MAN'S FICKLENESS.
They did meet again and again, always with pleasure on his part, and
very soon with something else on hers. Wherever she was she looked out
above the dark Italian heads for the tall, erect figure and brave
English face of Lord Chandos. She did not talk much to him, but there
was a light in her eyes and a smile on her face most pleasant to see
when he was near. She never sought him, she never, either directly or
indirectly, gave him any idea of where she was going. She never
contrived to meet him, but there were very few days during which they
did not spend some hours together.
Lady Lanswell paid not the least attention when Lady Erskine joined
their party. She was kind and cordial, but she never made the least
effort either to entertain her or to induce her to stay. If ever by
chance Lord Chandos named her, his mother received the remark in total
silence--in fact, she completely ignored her--in which she showed her
tact. Had she ever made the least attempt to bring them together, he
would have seen through the little plot, and would have taken fright; as
it was, the net was so skillfully woven, that he was caught in it before
he knew there was a net at all. If the countess arranged a party for any
place, she never included the young heiress among her guests.
So that their frequent interviews were so completely accidental, neither
of them thought anything of it; they drifted unawares into an intimacy
at which every one smiled but themselves. It flattered Lord Chandos to
see dukes and princes drawback when he came near the beautiful heiress,
as though it were quite understood that he had the right to claim her
attention--to see a proud Roman prince, with a long pedigree, make way
with a bow--to see a courtly French duke resign the seat he had waited
half the night for--to see the eyes of envy that followed him--it
flattered him, and he never asked where it would end.
Lady Lanswell saw it all with well-pleased eyes, but said nothing; she
was biding her time.
One evening they met at Mrs. Chester's. There was neither ball nor
party, but a quiet at home; and their friendship made greater strides
than it hitherto had done.
Some one asked Lady Erskine to sing. Lord Chandos looked at her.
"Do you sing?" he asked.
And she answered with a quiet smile:
"Yes, it is one of the few things I do well enough to content myself. I
have a good voice and I sing well."
"Are you what people call fond of music?" he asked.
And she answered:
"Yes, I often put my own thoughts to music, and if I meet any words that
seem to me very good or very sweet I never rest until I have found a
melody that fits them. I came across some the other day. Shall I sing
them to you?"
There was a slight commotion in the room when people saw the beautiful
English girl led to the piano. She turned with a smile to Lord Chandos.
"My song is English," she said, "and will not be understood by every
one."
"I shall understand it," he said; "you must sing it to me."
When he heard the words he understood the blush that covered her face.
"I should change my song," she said, "if another came into my mind.
These words are by a poetess I read and admire much. It is called
'Somewhere or Other.'"
She sung in a sweet, pure voice; there was neither fire, power, nor
passion in it; but the words were clear and distinct.
"'Somewhere or other there must surely be
The face not seen, the voice not heard,
The heart that never yet--never yet--ah, me,
Made answer to my word.
"'Somewhere or other, may be near or far,
Past land and sea, clear out of sight,
Beyond the wandering moon, the star,
That tracks her night by night.
"'Somewhere or other, may be far or near,
With just a wall, a hedge between,
With just the last leaves of the dying year
Fallen on a turf so green.'"
He stood by her side while she sung, his eyes fixed on her face,
thinking how pure and fair she was. When the sweet strain of music
ended, he said:
"Somewhere or other--you will find it soon, Lady Marion."
"Find what?" she asked.
"'The heart that has never yet answered a word,'" he replied, quoting
the words of her song. "People do often meet their fate without knowing
it."
When he saw the fair face grow crimson he knew at once that she thought
she was speaking of himself and her. After that there seemed to be a
kind of understanding between them. When others were speaking he would
quote the words: "Somewhere or other," and then Lady Marion would blush
until her face burned. So a kind of secret understanding grew between
them without either of them quite understanding how it was.
Lady Lanswell was quite happy; the bait was taking; there was no need
for her to interfere, all was going well.
"Mother," said Lord Chandos, "I cannot understand it; you invite all the
old dowagers and spinsters in Rome to your afternoon teas and _soirees_,
but you never invite any young ladies, and there are some very pretty
ones."
"My dear Lance, I know it, and deeply regret it; but you see I have no
one to entertain young ladies."
He raised his head with an injured air.
"You have me," he replied.
The countess laughed.
