VIVIAN EXPLAINS
Major Ruck made no remark, but stood silent and motionless, ever
smiling, according to his custom. Beatrice, on the contrary, uttered an
exclamation of surprise, and ran forward to throw herself into Vivian's
arms. Suddenly she stopped.
"Do you mean what you say?" she asked, hesitating.
"I do," he replied firmly. "The obstacle I spoke of has finally been
removed, and I am free to marry you."
"Can I believe this?" murmured Beatrice, clasping her hands and looking
down doubtfully. "For a long time you held back from asking me to be
your wife, although you must have seen that I loved you. On the night
Mr. Alpenny was killed you proposed, and I accepted you."
"Ah!" said Major Ruck, smiling more broadly than ever.
"Then," continued Beatrice, still addressing Paslow, "you again changed
your mind, and said that some obstacle, which you then declared was
removed, again prevented our marriage. Now you come once more and say
much the same as you said before. How do I know but what you may change
your mind again?"
"I have never changed my mind throughout," cried Vivian impetuously;
"there was an obstacle. I thought that it was removed, and then I
discovered that it still remained: Now I have made strict inquiries,
and I learn that I am free."
"What is the obstacle?" asked Beatrice, very pale, and still doubtful.
"I can tell you that," remarked Major Ruck, changing his attitude for
the first time; "this young gentleman is married."
"I was married," said Paslow, as Beatrice shrank back with a cry of
amazement, and, as Vivian thought, of anger; "but my wife is dead."
Ruck shrugged his shoulders. "So you say!"
"So Durban says--so this death certificate says. I heard all about my
wife's illness, as I went to the house where she died. I have seen
her grave, and the doctor gave me this." He held out a certificate to
Beatrice. "Do you not believe me?"
"It is so strange," she murmured, taking the paper, and glancing at it
in a scared manner.
"And so untrue," said Major Ruck coolly.
"You lie!"
"I am not accustomed to be told that I lie," said Ruck, and his eyes
narrowed to pin-points.
Paslow turned his back on him contemptuously. "I care very little for
that," he said. "You and your creatures betrayed me into difficulties,
for which I have suffered bitterly. But now I am free, and you can harm
me no longer."
"Don't be too sure of that, Mr. Paslow."
Beatrice saw Vivian wince, and came forward. "Whatever Mr. Paslow has
done," she said, with dignity, "I am certain that he is an honourable
man."
"Bless you for those words, my darling."
Major Ruck gave a short laugh, and did not seem so good-tempered as he
had been. "An honourable man!" he repeated. "I fear if you knew all Mr.
Paslow's life, you would see fit to change your opinion."
Vivian restrained himself from violent words. "Of course you talk like
that, because it is to your interest to stop my marriage. But I trust
to a woman's instinct," and he stretched out his hands toward Beatrice
with an anxious smile.
She waved him back. "I must have an explanation first"
"Beatrice!"
"Vivian, I love you, I shall always love you; but can you expect me to
blindly believe, when I am so much in the dark as to what all these
things mean? There must be an end to these hints and mysteries. If you
really love me, you will explain fully, so that I know where I stand."
"I think I can do that," said Ruck, fondling his moustache.
"Then do so," said Paslow, throwing back his head. "We know a great
deal of one another, Major, so it may be to your interest to speak the
truth," and he looked meaningly at the other man.
"I never tell lies, unless they are necessary," said Ruck calmly. "In
this instance the truth will suit me very well."
Beatrice sat down, still holding the certificate of Mrs. Paslow's
death, which seemed to be quite in order. "I am waiting to hear the
truth," she said, "and hear it I will."
Without any invitation, Major Ruck sat down. "I may as well be
comfortable," he said lazily, and smiled in his most genial manner.
Vivian did not sit down, but stood near the window looking out at
the fair prospect unseeingly. Knowing that his past was about to be
revealed, he seemed nervous, and did not look at the girl he loved.
Major Ruck was much the coolest of the trio.
"I can tell you the truth very briefly," said Ruck, stretching out his
legs. "As I said, I was at school with Mr. Paslow's father, and also
with Alpenny. Some eight years ago this gentleman"--he glanced towards
the silent Vivian--"came to town. I did what I could to give him
pleasure, as his father was dead, and I desired to do what I could for
the son of my old friend.--That is true, I think?" he added, turning
politely to Paslow.
"You were extremely kind," said Vivian, stiffly and guardedly.
"Thank you. Mr. Paslow then had money, and I think I showed him London
very thoroughly. We had a great time."
