It was twenty-four hours later. The night of the Ardácheff ball had
come. The glorious house made the background of a festive scene. The
company waited all round the galleries for the arrival of the Grand
Dukes and the foreign King and Queen.
And Tamara stood by her godmother's side at the top of the stairs, a
strange excitement flooding her veins.
Since the night before they had heard nothing of the Prince. And as
each guest came in view, past the splendid footmen grouped like statues
on every six steps, both women watched with quickening pulses for one
insouciant Cossack face.
The Royalties arrived in a gorgeous train, and yet neither Gritzko nor
Count Varishkine.
It might mean nothing, but it was curious all the same. The opening
_contre-danse_ was in full swing, and still they never came, and by the
time of the second valse after it Tamara was a prey to a vague fear.
While the Princess' uneasiness grew more than vague.
Tamara could not enjoy herself. She talked at random, she made her
partners continually promenade through the salons, and her eyes
constantly scanned the doors.
The immense ballroom, quite two stories high, presented a brilliant
sight with its stately decorations of the time of Alexander I. And all
the magnificent jewels and uniforms, and the flowers. Somehow a riot of
roses takes an extra charm when outside the thermometer measures zero.
And no one would have believed, looking at this dignified throng, that
they could be the same people who could frolic wildly at a Bohemian
supper.
There is a great deal in breeding, after all, and the knowledge of the
fitness of things which follows in its train.
Tamara was valsing with Jack Courtray, and they stopped to look at the
world.
"Are they not a wonderful people, Jack? Could anything be more decorous
and dignified than they are tonight? And yet if you watch, in the
_contre-danse_ their eyes have the same excited look as when we wildly
capered after supper in Prince Milaslávski's house."
"Which reminds me--why is he not here?" asked Jack.
"I wish I knew," Tamara said. "Jack, be a dear and go and forage about
and get hold of Serge Grekoff, if you can see him, or Mr. Strong, or
Sasha Basmanoff, or some one who might know--but it seems as if none of
them are here."
"As interested as that?" and Lord Courtray laughed. "Well, my child,
I'll do my best," so he relinquished her for the next turn and left her
with Valonne, who had just arrived.
"Apparently I shall have to go partnerless for the Mazurka," Tamara
carelessly said while she watched the Frenchman's face with the corner
of her eye. "I was engaged for it to Count Varishkine, and he has never
turned up. I do wonder what has happened to him. Do you know?"
"I told you you would be lucky if you got away from here without some
row of sorts, Madame," and Valonne smiled enigmatically.
"What do you mean? Please tell me?" and Tamara turned pale.
"I mean nothing; only I fancy you will only see one of them tonight;
which it will be is still on the cards."
A cold, sick feeling came over Tamara.
"You are not insinuating that they have been fighting?" she asked, with
a tremble in her voice which she could not control.
But Valonne reassured her.
"I am insinuating nothing," he said, with a calm smile. "Let us have
one more turn before this charming valse stops."
And, limp and nerveless, Tamara allowed herself to be whirled around
the room; nor could she get anything further out of Valonne.
When it was over she sought in vain for her godmother or Jack or
Stephen Strong. The Princess was engaged with the Royalties and could
not be approached, and neither of the men were to be seen.
The next half-hour was agony, in which, with a white face and fixed
smile, Tamara played her part, and then just before the Mazurka was
going to begin Gritzko came in.
It seemed as if her knees gave way under her for a moment, and she sat
down in a seat. The relief was so great. Whatever had happened he at
least was safe.
She watched him securing two chairs in the best place, and then he
crossed over to where she sat by the door to the refreshment room.
"Bon soir, Madame," he said. "Will you take me as a substitute for your
partner, Count Varishkine?" and he bowed with a courtly grace which
seemed suited to the scene. "He is, I regret to say, slightly
indisposed, and has asked me to crave your indulgence for him, and let
me fill his place."
For a moment Tamara hesitated; she seemed to have lost the power of
speech; she felt she must control her anxiety and curiosity, so at last
she answered gravely:
"I am so very sorry! I hope it is nothing serious. He is so charming,
Count Varishkine."
"Nothing serious. Shall we take our places? I have two chairs there not
far from Olga and your friend," and the Prince prepared to lead the
way. Tamara, now that the tension was over, almost thought she would
refuse, but the great relief and joy she felt in his presence overcame
her pride, and she meekly followed him across the room.
They passed the Princess on the way, and as she apparently gave some
laughing reply to the Ambassador she was with, she hurriedly whispered
in Tamara's ear:
"Pour l'amour de Dieu! Be careful with Gritzko tonight, my child."
