Lovers, Yet Strangers.
Five months had passed since Alison had seen Jane for the last time, in
the elegant reception-room of her father's house, in an elegant toilet;
now the tall figure came to meet him in a dark mourning dress, in the
centre of the old-fashioned, simply-furnished apartment, which here
served as the reception-room. Was it the contrast or the long
separation? He had never seen her so beautiful.
"Pardon me, Miss Forest, for coming to visit you on my travels. Mr.
Atkins assured me I should meet a kindly reception."
Jane reached him her hand. "A countryman is always welcome." Her glance
met his; there was a wordless greeting; the only one between them;
otherwise no token, not even the slightest, betrayed that here was a
pair of betrothed lovers, who met after a half year's separation. Both
had too much control over their features, were too much accustomed to
conventional barriers, to betray a relation not yet designed for
publicity.
Jane turned to her aunt, and presented "Mr. Alison, a friend of our
family?" Frau Stephen bowed; she could not understand the confidence
and independence with which her niece received and dismissed strange
gentlemen, this girl of twenty years, who, in her opinion, should still
take refuge under her aunt's maternal wing, and at the most, only now
and then venture a timid remark. Jane, had simply transposed matters,
and assigned her aunt the silent rule. This by no means timid old lady
had begun to be wholly controlled by the influence of her niece; she
now remained passive and overwhelmed by a feeling of her entire
inconsequence.
Alison had seated himself opposite the ladies. They spoke of his
travels, of England and France, of the Rhine; but Henry's
conversational powers were not brilliant. He waited from minute to
minute, and with ever increasing impatience, for Atkins to give him an
opportunity to be alone with Jane, but Atkins appeared to feel a lively
satisfaction in his repressed vexation, and opened out the conversation
to seemingly endless limits. The young American was not the man to be
trifled with in this way; as no one came to his aid, he himself seized
the helm, and simply requested Miss Forest to allow him to give over to
her the letters and tidings from home which were designed for her
alone.
Jane arose, and with a hasty apology to her aunt, conducted the young
gentleman into the sitting-room adjoining the reception-parlor, leaving
Mr. Atkins to console the old lady for this new American freedom.
Scarce had the door closed behind them, when Alison stepped up to her,
and with a powerfully repressed, but still impassioned gesture, took
her hand in his.
"Pardon me Jane, for resorting to this awkward device! I could bear the
suspense no longer."
He held closely the beautiful, cold hand which as before lay
unresisting in his, but did not return its pressure.
"You should have chosen some less transparent device, Henry! Mr. Atkins
would, sooner or later, have found an excuse for leaving us alone. It
would of necessity have occurred to my aunt that we would prefer to
speak of home matters by ourselves."
This cool reply somewhat restrained Alison's ardor. "You seem very
much to fear lest Doctor Stephen may gain some knowledge of our mutual
relations."
"I certainly hope that he will not."
"And still it cannot be avoided."
"I believe that remains alone with us, and so much the more so as your
stay in B. is to be limited to a few days."
"Certainly! It does not appear that I have especial reasons for
lengthening my visit."
Jane felt the thrust, and thought best to waive a subject that
threatened to be dangerous.
"You will go to Paris? They are speaking of a possible war with
France."
Alison shrugged his shoulders. "I do not believe in such a possibility,
but should it come to that, I should naturally return to be at your
side and conduct you home, if the French army overflowed the Rhine
country and Germany."
"Do you really think that would happen?"
"Yes! Have you any other idea?"
Jane threw back her head with a defiant gesture. "And yet, I think we
should know how to defend our Rhine!"
"_We_? _Our_ Rhine?" repeated Alison sharply. "I thought, Miss Forest,
that hitherto it had been your pride and your glory to call yourself a
daughter of that country to which you belong in all things--save the
first brief days of your infancy."
Jane bit her lips so passionately, that a slight drop of blood came
from them. Who bade these unwary lips even here repeat a reminiscence
that would not vanish from her memory? '_We_? _Our_ Rhine?' These were
indeed not her own words, and the remembrance of that moment when she
had heard them so glowing, so inspired, from another's mouth,
involuntarily sent a deep flush to her face. She turned hastily away,
and bent over the flowers standing in the window.
Alison regarded her silently, but, intently and persistently. "It seems
that you have already imbibed German sympathies," he said at last.
"I?" With a half-angry movement, Jane turned to him. "You err, Henry! I
feel myself, even here circumscribed, exasperated. My stay here is a
daily and hourly sacrifice! It is scarcely endurable."
In spite of her self-control, there was a peculiar emotion in her
voice, and this did not escape Alison, who had always seen her so cold;
but he interpreted it falsely; his eyes suddenly lighted up with a
deep, inward satisfaction; he stepped close to her and again took her
hand.
"Well then, Jane, it lies in your power to shorten this sacrificial
period. Give me now the right you were to confer upon me after a year's
delay, and you fulfil my highest wish. In a few weeks the necessary
formalities might be arranged, and we could pursue together our
continental travels; or, if you wished, I would at once take you back
to America."
"No, Henry, no! that is impossible!"
Alison let her hand fall, and morosely stepped back, "Impossible!"
repeated he cuttingly.
"And why so?"
Jane might well feel that her almost violent refusal rendered an
explanation necessary.
"I am still in mourning for my father!" she said gently, "and in this
entire matter I simply follow his arrangements and his wishes."
"It was your wish, Jane, not Mr. Forest's, I understood, that, in the
presence of a dying father, you did not wish to be a bride; and it was
my own journey which so long deferred the time fixed upon for our
union. The one reason exists no longer; and destiny, which after months
of separation, has now united us, has done away with the other. If,
during your year of mourning, you do not wish to marry, so be it. I
will not urge you, but I implore, I demand that you no longer veil our
mutual relations in this profound secrecy; that you publicly
acknowledge yourself my betrothed, and give me the right to visit you
as your accepted suitor in the house of your relatives."