"Pray go on with your story," said Beatrice, icily.
"Oh, it's the truth," replied Ruck, with a genial chuckle "I think Mr.
Paslow will bear me out in that."
"I have yet to hear what you have to say."
Ruck raised his eyebrows. "What can I say, save that which happened, my
dear fellow?--Mr. Paslow"--he now addressed himself to Beatrice--"met
in town at the house of a friend of mine, a certain young lady called
Maud Ellis. He fell in love with her----"
"I was trapped by a scheming woman, you mean," put in Paslow brusquely.
"Fie! fie! fie!" said Ruck good-humouredly. "Don't blame the woman, my
dear fellow; that is mean. But trapped, or not, you married her."
"I did; and found that she only married me because she thought that I
had money."
"So you should have had, and a great deal of it, but that Alpenny
managed to collar the estates. But you loved her."
"I did not, save in the way one loves such women at an early age."
"Oh!" sneered Ruck; "she was perfectly respectable."
"I should not have married her else," said Vivian quickly, and not
daring to glance at Beatrice. "I have nothing to say against her, save
that she was heartless, and left me within six months. But I repeat
that I was young and foolish at the time, and that she schemed to marry
me. I fell into her toils, and bitterly have I had to pay for doing so;
but for her I should have long ago have married Miss Hedge."
"I don't think Alpenny would have permitted that, Paslow."
"Perhaps not; but he is dead, and cannot harm me now."
"The evil that men do lives after them," scoffed Ruck. "Alpenny had the
power when alive; someone else may have the power now."
"Not you, at all events, Ruck."
Beatrice rose quickly. "Am I to hear the rest of the story?" she asked
Ruck. "Is this all you have to bring against Mr. Paslow?--that while a
young man he was entrapped into marriage by an adventuress?"
"Oh, Maud Ellis was no adventuress," said the Major, easily, "but a
very nice girl. Lady Watson knew her well."
"Lady Watson seems to know everyone," retorted Beatrice; "but who knows
Lady Watson?"
"I do, very well," said Ruck quietly; "but we are not discussing her.
Later on, should you desire to learn about her, I can supply you with
all necessary information. Meanwhile----"
"Meanwhile," repeated Beatrice, "I should like to hear what Mr. Paslow
has to say."
"What can I say?" said Vivian, with a look of despair. "I married Maud
Ellis, as I said, and she left me after six months of a miserable life.
Some times since I saw her, but she never would come back to me."
"Did you wish her?" said Beatrice quickly.
"She was my wife," said Vivian calmly, "and I wished to behave as her
husband, little as I loved her; but she always refused to come back to
me. I met you, and said nothing about my fatal marriage. There was no
need to."
"It would have been better had you been open."
"I see that now; I did not see it at the time. But you know that I
loved you always, and you know now why I did not dare to ask you to
be my wife. A few weeks ago I heard that Maud was ill. I went to
see her, and found that she was suffering from influenza. I saw her
several times: then I heard that she was dead. I proposed to you,
Beatrice, under the oak. Later on, when I went to town to look after
your property, and learn if Alpenny had done you justice, I again went
to the house, and learned that what I had heard was false. Maud was
extremely ill, but still alive. Then I came down, and you know what
took place between us. I went again and again to town, and saw the
doctor."
"And your wife also?"
"No--yes, once; but she was so ill, and my presence disturbed her so
much, that the doctor would not let me see her again. Then I went one
day, and heard that she was dead and buried."
"Why did you not go to the funeral?" asked Ruck sneeringly.
"I did not know that she was dead. I remained away from the house--it
was in Kensington--for a long time, as it was useless for me to go and
see her; and the doctor always kept me advised as to how she was going
on. However, he gave me no notice of her death, and she was buried when
I next heard news."
Beatrice expressed surprise. "But surely the doctor was wrong in not
telling you she was dying? You should have been with her."
"I should; but the doctor neglected to inform me. I had a row with him
about the matter. However, I got the certificate, which you hold, and
saw the grave; so I am now free to marry you--that is, if you will have
me after what you have heard."
Beatrice did not reply immediately to this question. "We can talk of
that when we are alone," she said, and glanced towards Ruck, who still
lounged in his chair.
"That is a hint for me to go," he said, rising lazily. "Well, I shall
go--unless you will marry me?"
"Were you the last man in the world I should not marry you," said the
girl quietly; "and I do not see why you wish to."
