Part 37 (1/2)

Going to the window, he leant out. The quaint village street was sleeping. The night was so still that, it scarcely breathed; it lay like a tired child in the firm white arms of the moonlight. Coming smoothly to a halt before the hostel was a powerful car. It was a landaulet and the hood was lowered. Lady Dawn must have altered her plans at the last moment; instead of sending for him, she had come herself! Catching sight of him, she waved her hand. His heart became quiet. Like the night without, his being was flooded with a drifting whiteness that robbed the darkness of its terror.

VIII

As he stood by the side of the car talking to her while his bag was being stowed away, her manner was chillingly conventional. It was so conventional that it bordered on the unfriendly. About the unfriendliness of the chauffeur there could be no doubt. The elaborate care with which he tucked the robe about her Ladys.h.i.+p had a distinct air of alert possessiveness.

When Tabs had taken his place beside her and the village was left behind, she relaxed and laughed softly. ”Such a trouble I've had! They all disapproved of our expedition--I mean the servants. Their eyes accused me of---- Perhaps it's better not to be explicit. But that was why I called for you, instead of letting you come to the Castle. Did you notice anything queer about Witherall?”

”Your chauffeur? I thought he rather overdid his superciliousness and that he treated you a little as if he were your husband. Apart from that----”

”Apart from that,” she laughed, ”he made you feel entirely welcome. You mustn't mind him. My servants aren't used to seeing me with an escort.

And then---- Well, an all-night ride would be a little difficult to explain to anybody.”

”I suppose it would.”

They relapsed into silence. It was jolly to be so near to her and, after the fears he had had, to know himself so trusted. She sat quite close to him, so that he could feel the warmth of her body. Her shoulders touched him; sometimes she leant against him with a gentle pressure. Her fragrance was all about him. The robe spread across their knees gave an added touch of intimacy. He glanced down at her sideways.

She was wearing a moleskin coat with a deep collar of silver-fox. She had on a moleskin hat, close fitting to her glossy head. Her face was partly hidden by a smart veil. She was immaculate as ever--as composed and stylish as if she were going to a theater-party instead of on an all-night ride to London. But it wasn't her stylishness that impressed him; it was her littleness. She looked very tender and pale as she sat beside him. The moral back of her chauffeur, as seen through the gla.s.s, condemned him of unkindness. He had had no right to ask her to accompany him. Why should he have burdened her with his troubles? She must have plenty of her own, with her boy to care for and her estate to manage.

”I've been selfish,” he said. ”You ought to be in bed and sleeping now.”

She smiled. ”Always blaming yourself, aren't you? I shouldn't be here unless I'd wanted.”

”But why did you want?”

Beneath the robe her hand commenced to grope. It stole into his own and lay there quietly. ”Because I couldn't bear to see you hurt. You're so good. In some ways you're so strong; in others you're just as tiny as my Eric. I felt you needed me for the moment.”

”For the moment! I shall always need you.”

”I wish you might.” She shook her head slowly. ”But you won't. You'll go away. I shall hear about you--all the big things you're accomplis.h.i.+ng and planning. And then I shall remember that for just one night I had you for my very own.”

”But we're always going to be friends. I shall be always coming back to you.”

”Men don't come back, Lord Taborley. A man of your temperament is least likely to come back. You press forward. You're eager. Wherever you go you form new affections. I'm not like that. I'm cold. You don't think so, but then I'm treating you as I never treated any other man. You slipped under my reserve and reached my heart before I could stop you.

Do you know how I'm treating you? Just the way I'd like some good woman to treat my little Eric one day, when I'm not here and he's a man.”

”But you're going to be here for a long time--just as long as I am.”

There was alarm in his a.s.sertion. ”I couldn't bear to think of your not being in the world. It wouldn't matter so much whether I saw you; it would be the knowledge that I could see you; that would make all the difference.”

”Would it?”

”Yes, I'm sure. You mustn't think that because there was Terry and--I'm ashamed to have to own it--a pa.s.sing fancy for your sister, that I'm fickle.”

”I don't. I never thought it for a moment. What I thought was that you were unhappy. People do a lot of foolish things when they're unhappy.”

”It seems so long since I was unhappy,” he said gently. ”You've healed everything.”

She was shaken as though with a storm of sobbing. No sound escaped her.

She did a thing which was as amazing as it was beautiful. Raising his hand which she had been holding, she hugged it against her breast.

IX