MARKED MONEY.
So far as she could and dared, Isobel Vintry withdrew herself from the
company of Harry Belfield. She relaxed her supervision of the lovers
when they were together; she tried to avoid any risk of being alone with
Harry. She knew that Wellgood was watching her, and was determined to
give no new handle to his suspicion. Her own feelings agreed in
dictating her line of action. In ordinary intercourse she was sure of
herself; she was not anxious to seek extraordinary temptation. She had
more resolution than Harry, but not the same power of self-delusion, not
the same faculty of imagining that an enemy was finally conquered
because he had been once defeated or defied. She was careful not to
expose herself to danger, either from herself or from Wellgood. Harry
had decided that all chance of danger was over; he laughed at it now,
almost literally laughed. Yet while he derided the notion of peril, he
liked the flavour of memory. He kept turning the thing over in a mood
nicely compounded of remorse and self-esteem; of penitence for the
folly, and self-congratulation over the end that had been put to it; of
wonder at his aberration, and excuse of it in view of Isobel's
attractions. Gone as it all was in fact, it was not banished from
retrospect.
Wellgood grew easier in his mind. He had marked some
florins--opportunities for private meetings rather clumsily offered;
they had not been taken. His suspicions of the past remained, but he
thought that he had effectually frightened Isobel. He had good hopes for
his own scheme again. If she did not come round before the wedding--now
only a fortnight off--he believed that she would afterwards. Harry
finally out of reach, his turn would come. He continued his smoothness,
and did not relax his vigilance; but, as the days passed by, his hopes
rose to confidence again.
The dinner-party at Halton in the Nun's honour went off with great
success; she comported herself with such decorum and ease that Mrs.
Belfield felt her problem solved, while Billy Foot found his even more
pressing. Vivien was the only representative of Nutley. Wellgood had
gone to the county town to attend a meeting of the County Council; the
trains ran awkwardly, and, unless the business proved very brief, he
would have to dine at the hotel, and would not reach home till late at
night. Isobel had excused herself, pursuant to her policy of seeing as
little as possible of Harry. But the party was reinforced by Gilly Foot,
who had come down for a couple of days' rest, and was staying at the
Lion--the great publishing house being left to take care of itself for
this short space.
The party was pleasant--Belfield flirting with the Nun, Gilly
discoursing in company with Mrs. Belfield, who thought him a most
intelligent young man (as he was), Harry and Billy both in high spirits
and full of sallies, for which Vivien and Andy, both ever choosing the
modest _role_, made an applauding audience. Yet for most of the company
dinner was but a prelude to the real business of the evening. The Nun
had no opinion of evenings which ended at ten-thirty. For this reason,
and in order to welcome Gilly and, if possible, please his palate, she
had organized a supper at the Lion, and exhorted Mr. Dove, and Chinks,
and the cook--in a word, everybody concerned--to a great effort. One
thing only marred the anticipations of this feast; Vivien had failed to
win leave to attend it.
"What do you want with supper after a good dinner?" asked Wellgood
brusquely. "Come home and go to bed, like a sensible girl."
So Harry was to take Vivien home, and come back to supper with all
reasonable speed. The Nun pressed Mr. Belfield to join her party after
his own was over, but gained nothing thereby, save a disquisition on the
pleasures appropriate to youth and age respectively. "Among the latter I
rank going early to bed very high."
"Going to bed early is a low calculating sort of thing to do," said
Harry. "It always means that you intend to try to take advantage of
somebody else the next morning."
"In the hope that he'll have been up late," said Billy.
"And eaten too much," added Gilly sadly.
"Or even drunk too much?" suggested Belfield.
"Anyhow, being sent to bed is horrid," lamented unhappy Vivien.
"You've a life of suppers before you, if you choose," Billy assured her
consolingly.
"When I was a girl, we always had supper," said Mrs. Belfield.
"Quite right, Mrs. Belfield," said Gilly, in high approval.
"Instead of late dinner, I mean, Mr. Foot."
Gilly could do no more than look at her, finding no adequate comment.
"Supper should be a mere flirtation with one's food," said Billy.
"A post-matrimonial flirtation?" asked Belfield. "Because dinner must be
wedlock! We come back to its demoralizing character."
