FOUL PLAY?
The two men turned quickly round. The light of the lamp fell on the
black dress of the woman and sparkled on her diamonds. Her arms hung
down by her side. Both hands were clenched. She advanced with a
steady, slow step, her eyes firmly fixed on Dr. Santley's face. She
did not glance at Paulton. She did not glance at the couch.
"You were long," she said, in a slow, constrained voice, "and I came
in to know."
She rested the tips of the fingers of one hand on the table and kept
her eyes fixed on the doctor.
"I think," said Santley, placing himself between her and the couch,
"that it would be better if we went into some other room."
"We cannot; this must serve. All the other rooms are locked up,
except my bed room, and my husband has the keys."
Her voice did not falter.
"Has Mr. ----, your husband, been long ill?"
"My husband's name is Louis Davenport. He has been ill a long
time--years. He has been suffering from spasmodic asthma. I can
gather from your manner that there is no hope."
Her voice was firm and clear. No feature moved but the beautiful,
flexible mouth, of which the lips were as full of colour as ever.
"May I beg of you to be seated?" Dr. Santley left the position he had
occupied and handed her a chair. She sank on it without speaking. She
rested one of her arms on the table. He went on: "Mrs. Davenport, I
am afraid the worst must be faced."
"The worst!" she cried, rising and looking wildly at him, her voice
now coming in a terrified whisper from between her lips, which at the
moment lost their colour. "The worst! What do you mean by the worst?
What do you know of the worst?"
Her face showed intense eagerness, mingled with intense fear.
"I am very sorry to be obliged to give you bad news."
"And it is?" with still greater eagerness and fear.
"That Mr. Davenport will not recover."
"That he is dead?" leaning forward on the back of her chair towards
him.
"Unhappily, yes."
"Of his old disease?"
She still kept her eyes on Santley's face.
"Perhaps. Did he complain to-night?"
"Yes; he said he was too ill to think of lying down."
"He used, no doubt, to inhale chloroform when the spasms were bad?"
"Always."
"Yes, I got the smell of chloroform. Well, one of these spasms may
have been too severe; and now you know the worst, Mrs. Davenport."
She sat down on her chair and seemed about to faint. There was wine
on the table. Santley poured some into a glass and made her drink it.
After a while she became composed, and the look of eagerness and
dread disappeared wholly from her face, and the red returned to her
lips.
She was the first to speak. Her voice had regained all its old, firm
serenity. Her face was calm and commanding. She looked, once more as
though neither the onslaught of battle nor the wreck of worlds could
disturb her.
"You, sir," she said, once more addressing Santley, "I have to thank
for your promptness in coming at this hour to one whom you never even
heard of before. And"--turning to Paulton--"I have to thank you most
sincerely for your kindness in summoning the doctor for me in my
extremity."
Each man protested he had in this matter done no more than his duty,
and both said they sympathised with her in the awful calamity which
had fallen upon her.
She bowed her head in acknowledgment of their kind-hearted speeches,
and went on:
"I am, I may say, alone in the world and without a friend in London.
I am now, or shall be when you go, alone in this house. I do not know
what is to be done in a case of this kind. For a long time I have
been aware my husband might die at any moment. But now that this has
happened, I find myself as unprepared for it as though the
possibility of his death had never before entered my mind. I would
therefore ask you to add to the favours you have already conferred by
telling me what I ought to do in the morning."
She spoke in the most measured and deliberate way. It was plain she
did not want to excite compassion. Her manner went so far as to imply
that she would resent expressions of condolence. She seemed to wish
the two men would regard her simply as an inexperienced woman
confronted by an unexpected difficulty, and that they would confine
themselves to the business aspect of the affair.
Santley and Paulton looked at one another inquiringly.
"It will be impossible for you to stay by yourself in this house
to-night," said Paulton, who was completely subjugated by her regal
beauty, her sudden misfortune, and her forlorn plight.
"But what am I to do?" she asked, turning to him. "It is too late or
too early to look for ordinary help; and if I could get a person to
come and stay with me, this place is not fit to receive any one."
Paulton was overwhelmed by this speech and the contemplation of the
scene before him. Here was the most superb woman he had ever seen in
his life alone in this house of chaos by night with the dead body of
her husband, who had spoken to her but a few hours ago. She could not
live here by herself till daylight. It would drive her mad, or would
kill her. It would be little short of murder to leave her as she was.
He could see plainly that her present calmness was artificial, and
that when the need for self-restraint caused by the presence of two
strangers was removed, she would break down utterly, collapse--in all
likelihood die. He knew that when highly strung natures break down at
all they break down more completely than any others. Then he knew
that his father and mother were the most kind-hearted and neighbourly
people alive, and that if they only heard of the hideous position in
which this woman was, they would hasten to her assistance. No doubt
the hour--it must now be past two--was most awkward; but if it was
awkward for the succourer, how much more awkward for any one in need
of help.
All this ran through his mind in a moment. He resolved to act; then
he spoke:
"Mrs. Davenport, my father and mother live close by, only a few
houses off. I am sure they will be greatly pleased and take it as a
kindness if you will come up there to-night. I could send down the
coachman to stay here. He is a most good-natured and trustworthy
man."
Dr. Santley gave Paulton a peculiar look, of which the latter could
make nothing.
"What!" she said. "At such an hour! I could not think of it."
"I can assure you," persisted Paulton, "it will not cause any
inconvenience. My mother does not in the least mind getting up. I am
perfectly certain both my father and mother would be greatly
displeased with me if I did not do everything in my power to induce
you to come."
He glanced at Santley for encouragement, and again found the
incomprehensible expression on the doctor's face.
She seemed to hesitate. She looked down at her soft, round arm lying
on the table.
"It is most considerate of you to make me such an offer, and if I
felt perfectly sure your mother would not regard it as a very
inconvenient intrusion, I should be disposed to accept it."
"Believe me, Mrs. Davenport, I am not exaggerating in the slightest
degree when I say that my mother would be displeased with me if I
omitted any argument likely to influence you. I appeal to Dr.
Santley. He will tell you that my mother is most sympathetic. What do
you say, doctor?"
"I am sure I know of no one of kindlier nature than Mrs. Paulton,"
said the doctor.
The face of Santley was now expressionless, the eyes of Mrs.
Davenport were fixed on him.
"I will go," she said, and rose. She walked slowly down the side of
the table until she reached the elbow of the couch. She bent over the
drooped head, kissed the forward-leaning forehead, and then went back
to the door, and as she left the room said: "I shall be ready
immediately. I do not like to go upstairs. I have a cloak and bonnet
in the hall. Please bring the light here a moment."
"Will you wait until I come back?" said Paulton to Santley,
as he passed him by carrying the lamp. "I will not be more than
half-an-hour."
"I'll wait for you," said the doctor.
In a few seconds Paulton replaced the lamp on the table, and then
Mrs. Davenport and he left the house.
As soon as the sound of their footfalls had died away, the doctor
once more approached the recumbent figure.
"I wish," he thought, "Paulton had not been so enthusiastic in his
invitation. As a rule, spasmodic asthma does not kill directly. A
little chloroform is not a bad thing in spasmodic asthma; but too
much chloroform is a bad thing, and there has been too much here.
Why, it's all over the beard, and shirt, and waistcoat! She looks as
if she could do anything. I hope this is not a case of foul play."