaearnestly。"IwishIhadtakentimetothinkaboutit。Isupposehehastoldeverybodybythistime。"
"Maywethenregarditassettled？"saidSirCharles。
"Ofcourseyoumay,"saidJanecontemptuously。
"PrayallowMissWylietospeakforherself,Jane。IconfessIdonotunderstandwhyyouarestillindoubt——ifyouhavereallyengagedyourselftohim。"
"IsupposeIaminforit,"saidAgatha。"Ifeelasifthereweresomefatalobjection,ifIcouldonlyrememberwhatitis。IwishIhadneverseenhim。"
SirCharleswaspuzzled。"Idonotunderstandladies'waysinthesematters,"hesaid。"However,asthereseemstobenodoubtthatyouandTrefusisareengaged,Ishallofcoursesaynothingthatwouldmakeitunpleasantforhimtovisithere;butImustsaythathehas——tosaytheleast——beeninconsideratetomepersonally。Isignedapaperathishouseontheimplicitunderstandingthatitwasstrictlyprivate,andnowhehastrumpeteditforthtothewholeworld,andpubliclyassociatedmynamenotonlywithhisown,butwiththoseofpersonsofwhomI
knownothingexceptthatIwouldrathernotbeconnectedwiththeminanyway。"
"Whatdoesitmatter？"saidJane。"Nobodycarestwopence。"
"_I_care,"saidSirCharlesangrily。"NosensiblepersoncanaccusemeofexaggeratingmyownimportancebecauseIvaluemyreputationsufficientlytoobjecttomyapprovalbeingpubliclycitedinsupportofacausewithwhichIhavenosympathy。"
"PerhapsMr。Trefusishashadnothingtodowithit,"saidAgatha。"Thepaperspublishwhatevertheyplease,don'tthey？"
"That'sright,Agatha,"saidJanemaliciously。"Don'tletanyonespeakillofhim。"
"Iamnotspeakingillofhim,"saidSirCharles,beforeAgathacouldretort。"Itisamerematteroffeeling,andIshouldnothavementionedithadIknownthealteredrelationsbetweenhimandMissWylie。"
"Praydon'tspeakofthem,"saidAgatha。"Ihaveamindtorunawaybythenexttrain。"
SirCharles,tochangethesubject,suggestedaduet。
MeanwhileErskine,returningthroughthevillagefromhismorningride,hadmetTrefusis,andattemptedtopasshimwithanod。ButTrefusiscalledtohimtostop,andhedismountedreluctantly。
"JustawordtosaythatIamgoingtobemarried,"saidTrefusis。
"To——？"ErskinecouldnotaddGertrude'sname。
"TooneofourfriendsattheBeeches。Guesstowhich。"
"ToMissLindsay,Ipresume。"
"Whatinthefiend'snamehasputitintoallyourheadsthatMissLindsayandIareparticularlyattachedtooneanother？"
exclaimedTrefusis。"YOUhavealwaysappearedtometobethemanforMissLindsay。IamgoingtomarryMissWylie。"
"Really！"exclaimedErskine,withasensationofsuddenlythawingafterabitterfrost。
"Ofcourse。Andnow,Erskine,youhavetheadvantageofbeingapoorman。Donotletthatsplendidgirlmarryformoney。Ifyougofurtheryouarelikelytofareworse;andsoisshe。"Thenhenoddedandwalkedaway,leavingtheotherstaringafterhim。
"Ifhehasjiltedher,heisascoundrel,"saidErskine。"IamsorryIdidn'ttellhimso。"
HemountedandrodeslowlyalongtheRiversideRoad,partlysuspectingTrefusisofsomemystification,butincliningtobelieveinhim,and,inanycase,totakehisadviceastoGertrude。Theconversationhehadoverheardintheavenuestillperplexedhim。HecouldnotreconcileitwithTrefusis'sprofessionofdisinterestednesstowardsher。
Hisbicyclecarriedhimnoiselesslyonitsindia—rubbertirestotheplacebywhichthehemlockgrewandtherehesawGertrudesittingonthelowearthenwallthatseparatedthefieldfromtheroad。Herstrawbag,withherscissorsinit,laybesideher。Herfingerswereinterlaced,andherhandsrested,palmsdownwards,onherknee。Herexpressionwasrathervacant,andsolittlesuggestiveofanyseriousemotionthatErskinelaughedashealightedclosetoher。
