But a moment or two later a curious thing happened.
Jasper had gone out of the room, and Rosemary, leaning against the
window frame, was looking out into the approaching storm. She had not
heard what Jasper had said just before he kissed her hand; but her mind
must have registered it, must have made a kind of record of it, like
that of a gramophone, because now some of his words came back to her
quite distinctly through the rumblings of distant thunder. She had not
heard him then, but she heard him now quite distinctly--every word.
"I have jotted down a few ideas. You, of course, will put them into your
own picturesque language. Just a few notes of what Naniescu would like
to see in the _Times._ I thought it would save you the trouble to think.
I don't think that you will find anything glaringly impossible in my
suggestions."
Then he had put something down on the table. Memory had registered a
kind of swishing sound. And Rosemary, now turning slowly away from the
window, caught sight of that something on the table. Half a dozen loose
sheets of paper covered with Jasper's clear, minute handwriting. Like a
sleepwalker Rosemary went to the table and picked up the sheets. The
shades of evening were drawing in, and the heavy grey clouds in the sky
blotted out the remaining rags of daylight. With the papers in her hand
Rosemary went out on the balcony. She had the feeling that while she
read she must have the pure, storm-laden air about her. She had not
turned away from these notes of Jasper's in horror. She had not closed
her ears to the record of his words. She knew quite well what was
written on these sheets of paper, and deliberately she sat down and
began to read.
The political and economic situation of Transylvania was stated in these
brief notes with remarkable lucidity. Jasper's clear, unemotional
outlook on the administration of the conquered country was set forth
without any imagery or attempt at style. Even the obvious bias in favour
of the ruling Government was tempered by sound logic and a certain
measure of indulgent toleration for the other side. Rosemary read the
notes through twice very carefully. She could hear Jasper's voice in
every sentence, feel his presence while she read. Long after she had
finished reading she sat there quite still, with the sheets of paper
lying on her lap and her hands folded over them. She marvelled whether
she was quite sane. Jasper had said at one moment that this terrible
impasse might overcloud her brain. Well, perhaps it had done that
already, and she could no longer distinguish right from wrong through
the clouds.
Evening closed in about her. The garden down below became a blur,
through which white, starry flowers blinked up at her, and with their
placidity mocked the turmoil which was rending her soul. The
thunder-clouds were drawing nearer; they hung like lead over the
mountains. The pine trees like dark sentinels shivered at times under a
sudden gust of wind, and from time to time a pale reflex of distant
lightning lit the sky above the valley.
Rosa came presently into the room and turned on the lights; she inquired
anxiously whether the gracious lady would not come in, as it was raining
already and the storm would be breaking very soon. Then only did
Rosemary become conscious that her hair and her dress were wet. Heavy
drops, the size of a shilling, were falling, but she had not noticed
them before.
She came in and quite mechanically she locked the papers up in her
dressing-case. She asked Rosa what the time was, and whether dinner
would be at the usual time. Yes, dinner would be at eight o'clock as
usual, and it was now past seven. Rosa asked if the gracious lady would
like to change her dress.
The rest of the evening was like a dream. Elza presided at dinner and
she and Jasper did most of the talking--that is to say, Elza asked
innumerable questions to which Jasper gave long replies, with forced
cheerfulness. Maurus, it seemed, was better. The doctor was coming again
the last thing at night, but the patient was much calmer, had taken some
nourishment in the way of milk, and had slept for an hour. Elza,
self-possessed, wonderful as usual, lingered over dessert. She poured
out coffee, offered liqueur and cigarettes. For her, hospitality and its
duties were a religion; she would as soon have neglected them as a
devout Catholic would have neglected confession. The very fact that they
cost her an effort made them all the more imperative and in a way
comforting.
At ten o'clock Rosemary found herself once more alone in her room.
Jasper had kissed her tenderly when he bade her good night. Only when
she did find herself alone did Rosemary realize how much she had dreaded
this good night. She knew that she had no reserve of strength left to
stand one of Jasper's savage outbursts of passion; to-night of all
nights she would have gone down under it like the tuberoses below her
window under the lashing of the storm.
The rain beat against the window-panes, terrific crashes of thunder
followed one another in close succession, and every few minutes the sky
seemed rent right through with blinding flashes of lightning. The heat
was nearly intolerable through this almost tropical storm. Rosemary had
dismissed Rosa. She undid her hair, which clung damp against her
forehead and the back of her neck, and clad only in chemise and
petticoat, with bare arms and neck, and bare feet thrust into slippers,
she sat down at the table with Jasper's notes before her, and read them
through once more.
After that she searched through the chest of drawers for a bundle of
manuscript paper, and taking up her fountain-pen she began to write. She
had Jasper's notes in front of her, and she put them, as he had
suggested, into her well-known, picturesque language. She enlarged upon
them, amplified them, always keeping his suggestions as a background for
her own statements.
For hours she sat there writing. It was the longest spell of
uninterrupted work that she had ever accomplished, but she was not even
conscious of fatigue. The storm raged for a while longer, but she did
not hear it. Only the heat worried her, and from time to time she mopped
her forehead and the back of her neck with her handkerchief.
The storm passed by, and the air became very still as slowly the dawn
chased away the night. The waning moon peeped through the clouds, only
to melt away in the translucent ether; one by one the birds awoke, shook
their wet feathers and called to their mates. But not until she had
written the last line did Rosemary rise from the table. Then she put her
papers together, put a clip through them, arranged Jasper's notes
separately, and locked up both sets in her dressing-case.
After that she put on a wrap and threw open the window. The clock in her
room struck five. She had been writing for six hours! The task was done.
There it stood ready, and Elza should decide. In this Jasper had been
quite right--wasn't he always right? It was for Elza to decide. Her
son's life on the one hand, her people's welfare on the other. It was
for her to decide. Philip was her son, the oppressed people of
Transylvania her kindred. Jasper was quite right. Let Elza decide.
And after Rosemary had saturated her lungs with the pure air of the
morning, she went to bed and slept soundly, heavily, until Rosa came
into her room later on with her breakfast.
And when, presently, Jasper came in, Rosemary was able to greet him with
a smile which was not altogether forced. She was able to return his
kiss, and after awhile to tell him what she had done.
"The articles are written," she said, "and ready for publication. I have
even written a covering letter and addressed the envelope to the editor
of the _Times_, asking him kindly to arrange for their publication at
the earliest possible date. But before I put the articles in the post, I
shall give them to Elza to read. She shall decide if they are to go. You
were quite right, dear," she added, and looked Jasper quite frankly,
unwaveringly, in the eyes. "It is a matter for Elza to decide."