"Having established that it's wrong, we've given it the final charm, and
we'll go and do it," laughed Billy. Mrs. Belfield had already looked
once at the clock.
Amid much merriment Vivien and Harry were put into the Nutley brougham,
and the rest started to walk to the Lion, no more than half a mile from
the gates of Halton. Belfield turned back into the house, smiling and
shaking his head. The old, old moralizing was upon him again, in its
hoary antiquity, its eternal power of striking the mind afresh. How good
it all is--and how short! Elderly he said good-night to his elderly
wife, and in elderly fashion packed himself off to bed. He was "sent"
there under a sanction stronger, more ruthless, less to be evaded, than
that which poor Vivien reluctantly obeyed. He chid himself; nobody but a
poet has a right to abandon his mind to universal inevitable regrets,
since only a poet's hand can fashion a fresh garland for the tomb of
youth.
Half Harry's charm lay in--perhaps half his dangers sprang from--an
instinctive adaptability; he was seldom out of tune with his company.
With the bold he was bold; towards the timid he displayed a chivalrous
reserve. This latter had always been his bearing towards Vivien, even in
the early days of impulsive single-hearted devotion. It did not desert
him even to-night, although there was a stirring in his blood, roused
perhaps by the mimic reproduction of old-time gaieties with which the
Nun proposed to enliven Meriton--a spirit of riot and revolt, of risk
and adventure in the realm of feeling. He had little prospect of
satisfying that impulse, but he might find some solace in merry revelry
with his friends. Somehow, when more closely considered, the revelry did
not satisfy. Good-fellowship was not what his mood was asking; for him
at least the entertainment at the Lion offered no more, whatever tinge
of romance might adorn it for Billy Foot.
But he talked gaily to Vivien as they drove to Nutley--of the trip they
were to make, of the house they were to hire for the winter and the
ensuing season (he would in all likelihood be in Parliament by then), of
their future life together. There was no woman save Vivien in his mind,
neither Isobel nor another. He had no doubts of his recovered loyalty;
but he was in some danger of recognizing it ruefully, as obligation and
necessity, rather than as satisfaction or even as achievement.
Vivien had grown knowing about him. She knew when she, or something, or
things in general, did not satisfy his mood. "I'm glad you're going to
have a merry evening to-night," she said. "And I'm almost glad I'm sent
to bed! It'll do you good to forget all about me for a few hours."
"You think I shall?" he protested gallantly.
"Oh yes!" she answered, laughing. "But I shall expect you to be all the
more glad to see me again to-morrow."
He laughed rather absently. "I expect those fellows will rather wake up
the old Lion."
They had passed through Nutley gates and were in the drive. Harry was
next to the water, and turned his head to look at it. Suddenly he gave
the slightest start, then looked quickly round at his companion. She was
leaning back, she had not looked out of the window. Harry frowned and
smiled.
When they stopped at the door, the coachman said, "Beg pardon, sir, but
I've only just time to take you back, and then go on to the station to
meet Mr. Wellgood. He didn't come by the eight-o'clock, so I must meet
the eleven-thirty."
For one moment Harry considered. "All right. I'll walk."
"Very good, sir. I'll start directly and take the mare down quietly."
The station lay on the other side of Meriton, two miles and a half from
Nutley. The man drove off.
"Oh, Harry, you might as well have driven, because I daren't ask you in!
Father's not back, and Isobel is sure to have gone to bed." The rules
were still strict at Nutley.
For a moment again Harry seemed to consider. "I thought a walk would do
me good. I may even be able to eat some supper!" he said with a laugh.
"I shall get you into trouble if I come in, shall I? Then I won't.
Good-night."
"Father won't be here for an hour, nearly--but he might ask."
"And you're incorrigibly truthful!"
"Am I? Anyhow I rather think you want to go back to supper."
She would have yielded him admission--risking her father's questions and
perhaps her own answer to them--if he had pressed. Harry did not press;
in his refraining she saw renewed evidence of his chivalry. She gave him
her cheek to kiss; he kissed it lightly, saying, "Till to-morrow--what
there's left of me after a night of dissipation!"
She opened the door with her key, waved a last good-night to him, and
disappeared into the dimly lighted hall.
