Five minutes might have passed when Gerald Brooke and the Baron Von
Rosenberg came sauntering along the terrace, and entered the room
through one of the long windows.
In appearance the owner of Beechley Towers was a thoroughgoing
Englishman, and no one would have suspected him of having a drop of
foreign blood in his veins. He was six-and-twenty years old, tall,
fair, and stalwart. His hair, beard, and moustache were of a light
reddish brown; he had laughing eyes of the darkest blue, and a mouth
that was rarely without a smile. His bearing was that of a well-born,
chivalrous, young Englishman. As he came into the room, laughing and
talking to the Baron, he looked like a man who had not a care in the
world.
The Baron Von Rosenberg was so carefully preserved and so elaborately
got up, that one might guess his age at anything between forty and
fifty-five. He was tall and thin, with a military uprightness and
precision of bearing. He had close-cropped iron-gray hair, and a heavy
moustache of the same colour. He spoke excellent English with only the
faintest possible accent, but with a certain slowness and an
elaboration of each word, which of themselves would have been enough
to indicate that he was not "to the manner born."
"I had no idea, my dear Brooke, that you were such a crack shot,"
remarked the Baron. "I had made up my mind that I should have an easy
victory."
"I learned to shoot in Poland, when I was quite a youngster. It is an
amusement that has served to while away many idle hours."
"I have a tolerable range at Beaulieu; you must come over and try your
skill there."
"I shall be most pleased to do so."
"I have also a small collection of _curios_, chiefly in the way of
arms and armour, picked up in the course of my travels, which it may
amuse you to look over."
"Your telling me that," answered Gerald, "reminds me that I have in my
possession one article which, as I believe you are a connoisseur in
such matters, you may be interested in examining." As he spoke he
crossed to a cabinet, and opening the glass doors, he brought out a
pistol, the barrel and lock of which were chased and damascened in
gold, and the stock ornamented with trophies and scrolls in silver
inlay and repoussé work. "It was given me when I was in India by a
certain Nawab to whom I had rendered some slight service," said Gerald
as he handed the pistol to the Baron. "It doesn't seem much of a
curiosity to look at; but I am told that in its way it is almost
unique."
"I can readily believe that," answered the Baron, as he examined the
weapon minutely through his gold-rimmed glasses. "I have never seen
anything quite like it, although I have seen many curious pistols in
my time. I myself have two or three in my collection on which I set
some little store. I call to mind, however, that a certain friend of
mine in London, who is even more _entêté_ in such matters than I am,
owns a weapon somewhat similar to this, inlaid with arabesque work in
brass and silver, which he has always looked upon as being of Spanish,
or at least of Moorish workmanship.--Now, my dear Mr. Brooke, I am
going to ask you the favour of lending me this treasure for a few
days. I go to London tomorrow, and while there, I should like to show
it to my friend, so as to enable him to compare it with the one in his
possession. He would be delighted, I know, and"----
"My dear Baron, not another word," cried Gerald. "Take the thing, and
keep it as long as you like. I value it only as a memento of some
pleasant days spent many thousands of miles from here. My servant
shall carry it across to Beaulieu in the course of the evening."
"A thousand thanks; but I value the weapon too highly to trust it into
the hands of a servant. I will return it personally in the course of a
few days." So saying, the Baron, with a nod and a smile, dropped the
pistol into the pocket of his loose morning coat.
"But madame your wife," he said presently; "may I not hope to have the
pleasure of seeing her again before I take my leave?"
Gerald crossed the room, and was on the point of ringing the bell,
when Mrs. Brooke entered.
The Baron's heels came together as he bent his head. "I was just about
to take my leave, madame," he said. "I am overjoyed to have the
felicity of seeing you again before doing so."
There was something too high-flown about this for Clara's simple
tastes, and her cheek flushed a little as she answered: "I hope you
have enjoyed your pistol-practice, Baron."
"Greatly. I assure you that Mr. Brooke is an adept with the
weapon--very much so indeed. I must really beg of him to give me a few
lessons."
Gerald laughed.
"As a diplomatist by profession, Baron, you are doubtless a proficient
in the art of flattery," said Mrs. Brooke.
"A mere tyro, dear madame. Sincerity is the badge of all our tribe, as
every one knows."
At this they all laughed a little.
"But now I must positively say adieu."
"By which road do you return to Beaulieu, Baron?" inquired Gerald.
"The afternoon is so fine and the distance so short, that I purpose
walking back through the park."
"Then, with your permission, I will walk with you as far as the corner
of the wood."
"Need I say that I shall be charmed?"
Mrs. Brooke gave the Baron her hand. He bent low over it. For once the
ramrod in his back found that it had a hinge in it.
"You will not be gone long?" said Clara to her husband.
"Not more than half an hour.--We will go this way, Baron, if you
please."