When they were seated waiting for the dance to begin Tamara noticed
that the Prince was very pale, and that his eyes, circled with blue
shadows, seemed to flame.
The certainty grew upon her that some mysterious tragic thing had taken
place; but, frightened by the Princess' words, she did not question him.
She hardly spoke, and he was silent, too. It seemed as though now he
had gained his end and secured her as a partner it was all he meant to
do.
Presently he turned to her and asked lazily:
"Have you been amused since the Moravian reception? How have you passed
the time? I have been at Tsarsköi again, and could not come to see
Tantine."
"We have been quite happy, thanks, Prince," Tamara said. "Jack Courtray
and I have spent the day studying the lovely things in the Hermitage.
We must see what we can before we both go home."
Gritzko looked at her.
"I like him--he is a good fellow--your friend," and then he added
reflectively: "But if he spends too much time with you I hope the bears
will eat him!"
This charitable wish was delivered in a grave, quiet voice, as though
it had been a blessing.
"How horrible you are!" Tamara flashed. "Jack to be eaten by bears!
Poor dear old Jack! What has he done?"
"Nothing, I hope,--as yet; but time will tell. Now we must begin to
dance."
And they rose, called to the center by the Master of the Ceremonies to
assist in a figure.
While the Prince was doing his part she noticed his movements seemed
languid and not full of his usual wild _entrain_, and her feeling of
unease and dread of she knew not what increased.
Tamara was very popular, and was hardly left for a moment on her chair
when the flower figures began, so their conversations were disjointed,
and at last almost ceased, and unconsciously a stiff silence grew up
between them, caused, if she had known it, on his side, by severe
physical pain.
She was surprised that he handed all his flowers to her but did not ask
her to dance, nor did he rise to seek any other woman. He just sat
still, though presently, when magnificent red roses were brought in in
a huge trophy, and Serge Grekoff was seen advancing with a sheaf of
them to claim Tamara, he suddenly asked her to have a turn, and got up
to begin.
She placed her hand on his arm, and she noticed he drew in his breath
sharply and winced in the slightest degree. But when she asked him if
something hurt him, and what it was, he only laughed and said he was
well, and they must dance; so away they whirled.
A feverish anxiety and excitement convulsed Tamara. What in heaven's
name had occurred?
When they had finished and were seated again she plucked up courage to
ask him:
"Prince, I feel sure Count Varishkine is not really ill. Something has
happened. Tell me what it is."
"I never intended you to dance the Mazurka with him," was all Gritzko
said.
"And how have you prevented it?" Tamara asked, and grew pale to her
lips.
"What does it matter to you?" he said. "Are you nervous about Boris?"
And now he turned and fully looked at her, and she was deeply moved by
the expression in his face.
He was suffering extremely, she could distinguish that, but underneath
the pain there was a wild triumph, too. Her whole being was wrung. Love
and fear and solicitude, and, yes, rebellion also had its place. And at
last she said:
"I am nervous, not for Count Varishkine, but for what you may have
done."
He leaned back and laughed with almost his old irresponsible mirth.
"I can take care of my own deeds, thanks, Madame," he said.
And then anger rose in Tamara beyond sympathy for pain.
She sat silent, staring in front of her, the strain of the evening was
beginning to tell. She hardly knew what he said, or she said, until the
Mazurka was at an end, all the impression it left with her was one of
tension and fear. Then the polonaise formed, and they went in to supper.
Here they were soon seated next their own special friends, and Gritzko
seemed to throw off all restraint. He drank a great deal, and then
poured out a glass of brandy and mixed it with the champagne.
He had never been more brilliant, and kept the table in a roar, while
much of his conversation was addressed to Tatiane Shébanoff, who sat on
his left hand.
Tamara appeared as though she were turned into stone.
And so the night wore on. It was now four o'clock in the morning. The
company all went to the galleries again to watch the departure of the
King and Queen. And, leaning on the marble balustrade next the Prince,
Tamara suddenly noticed a thin crimson stream trickle from under his
sleeve to his glove.
He saw it, too, and with an impatient exclamation of annoyance he moved
back and disappeared in the crowd. The rest of the ball for Tamara was
a ghastly blank, although they kept it up with immense spirit until
very late.
She seemed unable to get near the Princess, she was always surrounded,
and when at last she did come upon her in deep converse with Valonne:
"Tamara, dear," she said, "you must be so dreadfully tired. Slip off to
bed. They will go on until daylight," and there was something in her
face which prevented any questions.
So, cold and sick with apprehension, poor Tamara crept to her room,
and, dismissing her weary maid, sat and rocked herself over her fire.
What horrible thing had occurred?
What was the meaning of that thin stream of blood?