FAUVETTE
Thus it happened that Penelope and Captain Herrick did not descend to
the flower-spread supper room where dancing and good cheer awaited the
gay company, but remained in Roberta's black and gold apartment, two
lovers swept along by powers of fate far beyond their control, and now
facing the greatest emotional moment of their lives.
The catastrophe came gradually, yet at the end with startling
suddenness.
At first, when they were alone, Penelope seemed to recover from her
distress and began to talk naturally and serenely, as if her preceding
agitations were forgotten. She told Christopher that Dr. Owen's wise
counsels had reassured her, and she now felt confident that her bad
dreams and other disturbing symptoms would soon leave her.
"You see something has conquered all my sadness, all my fears," she
looked at him shyly.
For a moment he sat motionless, drinking in her splendid beauty, then he
leaned towards her impulsively and spoke one word that carried all the
devotion of his soul: "Penelope!"
"Dear boy!" she murmured, her voice thrilling, and a moment later he had
clasped her in his arms.
"You're mine! You love me! Thank God!"
But she disengaged herself gently, there was something she wished to
say. She would not deny her love, her great love for him. She realized
that she had loved him from the first. Her resistance had been part of
her illness--it was not coquetry, he must not think that. Now her eyes
were opened and her heart was singing with joy. She was the happiest
woman in the world at the thought that she was to be his wife.
"My darling! How I love you!" exclaimed Christopher, drawing her towards
him, his lips seeking hers.
"No--no," Penelope's voice was so serious, so full of alarm that her
lover instantly obeyed. He drew away from her with a hurt, puzzled
expression in his eyes. Very gravely Penelope went on. "I love you, too,
my darling, but I must ask you to make me a solemn promise. I shall be
most unhappy if you refuse. I want you to promise not to kiss
me,--as--as lovers kiss, passionately, ardently, until after we are
married."
"But, Pen, you--can't mean that seriously?"
With a wistful little smile she assured him that she did mean it most
seriously.
In vain he protested. "But why? It's so absurd! Why shouldn't I kiss you
when I love you better than anything in the world."
"Chris, please, _please_ don't talk like that. You must trust me and do
what I ask. You must, dear!"
A pathetic earnestness in her tone and a strange look in her eyes made
Christopher forget his privileges, and he made the promise.
"Thank you, dear. Now I must tell you something else," she went on. "I
must explain why I was so disturbed when Kendall Brown read those words
from my diary. I _must_ tell you what they meant."
But a masterful gesture from Herrick stopped her. He did not wish to
know anything about this. He trusted her entirely, he approved of her
entirely, they must never speak of these old sad things again.
Tears of gratitude suddenly filled her eyes.
"Take this, dear, it belonged to my mother," she said fondly and gave
him a circlet of twisted dolphins and he put it on his finger. Then he
gave her a brown seal ring, engraved with old Armenian characters.
"I got it in Constantinople, Pen. It's a talisman. It will bring us
luck."
They talked on, forgetful of the supper party downstairs, until a waiter
came with cocktails and champagne that Roberta had sent up, but Penelope
would have none of these, saying that her love was too great to need
stimulation.
"I must drink to your health, dear," said Herrick, and pouring out the
bubbling liquid, he offered her a glass, but she shook her head.
"No? Not even a sip? All right, sweetheart. I'll pledge you the finest
toast in the world," he lifted his goblet. "My love! My wife!"
As Christopher set down his glass and turned to clasp his beloved in his
arms, he realized that there was a curious change in her face, a subtle,
an almost indistinguishable change--the sweet radiance had gone. It was
the word _wife_ that had stabbed Penelope with unforgettable memories
and brought back her impulse to confess. Once more she tried to tell the
story of that tragic steamboat, but Christopher firmly and
good-naturedly refused to listen. Whatever she had done, her life had
been a hundred times finer and nobler than his. Not that he had any
great burden on his conscience, but--well--With a chivalrous idea of
balancing scores, he mentioned that there had been one or two things
that--er--and his embarrassment grew.
Penelope's eyes caressed him. "I'm so glad, Chris, if there is something
for me to forgive. Is it--is it a woman story?"
"Well, yes."
"Tell me. I won't misjudge you, dear," she spoke confidently, although a
shadow of pain flitted across her face. Then he began to tell of a hotel
flirtation--a young woman he had met one night in Philadelphia. She
wasn't so very pretty, but--her husband had treated her like the devil
and--she was very unhappy and--they had rather a mad time together.
Christopher spoke in brief, business-like sentence's as if desiring to
get through with a painful duty, but Penelope pressed him for details.
"What was her name--her first name?"
