_A Woman Scorned_
Jane afterward told us just what happened in that compartment of the
carrier, and I think that for the continuity of my narration I had
best relate it now.
The cubby room was small, not much over six feet wide, and twelve
feet long. There was a single small door to the corridor, and two
small windows. A couch stood by them; there were two low chairs, and
a small bench-like table.
Tolla made Jane as comfortable as possible. Food was at hand; Tolla,
after an hour or two served it at the little table, eating the meal
with Jane, and sitting with her on the couch where they could gaze
through the windows.
To Jane this girl of another world was at once interesting,
surprising and baffling. Jane could only look upon her as an enemy.
In Jane's mind there was no thought save that we must escape, and
frustrate Tako's attack upon New York; and she was impulsive,
youthful enough to think something might be contrived.
At all events, she saw Tolla in the light of an enemy who might be
tricked into giving information.
Jane admits that her ideas were quite as vague as our own when it
came to planning anything definite.
She at first studied Tolla, who seemed as young as herself and
perhaps in her own world, was as beautiful. And within an hour or
two she was surprised at Tolla's friendliness. They had dined
together, gazed through the windows at the speeding shadows of the
strange world sliding past; they had dozed together on the couch.
During all this they could have been schoolgirl friends. Not captor
and captive upon these strange weird circumstances of actuality, but
friends of one world. And in outward aspect Tolla could fairly well
have been a cultured girl of our Orient.
* * * * *
Then Jane got a shock. She tried careful questions. And Tolla
skillfully avoided everything that touched in any way upon Tako's
future plans. Yet her apparent friendliness, and a certain girlish
volubility continued.
And then, at one point, Tolla asked:
"Are you beautiful in Bermuda?"
"Why, yes," said Jane. "I guess so."
"I am beautiful in my world. Tako has said so."
"You love him, don't you?" Jane said abruptly.
"Yes. That is true." There was no hint of embarrassment. Her pale
blue eyes stared at Jane, and she smiled a little quizzically. "Does
it show so quickly upon my face that you saw it at once? I am called
Tolla because I am pledged soon to enter Tako's harem."
Upon impulse Jane put her arm around the other girl as they sat on
the couch. "I think he is very nice."
But she saw it was an error. The shadow of a frown came upon Tolla's
face; a glint of fire clouded her pale, serene eyes.
"He will be the greatest man of his world," she said quietly.
* * * * *
There was an awkward silence. "The harem, I am told," Jane said
presently, "is one of your customs." She took a plunge. "And Tako
told us why they want our Earth girls. There was one of my friends
stolen from Bermuda--"
"And yet you call him very nice," Tolla interrupted with sudden
irony. "Girls are frank in our world. But you are not. What did you
mean by that?"
"I was trying to be friendly," said Jane calmly. "You had just said
you loved him."
"But you do not love him?"
It took Jane wholly back. "Good Heavens, no!"
"But he--might readily love you?"
"I hope not!" Jane tried to laugh, but the idea itself was so
frightening to her that the laugh sounded hollow. She gathered her
wits. This girl was jealous. Could she play upon that jealousy?
Would Tolla perhaps soon want her to escape? The idea grew. Tolla
might even some time soon come to the point of helping her escape.
Jane said carefully, "I suppose I was captured with the idea of
going into someone's harem. Was that the idea?"
"I am no judge of men's motives," said Tolla curtly.
"Tako said as much as that," Jane persisted. "But not necessarily
into his harem. But if it should be his, why would you care? Your
men divide their love--"
"I would care because Tako may give up his harem," Tolla interrupted
vehemently. "He goes into this conquest for power--for wealth--because
soon he expects to rule all our world and band it together into a
nation. He has always told me that I might be his only wife--some
day--"
* * * * *
She checked herself abruptly and fell into a stolid silence. It made
Jane realize that under the lash of emotion Tolla would talk freely.
But Jane could create no further opportunity then, for Tako suddenly
appeared at their door. The girls had been together now some hours.
Don and I were at this time asleep.
He stood now at the girl's door. "Tolla, will you go outside a
moment? I want to talk to this prisoner alone." And, interpreting
the look which both girls flung at him, he added, "The door remains
open. If she wants you back, Tolla, she will call."
Without a word Tolla left the compartment. But Jane saw on her face
again a flood of jealousy.
Tako seated himself amiably. "She has made you comfortable?"
"Yes."
"I am glad."
He passed a moment of silence. "Have you been interested in the
scene outside the window?" he added.
"Yes. Very."
"A strange sight. It must seem very strange to you. This traveling
through my world--"
"Did you come to tell me that?" she interrupted.
He smiled. "I came for nothing in particular. Let us say I came to
get acquainted with you. My little prisoner--you do not like me, do
you?"
She tried to meet his gaze calmly. This was the first time Jane had
had opportunity to regard Tako closely. She saw now the aspect of
power which was upon him. His gigantic stature was not clumsy, for
there was a lean, lithe grace in his movements. His face was
handsome in a strange foreign fashion. He was smiling now; but in
the set of his jaw, his wide mouth, there was an undeniable cruelty,
a ruthless dominance of purpose. And suddenly she saw the
animal-like aspect of him; a thinking, reasoning, but ruthless,
animal.
"You do not like me, do you?" he repeated.
* * * * *
She forced herself to reply calmly, "Why should I? You abduct my
friends. There is a girl named Eunice Arton whom you have stolen.
Where is she?"[7]
[7] Neither Eunice Arton, nor any of the stolen girls, have
ever been heard from since. Like the thousands of men, women
and children who met their death in the attack upon New
York, Eunice Arton was a victim of these tragic events.
He shrugged. "You could call that the fortunes of war. This is
war--"
"And you," she said, "are my enemy."