"We talked about that before," said Ruck, taking up his hat; "but now
that the real Prince Charming has come on the scene, I see that there
is no chance for me. I will allow you to marry Paslow----"
"Allow me!" cried Miss Hedge indignantly. "Allow me!" echoed Vivian,
clenching his fists.
"I will allow you," repeated the Major smoothly, "on condition that you
give me the Obi necklace."
"What?" asked Beatrice, starting back, "Colonel Hall's----"
"It was his property. I knew him very well," interrupted Ruck. "He gave
that necklace to Mrs. Hedge."
"To my mother? Impossible! The necklace was stolen when Colonel Hall
was murdered in this very house."
"So it was thought, but I know otherwise. Colonel Hall gave the
necklace to Mrs. Hedge, who was his cousin, just before the murder. I
learned that from Alpenny, who was in the house at the time; and that
was why Alpenny married Mrs. Hedge--he wanted the necklace. And that is
why I wished to marry you," added Ruck, smiling blandly, "as I want
the necklace. It is valued at ten thousand pounds, and Alpenny promised
to give it to you when we married."
"I don't know how much of this is true, or how much is not," said
Beatrice, looking puzzled, and pressing her hands to her head; "but
I have not got the necklace. I never knew that my stepfather had it.
There is no need for you to get angry, Major Ruck. I know nothing about
the necklace save what I heard from Mrs. Lilly; and she told me that
Colonel Hall was murdered, and the necklace was stolen."
"The necklace was given to Mrs. Hedge," said Ruck, who was now very
angry, "and Alpenny promised to give it to you. If you give it to me, I
will go out of your life and you can marry Paslow; if not, I can stop
this marriage."
"I defy you to do your worst," said Paslow savagely.
"Don't do that; it might be dangerous," said Ruck, with a meaning look.
"Well, Miss Hedge?" He turned to Beatrice.
"I know nothing about the necklace," she replied. "If you married me
you would marry a pauper. Lady Watson has Mr. Alpenny's money; and if
he did receive the necklace from my mother, he certainly never gave it
to me, or even spoke of its existence."
Ruck turned pale and looked at the ground. "Can Lady Watson have
secured it?" he muttered.
"You had better ask her. And now, Major Ruck, that I know your real
reason for wishing to marry me, I may tell you that I would willingly
have given the Obi necklace to escape such a match!" and she turned her
back on him scornfully.
The Major, notwithstanding that he was in the house, and in the
presence of a lady, put on his hat. He had quite lost his suave
manners, and looked thoroughly angry. "I shall take my leave, Miss
Hedge," he said, bowing ironically. "Marry Paslow Whenever you choose;
he is free now, as he says; but if trouble comes of your marriage, do
not say that I did not warn you."
"What trouble can come?" asked Beatrice, turning like a lioness.
"Don't say that you have not been warned," said Ruck, backing towards
the door. "As to myself, I shall search for the necklace, and get it.
Lady Watson may know of its whereabouts.--Paslow, I congratulate you on
a possible marriage----"
"You cannot stop it, Ruck," said Vivian coolly.
"Oh, I have no desire to do so. All I wanted from this lady was the Obi
necklace. As she has not got it, there is no need for me to sacrifice
my freedom. Miss Hedge, good-day; Paslow, good-day;" and with a bow,
the Major took his gigantic figure out of the room.
The two young people looked at one another in silence. "What does it
all mean?" asked Beatrice helplessly.
"You heard what Ruck said," answered Vivian. "He wanted to marry you
for the necklace. As you have not got it, he will trouble you no more."
"In any case, he would not trouble me," cried Beatrice indignantly.
"Does Major Ruck think me a child to be driven into a match about
which I care nothing? What influence can he have to make me do what he
wanted?"
"He was playing a game of bluff," said Vivian eagerly. "He cannot force
you to marry him, nor can he stop my marriage. He could have done so
before, because he knew that my wife was alive; but now that she is
dead, his power ceases. And, Beatrice"--he paused and looked down--"how
can I ask you to be my wife after what you have heard?"
The girl looked at him in silence. Had she loved him less, she might
have refused to answer his appeal. As it was, her love overcame the
momentary anger which she felt at having been kept in the dark. At once
she moved towards him, and placed her arms round his neck.
"We are all sinners," she whispered; "and I love you too well to let
you go."
"God bless you, my darling," faltered Vivian, pressing her to his
breast.
"Let the past alone," said Beatrice, kissing him. "We shall marry, and
live for one another. Look with me, Vivian, to a happy future."
"My darling--my darling!" and Paslow fell on his knees.