Forbes stared after the two women in complete perplexity. He turned to
Persis to ask stupidly:
"What did they mean, Persis?"
Persis had lost almost every whit of self-control. She had an insane
desire to scream, to hide somewhere and go into hysterics. She sank into
a chair and mumbled:
"They know everything."
"Good God, it's not possible! Was it because I came in as I did?"
"Yes, but it wasn't your fault. It was mine and Crofts'."
He made to take her in his arms, but she warned him where he was with a
gesture. He sank into a chair, groaning:
"I'd rather cut off my right hand than bring suspicion on you, Persis."
Staring idly ahead of her, Persis maundered in a hollow voice, "And they
refused my hand!" The lash of this remembered insult brought her to her
feet with a snarl. "They refused my hand! Oh, it's all over now. A war
extra couldn't spread the scandal faster than those two women. But I
suppose it had to come some day. And we thought we were so discreet!"
She laughed bitterly, for the luxury of self-contempt was alkali upon
her tongue. But Forbes could only sigh, "How you must hate me!"
"How much I love you!" she whispered. Even in her panic she had no
reproach for the author of her defeat; and as she paced the floor she
touched his cheek with a passing caress.
She walked to the window idly and stared out into the street. She fell
back with a gasp. "Oh, they saw me!--they saw me!"
"Who?--who saw you?"
"Alice Neff and Stowe Webb just drove up. They waved to me. They're
coming here. Good Lord of heaven, at such a time!"
The door-bell rang in confirmation, and Crofts shuffled down the hall.
He glanced timidly at Persis, and she nodded her head.
"You can't see them now," Forbes protested; "tell the man not to let
them in."
"It wouldn't do any good. Besides, they saw me. Now of all times I must
keep up a bold front. Wait in the library, Harvey. I'll get rid of them
as soon as I can." He was hardly gone before Alice came running, crying,
"Oh, here you are," and seizing the hand that Persis thrust at her
absent-mindedly. Stowe Webb seized her other hand and clung to it as
Alice rattled on: "We had the narrowest escape! Just as our taxi drew up
to your door my awful mother and Winifred drove away--without seeing
us!"
"And do you poor children still have to meet in secret, too?" Persis
asked with a dreary sympathy.
"Indeed we have to," Webb replied, "and always shall. Her mother won't
let me in the house! And I am doing a little better now--two thousand a
year. But Alice's mother still calls me a pauper. Our only hope is a
runaway marriage. But Alice always remembers what you told her. I wish
you could advise her differently now, for we are hopelessly unhappy. We
couldn't be more miserable even if we were married."
Alice corroborated this theory. "It's simply terrible the trials we are
put to now. But you made it so vivid to me--the other side of it--the
sordidness, the poverty, the stairs, the bills; how I should grow plain,
and begin to nag; how I should ruin Stowe's career. Oh, why do we women
always seem to be getting in the way of the careers of the men we love!
Why can't we help them?"
"We can, Alice, we can!" Persis averred, with a sudden energy. "If we
begin the right way, if our love is the right sort, if we don't wait too
long. Marry him, Alice."
"But you said," Alice reminded her, "that I should miss all the comforts
that make life worth while." And Persis answered with a solemnity that
was unwonted in her:
"If you don't marry the one you love you miss everything that makes life
worth while. If you don't sacrifice everything that love asks, why, love
robs you of all your delight in the things you have kept. Your mother
will forgive you, Alice. But what if she doesn't? It is better to lack
the forgiveness of some one else--of every one else!--than to feel that
you can never, never forgive yourself. That is the most horrible thing
in life, not to forgive yourself."
"But you talk so differently now!" Alice interposed; and Persis
explained it dismally enough:
"I know more now than I did then."
Alice went into her arms, eager to be coerced and decided for: "And you
really think it is my duty to go?"
"A woman's first duty is to her love," Persis cried. "Go, marry the boy,
Alice, and be true to him--oh, be true to him!--always!
whatever--whoever--comes into your life. Love and fidelity!--what a
marriage they make!"
Young Webb bent and kissed her hand, saying: "You must be a very good
woman to give such noble advice. And Willie Enslee must be a mighty good
husband. Come along, Alice, remember your promise!"