"Katherine."
"Did you have supper with her--did she drink?"
"Yes."
"Was she--how shall I say it?--an alluring woman? Did she have a pretty
figure?"
The soldier looked at his sweetheart in surprise and, without answering,
he struck a match and meditatively followed the yellow flame as it
consumed the wood. Penelope watched his well-shaped, well-kept hands.
"Did she?"
"I--I suppose so. What difference does that make? Do you mind if I
smoke?"
"Of course not." She took a cigarette from his silver case. "I'll have
one with you--from the same match! _Voilà!_" She inhaled deeply and blew
out a grey cloud. "Tell me more about Katherine."
His frown deepened.
"Poor woman! She was reckless. I am sure she had never done a thing like
this before. I hadn't either. I don't mean that I've been an angel, Pen,
but--" he paused, then, with a flash of self-justification: "I give you
my word of honor, in the main I have not done that sort of thing."
She caught his hand impulsively. "I know you haven't. I'm so glad. Now I
_will_ drink to--to you." She rose and stood before him, a lithe young
creature vibrant with life. "Touch your glass to mine. My dear boy! My
Christopher!"
They drank together.
Then Herrick resumed his explanation. "I must tell you a little more,
darling. You see I was sorry for this woman, her story was so pathetic.
I wanted to help her, if I could, not to harm her. So I suggested that
we each make a pledge to the other--"
He was intensely in earnest, but Penelope's eyes were now dancing in
mockery.
"Oh you reformer! You ridiculous boy!" she laughed.
"It's true, I assure you."
"I don't believe it. What was the pledge? No, don't tell me! Tell me if
you kept it."
He moved uneasily under her searching gaze, but did not answer.
"Did you keep your pledge?" she insisted.
"Yes."
"For how long?"
He shifted again uncomfortably.
"For several months," he began, "but I must admit--"
"No, no!" she interrupted with a swift emotional change. "Don't admit
anything. It was wicked of me to mock you. Come, we will drink to the
lady in Philadelphia! Fill the glasses! To Katherine! And poor, weak
human nature! Katherine! And all our good resolutions!"
Pen's eyes teased her lover with a gay _diablerie_ as she slowly emptied
her glass, and Herrick's heart quickened at the realization that this
beautiful woman belonged to him--she belonged to him. At the same time
he was conscious of a vague uneasiness under the increasing allurement
of her glances. Were there ever such eyes in the world? Was there ever
such a woman? Adorable as a saint, dangerous as a siren!
"There is one pledge I will never break, Pen," he said tenderly. "I'll
never fail to do every possible thing to make you happy."
"Will you take me back to Paris, Chris? I want to spend a whole year in
Paris with you. We'll go to fine hotels along the Champs Élysées, we'll
prowl through those queer places in Montmartre, remember? and once
you'll take me to a students' ball, won't you, dear? I'd love to dance
at a students' ball--_with you_!" Her eyes burned on him under
fluttering black lashes--such long curling lashes! "Let's drink to
Paris--_toi et moi, tous les deux ensemble, pas?_ Come!" She snatched up
her glass again and emptied it quickly.
A spirit of wild gaiety and abandon had caught Penelope--there was no
restraining her. They must sit on the divan under that dull blue light,
and talk of their love--their wonderful love that had swept aside all
barriers--while she smoked another cigarette. Christopher forgot to be
afraid--he, too, was young! _Vive la joie!_
She nestled close to him against the pillows and, as they talked in low
tones, he drew her closer, breathing the perfume of her hair. She caught
his hand and clung to it, then slowly, restlessly, her fingers moved
along his arm.
"My love! My love!" she whispered.
"Sweetheart!" he looked deep into her soul, his heart pounding
furiously.
"It was horrid of me, Chris, to make you promise--that," she bent close
offering him her lips.
"Promise what?" he asked unsteadily.
"Oh, Chris," she whispered and her soft form seemed to envelope him. "I
am yours, yours!"
Then silence fell in the room while she pressed her eager mouth to his.
"Penelope!" he thrilled deliriously.
"Don't call me Penelope. It's so prim and old fashioned. I told you what
to call me--Fauvette. That's the name I like. Fauvette! I am your
Fauvette. Say it."
Her eyes consumed him.
Christopher realized his danger, but he was powerless against the spell
of her beauty.
"My Fauvette!" he caught her in his arms.
"Ah! Ah! _Mon cheri!_ Wait!" Swiftly she turned off the lights, then
darted back to him in the darkness.
At this moment of supreme crisis the door of the apartment opened slowly
and, as the light streamed in, a figure entered that came like a gentle
radiance. It was Seraphine.