But Rosemary was not gifted with second sight, and she saw nothing of
this while she knelt at the open window of her pretty room at Kis-Imre.
She was in such an agony of mind, that for a time she became almost
insentient. Presently, dressed as she was, she threw herself upon the
bed, because she was dog-tired and had no longer the power to feel or to
suffer. Even the well of her sympathy appeared to be dry. She could not
bring herself to think of Elza or of Maurus, or to feel for them; even
Philip and Anna seemed blotted from her mind. An intense self-pity
absorbed every other sensation for the moment. She felt herself in such
a hopeless impasse that she had not even the strength to beat her hands
against the walls that had so completely closed her in.
And so she lay there for an hour and more while life in the château
went on, unheeded by her. Long afterwards she heard that, as arranged,
the guests all departed soon after nine o'clock, that Elza had been
there to see them off, looking after their comforts, bidding them
good-bye and tendering hospitable, little invitations for the future.
Wonderful as always! Rosemary saw nothing of that. She only heard of it
afterwards, when she saw Elza again an hour or two later. For the time
being she was just a log--neither thinking nor feeling; conscious only
of that intense self-pity which was so humiliating, because her senses
were so numb that she had not the power to trace that self-pity to its
source. While she lay on her bed, blind, deaf, dumb, she did not know
that she suffered; she did not know that she lived.
But this state of coma was the one concession to weakness. A giving in.
It was not the least like Rosemary; and as consciousness slowly returned
and with it the power to feel, she felt humiliated on account of that
weakness which was foreign to her. Fortunately no one had witnessed it.
Dear, wonderful Elza had had her hands full, and the departing guests
had only thought of being discreet and tactful and of leaving this
stricken home without putting too great a strain upon the self-control
of their hostess. They did not know, of course, that tragedy had
followed on the exciting events of last night; but they asked no
questions, well knowing that good news spreads like wildfire, and
guessing perhaps by Elza's set face and expressionless eyes that
something was not altogether right.
Anyhow, they went away, and after their departure the house became
still--very still. Presently Rosemary had her bath and dressed, then
left the room to go and search for Elza. So far she had not been able to
gather anything from Rosa's stolid, round face. The girl went about her
work as if nothing special had happened; only when Rosemary was ready to
go downstairs and gave Rosa a final nod, the girl suddenly said with an
excited little gasp: "The gracious Count Philip and the Baroness Anna
will be in Hungary by now, won't they, gracious lady?"
Rosemary nodded. "We hope so," she murmured.
She waited in the hall for a little while, hoping that Elza would
presently be coming downstairs; but a quarter of an hour later Anton
came running down and made straight for the telephone.
"What is it, Anton?" Rosemary asked.
"The gracious count," the man replied hurriedly. "He is ill. I am
telephoning to Cluj for the doctor."
"What is it, do you know?"
"No, gracious lady, the countess did not say, but I think it is the
heart. The gracious count has fainted, and----"
After that Anton was busy with the telephone, and Rosemary wandered
aimlessly into the drawing-room and out upon the veranda.
Maurus ill! Yet another calamity striking that unfortunate woman!
Indeed, there was no room for self-pity in this house. Every feeling of
love, of sympathy and of pity must be concentrated on Elza. She stood
alone, just as Rosemary stood alone. Two women, each with their burden.
Elza with a load of boundless sorrow and anxiety, and Rosemary with a
terrible responsibility to face. Elza was helpless; she could only watch
and pray. But Rosemary had the choice between waiting and acting.
Sentiment on the one side; Philip, Anna, Elza, Maurus, people she knew
and loved; and duty on the other, duty to others, to countless of
unknown innocents, to mothers, to fathers, to wives. "What are they to
me?" cried sentiment. "The few for the many," was the command of duty.
Heart and brain in direct conflict and no one to advise, no one to help,
save God, and He was silent! The affairs of men are so futile in face of
the Infinite.
Later on in the day the doctor came over in his motor from Cluj, and
after his visit Elza escorted him down into the hall. This was the first
glimpse that Rosemary had of her since the morning, and the sight of her
was a terrible shock; Elza was aged, her hair had lost its lustre, her
eyes their colour, her cheeks were the colour of lead, and even her
magnificent figure had shrunk. Elza looked an old woman, wide-eyed and
scared as if Fate was a tangible being standing perpetually before her
with flail upraised, striking, striking incessantly, until the poor,
weak shoulders bent under the blows, and the last vestige of youth fled,
chased away by pain.