"Areyoutired？"hesaid。
"No,"shereplied,notstartled,andsmilingmechanically——anunusualcondescensiononherpart。
"Indulginginaday—dream？"
"No。"Shemovedalittletoonesideandconcealedthebasketwithherdress。
Hebegantofearthatsomethingwaswrong。"Isitpossiblethatyouhaveventuredamongthosepoisonousplantsagain？"hesaid。
"Areyouill？"
"Notatall,"shereplied,rousingherselfalittle。"Yoursolicitudeisquitethrownaway。Iamperfectlywell。"
"Ibegyourpardon,"hesaid,snubbed。"Ithought——Don'tyouthinkitdangeroustositonthatdampwall？"
"Itisnotdamp。Itiscrumblingintodustwithdryness。"Anunnaturallaugh,withwhichsheconcluded,intensifiedhisuneasiness。
Hebeganasentence,stopped,andtogaintimetorecoverhimself,placedhisbicycleintheoppositeditch;aproceedingwhichshewitnessedwithimpatience,asitindicatedhisintentiontostayandtalk。She,however,wasthefirsttospeak;
andshedidsowithacallousnessthatshockedhim。
"Haveyouheardthenews？"
"Whatnews？"
"AboutMr。TrefusisandAgatha。Theyareengaged。"
"SoTrefusistoldme。Imethimjustnowinthevillage。Iwasverygladtohearit。"
"Ofcourse。"
"ButIhadaspecialreasonforbeingglad。"
"Indeed？"
"Iwasdesperatelyafraid,beforehetoldmethetruth,thathehadotherviews——viewsthatmighthaveprovedfataltomydearesthopes。"
Gertrudefrownedathim,andthefrownrousedhimtobraveher。
Helosthisself—command,alreadyshakenbyherstrangebehavior。
"YouknowthatIloveyou,MissLindsay,"hesaid。"Itmaynotbeaperfectlove,but,humanlyspeaking,itisatrueone。Ialmosttoldyousothatdaywhenwewereinthebilliardroomtogether;
andIdidaverydishonorablethingthesameevening。WhenyouwerespeakingtoTrefusisintheavenueIwasclosetoyou,andI
listened。"
"Thenyouheardhim,"criedGertrudevehemently。"Youheardhimswearthathewasinearnest。"
"Yes,"saidErskine,trembling,"andIthoughthemeantinearnestinlovingyou。Youcanhardlyblamemeforthat:Iwasinlovemyself;andloveisblindandjealous。IneverhopedagainuntilhetoldmethathewastobemarriedtoMissWylie。MayI
speaktoyou,nowthatIknowIwasmistaken,orthatyouhavechangedyourmind？"
"Orthathehaschangedhismind,"saidGertrudescornfully。
Erskine,withanewanxietyforhersake,checkedhimself。Herdignitywasdeartohim,andhesawthatherdisappointmenthadmadeherrecklessofit。"Donotsayanythingtomenow,MissLindsay,lest——"
"WhathaveIsaid？WhathaveItosay？"
"Nothing,exceptonmyownaffairs。Iloveyoudearly。"
Shemadeanimpatientmovement,asifthatwereaveryinsignificantmatter。
"Youbelieveme,Ihope,"hesaid,timidly。
Gertrudemadeanefforttorecoverherhabitualladylikereserve,butherenergyfailedbeforeshehaddonemorethanraiseherhead。Sherelapsedintoherlistlessattitude,andmadeafaintgestureofintolerance。
"Youcannotbequiteindifferenttobeingloved,"hesaid,becomingmorenervousandmoreurgent。"Yourexistenceconstitutesallmyhappiness。Iofferyoumyservicesanddevotion。Idonotaskanyreward。"（Hewasnowspeakingveryquicklyandalmostinaudibly。）"Youmayacceptmylovewithoutreturningit。Idonotwant——seektomakeabargain。IfyouneedafriendyoumaybeabletorelyonmemoreconfidentlybecauseyouknowIloveyou。"
"Oh,youthinkso,"saidGertrude,interruptinghim;"butyouwillgetoverit。Iamnotthesortofpersonthatmenfallinlovewith。Youwillsoonchangeyourmind。"