She was gone; the carriage was gone; Wellgood would not come for nearly
an hour. Harry had not told what he had seen in the drive, nor disputed
Vivien's assurance that Isobel Vintry would have gone to bed. Chance had
put a marked florin on the mantelpiece for Wellgood; what were the
chances of its being stolen, and of the theft being traced?
To have moods is to be exposed to chances. Many moods come and go
harmlessly--free, at least, from external consequences. Sometimes
opportunity comes pat on the mood, and the mood is swift to lay all the
blame on opportunity.
"Well, it's not my fault this time," thought Harry. "And if I meet her,
I can hardly walk by without saying good-night."
The little adventure, with its sentimental background, had just the
flavour that his spirit had been asking, just what the evening lacked. A
brief scene of reserved feeling, more hinted than said, a becoming word
of sorrow, and so farewell! No harm in that, and, under the
circumstances, less from Harry would be hardly decent.
Isobel did not seem minded even for so much. She came up to him with a
quick resolute step. She wore a low-cut black gown, and a black lace
scarf twisted round her neck. She bent her head slightly, saying,
"Good-night, Mr. Harry."
He stepped up to her, holding out his hand, but she made no motion to
take it.
"I've no key--I'll go in by the back door. It's sure to be open, because
Fellowes is up, waiting for Mr. Wellgood."
"He won't be here for ever so long. Won't you give me just three
minutes?"
The lamp over the hall door showed him her face; it was pale and tense,
her lips were parted.
"I think I'd sooner go in at once."
"I want you to know that I didn't send that answer lightly. It--it
wasn't easy to obey you."
"Please don't let us say a single word more about it. If you have any
feeling, any consideration for me, you'll let me go at once."
The moment was a bad one for her too. She had spent an evening alone
with bitter thoughts; she had strolled out in a miserable restlessness.
Seeing the carriage pass, feeling sure that Harry was in it, she had
first thought that she would hide herself till he had gone, then decided
to try to reach the house before he had parted from Vivien. Her wavering
landed her there at the one wrong minute.
Harry glanced up at the house; every window was dark. Vivien's room
looked over the lake, the servants' quarters to the back. There was
danger, of course; somebody might come; but nobody was there to see now.
The danger was enough to incite, not enough to deter. And what he had to
say was very short.
"I only want to tell you how deeply sorry I am, and to ask you to
forgive me."
"That's soon said--and soon answered. I forgive you, if I have anything
to forgive."
Her voice was very low, it broke and trembled on the last words of the
sentence.
"I had lost the right to love you, and I hadn't the courage to regain my
freedom, with all that meant to--to poor Vivien and--others. But at
least I was sincere. I didn't pretend--"
"Please, please!" Her tones sank to a whisper; he strained forward to
catch it. "Have some mercy on me, Harry!"
The old exultation and the old recklessness seized on him. He suffered a
very intoxication of the senses. Her strength made weakness, her
stateliness turned to trembling for his sake--the spectacle swept away
his good resolves as the wind blows the loose petals from a fading rose.
Springing forward, he tried to grasp her hands. She put them behind her
back, and stood thus, her face upturned to his, her eyes set on him
intently. He spoke in a low hoarse voice.
"I can't stand any more of it. I've tried and tried. I love Vivien in a
way, and I hate to hurt her. And I hate all the fuss too. But I can't do
it any more. You're the girl for me, Isobel! It comes home to me--right
home--every time I see you. Let's face it--it'll soon be over! A minute
with you is worth an hour with her. I tell you I love you, Isobel." He
stooped suddenly and kissed the upturned lips.
"You think that to-night. You won't to-morrow. The--the other side of it
will come back."
"Face the other side with me, and I can stand it. You love me--you know
you do!"
The trees swayed, murmured, and creaked under the wind; the water lapped
on the edge of the lake. The footsteps of a man walking up the drive
passed unheard by the engrossed lovers. The man came to where he could
see their figures. A sudden stop; then he glided into the cover of the
bushes which fringed the lake, and began to crawl cautiously and
noiselessly towards the house. To save Wellgood from kicking his heels
for an idle hour after dinner in the hotel, and again for an idle
half-hour at the station where he had to change, Lord Meriton had
performed, at the cost of a _detour_ of seven or eight miles, the
friendly office of bringing his colleague home in his motor-car. It is
to little accidents like this that impetuous lovers are exposed. So
natural when they have happened--this thing had even happened once
before--so unlikely to be thought of beforehand, they are indeed florins
marked by the cunning hand of chance.