"Oh, I would not go so far as to say that. Rather would I call
myself your friend."
"So that you will return me safely? And also Bob Rivers, and my
cousin, Don--you will return us safely as you promised?"
"Did I promise? Are you not prompting words from my lips?"
Jane was breathless from fear, but she tried not to show it.
"What are you going to do with us?" she demanded. There is no woman
who lacks feminine guile in dealing with a man; and in spite of her
terror Jane summoned it to her aid.
"You want me to like you, Tako?"
"Of course I do. You interest me strangely. Your beauty--your
courage--"
"Then if you would be sincere with me--"
"I am; most certainly I am."
"You are not. You have plans for me. I told Tolla I supposed I was
destined for someone's harem. Yours?"
It startled him. "Why--" He recovered himself and laughed. "You
speak with directness." He suddenly turned solemn. He bent toward
her and lowered his voice; his hand would have touched her arm, but
she drew away.
"In very truth, ideas are coming to me, Jane. I will be, some day
soon, the greatest man of my world. Does that attract you?"
"N-no," she said, stammering.
"I wish that it would," he said earnestly. "I do of reality wish
that it would. I will speak plainly, and it is in a way that Tako
never spoke to woman before. I have found myself, these last hours,
caring very much for your good opinion of me. That is surprising."
* * * * *
She stared at him with sudden fascination mingled with her fear. He
seemed for this moment wholly earnest and sincere. An attractive
sort of villain, this handsome giant, turned suddenly boyish and
naive.
"That is surprising," Tako repeated.
"Is it?"
"Very. That I should care what any woman thinks of me, particularly
a captive girl--but I do. And I realize, Jane, that our marriage
system is very different from yours. Repugnant to you, perhaps. Is
it?"
"Yes," she murmured. His gaze held her; she tried to shake it off,
but it held her.
"Then I will tell you this: I have always felt that the glittering
luxury of a large harem is in truth a very empty measure of man's
greatness. For Tako there will be more manly things. The power of
leadership--the power to rule my world. When I got that idea, it
occurred to me also that for a man like me there might be some one
woman--to stand alone by my side and rule our world."
His hand touched her arm, and though she shuddered, she left it
there. Tako added with a soft vibrant tenseness. "I am beginning to
think that you are that woman."
There was a sound in the corridor outside the door--enough to cause
Tako momentarily to swing his gaze. It broke the spell for Jane;
with a shock she realized that like a snake he had been holding her
fascinated. His gaze came back at once, but now she shook off his
hand from her arm.
"Tolla told me you--you said something like that to her," Jane said
with an ironic smile.
It angered him. The earnestness dropped from him like a mask. "Oh,
did she? And you have been mocking me, you two girls?"
* * * * *
He stood up, his giant length bringing his head almost to the
vaulted ceiling of the little compartment. "What degradation for
Tako that women should discuss his heart."
His frowning face gazed down at Jane; there was on it now nothing to
fascinate her; instead, his gaze inspired terror.
"We--we said nothing else," she stammered.
"Say what you like. What is it to me? I am a man, and the clatter of
women's tongues is no concern of mine."
He strode to the door. From over his shoulder he said, "What I shall
do with you I have not yet decided. If Tolla is interested, tell her
that."
"Tako, let me--I mean you do not understand--"
But he was gone. Jane sat trembling. A sense of defeat was on her.
Worse than that, she felt that she had done us all immeasurable
harm. Tako's anger might react upon Don and me. As a matter of fact,
if it did he concealed it, for we saw no change in his attitude.
Tolla rejoined Jane within a moment. If Tako spoke to her outside
Jane did not know it. But she was at once aware that the other girl
had been listening; Tolla's face was white and grim. She came in,
busied herself silently about the room.
Jane turned from the window. "You heard us, Tolla?"
"Yes, I heard you! You with your crooked look staring at him--"
"Why, Tolla, I did not!"
"I saw you! Staring at him so that he would think you beautiful!
Asking him, with a boldness beyond that of any woman I could ever
imagine--asking him if he planned you for his harem!"
* * * * *
She stood over Jane, staring down with blazing eyes. "Oh, I heard
you! And I heard him telling you how noble are his motives! One
woman, just for him!"
"But, Tolla--"
"Do not lie to me! I heard him sneering at me--telling you of this
one woman just for him! And you are that woman! Hah! He thinks that
now, does he? He thinks he will make you love him as I love him. As
I love him! And what does he know of that! What woman's love can
mean!"
"Tolla! Don't be foolish. I didn't--I never had any desire to--"
"What do your desires concern me? He thinks he will win you with
tales of his conquests! A great man, this Tako, because he will
devastate New York!"
This was the fury of a woman scorned. She was wholly beside herself,
her words tumbling, incoherent, beyond her will, beyond her
realization of what she was saying.
"A great conquest to make you love him! With his giant projector he
will subdue New York! Hah! What a triumph! But it is the weapon's
power, not his! He and all his army--these great brave and warlike
men--why I alone with that weapon could turn--"
She stopped abruptly. The red flush of frenzied anger drained from
her cheeks.
Jane leaped to her feet. "What do you mean? With that giant
projector--"
But Tolla was standing frozen, with all her anger gone and horror at
what she had said flooding her.
"What do you mean, Tolla?" insisted Jane, seizing her. "What could
you do with that giant projector?"
"Let me go!" Tolla tried to jerk away.
"I won't let you go! Tell me what you were going to say!"
"Let me go!" Tolla got one hand loose and struck Jane in the face.
But Jane again seized the wrist. In the scuffle they overturned a
chair.
"I won't let you go until you--"
And then Tako, Don and I, hearing the uproar, burst in upon them.
Jane let go her hold, and Tolla broke into sobs, and sank to the
floor.
And both of them were sullen and silent under our questioning.