"Notthesort！Oh,howlittleyouknow！"hesaid,becomingeloquent。"Ihavehadplentyoftimetochange,butIamasfixedasever。Ifyoudoubt,waitandtryme。Butdonotberoughwithme。Youpainmemorethanyoucanimaginewhenyouarehastyorindifferent。Iaminearnest。"
"Ha,ha！Thatiseasilysaid。"
"Notbyme。Ichangeinmyjudgmentofotherpeopleaccordingtomyhumor,butIbelievesteadfastlyinyourgoodnessandbeauty——asifyouwereanangel。IaminearnestinmyloveforyouasIaminearnestformyownlife,whichcanonlybeperfectedbyyouraidandinfluence。"
"YouaregreatlymistakenifyousupposethatIamanangel。"
"Youarewrongtomistrustyourself;butitiswhatIowetoyouandnotwhatIexpectfromyouthatItrytoexpressbyspeakingofyouasanangel。Iknowthatyouarenotanangeltoyourself。
Butyouaretome。"
Shesatstubbornlysilent。
"Iwillnotpressyouforananswernow。Iamcontentthatyouknowmymindatlast。Shallwereturntogether？"
Shelookedroundslowlyatthehemlock,andfromthattotheriver。Thenshetookupherbasket,rose,andpreparedtogo,asifundercompulsion。
"Doyouwantanymorehemlock？"hesaid。"Ifso,Iwillplucksomeforyou。"
"Iwishyouwouldletmealone,"shesaid,withsuddenanger。Sheadded,alittleashamedofherself,"Ihaveaheadache。"
"Iamverysorry,"hesaid,crestfallen。
"ItisonlythatIdonotwishtobespokento。Ithurtsmyheadtolisten。"
HemeeklytookhisbicyclefromtheditchandwheeleditalongbesidehertotheBeecheswithoutanotherword。Theywentinthroughtheconservatory,andpartedinthedining—room。Beforeleavinghimshesaidwithsomeremorse,"Ididnotmeantoberude,Mr。Erskine。"
Heflushed,murmuredsomething,andattemptedtokissherhand。
Butshesnatcheditawayandwentoutquickly。Hewasstungbythisrepulse,andstoodmortifyinghimselfbythinkingofituntilhewasdisturbedbytheentranceofamaid—servant。
LearningfromherthatSirCharleswasinthebilliardroom,hejoinedhimthere,andaskedhimcarelesslyifhehadheardthenews。
"AboutMissWylie？"saidSirCharles。"Yes,Ishouldthinkso。I
believethewholecountryknowsit,thoughtheyhavenotbeenengagedthreehours。Haveyouseenthese？"Andhepushedacoupleofnewspapersacrossthetable。
Erskinehadtomakeseveraleffortsbeforehecouldread。"Youwereafooltosignthatdocument,"hesaid。"Itoldyousoatthetime。"
"Ireliedonthefellowbeingagentleman,"saidSirCharleswarmly。"IdonotseethatIwasafool。Iseethatheisacad,andbutforthisbusinessofMissWylie'sIwouldlethimknowmyopinion。Letmetellyou,Chester,thathehasplayedfastandloosewithMissLindsay。Thereisadeuceofarowupstairs。ShehasjusttoldJanethatshemustgohomeatonce;MissWyliedeclaresthatshewillhavenothingtodowithTrefusisifMissLindsayhasapriorclaimtohim,andJaneisannoyedathisadmiringanybodyexceptherself。Itservesmeright;myinstinctwarnedmeagainstthefellowfromthefirst。"Justthenluncheonwasannounced。Gertrudedidnotcomedown。Agathawassilentandmoody。JanetriedtomakeErskinedescribehiswalkwithGertrude,buthebaffledhercuriositybyomittingfromhisaccounteverythingexceptitscommonplaces。
"Ithinkherconductverystrange,"saidJane。"Sheinsistsongoingtotownbythefouro'clocktrain。Iconsiderthatit'snotpolitetome,althoughshealwaysmadeapointofherperfectmanners。Ineverheardofsuchathing！"
Whentheyhadrisenfromthetable,theywenttogethertothedrawing—room。TheyhadhardlyarrivedtherewhenTrefusiswasannounced,andhewasintheirpresencebeforetheyhadtimetoconcealtheexpressionofconsternationhisnamebroughtintotheirfaces。
