"We don't go into society at all, and she doesn't speak Italian. How
shall we amuse her?"
"Well, upon my word, I don't know that we're obliged to provide her
amusement! Let her amuse herself. Let her take up some branch of study,
or of--of--research, and get something besides 'fun' into her head, if
possible." He spoke boldly, but his wife's question had unnerved him,
for he had a soft heart, and liked people about him to be happy. "We can
show her the objects of interest. And there are the theatres," he added.
"Yes, that is true," said Mrs. Elmore. "We can both go about with her. I
will just peep in at her now, and see if she has everything she wants."
She rose from her sofa and went to Lily's room, whence she did not
return for nearly three quarters of an hour. By this time Elmore had got
out his notes, and, in their transcription and classification, had
fallen into forgetfulness of his troubles. His wife closed the door
behind her, and said in a low voice, little above a whisper, as she sank
very quietly into a chair, "Well, it has all come out, Owen."
"What has all come out?" he asked, looking up stupidly.
"I knew that she had something on her mind, by the way she acted. And
you saw her give me that look as she went out?"
"No--no, I didn't. What look was it? She looked sleepy."
"She looked terribly, terribly excited, and as if she would like to say
something to me. That was the reason I said I would let her go to her
room alone."
"Oh!"
"Of course she would have felt awfully if I had gone straight off with
her. So I waited. It _may_ never come to anything in the world, and I
don't suppose it will; but it's quite enough to account for everything
you saw in her."
"I didn't see anything in her,--that was the difficulty. But what is
it--what is it, Celia? You know how I hate these delays."
"Why, I'm not sure that I need tell you, Owen; and yet I suppose I had
better. It will be safer," said Mrs. Elmore, nursing her mystery to the
last, enjoying it for its own sake, and dreading it for its effect upon
her husband. "I suppose you will think your troubles are beginning
pretty early," she suggested.
"Is it a trouble?"
"Well, I don't know that it is. If it comes to the very worst, I dare
say that every one wouldn't call it a trouble."
Elmore threw himself back in his chair in an attitude of endurance.
"What would the worst be?"
"Why, it's no use even to discuss that, for it's perfectly absurd to
suppose that it could ever come to that. But the case," added Mrs.
Elmore, perceiving that further delay was only further suffering for her
husband, and that any fact would now probably fall far short of his
apprehensions, "is simply this, and I don't know that it amounts to
anything; but at Peschiera, just before the train started, she looked
out of the window, and saw a splendid officer walking up and down and
smoking; and before she could draw back he must have seen her, for he
threw away his cigar instantly, and got into the same compartment. He
talked awhile in German with an old gentleman who was there, and then he
spoke in Italian with Cazzi; and afterwards, when he heard her speaking
English with Cazzi, he joined in. I don't know how he came to join in at
first, and she doesn't, either; but it seems that he knew some English,
and he began speaking. He was very tall and handsome and
distinguished-looking, and a _perfect_ gentleman in his manners; and she
says that she saw Cazzi looking rather queer, but he didn't say
anything, and so she kept on talking. She told him at once that she was
an American, and that she was coming here to stay with friends; and, as
he was very curious about America, she told him all she could think of.
It did her good to talk about home, for she had been feeling a little
blue at being so far away from everybody. Now, _I_ don't see any harm in
it; do you, Owen?"
"It isn't according to the custom here; but we needn't care for that. Of
course it was imprudent."
"Of course," Mrs. Elmore admitted. "The officer was very polite; and
when he found that she was from America, it turned out that he was a
_great_ sympathizer with the North, and that he had a brother in our
army. Don't you think that was nice?"
"Probably some mere soldier of fortune, with no heart in the cause,"
said Elmore.
"And very likely he has no brother there, as I told Lily. He told her he
was coming to Padua; but when they reached Padua, he came right on to
Venice. That _shows_ you couldn't place any dependence upon what he
said. He said he expected to be put under arrest for it; but he didn't
care,--he was coming. Do you believe they'll put him under arrest?"
"I don't know--I don't know," said Elmore, in a voice of grief and
apprehension, which might well have seemed anxiety for the officer's
liberty.
"I told her it was one of his jokes. He was very funny, and kept her
laughing the whole way, with his broken English and his witty little
remarks. She says he's just dying to go to America. Who do you suppose
it can be, Owen?"
"How should I know? We've no acquaintance among the Austrians," groaned
Elmore.
