On the following morning Nina did not descend the stairs till she had
heard the car leave the house. The strain of the previous night's
interview had told upon her. She felt that she had not the resolution to
face such another.
The heat was intense. She remembered with regret that she had promised
to attend a charitable bazaar in the City that afternoon. Somehow she
could summon no relish either for that or the prospect of the theatre
with Archie at night. She wondered whither her husband had proposed to
take her, half wishing she had yielded a point to go.
She went to the bazaar, fully prepared to be bored. The first person she
saw, however, was Archie, and at once the atmosphere seemed to lighten.
He attached himself to her without a moment's delay.
"I say," he said, "send your car back! I'll take you home. I've got my
hansom here. It's much more exciting than a motor. We'll go and have
tea somewhere presently."
Nina hesitated for barely a second, then did as he required.
Archie's eyes were frankly tender. But, after all, why not? They had
known each other all their lives. She laughed at the momentary scruple
as they strolled through the bazaar together.
Archie bought her an immense fan--"to keep off the flies," as he
elegantly expressed it; and she made a few purchases herself as in duty
bound, and conversed with several acquaintances.
Then, her companion becoming importunate for departure, she declined tea
in the hall and went away with him.
Archie was enjoying himself hugely.
"Now, where would you like to go for tea?" he asked as they drove away.
"I don't care in the least," she said, "only I'm nearly dead. Let it be
somewhere close at hand."
Archie promptly decided in favour of a tea-shop in St. Paul's
Churchyard.
"I suppose you have read the morning papers?" he said, as they sat down.
"I thought your husband had something up his sleeve."
"What do you mean?" queried Nina quickly. "No, I know nothing."
Archie laughed.
"Don't you really? Well, he has made a few thousands sit up, I can tell
you. You've heard of the Crawley gold fields? Heaven knows where they
are, but that doesn't matter--somewhere in Australia of course. No one
knew anything about them till recently. Well, they were boomed
tremendously a little while ago. Your husband was the prime mover. He
went in for them largely. Everyone went for them. They held for a bit,
then your husband began to sell as fast as he could. And then, of
course, the shares went down to zero. People waited a bit, then
sold--for what they could get. No one knew who did the buying till
yesterday. My dear Nina, your husband has bought the lot. He has got the
whole concern into his hands for next to nothing. The gold fields have
turned up trumps. They stand three times as high as they ever did
before. He was behind the scenes. He merely sold to create a slump. If
he chose to sell again he could command almost any price he cared to
ask. Well, one man's loss is another man's gain. But he's as rich as
Croesus. They say there are a good many who would like to be at his
throat."
Nina listened with disgust undisguised on her face.
"How I loathe money!" she said abruptly.
"Oh, I say!" protested Archie. "You're not such an extremist as that.
Think of the host of good things that can't be done without it."
"What good things does he do?" she demanded contemptuously. "He simply
lives to heap up wealth."
"You can't say for certain that he doesn't do a few decent things when
no one's looking," suggested Archie, who liked to be fair, even to those
for whom he felt no liking. "People--rich men like that--do, you know.
Why, only last night I heard of a man--he's a West End physician--who
runs a sort of private hospital somewhere in the back slums, and
actually goes and practises there when his consulting hours are over.
Pure philanthropy that, you know. And no one but the slummers any the
wiser. They say he's simply adored among them. They go to him in all
their troubles, physical or otherwise. That's only an instance. I don't
say your husband does that sort of thing. But he may."
Nina uttered her bitter little laugh.
"You always were romantic, Archie," she said. "But I'm afraid I'm past
the romantic age. Anyhow I'm an unbeliever."
Archie gave her a keen look.
"I say--" he said, and stopped.
"Well?" Nina looked back at him questioningly.
"I beg your pardon," he said, colouring boyishly. "You won't like what I
was going to say. I think I won't say it."
"You needn't consider my feelings," she returned, "I assure you I am not
used to it."
"Oh, well," he said. "I was going to say that you talk as if he were a
beast to you. Is he?"
Nina raised her dark eyebrows and did not instantly reply. Archie
looked away from her. He felt uncomfortably that he had gone too far.
Then slowly she made answer:
"No, he is not. I think he has begun to realize that the battle is not
always to the strong."
Struck by something in her tone, Archie glanced at her again.
"Jove!" he suddenly said. "How you hate him!"
The words were out almost before he knew it. Nina's face changed
instantly. But Archie's contrition was as swift.
"Oh, I say, forgive me!" he broke in, with a persuasive hand on her arm.
"Do, if you can! I know it was unpardonable of me. I'm so awfully sorry.
You see, I--"
She interrupted hastily.
"It doesn't matter--it doesn't matter. I understand. It was quite an
excusable mistake. Please don't look so distressed! It hasn't hurt me
much. I think it would have hurt me more if it had been literally true."
The sentences ran out rapidly. She was as agitated as he. They had the
little recess to themselves, and their voices scarcely rose above a
whisper.
"Then it wasn't true?" Archie said, with a look of relief.
Nina drew back. She was not prepared to go as far as that. All her life
she had sought to be honest in her dealings.
"It hasn't come actually to that yet," she said under her breath. "But
it may--it may."
Somehow it relieved the burden that pressed upon her to be able to speak
thus openly to her life-long comrade. But Archie looked grieved, almost
shocked.
"What will you do if it does?" he asked.
"I shall leave him," she said, her face growing hard. "I think he
understands that."
There was a heavy silence between them. Then impulsively, with pure
generosity, Archie spoke.
"Nina," he said, "if you should need--help--of any sort, you know--will
you count on me?"
Nina hesitated for a moment.
"Please!" said Archie gently.
She bent her head.
"Thank you," she said. "I will."