"THE NEW, STRONG WINE OF LOVE"
The situation, although it was only a brief one, was for a moment
possessed of a singularly dramatic force. The grouping and the
colouring in that dimly lit drawing-room were all that an artist could
desire, and the facial expressions bordered upon the tragic. Of all
men in the world, his brother was the last whom of his own choosing
Paul would have wished to see.
There was a brief silence. Arthur, breathless through his hasty
entrance, could only stand there upon the threshold, his face white to
the lips, and his eyes flashing with passionate anger and dismay.
To him the situation was more than painful; it was horrible. To have
believed ill of Paul from hearsay would have been impossible; his
confidence in his elder brother had been unbounded. He had always
looked up to him as the mirror of everything that was honorable and
chivalrous. Even now, perhaps there might be some explanation--some
partial explanation, at any rate. Paul was standing back amongst the
shadows, and his face was only barely visible. Doubtless it was
only surprise which held him silent. In a moment he would speak,
and explain everything. It was this thought which loosened Arthur's
tongue.
"Paul," he cried, and stepping forward into the room, "and Adrea! You
here, and together! Tell me what it means! I have a right to know. I
will know."
He had determined to be cool, to bear himself like a man, but their
silence maddened him. Adrea, it is true, showed no signs of guilt or
confusion in her cold, questioning face. But the deceit, if deceit
there had been, was not hers. It was Paul who was responsible to him,
and it was Paul who should have spoken--Paul, who stood there with a
hidden face, a silent, immovable figure.
"Are you stricken dumb?" he cried angrily. "You can see who I am,
can't you, Paul? Speak to me! Tell me whether there is any truth
in these stories which are flying about the county, with no one to
contradict them."
What might have been the tragedy of the situation vanished for Paul at
the sound of his brother's words. After all, it was not the just anger
of a deceived man with which he was confronted, but the empty scream
of a boy's passion. Arthur's infatuation had but skimmed the surface
of his light nature. He was pricked, not wounded. Yet, though in a
sense this realization brought its relief, Paul felt humbled into the
dust. He was actually conscious of his own humiliation. So far as
a nature such as his could be conventional, he had become so in
deference to the opinion of those who looked up to him as the head of
a great house, and of whom much was to be expected, both socially and
politically. What must become of that opinion now, Arthur's words too
plainly foreshadowed.
He moved forward into the centre of the room, and faced his brother.
There was only a small table between them.
"I do not know who sent you here, Arthur," he said, "or what reports
you have heard, but it seems to me, that any explanation you may wish
had better be deferred until our return home."
Arthur struck the table violently with his riding-whip, "I will not
wait!" he cried. "Here is the proper place! I have been deceived and
cajoled by--by--you, Adrea, and by my own brother! It is shameful! You
hypocrite, Paul! You, to come up to London, and solemnly lecture me
about a dancing girl. You d----d hypocrite!"
Before his passion, Paul's grave and steadfast silence gained an added
dignity. Adrea, with a red spot burning on her cheeks, sailed between
the two.
"Arthur, you are mad," she said, turning suddenly upon him, with her
eyes afire. "Have I ever deceived you? Have I ever pretended to care
for you? Bah, no! You are only an unformed, hysterical boy. Before,
you were indifferent to me. Now, I am very quickly growing to hate
you! Begone! Leave this house!"
He stood quite still, white and trembling. The scorn of her words had
fallen like ice upon his heart. Then he turned, and groped for the
door, as though there were a mist before his eyes.
"I suppose you are quite right," he faltered out. "I didn't see it
quite the same way, that's all. I understand now."
The door opened and shut. In a moment or two the sound of his horse's
hoofs were heard in the avenue, growing rapidly less distinct as he
galloped away into the darkness. To Paul it sounded like the knell of
his self-respect, but Adrea felt only the relief. Her eyes, full of
soft invitation, sought his; but he did not move. He stood there,
silent and motionless, with his face turned towards the window. Those
dying sounds meant so much to him,--so much that she could never
understand.
The consciousness of her near presence suddenly disturbed him. He
turned round. Her warm breath was upon his cheek, and her white arms
were twined about his neck.
"Paul," she whispered, "do not look so miserable, please! Come and
talk to me."
Her arms tightened around him. He looked down at her with a peculiar
helplessness. Their light weight seemed to him like a chain of iron
weighing him down! down! down!
He had told himself that he had come to bid her farewell; that Father
Adrian's words, vague though they were, yet had a definite meaning,
and were worthy of his regard. But at that moment their memory was
like a dying echo in his ears. This first passion of his life was
strong upon him, and everything else was weak. The future was suddenly
bounded for him by a pair of white, clinging arms, and a dark,
beautiful face pressed close to his. He saw no more; he could see no
further.