Isobel made no effort to deny Harry's challenge.
"Yes, I love you, and you know it. If I didn't, I should be the most
treacherous creature on earth, and the worst! Even as it is, I've
nothing to boast about. But I love you, and if there were no to-morrow
I'd do anything you wish or ask."
"There is no to-morrow now; it will always be like to-night." He bent
again and softly kissed her.
"I daren't think so, Harry! I daren't believe it." Unconsciously she
raised her voice in a little wail. The words reached Wellgood, where he
was now crouching behind a bush. He dared come no nearer, lest they
should hear his movements.
Harry had lost all hold on himself now. The pale image of Vivien was
obliterated from his mind. He had no doubt about to-morrow--how had he
ever doubted?--and he pleaded his cause with a passion eloquent and
infectious. It was hard to meet passion like that with denial and doubt;
sorely hard when belief would bring such joy and triumph!
"If you do think so to-morrow--" She slowly put her hands out to him, a
happy tremulous smile on her face.
But before he could take her to his arms, a rapid change came into her
eyes. She held up a hand in warning. The handle of the door had turned.
Both faced round, the door opened, and Vivien looked out.
"Oh, there you are, Isobel!" she exclaimed in a tone of relief. "I
couldn't think what had become of you. I went into your room to tell you
about the dinner."
"I saw the carriage pass as I was strolling in the drive, but when I got
to the door you'd gone in." Her voice shook a little, but her face was
now composed.
"It's my fault. I kept Miss Vintry talking on the doorstep."
"I must go in now," said Isobel. "Good-night, Mr. Harry."
Vivien looked at them in some curiosity, but without any suspicion. A
thought struck her. "I believe I caught you talking about me," she said
with a laugh. "And not much good about me either--because you both look
a little flustered."
Wellgood stepped out from behind his bush.
"I think I can tell you what they've been talking about, Vivien, and I
will. I've had the pleasure of listening to the last part of it."
He stood there stern and threatening, struggling to keep within bounds
the rage that nearly mastered him--the rage of the deceived lover trying
still to masquerade as a father's indignation. The father should have
sent his daughter away; the lover was minded at all costs to heap shame
and humiliation on his favoured rival and on the woman who had deceived
him.
"Not before Vivien!" Harry cried impulsively.
Vivien turned eyes of wonder on him for a moment, then the old look of
remoteness settled on her face. She stood holding on to the door, for
support perhaps, looking now at none of them, looking out into the
night.
"This man, your lover, was making love to this woman, whom I employed to
look after you." He laughed scornfully. "Oh yes, a rare fool I look! But
don't they look fools too? They're nicely caught at last. I daresay
they've had a good run, a lot of 'I love you's,' a lot of kisses like
the one I saw to-night. But they're caught at last."
Vivien spoke in a low voice. "Is it true, Isobel?" For Harry she had
neither words nor eyes.
"It's true," said Isobel; now her voice was calm. "There's no use saying
anything about it."
"And you let him do it!" cried Wellgood, his voice rising in passion.
"You her friend, you her guardian, you who--" His words seemed nearly to
choke him. He turned his fury on to Harry. "You scoundrel, you shall pay
for this! I'll make Meriton too hot to hold you! You try to swagger
about this place as you've been doing, you try to open your mouth in
public, and I'll be there with this pretty story! I'll make an end of
your chances in Meriton! You shall find out what it is to make a fool of
Mark Wellgood! Yes, you shall pay for it!"
From the beginning Harry had found nothing to say; what was there? His
face was sunk in a dull despair, his eyes set on the ground. He shrugged
his shoulders now, murmuring hoarsely, "You must do as you like."
Suddenly Isobel spoke out. "This is your doing. If you had let me go, as
I wanted to, this wouldn't have happened. You suspected it, and yet you
kept me here. I begged you to let me go. You wouldn't. I tried to do the
honest thing--to end it all and go. You wouldn't let me--you know why."
