INTO THE FOG AGAIN
He sat there, waiting and listening. From the light and airy butterfly,
the music changed to Farwell's _Norwegian Song_. Hillard saw the lonely
sea, the lonely twilight, the lonely gull wheeling seaward, the lonely
little cottage on the cliffs, and the white moon in the far east. And
presently she spoke, still playing softly.
"My father was an American, my mother Italian. But I have lived in
Europe nearly all my life. There! You have more of my history than I
intended telling you." The music went dreamily.
"I knew it. Who but an American woman would have the courage to do what
you are doing to-night? Who but one of mine own countrywomen would trust
me so wholly and accept me so frankly for what I am, an American
gentleman?"
"Softly!" she warned. "You will dig a pit for your vanity."
"No. I am an American gentleman, and I am proud of it; though this
statement in your ears may have a school-boy ring."
"A nobility in this country? Impossible!"
"Not the kind you find in the _Almanach de Gotha_. I speak of the
nobility of the heart and the mind." He was very much in earnest now.
"Indeed!" The music stopped, and she turned. She regarded his
earnestness with favor.
"I have traveled much; I have found noblemen everywhere, in all climes,
and also I have found beasts. Oh, I confess that my country is not
wholly free from the beast. But the beast here is a beast; shunned,
discredited, outcast. On the other side, if he be mentioned in the
_Almanach_, they give him sashes and decorations. And they credit us
with being money-mad! It is not true. It is proved every day in the
foreign cables that our love for money is not one-tenth so strong as
that which our continental cousins evince."
"But if you are not money-mad, why these great fortunes?" dubiously.
"At a certain age a fortune in this country doubles itself without any
effort on the part of the owner. Few of us marry for money; and when we
do, we at least have the manhood to keep the letter of our bargain. We
do not beat the wife, nor impoverish her, nor thrust opera-singers into
the house she shares with us."
"And when you marry?"
"Well, it is generally the woman we love. Dowries are not considered.
There is no social law which forbids a dowerless girl to marry a
dowerless man," laughing. "But over there it is always and eternally a
business contract simply. You know that."
"Yes, a business contract," listlessly.
"And yet these foreigners call us a business nation! Well, we are,
outside our homes. But in the home we are husbands and fathers; most of
us live cleanly and honestly; we make our homes our havens and our
heavens. But of course there is always the beast. But they talk of
nobility on the other side. That is it; they talk, talk. Italy, France,
Germany! Why, I had rather be the son of an English farmer than a prince
on the continent. And I had rather be what I am than the greatest
nobleman in England."
"Go on, go on! I like it. What do you call it--jingo?"
"Call it what you will. Look at the men we produce. Three or four
hundred years ago Europe gave us great poets, great artists, great
soldiers, great churchmen, and great rascals. I admire a great rascal,
when he is a Napoleon, a Talleyrand, a Machiavelli; but a petty one! We
have no art, no music, no antiquity; but we have a race of gentlemen.
The old country is not breeding them nowadays."
"No, she simply prints new editions of the _Almanach_. Continue; I am
becoming illumined."
"If I am boring you?"
"No. I have the greatest admiration for the American gentleman. My
father was one. But I have met Americans who are not so loyal as you
are, who see no good in their native land."
"I said we have beasts; I forgot to mention the cads. I am perfectly
frank. Italy is the most beautiful country in the world; France is
incomparable; Germany possesses a rugged beauty which I envy for my
country's sake. Every square foot of it is cultivated; nowhere the
squalidity one sees among the farm-houses of this country. Think of the
histories, the romance, the art, the music! America has little history;
and, saving the wildernesses, it is not beautiful; but it is generous
and bountiful and healthy mentally. Europe is a story-world, and I
should like nothing better than to read it to the end of my days."
"Signora, dinner is served!" The little maid stood between the sliding
doors which gave entrance to the dining-room.
Signora! thought Hillard. He certainly would look at her hands again.