As soon as the doctor had gone Elza came back to Rosemary.
"Poor Maurus," she said. "Have you heard?" "What is the matter?"
Rosemary asked.
Elza hesitated a moment, then she said:
"As a matter of fact, it was a fit. He had had them before, and you know
he was always peculiar. And now the shock! The doctor says we shall have
to be very careful with him. He must be watched and kept very quiet."
"Had you told him?"
"Yes; it is that which brought on the fit. The doctor asked me if he had
been more than usually agitated the last day or two."
"But he is in no danger?" Rosemary insisted.
"The doctor says not. But then he does not know. If--if the worst
happens with--Philip, I don't think that Maurus will live it through."
Elza had allowed Rosemary to lead her into the drawing-room. She sank
down against the cushions and Rosemary knelt beside her, with her arms
round the poor woman's shoulders.
"Darling," she murmured, "is there anything I can do?"
"No, dear, nothing. What can you do? We are only atoms. So helpless! We
can only suffer. I suppose that God wants some of us to suffer, and
others to be happy. It seems strange and unjust, but we can't help it.
We must just get through with it." Elza spoke jerkily, in a dry, cracked
voice, without the slightest ring or modulation in its dull monotony.
"Am I in the way, Elza, darling?" Rosemary went on, trying with loving
eyes to probe the secret thoughts that lay hidden behind that set,
expressionless face. Elza turned large, round eyes upon her, and for an
instant a gleam of tenderness shot through them.
"You are not in the way, darling," she said. "I don't know what I should
have done this morning if you had not been there to brace me up. But it
is miserable and dull for you here. Fancy you coming all the way from
England into this house of misery."
"If you sent me away now," Rosemary said, "I should break my heart with
longing to be near you. But--I didn't know whether you would not rather
be alone----"
"Alone? I should indeed be alone if you went away. Now that the children
are not here . . . and Maurus must be kept very quiet--I should be very
lonely if you went."
Rosemary gave her hand a little squeeze.
"But Jasper will be coming soon," she said. "I am sure you won't want
him."
"Lord Tarkington is so kind," Elza replied gently, "and he would be
company for you. The doctor is sending me a couple of nursing sisters
from Cluj, but you know what Maurus is. He gets so impatient if I am not
there. So we shall not see much of one another. But it would be a
comfort to me to know that you are in the house."
"You are an angel, Elza, and I am glad that you axe not sending me away.
If you did I should not go very far. Probably to Cluj. I could not exist
far away from you whilst I had a glimmer of hope. In my heart, darling,"
Rosemary went on earnestly, "I am still convinced that God will not
permit this monstrous injustice. Something will happen. You will see.
You will see."
"It would have to be a miracle, my dear," Elza said dully.
"God has accomplished greater miracles before this," Rosemary retorted
firmly.
Elza smiled. She, poor dear, obviously did not believe in miracles.
After a moment or two she said:
"By the way, I quite forgot to tell you--so stupid of me--this morning,
while you were resting there came a telephone message for you from Lord
Tarkington."
"From Jasper?"
"He said he was coming some time in the afternoon."
"Where was he speaking from?"
"I am not quite sure, and, stupidly enough, I did not ask. When I
understood that it was Lord Tarkington speaking I asked if I should send
the carriage to meet him at Cluj. But all I heard in reply was: 'No,
no,' and then we were cut off. These telephone people are so tiresome,
they cut one off sometimes in the middle of a conversation. I am so
glad, darling," Elza continued gently, "that Lord Tarkington is coming
back. For your sake," she added, "and also mine."
After that she rose and gave Rosemary a final kiss.
"I have one or two little things to see to before lunch," she said, "but
I understood from Lord Tarkington that he would not be over before the
afternoon."
And she went off with her bunch of keys jingling in her hand, outwardly
quite serene, and presently Rosemary could hear her calling to the
servants, giving orders, scolding for something left undone. She was
still wonderful, even though the elasticity had gone out of her step;
and her back was bent like an old woman's, her voice had lost its
metallic ring, and all the glorious colour had gone out of her hair.