He started to drag her out, but Alice hung back and demanded, "Give us
your blessing first."
"My blessing? My blessing?" And Persis' amazement was hardly greater
than a curious shock of rapture over the unheard-of prayer.
"Yes, for you are so good!" Alice insisted. And Persis, in
half-hysterical emotion, waved her shivering hands over them and
murmured:
"God be with you forever!"
When they had gone and Forbes came back to her she was mumbling in a
strange delight: "I don't believe any one ever before called me good. It
has a rather pleasant sound." She was half laughing, half crying. "I've
done some good in the world at last."
"I don't believe I ever truly loved you till now," Forbes said. He had
played eavesdropper to her counsel, and it had endeared her to him
magically. He took her in his arms and she kissed him, and there was a
moment of peaceful oblivion. Then the habit of stealth resumed control
of Persis. She began anew to hear footsteps everywhere and to imagine
eyes gazing from all sides.
"You mustn't stay a minute longer," she whispered. "Willie is at home.
You telephoned you had something awfully important to tell me."
"Yes. You've got to help me make the most important decision of my
life."
"Can't it wait?"
"No. I must decide to-day. My leave of absence has been withdrawn, and
I've been ordered back to my cavalry regiment at once."
So disaster followed disaster.
"Isn't there any way out of it?" she asked, weakly.
"I tried to get the order recalled, but there is some influence against
me at Washington."
"Some woman! I know! It's Willie's mother. She has General Branscombe
under her thumb."
"But that would mean that she suspected us!"
"A woman always suspects the worst. And she's always right. Well, what
are we to do?"
"That is for you to decide, Persis," Forbes said. "I have two letters
here, two requests." He produced two formidable official envelopes. "I
have influence enough to get either of them granted."
"What are they?" she asked, terrified by the documents.
"This is an acknowledgment of the order and a statement that I take the
train to-morrow for New Mexico."
"New Mexico!" Persis gasped. "I shouldn't see you again for a long, long
while."
"Never."
"Then I choose that you send the other letter, of course," she spoke
almost gaily. "What is it?"
"My resignation from the service."
"Your resignation?" she gasped. "Why should you resign?"
"To avoid court-martial for the crime of stealing another man's wife.
Either you go away with me where your husband can't follow, or I go away
where you can't follow."
"You don't mean to force a choice like that on me?" she protested. He
nodded grimly.
But her frantic soul was incapable of decision; it fled from the effort.
The memory of her humiliation before Mrs. Neff and Winifred swept back
over her with intolerable shame; she began to stride along the floor
again, gnashing her teeth in rage:
"What can I do to silence those women? Harvey, you must help me. Think
up some neat lie that will look like the truth."
He was so tired of deception that he groaned aloud. She whirled on him
in raucous fury: "Do you suppose I'm going to give in to a couple of
frumps like those two? Do you think I'll let an old hen and an old maid
down me?--now! Well, hardly! I'm no quitter, Harvey. I never was a
quitter, was I? But what can I do? No story would convince them. I must
stop their mouths--that's it. Everybody's got a scandal somewhere. What
do I know about them? What have I heard?" She beat her head to stir her
memory. "If I can't find out something I must make it up."
Forbes glared at her incredulously. "Persis! Are you lost to all
decency?"
"You ought to know," she retorted. "But what of that? I'm desperate. I'm
fighting for life."
"Oh, my God, Persis, what have we come to?" he moaned. "Is this the
result of our love?"
"Yes, this is it!" she laughed. "This is what comes of having a heart. I
see now why a love like ours is against all the laws, written and
unwritten. It's the wisdom of the ages, Harvey." His very neck rebelled
against the galling yoke of their intrigue. He groaned:
"We can't go on with the situation any more. We are getting
degraded--driven to lies, and now you suggest blackmail. What next? We
must pull up short and sharp, Persis. You must decide this minute:
either to go away with me or to stay here without me."
"You've got to stay here and help me fight."