"You wanted to go, Isobel?" asked Vivien gently. "And father wouldn't
let you?"
"Yes. If he likes to tell you the reason, he can. But I say this is his
doing--his! He's been waiting and watching for it. Well, he's got it
now, and he must deal with it."
Her taunts broke down the last of Wellgood's self-control. "Yes, I'll
deal with it!" The lover forgot the father, the father forgot his
daughter. "And I'll deal with him--the blackguard who's interfered
between me and you!"
Vivien turned her head towards her father with a quick motion. His eyes
were set on Isobel in a furious jealousy. Vivien gave a sharp indrawing
of her breath. Now she understood.
"He shall pay for it!" cried Wellgood, and made a dart towards Harry,
raising the stick which he had in his hand.
In an instant Vivien was across his path, and caught his uplifted arm in
both of hers. "Not that way, father!"
"Go into the house, Vivien."
"For my sake, father!"
"Go into the house, I say. Let me alone."
"Not till you promise me you won't do that."
He looked down into her pleading face. His own softened a little. "Very
well, my girl, I promise you I won't do that."
Neither Isobel nor Harry had moved; they made no sign now. Vivien slowly
loosed her grasp of her father's arm and turned back towards the door.
Suddenly Harry spoke in a hoarse whisper.
"I'm sorry, Vivien, awfully sorry."
Then she looked at him for a moment; a smile of sad wistfulness came on
her lips.
"Yes, I'm sure you're awfully sorry, Harry."
She passed into the house, leaving the door open behind her. Harry heard
her slow steps crossing the hall.
"There's no more to be said to-night," said Isobel, and moved towards
the door. Wellgood was beforehand with her; he barred the way, standing
in the entrance.
"Yes, there's one more thing to be said." He was calmer now, but not a
whit less angry or less vicious. "From to-night I've done with both of
you--I and my house. If you want her, take her. If you can get him, take
him--and keep him if you can. Let him remember what I've said. I keep my
word. Let him remember! If he doesn't want this story told, let him make
himself scarce in Meriton. If he doesn't, as God's above us, he shall
hear it wherever he goes. It shall never leave him while I live." He
turned back to Isobel. "And I've done with you--I and my house. Do what
you like, go where you like. You've set your foot for the last time
within my threshold."
Harry looked up with a quick jerk of his head. "You don't mean
to-night?"
A grim smile of triumph came on Wellgood's face. "Ah, but I do mean
to-night. You're in love with her--you can look after her. I'll leave
you the privilege of lodging her to-night. Rather late to get quarters
for a lady, but that's your lookout."
"You won't do that, Mr. Wellgood?" said Isobel, the first touch of
entreaty in her voice.
With an oath he answered, "I will, and this very minute."
He stood there, with his back to the door, a moment longer, his angry
eyes travelling from one to the other, showing his teeth in his vicious
smile. He had thought of a good revenge; humiliation, ignominy, ridicule
should be the portion of the woman who had cheated him and of the man
who took her from him. There was little thought of his daughter in his
heart, or he might have shown mercy to this other girl.
"I wish you both a pleasant night," he said with a sneering laugh, then
turned, went in, and banged the door behind him. They heard the bolt run
into its socket.
Isobel came up to Harry. Stretching out her arms, she laid her hands on
his shoulders. Her composure, so long maintained, gave way at last. She
broke into hysterical sobbing as she stammered out, "O Harry, my dear,
my dear, I'm so sorry! Do forgive!"
Harry Belfield took her face between his two hands and kissed it; but
under her embracing hands she felt his shoulders give a little shrug. It
was his old protest against those emotions. They had played him another
scurvy trick!
The bolt was shot back again, the door opened. Fellowes, the butler,
stood there. He held a hat and a long cloak in his hand.
"Miss Vivien told me to give you these, miss, and to say that she wasn't
allowed to bring them herself, and that she has done her best."
Harry took the things from him, handed the hat to Isobel, and wrapped
her in the cloak.
Fellowes was an old family servant, who had known Harry from a boy.
"I dare do nothing, sir," he said, and went in, and shut the door again.
"It was good of Vivien," said Isobel, with a choking sob.
Harry shrugged his shoulders again. "Well, we must go--somewhere," he
said.