KEEPING UP APPEARANCES!
"You said at the theatre, if I trusted you enough to come here with
you," Marise began as Celine left, "you would tell me a plan you thought
I'd approve. Well, I did trust you! I _had_ to, just as I had to this
afternoon when you said the same thing in the taxi. Here I am. But so
far, I don't see anything that reassures me much. All the flowers and
jewel-cases and gold things are beautiful bribes. The only trouble about
them is, that _I_ don't take bribes--even if you can afford to offer
them!"
"I understand that emphasis," said Garth. "_You_ don't take bribes. I
do. And you think, in making this collection I've 'gambled in futures.'"
Marise was silent.
"That's what you do think, isn't it?" he insisted.
"Something of the sort may have flitted through my head."
"Well, if I'm not above bribery and corruption--and the rest of
it--that's on my own conscience. In other words, it's my own business.
Your business is--to keep up appearances, and at the same time keep up
the proprieties."
"That's one way of expressing it!"
"Yes, again my beastly vulgar way! But I won't stop to apologise because
I know you're in a hurry to settle this question between us once for
all. Because, when it is settled, it _will_ be once for all, so far as
I'm concerned."
"I see. Go on, please!"
He looked at her, a long look. "You and I are here alone together," he
said. "Husband and wife! For we _are_ married, you know. Does that make
you shiver--or shudder?"
"I don't think we _feel_ very married--either of us," Marise answered in
a small, ingratiating voice, like a child's.
"You don't know how I feel," said Garth. "But I'm not anxious to punish
you by torture for anything you've done, no matter what you may deserve,
so I won't keep you in suspense. You admit that if--we _did_ 'feel
married,' and if--we cared about each other as ordinary new-married
couples do, this 'bridal suite'--as they call it--would be the proper
dodge?"
"Oh yes," agreed Marise, wondering what he was working up to. Her heart
was beating too fast for her wits to be at their nimblest, but she
hadn't missed those words of his which had either slipped out, or been
spoken with subtle purpose: "If we cared about each other." Only a few
days ago--apparently with his soul in his eyes--he had said that he'd
give that soul to get her for his own. Well, the incredible had
happened, and she _was_ his own--in a way. Was he so disgusted with her
behaviour and motives that he'd suddenly ceased to care? Or was he silly
enough to think it would hurt her if he pretended not to care? Certainly
she had done nothing worse than _he_ had! Whatever he might think, she
had married him largely from pique, to spite Tony Severance; though, of
course, that wasn't to say she wouldn't carry out Tony's scheme when the
time came. Whereas he, John Garth, had accepted a bribe. She was worth a
million dollars to Tony: and the million dollars were worth a basely
caddish act to Garth.
"You want your friends and the public in general to believe we are the
ordinary loving couple, don't you?" he was asking.
"Of course. I may have earned them, but I don't _want_ horrid things
said. Especially----"
"Especially on Severance's account, and because of the arrangements he
proposes to make for your future, I suppose you were going to say. Why
stop?"
"Because you suppose wrong. I wasn't going to say anything of the kind.
'Especially on account of poor Mums,' were the words on the tip of my
tongue. I stopped--well, I thought it sounded sentimental. Besides,
you'd probably not believe me."
"I think I would believe you," said Garth. "I don't know you very well
yet, but things that have happened have shown me a bit of what you're
like, inside yourself. You've got plenty of faults. I should say you're
as selfish as they make 'em. You don't really take much interest in
anything that doesn't affect you and your affairs. You've been badly
spoiled, but not quite ruined: and I think you don't enjoy telling
lies."
"Thank you for your charming compliments!" flashed Marise, the blood in
her cheeks. Spoiled indeed! Everyone said she was wonderfully
_un_spoiled--simple and sweet-natured as a child. Those were the people
who _knew_ her!
"To get back to a more important subject," went on Garth; "I was going
to tell you that, honestly, one half the reason I took this suite and
made you come to it with me, was for your sake: to have you do the
right, conventional, bridal thing everyone expects of you, and would be
blue with curiosity if you didn't do. The other half was to find out
whether you were capable of rising to an occasion."
"Rising--how?" questioned Marise.
"Rising high enough to trust a man to do--after his lights--the decent
thing. Not to carry out a bargain, because there is none. I'd be
breaking no promise if I grabbed you in my arms this moment. I mean, the
decent thing that any man owes any woman who puts herself in his power.
Now I've said enough. You'll understand me better in a minute by going
over this suite, than by listening to an hour's explanation in words.
I'll wait for you here." (They were in the salon.) "Walk round, and draw
your own conclusions. Then come back and tell me what the conclusions
are."
Marise was quite sharp enough to guess what he meant, but--stepping out
into the azalea-filled entrance hall, she passed the open door of the
beautiful white bedroom. Beyond it was another door. She opened this,
and touching an electric switch, flooded a room with light.
Here, too, was a bedroom, smaller, less elaborate, more suited to the
occupation of a man than the other. Instead of the carved white wood and
gilded cane of the room next door, the furniture was mahogany, of the
Queen Anne period; and the carpet, instead of pale Aubusson, was the
colour of wallflowers. There were some plain ebony brushes and toilet
things on the dressing-table, and underneath the table were boot-trees.
Evidently Garth had had his belongings brought over from the Belmore!
A glance sufficed Marise. She went slowly back to the salon where Garth
stood staring down on the display of jewellery on the table.
"Well?" He looked up with something defiant and oddly sullen about his
face. "You understand my 'plan'?"
"Yes," said Marise. "I understand. But----"
"But what? Didn't you try the door between that other room and your own,
and satisfy yourself that it's locked with the key on your side?"
"I didn't try it," the girl answered, "because--I was somehow sure it
would be like that."
"Why were you sure?"
"I don't know, exactly. I was."
"Your sureness was the result of trust in me, as a decent man in spite
of the fact that you think I'm not a gentleman?"
"Ye-es, I suppose it was trust."
"Then why that 'but' just now?"
"Oh--it's rather hard to put into words what was to come after the
'but'--without hurting your feelings. And I don't want to do that. It
only makes things a lot worse."
"I don't mind having my feelings hurt. I'm hardened. Besides, if you
hurt mine I'm free to hurt yours if I like in return. Shoot!"
"Well--I believe you mean what you've said to me--and shown me. I do
trust you--now. But for how long dare I? Can you trust yourself?"
He smiled down at her; and it _looked_ like a scornful smile, but of
course it couldn't be that. "Your question is easy to answer," he said.
"I trust myself, and shall continue to trust myself, because there's no
temptation to resist. I shall keep to my own half of this suite, with
the less difficulty because I haven't the slightest wish to intrude on
yours. Now you know where you stand. But there's a knock! I suppose
that's your maid."