"Are all diplomatists like the Baron Von Rosenberg, I wonder?" mused
Mrs. Brooke. "If so, I am glad Gerald is not one. His politeness is so
excessive that it makes one doubt whether there is anything genuine at
the back of it. And then the cold-blooded way in which he looks you
through out of his frosty eyes! Could any woman ever learn to love a
man like the Baron? I am quite sure that I could not."
She seated herself at the piano, and had been playing for a few
minutes when she was startled by the sound of footsteps on the gravel
outside. She turned her head and next moment started to her feet
"George! You!" she exclaimed; and as she did so, the colour fled from
her cheeks and her hand went up quickly to her heart.
At Mrs. Brooke's exclamation, a tall, thin, olive-complexioned young
man, with black eyes and hair and a small silky moustache, advanced
into the room. He was handsome as far as features went; just now,
however, his expression was anything but a pleasant one. A something
that was at once furtive and cruel lurked in the corners of his eyes,
and although his thin lips were curved into a smile, it was a smile
that had neither mirth nor good-nature in it. A small gash in his
upper lip, the result of an accident in youth, through which one of
his teeth gleamed sharp and white, did not add to the attractiveness
of his appearance. In one hand he carried a riding-whip, and in the
other a pair of buckskin gloves.
"Good afternoon, Clara," he said with a careless nod as he deposited
his hat, gloves, and whip on the side-table.
"You quite startled me," said Mrs. Brooke as she went forward and gave
him her hand.
"You expected any one rather than me--of course. As I was riding along
the old familiar road, I saw your husband, in company with some other
man, walking down the avenue. In the hope that I might perhaps find
you alone, I rode on to the _Beechley Arms_, left my horse there,
entered the park by the side-entrance that you and I know so well, and
here I am."
"I am very glad to see you."--Mr. George Crofton shrugged his
shoulders.--"Why have you not called before now? Gerald has often
wondered why we have seen nothing of you since our return from
abroad."
"How kind, how thoughtful, of my dear cousin Gerald!" This was said
with an unmistakable sneer.
"George!"
"You are not like yourself to-day."
"Look you, Clara--if you expect me to come here like an everyday
visitor, to congratulate you on your marriage, you are mistaken. How
is it possible for me to congratulate you?--and if I were to say that
I wished you much happiness, it would be--well--a lie!"
"This from you!"
He drew a step nearer, flinging out his clenched hand with a quick
passionate gesture. "Listen, Clara. You and I have known each other
from childhood. As boy and girl we played together; when we grew older
we walked and rode out together; and after you left school we met at
balls, at parties, at picnics, and if a week passed without our seeing
each other we thought that something must have happened. During all
those years I loved you--ay, as no other man will ever love you--and
you, being of the sex you are, could not fail to see it. But your
father was poor, while I was entirely dependent on my uncle; so time
went on, and I hesitated to speak. But a day came when I could keep
silence no longer; I told you everything, and--you rejected me. If I
had been wild and reckless before, I became ten times more wild and
reckless then. If before that day I had offended my uncle, I offended
him beyond all hope of forgiveness afterwards. But before I spoke to
you, my irresistible cousin had appeared on the scene and had made
your acquaintance. Your woman's wit told you that his star was in the
ascendant, while mine was sinking. Pshaw! what need for another word.
It is barely eighteen months since you and he first met, and now you
are the mistress of Beechley Towers, while I am--what I am!"
It was with very varied emotions that Mrs. Brooke listened to this
passionate outburst. When it came to an end she said in her iciest
tones: "Was it to tell me this that you came here to-day?"
"It was."
"Then you had much better have stayed away. You do not know how deeply
you have grieved me."
"I have told you nothing but the bitter truth."
"The truth, perhaps, as seen through your own distorted vision. From
childhood you were to me as a dear playmate and friend, and as a
friend I have regarded you till to-day."
"A friend! Something more than friendship was needed by me."
"That something would never have been yours."
"I will not believe it. Had not a rival crossed my path--a rival who
wormed his way into my uncle's affections, who ousted me from the
position that ought to have been mine, who is master here to-day where
I ought to be master--had he never appeared, a love so strong and deep
as mine must have prevailed in the end!"
"Never, George Crofton, as far as I am concerned! You deceive yourself
utterly. You"---- She came to a sudden pause. A servant had entered,
carrying a card on a salver. Mrs. Brooke took the card and read, "M.
Paul Karovsky.--I never remember hearing the name before," she
remarked to herself. Then aloud to the servant: "Where is the
gentleman?"
"In the small drawing-room, ma'am. He said that he wanted to see Mr.
Brooke on particular business."
"Your master is out at present; but I will see Monsieur Karovsky
myself."
Turning to Crofton as soon as the servant had left the room, she said:
"You will excuse me for a few moments, will you not? Gerald will be
back in a little while, and I do so wish you would stay and meet him.
George"--offering him her hand with a sudden gracious impulse--"let
this afternoon be blotted from the memory of both of us. You will
never say such foolish things to me again, will you?"
He took her proffered hand sullenly enough. "I have said my say," he
muttered with averted eyes; with that he dropped her fingers and
turned away.
