I liked the brother because he had his sister’s eyes, and—being the
ordinary, selfish, human man—I liked him still better for his enthusiastic
desire to help the last of the Casa Trianas. Whether his enthusiasm was
for the sake of Casa Triana, or Angèle de la Mole, was a detail. It had
the same effect upon my affairs; and having taken very little time for
reflection. I let myself be hurried away on the tide.
Pilar—as unlike a Spanish girl in mind as she was like one in
face—stage-managed us all. We merely accepted our parts in the play, I
thankfully, the others calmly.
Brother Cristóbal was, perhaps, not sorry to make an unexpected flight to
Biarritz, with news of Dick and me as an excuse, instead of spending his
leave tamely at home. There was, at all events, a suspicious alacrity
about the way in which he agreed to disappear as early as possible the
following day. As he was wearing the uniform which was to be made over to
me, it was decided that he should bring it to my room next morning before
hearing mass at the cathedral. It was Pilar’s idea that I should go there
with him, getting off before the _fonda_ was fully astir, and seek
sanctuary in dusky corners of remote chapels until my friends arrived.
“We’ll find out when the Duke and his mother take Lady Monica to look at
the cathedral,” said the girl, delighting in her own ingenuity; “and then
we’ll start too. Though we can’t bear the Duke, we’ve always been civil to
him and his mother whenever we’ve met in Madrid, praise the saints, so
they can’t be rude to us now. If we go up and speak, they’ll have to
introduce us to Lady Vale-Avon and Lady Monica. I shall take a _great_
fancy at first sight to Lady Monica, of course; and I shouldn’t wonder if
I can make her like _me_. The rest will be easy for the whole trip. Oh, we
shall have fun!”
I began to think we should, and that, thanks to a girl’s counter-plotting,
I should have pretty plain sailing in spite of Carmona. But because I
began to see land ahead, I was the more anxious to give Monica peace of
mind; and when we said good-night to the O’Donnels about half-past ten, I
set out to carry through the plan I had thought of before dinner.
On the wall of the landlord’s office, off the main hall, I had seen a
guitar hanging. It belonged to his son, a romantic-looking young fellow,
whose sympathetic soul delighted in lending the national aid to courtship,
without asking a single question.
I would be no true Spaniard if I could not play the guitar; and in fact my
mother had given me some dexterity with the instrument, before I was ten
years old. I had neglected it for years; nevertheless, my fingers had but
to touch the strings to be on friendly terms with them.
Madrid and Seville would probably be waking up to fullest life at this
hour; but in provincial towns one goes to bed early because there is
nothing more amusing to do.
At eleven the windows of the principal hotel were dark; and without being
stared at curiously by any passer-by, I stationed myself under the first
floor balconies, with my guitar.
I did not know which room was Monica’s, but I did know that it could not
be far away; and I counted on the chance that anxious thoughts might keep
her from sleeping soundly.
Softly, and then more boldly, I began to thrum the air of the Hungarian
waltz which they had played that night at the Duchess of Carmona’s, while
I told Monica I loved her. Often its passionate refrain had echoed in my
ears since, and brought the scene before me. I hoped that Monica also
might remember.
Five minutes passed, and still I played on, yet nothing happened. Then,
when I had begun to fear failure, I heard a faint sound overhead. A window
was opening. There was no gleam of light, no whisper; but something soft
and small fell close to my feet. I stooped and picked it up. It was a
rose, weighted by a grey suède glove, tied round the stem; and the glove
was scented with orris, the same delicate fragrance which had come to me
when I kissed Monica’s hand, and her letters.
She had had my message, and answered it.