"True, I have you, but I mean some one free and eligible."
"Am I not free and eligible?" he asked, quickly; and then his brave
young face grew fiery red under his mother's slow, sneering smile. "I do
not mean that; of course I am not free or eligible in that sense of the
word, yet I think I am quite as well able to entertain young and pretty
girls as old dowagers."
Lady Lanswell looked keenly at him.
"My dear Lance, I will do anything to please you," she said, "but if you
persist in considering yourself an engaged man, you must forego the
society of charming girls. I have no desire for another visit from that
tempestuous young person."
Lance, Lord Chandos, shuddered at the words--"a tempestuous young
person"--this was the heroine of his romance, his beautiful Leone, whose
voice always came to him with the whisper of the wind, and the sweet
ripple of falling water. "A tempestuous young person," his beautiful
Leone, whose passionate kisses were still warm on his lips, whose bitter
tears seemed wet on his face--Leone, who was a queen by right divine. He
turned angrily away, and Lady Lanswell, seeing that she had gone far
enough, affected not to see his anger, but spoke next in a laughing tone
of voice.
"You see, Lance, in my eyes you are very eligible, indeed, and it seems
to me almost cruel to bring you into a circle of young girls, one of
whom might admire you, while I know that you can never admire them. Is
it not so?"
"I am not free, mother, you know as well as all the world knows; still,
I repeat it that it is no reason why you should fill the house with
dowagers and never bring the bloom of a young face near it."
"I will do as you wish, Lance," said my lady, and her son smiled.
"Though I consider myself, and am, in all solemn truth, engaged, still
that does not make me a slave, mother. I am free to do as I like."
"Certainly," said my lady, and for some minutes there was silence
between them.
Lord Chandos broke in.
"Why do you never ask Lady Erskine to visit you, mother? She is a
charming girl, and you like her."
The countess looked at him straight in the face.
"I think it more prudent not to do so," she said. "Lady Marion is one of
the most perfect women I know; I know, too, that she admires you, and as
you are not free to admire her, you are better apart."
He flung himself down on the carpet, and laid his handsome head on his
mother's knee, looking up to her with coaxing eyes, as he had done when
he was a boy.
"Does she really admire me, mother? This beautiful girl, who has all the
grandees in Rome at her feet--does she really admire me?"
"I have said it," laughed my lady.
"Who told you, mother? How do you know?"
"I shall not tell you, Lance; sufficient for you to know that it is
quite true, and that I consider I am simply acting as prudence dictates.
I should admire you, Lance, if I were a young girl myself."
"I am very much flattered," he said, slowly. "Even if it be true,
mother, I do not quite see why you should think so much prudence
needful. I admire Lady Marion; why should we not be friends?"
"Would the tempestuous young person like it, Lance?" asked my lady.
And it is very painful to state that an exceedingly strong and highly
improper word came from between Lord Chandos' closed lips.
"Do not tease me, mother. I see no harm in it; if I did, be quite sure I
would not do it. Lady Marion and I can always be friends. I like her and
admire her; there is a certain kind of repose about her that I enjoy.
Why should we not be friends?"
"Be friends if you like," said Lady Lanswell; "but if, in the course of
a few weeks, you find that mutual admiration does not answer, do not
blame me."
From that day Lady Lanswell laid aside all pretense at scruple, and
allowed matters to go as they would; she visited the young heiress
constantly, and smiled when she saw that her son was becoming, day by
day, more attracted to her. She noticed another thing, too, with keen
pleasure, and it was that, although the same number of letters came from
England, not half so many went there.
"A step in the right, direction," thought my lady; "I shall succeed
after all."
To do Lord Chandos justice, he was quite blind to the danger that
surrounded him. He intended to be true to Leone--he had no other desire,
no other wish--he had never contemplated for one moment the act of
deserting her; he would have denounced any one who even hinted at such a
thing.
But he was young, she was beautiful, they were in sunny Italy. And he
never dreamed of loving her.
They were friends, that was all; they were to be exceptions to the
general rule--they were to be friends, without any of the elements of
love or flirtation marring their intercourse.
Only friends. Yet in the beginning of May when Lady Cambrey and her ward
declined to return to England for the summer, but resolved to spend it
in Naples, Lord Chandos went there also, without feeling at all sure
that he would be back in London by June.