I am not going to describe the wedding in this Journal. A civil ceremony
is not interesting in its baldness. I had literally no emotions, and
Alathea looked as pale as her white frock. She wore a little sable toque
and a big sable cloak I had sent her the night before, by Nelson. The
ring was the new diamond hoop set in platinum. No more gold fetters for
modern girls!
Old George and Mr. Nelson were our witnesses, and the whole thing was
over in a few minutes, and we were being congratulated. Burton was by
far the happiest face there, as he helped me into the automobile, lent
by the Embassy. Alathea had just shaken hands with Mr. Nelson and been
wished joy by George. I wonder what he thought of the glasses, which
even for the wedding she had not taken off!
"May you know every happiness, Lady Thormonde," he said. "Take care of
Nicholas and make him quite well, he is the best fellow on earth."
Alathea thanked him coldly. He is such a citizen of the world that he
showed no surprise, and finally we were off on our way to the flat.
Here Madame Bizot and her daughter, and the baby, awaited us! And in the
creature's tiny hand was a bunch of violets. This was the first time
Alathea smiled. She bent and kissed the wee face. These people know and
love her. I stayed behind a few moments to express my substantial
appreciation of their friendly interest. Burton had been beside the
chauffeur to help me in and out, and while we had been driving Alathea
had not spoken a word. She had turned from me, and her little body was
drawn back as far in the corner as possible.
My own emotions were queer. I did not feel actually excited. I felt just
as I used when we were going to take up a new position on the line where
great watchfulness would be necessary to succeed.
The maid Alathea had engaged arrived in the morning, and I had had the
loveliest flowers put in all the rooms. Pierre intended to outdo himself
for the wedding _déjeuner_, I knew, and Burton had been able to find
somewhere a really respectable looking footman, not too obviously
wounded.
Alathea handed me my crutch as we got out of the lift. Perhaps she
thinks this is going to be one of her new duties!
We went straight into the sitting-room and I sat down in my chair. Her
maid, named Henriette, had taken her cloak and hat in the hall, and I
suppose from sheer nervousness, and to cover the first awkward moments,
Alathea buried her face in the big bowl of roses on a table near another
arm chair, before she sat down in it.
"What lovely flowers!" she said. They were the first words she had
spoken to me directly.
"I wondered what would be your favorites. You must tell me for the
future. I just had roses because they happen to be mine."
"I like roses best too."
I was silent for quite two minutes. She tried to keep still, then I
spoke, and I could hear a tone of authority in my voice.
"Alathea, again I ask you please to remove your glasses, as I told you
before, I know that you wear them only so that I may not see your eyes,
not for sight or light or anything. To keep them on is a little
undignified and ridiculous now, and irritates me very much."
She colored and straightened herself.
"To remove my glasses was not part of the bargain. You should have made
it a condition if you had wanted to impose it. I do not admit that you
have the least right to ask me to take them off, and I prefer to wear
them."
"For what possible reason?"
"I will not tell you."
I felt my temper rising. If I had not been a cripple I could not have
resisted the temptation to rise and seize her in my arms, tear the d----
d things off! and punish her with a thousand kisses. As it was, I felt
an inward rage. What a fool I had been not to have actually made the
removal of them a _sine qua non_ before I signed the contract!
"It is very ungenerous of you, and shows a spirit of hostility which I
think we agreed that you would drop."
Silence.
The desire to punish her physically, beat her, make her obey me, was the
only thing I felt. A nice emotion for a wedding day!
"Do you mean to wear them all the time, even when we go out in the
world?" I asked when I could control my voice.
"Probably."
"Very well then, I consider you are breaking the bargain in spirit, if
not in the letter. You, yourself, said you were going to be my permanent
secretary--no secretary in the world would insist upon doing something
she knew to be a great irritation to her employer."
Silence.
"You are only lowering yourself in my estimation by showing this
obstinacy. Since we have now to live together, I would rather not have
to grow to despise you for childishness."
She started to her feet, and with violence threw the glasses on to the
table. Her beautiful eyes flashed at me; the lashes are that peculiar
curly kind, not black, but soft and dusky, a little lighter near the
skin. It is the first time I have ever seen such eyelashes on a woman's
lids. One sees them quite often on little boys, especially little
vagabonds in the street. The eyes themselves are intensely blue, and
with everything of passion and magnetism, and attraction, in them. It is
no wonder she wore glasses while having to face the world by herself! A
woman with eyes like that would not be safe alone in any avocation where
men could observe her. I have never seen such expressive, fascinating
eyes in my life. I thrilled in every fibre of my being, and with triumph
also to think that our first battle should be won!
"Thank you," I said, making my voice very calm. "I had grown so to
respect your balance and serenity, I should have been sorry to have to
change my opinion."
I could see that she was palpitating with fury at having been made to
obey. I felt it wise to turn the conversation.
"I suppose lunch will be ready soon."
She went towards the door then, and left me. I wondered what she would
say when she got to her room and found the three sapphire bangles
waiting for her on the dressing table!