"Ihavecometosaygood—bye,"hesaid。"IfindthatImustgototownbythefouro'clocktraintopushmyarrangementsinperson;
thetelegramsIhavereceivedbreathenothingbutdelay。Haveyouseenthe'Times'？"
"Ihaveindeed,"saidSirCharles,emphatically。
"Youareinsomeotherpapertoo,andwillbeinhalf—a—dozenmoreinthecourseofthenextfortnight。Menwhohavecommittedthemselvestoanopinionarealwaysintroublewiththenewspapers;somebecausetheycannotgetintothem,othersbecausetheycannotkeepout。Ifyouhadputforwardathunderingrevolutionarymanifesto,notadailypaperwouldhavedaredalludetoit:thereisnocowardicelikeFleetStreetcowardice！
Imustrunoff;IhavemuchtodobeforeIstart,anditisgettingonforthree。Good—bye,LadyBrandon,andeverybody。"
HeshookJane'shand,dealtnodstotherestrapidly,makingnodistinctioninfavorofAgatha,andhurriedaway。TheystaredafterhimforamomentandthenErskineranoutandwentdownstairstwostepsatatime。Neverthelesshehadtorunasfarastheavenuebeforeheovertookhisman。
"Trefusis,"hesaidbreathlessly,"youmustnotgobythefouro'clocktrain。"
"Whynot？"
"MissLindsayisgoingtotownbyit。"
"Somuchthebetter,mydearboy;somuchthebetter。Youarenotjealousofmenow,areyou？"
"Lookhere,Trefusis。Idon'tknowandIdon'taskwhattherehasbeenbetweenyouandMissLindsay,butyourengagementhasquiteupsether,andsheisrunningawaytoLondoninconsequence。Ifshehearsthatyouaregoingbythesametrainshewillwaituntilto—morrow,andIbelievethedelaywouldbeverydisagreeable。Willyouinflictthatadditionalpainuponher？"
Trefusis,evidentlyconcerned,lookingdoubtfullyatErskine,andponderedforamoment。"Ithinkyouareonawrongscentaboutthis,"hesaid。"MyrelationswithMissLindsaywerenotofasentimentalkind。Haveyousaidanythingtoher——onyourownaccount,Imean？"
"Ihavespokentoheronbothaccounts,andIknowfromherownlipsthatIamright。"
Trefusisutteredalowwhistle。
"ItisnotthefirsttimeIhavehadtheevidenceofmysensesinthematter,"saidErskinesignificantly。"Praythinkofitseriously,Trefusis。Forgivemytellingyoufranklythatnothingbutyourownutterwantoffeelingcouldexcuseyouforthewayinwhichyouhaveactedtowardsher。"
Trefusissmiled。"Forgivemeinturnformyinquisitiveness,"hesaid。"Whatdoesshesaytoyoursuit？"
Erskinehesitated,showingbyhismannerthathethoughtTrefusishadnorighttoaskthequestion。"Shesaysnothing,"heanswered。
"Hm！"saidTrefusis。"Well,youmayrelyonmeastothetrain。
Thereismyhanduponit。"
"Thankyou,"saidErskinefervently。Theyshookhandsandparted,Trefusiswalkingawaywithagrinsuggestiveofanythingbutgoodfaith。
CHAPTERXVII
Gertrude,unawareoftheextenttowhichshehadalreadybetrayedherdisappointment,believedthatanxietyforherfather'shealth,whichsheallegedasthemotiveofhersuddendeparture,wasanexcuseplausibleenoughtoblindherfriendstoheroverpoweringreluctancetospeaktoAgathaorendureherpresence;toherfierceshrinkingfromthesortofpityusuallyaccordedtoajiltedwoman;and,aboveall,toherdreadofmeetingTrefusis。Shehadforsometimepastthoughtofhimasanuprightandperfectmandeeplyinterestedinher。Yet,comparativelyliberalashereducationhadbeen,shehadnoideaofanyinterestofmaninwomanexistingapartfromadesiretomarry。Hehad,inhisseriousmoments,striventomakehersensibleofthebasenesshesawinherworldliness,flatteringherbyhisapparentconviction——whichsheshared——thatshewascapableofahigherlife。