A pained expression flitted across her face as she looked at him. "You
will wait here till I come back, will you not?" she said; and then,
without waiting for an answer, she quitted the room.
With his hands behind his back and his eyes bent on the ground, George
Crofton paced the room once or twice in silence. Then he said,
speaking aloud, as he had a trick of doing when alone: "It is a lie to
say she would never have learned to love me! She may try to deceive
herself by saying so; but she cannot deceive me. Had not my
smooth-tongued cousin come between us, she would have been mine. I had
no rival but him. Not only has he robbed me of the woman I loved, but
of this old house and all this fair domain, which would all have been
my own, had he not come between my uncle and me, and made the old
man's bitterness against me bitterer still.
"Oh," he exclaimed bitterly, "I have every reason for loving my dear
cousin Gerald!"
Presently he caught sight of the miniature of his cousin where it hung
above the davenport. "His likeness!" he exclaimed. "The original is
not enough for her; she must have this to gaze on when he is not by."
He took the miniature off the nail on which it hung and scanned it
frowningly. "To think that only this man's life stands between me and
fortune--only this one life!" he said. "Were Gerald Brooke to die
without heirs, I--even I, his graceless scamp of a cousin--would come
into possession of Beechley Towers and six thousand a year! Only this
one life!" He let the miniature drop on the hearth, and then ground it
to fragments savagely under his heel. "If I could but serve the
original as I serve this!" he muttered.
The sound of the shutting of a distant door startled him. He pressed
his hands to his forehead for a moment, as though awaking from a
confused dream; then he sighed deeply and took up his hat, gloves, and
whip. "Adieu, Clara; but we shall meet again," he said aloud. With
that he put on his hat and buttoned his coat and walked slowly out by
the way he had come.
Two minutes later Mrs. Brooke re-entered the room. She looked round in
surprise. "George gone?" she said to herself. "Why did he not wait and
see Gerald?" She crossed to the window and looked out. "Yes; there he
goes striding through the grass, and evidently not in the most amiable
of humours. How strangely he has altered during the last three or four
years; how different he is now from what he used to be when we were
playmates together! If he had but some profession--something to occupy
his mind--he would be far happier than he is. But George is not one to
love work of any kind." With that Clara looked at her watch and
dismissed Mr. Crofton from her thoughts. "I wish Gerald were back.
What can that strange Monsieur Karovsky want with him? What can be the
business of importance that has brought him here? I feel as if some
misfortune were impending. Such happiness as mine is too perfect to
last."
She was crossing the room in search of a book, when her eye was
attracted by the fragments of the miniature on the hearth. She was on
her knees in a moment. "What is this?" she cried. "Gerald's likeness,
and trodden under foot! This is George's doing. Oh, cruel, cruel! What
a mean and paltry revenge! It is the portrait Gerald gave me before we
were married. I could never like another as I liked this one. Oh, how
mean! Gerald must not know--at least not for the present." Tears of
mingled anger and sorrow stood in her eyes as she picked up the
fragments and locked them away in her desk. She had scarcely
accomplished this when she heard her husband's footsteps. She hastily
brushed her tears away and turned to greet him with a smile. "And this
is what you call being half-an-hour away!" she said as he drew her to
him and kissed her.
"Von Rosenberg and I were busy talking. We had got halfway through
the wood before I called to mind where I was." He sat down and fanned
himself with his soft felt hat. "He tells me," went on Gerald, "that
he has taken Beaulieu for twelve months--furnished, of course--so that
we are likely to be neighbours for some time to come."
"He must find English country-life very tame and unexciting after
being used to Berlin and St Petersburg."
"You may add, to Paris also. Some years ago he was attached to the
German Embassy there."
"To live as he is now living must seem like exile to such a man."
"I am afraid it is little better. But the whisper goes that he is
really exiled for a time--that he has contrived in some way to incur
the displeasure of the powers that be, and that leave has been given
him to travel for the benefit of his health."
"Poor Baron! Let us hope that his eclipse will only be a temporary
one.--By-the-bye, there has been some one else to see you while you
have been out."
"And they call this the seclusion of the country!"
"Some Russian or Polish acquaintance whom you probably met when
abroad."
"Ah! His name?"
"Monsieur Karovsky."
Gerald Brooke drew in his breath with a gasp. "Karovsky--and here!"
"He says that he has important business to see you upon.
"He is one of the few men whose faces I hoped never to see again.
Where is he?" There was trouble in his eyes, trouble in his voice, as
he asked the question.
"When I told him that you were out, he said that, with my permission,
he would smoke a cigarette in the grounds while awaiting your return.
What a strange, almost sinister-looking man he is! How I wish he had
stayed away!"
Her husband did not reply; he looked as if he had not heard what she
said.
Next moment Mrs. Brooke started to her feet. "There he is. There is
Monsieur Karovsky," she cried.
And there, indeed, he was, standing just outside the open window
smoking a cigarette. Perceiving that he was seen, he flung away his
cigarette, stepped slowly into the room, removed his hat, and bowed.