"After you, Mr. Hillard," she said.
He bowed and passed on before her. But not till he had passed did he
understand the manoeuver. To follow her would have been nothing less
than the temptation to pluck at the strings of her mask. Would he have
touched it? He could not say, the temptation not having been his.
That dinner! Was he in New York? Was it not Bagdad, the bottle and the
genii? Had he ever, even in his most romantic dreams, expected to turn a
page so charming, so enchanting, or so dangerous to his peace of mind? A
game of magical hide-and-seek? To see, yet to be blindfolded! Here,
across the small table, within arm's length, was a woman such as, had he
been a painter, he must have painted; a poet, he must have celebrated in
silken verse. Three-and-thirty? No, he was only a lad this night. All
his illusions had come back again. At a word from this mysterious woman,
he would have started out on any fool's errand, to any fool's land.
And she? A whim, a fantastic, unaccountable whim; the whim of a woman
seeking forgetfulness, not counting the cost nor caring; simply a whim.
She had brought him here to crush him for his impertinence; and that
purpose was no longer in her mind. Was she sorry? Did he cause her some
uneasiness, some regret and sadness? It was too late. There could be no
Prince Charming in her world. He had tarried too long by the way. Not
that there was the least sentiment in her heart regarding him; but his
presence, his freshness, his frank honesty, these caused her to resort
to comparisons. It was too late indeed.
On the little table was a Tuscany brass lamp of three wicks, fed by
olive oil. It was sufficient to light the table, but the rest of the
room was sunk in darkness. He half understood that there was a definite
purpose in this semi-illumination: she had no wish that he should by
chance recognize anything familiar in this house. Dimly he could see the
stein-rack and the plate-shelf running around the walls. Sometimes, as
the light flickered, a stein or a plate stood out boldly, as if to
challenge his memory.
He watched her hands. The fingers were free from rings. Was she single
or married? The maid had called her signora; but that might have been a
disguise, like the mask and the patches of court-plaster.
"May I ask you one question?"
"No," promptly. There was something in his eyes that made her grow wary
of a sudden.
"Then I shan't ask it. I shall not ask you if you are married."
"And I shall not say one way or the other."
She smiled and he laughed quietly. He had put the question and she had
answered it.
Neither of them ate much of this elaborate dinner. A game like this
might easily dull the sharpest appetite. He studied her head, the curves
of her throat, the little gestures, the way her shoulders seemed to
narrow when she shrugged; and all these pictures he stored away for
future need. He would meet her again; a touch of prescience told him
this. When, where, did not matter.
A running conversation; a fencing match with words and phrases. Time
after time she touched him; but with all his skill he could not break
through her guard. Once or twice he thrust in a manner which was not in
accord with the rules.
"And that interesting dissertation on the American gentleman?" she said
icily, putting aside each thrust with a parry of this kind.
"That's the trouble with posing as a moralist; one must live up to the
precepts. Would you believe me if I told you that, at the age of
three-and-thirty, I am still heart-whole?"
She parried: "I trust you will not spoil that excellent record by making
love to me." She reached for the matches, touched off one, watched it
burn for a moment, extinguished it, and then deliberately drew a line
across the center of the table-cloth.
[Illustration: She deliberately drew a line across the centre of the
table-cloth]
"Now what might that represent?" he asked curiously.
"A line, Mr. Hillard. The moment you cross that line, that moment you
leave this house. On guard!"
"Come, that is not brave. You can retreat till your shoulders touch the
mat, but I must stand this side of the line, unable to reach you. And
you have the advantage of the mask besides. You are not a fair fencer."
"The odds should be in my favor. I am a woman. My wrist is not so strong
as yours."
"Physically, of course, I may pass the line; to reach the salt, for
instance. Will that be against the rules?"
"To a certain extent, no."
"You make it very hard. You have put temptation in my path."
"Bid Satan get behind thee."