"I tell you I won't fight such a battle. It isn't fighting; it's
cowardice, it's treachery. Decide now, once for all. Give me up or free
yourself from Enslee and become my wife. You advised Alice to run away;
you can't go back on your own advice."
"Oh, but the elopement of a young unmarried couple is a pretty romance;
ours would be a hideous scandal."
"But we're all smothered in scandal now. Everybody is talking about
us--everybody. The only way to make our love right is to come out before
the world and proclaim it."
"And even now, when I should be thinking of you, all I can think of is
what they'll be saying of me to-morrow."
"If we do the best we can what difference does it make what people say?
Persis, I'd rather die than endure another hour of this underhand life.
But I can't give you up. I can't leave you here to the mercy of these
people and the evil influences around you. I offer you happiness. We
shall be together always. You can't refuse."
"You're right, of course. I've got to decide. I'm afraid to be alone.
I'll go with you. Give me just one moment to get my cloak. I--I can't
very well go like this, though, can I--in an opera-gown and tiara? I
must change to a traveling-suit. And Willie expects me to go to the
opera."
The little things, the little briery things of life were holding her
fast, tripping her headlong desires. She grew more irresolute with
delay. "It's a terrible step, and it means the end of me. Everybody will
cut me dead on the street. My own father will never speak to me again.
The newspapers will be full of it. They'll only remember the scandal
when they see us. It will follow us everywhere, and come between us and
turn even you against me."
Then she shivered and sank into a chair helpless.
"I can't go, Harvey, I just can't go. I'm afraid of what people will
say."
That was the acid phrase that turned his love to hate, his adoration to
disgust. He broke the vials of his wrath upon her head.
"What will people say?" he sneered. "Is that all you can think of? Why,
that has become your religion, Persis. You can stand the lying--the
sneaking--the treachery--can't you? You've courage enough for the
crimes, but when it comes to consequences, you're a coward, eh? But I'm
not afraid of the consequences. I'm afraid of the crimes. I'm not afraid
of the gossips, but of giving them cause. I offered you protection,
devotion. I wanted to rescue our honor. But you--what do you care for
me--for love--for honor? You care only for yourself and for what people
will say--well, you'll soon know. But I won't help you to ruin your
life. I won't let you ruin mine. I'm sorry I ever saw you. Before God,
I'll never see you again!"
He turned to go. A cry of anguish broke from her. She rushed in pursuit
of him, flung her arms about him, sobbing: "No, no, I won't let you!
You've no right to leave me. I've given up everything for you. I've
been everything to you. You can't leave me! Don't, don't, don't!"
He was too deeply embittered to have mercy. Her panic only angered him
the more. He ripped her hands from his shoulders, jeering at her: "Agh,
you're faithless to your duty to your husband, faithless to your love of
me, faithless to everybody--everything."
"Don't say that, Harvey," she pleaded, brokenly. "Take that back."
"You've killed my trust," he raged. "You've killed my love. I hate the
sight of you."
She put her hand over his cruel mouth to silence it. "Don't let me hear
that from you--pity me, pity me!"
He tried to break her intolerable clasp, but she fought back to him.
Abruptly she ceased to resist. She just stared past him. Startled, he
looked where she stared. She whispered:
"Some one is behind that curtain--listening!"
The curtain trembled, and she gasped again: "Look!"
A shudder of uneasiness shook him, but he muttered: "It's only a draught
from somewhere."
"Perhaps it is," she answered, weakly. "I feel all cold." And then she
stared again and whispered: "No! See! There's a hand there in the
curtain!"
And Forbes could descry the muffled outlines of fingers clutching the
heavy fabric. He hesitated a moment, then he moved forward.
She put out her arm and stayed him, and spoke with abrupt
self-possession. "No, it is my place." Then she called, hoarsely:
"Crofts, is that you? Crofts!" There was no answer, but the talons
seemed to grip the shivering arras tighter. She called again: "Nichette!
Dobbs! Who's there?"
There was no answer.
"It's none of the servants," she whispered. Then, after a pause of
tremulous hesitation, she strode to the curtain and hurled it back with
a clash of rings. It disclosed Willie Enslee cowering in ambush. He held
a silver-handled revolver in his hand.