Almostinthesamebreath,astrainofgallantrywhichwasincorrigibleinhim,andtowhichhishumorandhistendernesstowomenwhomhelikedgavevarietyandcharm,wouldsuperveneuponhisseriousnesswitharapiditywhichherfarlessflexibletemperamentcouldnotfollow。Henceshe,thinkinghimstillinearnestwhenhehadswervedintofloridromance,hadbeendangerouslymisled。Hehadnoconscientiousscruplesinhislove—making,becausehewasunaccustomedtoconsiderhimselfaslikelytoinspireloveinwomen;andGertrudedidnotknowthatherbeautygavetoanhourspentalonewithheratransientcharmwhichfewmenofimaginationandaddresscouldresist。She,whohadlivedinthemarriagemarketsinceshehadleftschool,lookeduponlove—makingasthemostseriousbusinessoflife。Tohimitwasonlyapleasantsortoftrifling,enhancedbyadashofsadnessinthereflectionthatitmeantsolittle。
Oftheceremoniesattendingherdeparture,theonethatcosthermostwasthekissshefeltboundtoofferAgatha。Shehadbeenjealousofheratcollege,whereshehadesteemedherselfthebetterbredofthetwo;butthatopinionhadhardlyconsoledherforAgatha'ssuperiorquicknessofwit,dexterityofhand,audacity,aptnessofresource,capacityforformingorfollowingintricateassociationsofideas,andconsequentpowertodazzleothers。HerjealousyofthesequalitieswasnowbarbedbytheknowledgethattheyweremuchnearerakinthanherowntothoseofTrefusis。ItmatteredlittletoherhowsheappearedtoherselfincomparisonwithAgatha。Butitmatteredthewholeworld（shethought）thatshemustappeartoTrefusissoslow,stiff,cold,andstudied,andthatshehadnomeanstomakehimunderstandthatshewasnotreallyso。Forshewouldnotadmitthejusticeofimpressionsmadebywhatshedidnotintendtodo,howeverhabituallyshedidit。Shehadatheorythatshewasnotherself,butwhatshewouldhavelikedtobe。AstotheonequalityinwhichshehadalwaysfeltsuperiortoAgatha,andwhichshecalled"goodbreeding,"Trefusishadsofardestroyedherconceitinthat,thatshewasbeginningtodoubtwhetheritwasnothercardinaldefect。
Shecouldnotbringherselftoutterawordassheembracedherschoolfellow;andAgathawastongue—tiedtoo。Buttherewasmuchremorsefultendernessinthefeelingsthatchokedthem。TheirsilencewouldhavebeenawkwardbutfortheloquacityofJane,whotalkedenoughforallthree。SirCharleswaswithout,inthetrap,waitingtodriveGertrudetothestation。Erskineinterceptedherinthehallasshepassedout,toldherthatheshouldbedesolatewhenshewasgone,andbeggedhertorememberhim,asimplepetitionwhichmovedheralittle,andcausedhertonotethathisdarkeyeshadapleadingeloquencewhichshehadobservedbeforeinthekangaroosattheZoologicalSociety'sgardens。
OnthewaytothetrainSirCharlesworriedthehorseinordertobeexcusedfromconversationonthesoresubjectofhisguest'ssuddendeparture。Hehadmadeafewremarksontheskittishnessofyoungponies,andontheweather,andthatwasalluntiltheyreachedthestation,aprettybuildingstandingintheopencountry,withaviewoftheriverfromtheplatform。Thereweretwoflieswaiting,twoporters,abookstall,andarefreshmentroomwithaneglectedbeautypiningbehindthebar。SirCharleswaitedinthebookingofficetopurchaseaticketforGertrude,whowentthroughtotheplatform。ThefirstpersonshesawtherewasTrefusis,closebesideher。
"Iamgoingtotownbythistrain,Gertrude,"hesaidquickly。
"Letmetakechargeofyou。Ihavesomethingtosay,forIhearthatsomemischiefhasbeenmadebetweenuswhichmustbestoppedatonce。You——"