"But supposing he should take it into his head to--shoulder me forward?"
"In that case, under the new rules, I should referee the matter."
"I wish I knew the color of your eyes. Behind those holes I see nothing
but points of fire, no color. Are they blue, brown, grey?"
"They are blue. But supposing I wear this mask because my face is
dreadfully scarred, and that I have some vanity?"
"Vanity, yes; but scars, never; at least never so deep as you yourself
can make. You do not wear that mask to cover defects, but out of mercy
to me."
And so the duel went on. Sometimes the heat of the mask almost
suffocated her, and she could hardly resist the desire to tear it from
her face. Yet, in spite of this discomfort, she was enjoying herself.
This adventure was as novel to her as it was to him. Once she rose and
approached the window, slyly raising the mask and breathing deeply of
the cold air which rushed in through the crevices. When she turned she
found that he, too, had risen. He was looking at the steins, one of
which he held in his hand. Moreover, he returned and set the stein down
beside his plate.
"Tell me, why do you do that?" There was an anxious note in her voice.
"I have an idea. But let us proceed with the dinner. This salad--"
"I am more interested in the idea." She pushed aside the salad and took
a sip of the ruby Burgundy. Had he discovered something?
"May I smoke?" he asked.
"By all means."
He lighted a cigarette and put the case near the line.
"Do you not enjoy a cigarette?"
"Sometimes," she answered. "But that idea--"
"Will you not have one?" He moved the case still nearer to the line.
She reached out a firm round white arm.
"One moment," he said; "let us understand each other thoroughly."
"What do you mean?" her arm poised in mid-air. "To touch a cigarette you
must cross the line to this side."
She withdrew her arm slowly.
"I shall not smoke. If I crossed the line I should establish a dangerous
precedent. A good stroke. Now, the idea. I must have that idea."
He blew the smoke toward the lamp; it sailed over the flaming wicks and
darted into the dark beyond.
"The mirror over the piano confused me. I had seen it somewhere before.
Then, there was that old copy of Botticelli. The frame was familiar, but
I could not place it. This stein, however!" He laughed; the laughter was
boyish, even triumphant.
"Well, that stein?" She was now leaning across the table, her fingers
tense on the cloth.
"I bought that stein two seasons ago. This is the Sandfords' place, and
you are the veiled lady who has been riding Mrs. Sandford's favorite
hunter in the park."
"And so?"
"I shall find out who you are presently."
"How?"
"That shall be my secret. Mutual friends, indeed! You will not have to
send me home blindfolded."
"That is precisely what I shall do, in a certain sense. My name?
Perhaps. But you will never know my face."
"Suppose I should determine to cross the line, despite your precepts?"
They stood up simultaneously. In a matter of this sort he was by far the
quicker. In an instant he had caught her by the wrist, at the same time
drawing her irresistibly round the table toward him. His grasp was not
rough, only firm. She ceased to pull against him.
"I must see your face. I shall never be at peace if I do not."
"Certainly you will never know any peace if you do. Be careful!"
His free hand stole toward the strings of her mask. She moved not. His
face was very close to hers now. If only she would struggle! Yes, he was
certain now that her eyes were blue. But they looked at him with a
menace which chilled his ardor. He dropped the hand from the mask and
released her wrist.
"No, I haven't the courage. If I take that mask from your face, it will
be the end. And I do not want this ever to end. If you will not let me
see your face of your own free will, so be it. I shall see it some day,
mark me. Fate does not cross two paths in this manner without a
purpose." He stepped back slowly. "You do not understand the lure of
that mask."
"Perhaps I do. I am beginning to admire your self-control, Mr. Hillard;
I am beginning to admire it very much. But I am tired now, and I must
ask you to go."
"Once more, will you let me see your face?"
"No. If, as you say, fate intends for us to meet again, you will see it.
But I have my doubts. So it is my will to pass out of your life as
completely as though I had never entered it; from one fog into another.