"That's what I told Lily. She's no idea of the state of things here, and
she was quite horrified. But she says he was a perfect gentleman in
everything. He belongs to the engineer corps,--that's one of the highest
branches of the service, he told her,--and he gave her his card."
"Gave her his card!"
Mrs. Elmore had it in the hand which she had been keeping in her pocket,
and she now suddenly produced it; and Elmore read the name and address
of Ernst von Ehrhardt, Captain of the Royal-Imperial Engineers,
Peschiera. "She says she knows he wanted hers, but she didn't offer to
give it to him; and he didn't ask her where she was going, or anything."
"He knew that he could get her address from Cazzi for ten soldi as soon
as her back was turned," said Elmore cynically. "What then?"
"Why, he said--and this is the only really bold thing he _did_ do--that
he must see her again, and that he should stay over a day in Venice in
hopes of meeting her at the theatre or somewhere."
"It's a piece of high-handed impudence!" cried Elmore. "Now, Celia, you
see what these people are! Do you wonder that the Italians hate them?"
"You've often said they only hate their system."
"The Austrians are part of their system. He thinks he can take any
liberty with us because he is an Austrian officer! Lily must not stir
out of the house to-morrow."
"She will be too tired to do so," said Mrs. Elmore.
"And if he molests us further, I will appeal to the consul." Elmore
began to walk up and down the room again.
"Well, I don't know whether you could call it _molesting_, exactly,"
suggested Mrs. Elmore.
"What do you mean, Celia? Do you suppose that she--she--encouraged this
officer?"
"Owen! It was all in the simplicity and innocence of her heart!"
"Well, then, that she wishes to see him again?"
"Certainly not! But that's no reason why we should be rude about it."
"Rude about it? How? Is simply avoiding him rudeness? Is proposing to
protect ourselves from his impertinence rudeness?"
"No. And if you can't see the matter for yourself, Owen, I don't know
how any one is to make you."
"Why, Celia, one would think that you approved of this man's
behavior,--that _you_ wished her to meet him again! You understand what
the consequences would be if we received this officer. You know how all
the Venetians would drop us, and we should have no acquaintances here
outside of the army."
"Who has asked you to receive him, Owen? And as for the Italians
dropping us, that doesn't frighten me. But what could he do if he did
meet her again? She needn't look at him. She says he is very
intelligent, and that he has read a great many English books, though he
doesn't speak it very well, and that he knows more about the war than
she does. But of course she won't go out to-morrow. All that I hate is
that we should seem to be frightened into staying at home."
"She needn't stay in on his account. You said she would be too tired to
go out."
"I see by the scattering way you talk, Owen, that your mind isn't on the
subject, and that you're anxious to get back to your work. I won't keep
you."
"Celia, Celia! Be fair, now!" cried Elmore. "You know very well that I'm
only too deeply interested in this matter, and that I'm not likely to
get back to my work to-night, at least. What is it you wish me to do?"
Mrs. Elmore considered a while. "I don't wish you to do anything," she
returned placably. "Of course, you're perfectly right in not choosing to
let an acquaintance begun in that way go any further. We shouldn't at
home, and we sha'n't here. But I don't wish you to think that Lily has
been imprudent, under the circumstances. She doesn't know that it was
anything out of the way, but she happened to do the best that any one
could. Of course, it was very exciting and very romantic; girls like
such things, and there's no reason they shouldn't. We must manage,"
added Mrs. Elmore, "so that she shall see that we appreciate her
conduct, and trust in her entirely. I wouldn't do anything to wound her
pride or self-confidence. I would rather send her out alone to-morrow."
"Of course," said Elmore.
"And if I were with her when she met him, I believe I should leave it
entirely to her how to behave."
"Well," said Elmore, "you're not likely to be put to the test. He'll
hardly force his way into the house, and she isn't going out."
"No," said Mrs. Elmore. She added, after a silence, "I'm trying to
think whether I've ever seen him in Venice; he's here often. But there
are so many tall officers with fair complexions and English beards. I
_should_ like to know how he looks! She said he was very
aristocratic-looking."
"Yes, it's a fine type," said Elmore. "They're all nobles, I believe."
"But after all, they're no better looking than our boys, who come up out
of nothing."
"Ours are Americans," said Elmore.
"And they are the best husbands, as I told Lily."
Elmore looked at his wife, as she turned dreamily to leave the room; but
since the conversation had taken this impersonal turn he would not say
anything to change its complexion. A conjecture vaguely taking shape in
his mind resolved itself to nothing again, and left him with only the
ache of something unascertained.