JustthenSirCharlescameout,andstoodamazedtoseetheminconversation。
"IthappensthatIamgoingbythistrain,"saidTrefusis。"I
willseeafterMissLindsay。"
"MissLindsayhashermaidwithher,"saidSirCharles,almoststammering,andlookingatGertrude,whoseexpressionwasinscrutable。
"WecangetintothePullmancar,"saidTrefusis。"Thereweshallbeasprivateasinacornerofacrowdeddrawing—room。Imaytravelwithyou,mayInot？"hesaid,seeingSirCharles'sdisturbedlook,andturningtoherforexpresspermission。
Shefeltthattodenyhimwouldbetothrowawayherlastchanceofhappiness。Neverthelesssheresolvedtodoit,thoughsheshoulddieofgriefonthewaytoLondon。Assheraisedherheadtoforbidhimthemoreemphatically,shemethisgaze,whichwasgraveandexpectant。Foraninstantshelostherpresenceofmind,andinthatinstantsaid,"Yes。Ishallbeveryglad。"
"Well,ifthatisthecase,"saidSirCharles,inthetoneofonewhosesympathyhadbeenalienatedbyanunpardonableoutrage,"
therecanbenouseinmywaiting。IleaveyouinthehandsofMr。Trefusis。Good—bye,MissLindsay。"
Gertrudewinced。Unkindnessfromamanusuallykindprovedhardtobearatparting。ShewasofferinghimherhandinsilencewhenTrefusissaid:
"Waitandseeusoff。Ifwechancetobekilledonthejourney——whichisalwaysprobableonanEnglishrailway——youwillreproachyourselfafterwardsifyoudonotseethelastofus。
Hereisthetrain;itwillnotdelayyouaminute。TellErskinethatyousawmehere;thatIhavenotforgottenmypromise,andthathemayrelyonme。Getinatthisend,MissLindsay。"
"Mymaid,"saidGertrudehesitating;forshehadnotintendedtotravelsoexpensively。"She——"
"Shecomeswithustotakecareofme;Ihaveticketsforeverybody,"saidTrefusis,handingthewomanin。
"But——"
"Takeyourseats,please,"saidtheguard。"Goingbythetrain,sir？"
"Good—bye,SirCharles。GivemylovetoLadyBrandon,andAgatha,andthedearchildren;andthankssomuchforaverypleasant——"
Herethetrainmovedoff,andSirCharles,melting,smiledandwavedhishatuntilhecaughtsightofTrefusislookingbackathimwithagrinwhichseemed,underthecircumstances,soSatanic,thathestoppedasifpetrifiedinthemidstofhisgesticulations,andstoodwithhisarmoutlikeasemaphore。
Thedrivehomerestoredhimsomewhat,butheweestillfullofhissurprisewhenherejoinedAgatha,hiswife,andErskineinthedrawing—roomattheBeeches。Themomentheentered,hesaidwithoutpreface,"ShehasgoneoffwithTrefusis。"
Erskine,whohadbeenreading,startedup,clutchinghisbookasifabouttohurlitatsomeone,andcried,"Washeatthetrain？"
"Yes,andhasgonetotownbyit。"
"Then,"saidErskine,flingingthebookviolentlyonthefloor,"heisascoundrelandaliar。"
"Whatisthematter？"saidAgatharising,whilstJanestaredopen—mouthedathim。
"Ibegyourpardon,MissWylie,Iforgotyou。Hepledgedmehishonorthathewouldnotgobythattrain。Iwill。"Hehurriedfromtheroom。SirCharlesrushedafterhim,andovertookhimatthefootofthestairs。
"Whereareyougoing？Whatdoyouwanttodo？"
"Iwillfollowthetrainandcatchitatthenextstation。Icandoitonmybicycle。"
"Nonsense！you'remad。Theyhavethirty—fiveminutesstart;andthetraintravelsforty—fivemilesanhour。"
Erskinesatdownonthestairsandgazedblanklyattheoppositewall。
"Youmusthavemistakenhim,"saidSirCharles。"Hetoldmetotellyouthathehadnotforgottenhispromise,andthatyoumayrelyonhim。"
"Whatisthematter？"saidAgatha,comingdown,followedbyLadyBrandon。