No, I am not a happy woman; I am not happy in my friendships. Listen to
me," and her voice grew low and sweet. "Let me appeal to your
imagination. This light adventure shall be a souvenir for your old age.
One night Romance stepped into your life and out of it. Think! There
will always be the same charm, the same mystery, the same enchantment.
Knowing nothing of me, there will follow no disillusions, no
disenchantments; I shall always be Cinderella, or the Sleeping Beauty,
or what your fancy wills. Do you understand me?"
He nodded.
"Nothing," she proceeded, "nothing lasts so long in the recollection as
a pleasant mystery. In other days, in other times.... Well, on my side I
shall recall this night pleasantly. Without knowing it, you have given
me a new foothold in life. I did not believe that there lived a single
man who could keep to the letter of his bargain. Presently you will
forget the chagrin. Good night! And do not lean out of any more
windows," she added lightly.
"You are right," he said reluctantly. "Something to dream over in my old
age. And certainly I shall dream of it; a flash of sunlight in the
shadow."
Then slowly he reached down toward her wine-glass. She understood his
purpose and essayed to stop him.
"Do not deny me this little thing," he said.
She let her hand fall. He took the glass, held it against the light to
see where her lips had touched it. Carefully he poured out the wine from
the opposite side and kissed the rim.
"I shall keep this glass. I must have some visible object to make sure
that this hasn't been a dream. Mrs. Sandford may send me the bill."
"You may kiss my hand, Mr. Hillard."
He bent quickly and kissed, not the hand, but the wrist where the marks
of his fingers still remained faintly. He squared himself, and gazed
long and steadfastly into her eyes. In that moment he seemed to her
positively handsome; and there was a flutter in her heart that she was
unable to define. On his part he realized the sooner he was gone the
better; there was a limit to his self-control.... He gained the street
somehow. There he stopped and turned. Did the curtain move? He wasn't
sure; but he raised his hat, settled it firmly on his head, and walked
rapidly away. He was rather proud of himself. He had conquered a hundred
temptations. And he confidently knew that it would be many a day before
she ceased to think of him. Was she single or married? Well, it mattered
not, one way or the other; he knew that long years ago this night had
been written and his fate summed up. Unhappy? There was more than one
mask. Once in his own room, however, the longing to see her face grew
terribly strong. He stood the glass on the mantel and stared at it. Why
must she go out of his life? What obstacle was there to stand between
them and a kindly friendship?
There was little sleep for him that night; and in the morning the first
thing he did was to pick up the wine-glass. It was all true. And then
his good resolutions melted and vanished. He must have one more word
with her, happen what might. So at ten o'clock he called a cab and drove
rapidly to the Sandford place. Snow had fallen during the night, and
many of the steps were still spotless white. Impossible! He leaned from
the cab and rubbed his eyes. Absolutely impossible! For, what did he
see? Wooden shutters over all the lower windows and the iron gates
closed before the doors! And not a footprint anywhere. This was
extraordinary. He jumped from the cab, ran up the steps, and rang the
bell, rang it ten times with minute intervals. And no one answered. Then
he heard a call from across the street. A man stood in one of the
area-ways.
"Nobody home!" he shouted. "Gone to Egypt."
"But there was some one here last night," Hillard shouted back.
"Last night? Guess you've got the wrong street and wrong house, young
man."
"But this is the Sandford place?"
"Nothing else."
"I was here last night."
"Dreaming. That house has been empty since November. I happen to be the
caretaker."
Hillard went back to his cab, dazed. No one there last night? Come,
come; there was a mistake somewhere. It was out of the question that he
had been in another house. He would soon find out whether or not he had
dined there the night before.
"A cable-office!" he cried to the cabby. "Hurry!"
Once there he telephoned down-town and secured Sandford's cable address.
Then he filled out a blank which cost him ten dollars. Late that night
at the club he received his reply. It was terse.
You are crazy. House absolutely empty. SANDFORD.