Nell stood in the middle of the room with the note which she had found
in the book in her hand. She had read it half mechanically and
unsuspectingly, as one reads a scrap of paper found in a volume, or in
some unexpected place; and, trembling a little, she went to the electric
light and read the note again. It ran thus--and with every word Nell's
face grew pale:
"I can wait no longer. You cannot say I have been impatient--that I
haven't endured the suspense as well as a man could. If you love me, if
you are really willing to trust yourself to me, come away with me
to-morrow. God knows I will try and make you happy, and that you can
never be under this roof with a man who doesn't care for you. I will
come for you at seven to-morrow morning--we can cross by the morning
boat. Don't trouble about luggage; everything we want we can get on the
other side. For Heaven's sake, don't hesitate! Be ready and waiting for
me as the clock strikes. Don't hesitate! The happiness of both our lives
lies in your hands. ARCHIE."
Nell sank into a chair and stared at the wall, trying to think; but for
a moment or two the horror and shame of the thing overwhelmed her. She
had read of such incidents as these, for now and again one of the new
school of novels reached The Cottage; but there is a lot of difference
between reading, say, of a murder, and watching the committal of one.
She was almost as much ashamed and shocked as if the note had been
intended for herself.
She was not ashamed of having read it--though the mere touch of the
paper was hateful to her--for she felt that Providence had ordained it
that she should stand between Lady Wolfer and the ruin to which Sir
Archie was beckoning her.
But what should she do? Should she take the letter to Lady Wolfer and
implore her to send Sir Archie a refusal? This was, of course, Nell's
first impulse, but she dared not follow it; dared not run the risk of
letting Lady Wolfer see the note. The unhappy woman's face haunted Nell,
and her reckless words, and her tone of desperation, still rang in
Nell's ears. No; she dared not let Lady Wolfer know that this man would
be waiting for her. Few women in the position of the countess could
resist such a note as this, such an appeal from the man who, she
thought, loved her. But if she did not take the note to the countess,
what was she to do?
Sir Archie would be, then, in the library at seven o'clock; he would ask
for the countess; she would go to him, and--Nell shuddered, and walked
up and down. If there were any one to whom she could go for advice! But
there was no one. At all costs, the truth must be kept from the earl;
his wife must be saved.
It was a terrible position for a young and inexperienced girl; but,
despite her youth and inexperience, the note could scarcely have fallen
into better hands than Nell's; for she possessed courage, and was not
afraid for herself. Most girls, keenly though they might desire to save
their friend, would have destroyed the note and left the rest to
Providence; but Nell's spirit had been trained in the bracing air of
Shorne Mills, and her views tempered by many a tussle with tide and wind
in the _Annie Laurie_; and the pluck which lay dormant in the slight
figure rose now to the struggle for her friend's safety. She had grown
to love the woman who had confided her heart's sorrow to her that night,
and she meant to save her. But how? Sir Archie would be there at seven,
and Lady Wolfer must be kept in ignorance of his presence; and he must
be sent away convinced of the hopelessness of his passion.
Nell walked up and down, unconscious of weariness, ignorant that in his
own room the earl was listening to her footsteps, and putting his own
construction upon her agitation. Now and again she thought of Drake and
her own love affair. Were all men alike? Were there no good men in the
world? Were they all selfish and unscrupulous in the quest of their own
interest and amusements? Love! The word sounded like a mockery, a
delusion, a snare. Drake had loved, or thought he loved her, until Lady
Luce had beckoned him back to her; and this other man, Sir Archie--how
long would he continue to love the unhappy woman if she yielded to him?
The silver clock on the mantelshelf struck five, and Nell, worn out at
last, and still apparently far away from any solution of the problem
which she had set herself, flung herself on the bed. She had scarcely
closed her eyes before a way of helping Lady Wolfer presented itself to
her.
Her face crimsoned, and she winced and closed her eyes with a slight
shudder; but though she shrank from the ordeal, she resolved to make it.
Lady Wolfer had been kind to her, had won her love, and, more than all
else, had confided in her, and she--Nell--would save her at any cost.
A little before seven she rose, and changed her dinner dress for a plain
traveling one, and, putting on her hat and jacket, went down to the
library slowly and almost stealthily. A maidservant was sweeping the
hall, and she looked up at Nell, clad in her outdoor things, with some
surprise.
"I expect Sir Archie Walbrooke at seven o'clock," said Nell. "I am in
the library, please."
She spoke quite calmly and casually, buttoning her glove in a leisurely
fashion as she passed on her way; and the maid responded unsuspiciously,
for the coming and going at Wolfer House were always somewhat erratic.
Nell went into the library, and, closing the door, turned up the
electric light a little--for the maids had not yet been to the room, and
the shutters were still closed. The morning was a wet and chilly one,
and Nell shuddered slightly as she sat and watched the second hand of
the clock, which at one moment seemed to move slowly and at the next
appeared to fly. She had not decided upon the words she would use; she
would be guided by those which Sir Archie might speak; but she was
resolved to fight as long as possible, to hide every tremor which, at
these moments of waiting and suspense, quivered through her.
Then she heard his voice, his slow step--no quicker than usual this
morning--crossing the hall; the door opened, and he was in the room.
Nell rose, and stood with her back to the light; and, closing the door,
he came toward her with a faint cry of satisfaction and relief.
"Ada!" he said. "You have come----"
Nell raised her veil, but, before she had done so, he had seen that she
was not the countess; and he stopped short and stared at her.
"Miss Lorton!" he exclaimed, under his breath, so taken aback that the
shock of his disappointment was revealed in his face and voice. "I--I
thought--expected--to see Lady Wolfer. Is--is she up? Does she know that
I am here? You have a message for me?"
He tried to speak casually, and forced a smile, as if the appointment
was quite an ordinary one; but Nell saw that the hand that held his hat
shook, and that his color, which had risen as he entered the room and
greeted her, had slowly left his face, and her courage rose.
"Yes, I have a message for you, Sir Archie," she said, keeping her voice
as steady as she could, and saying to herself: "It is to save her--save
her!"
"Yes?" he said, with suppressed eagerness and anxiety. "What is it? I--I
am rather pressed for time." He glanced at his watch. "Won't she see me?
If you would go up and ask her. I shan't detain her more than a minute."
"No; she cannot see you," said Nell. "I am to ask you to go--where you
are going--without seeing her."
He looked at her steadily, gnawing his lip softly.
"I--I don't understand," he said, still trying to smile. "She--told you
that I am going--abroad?"
Nell inclined her head gravely.
"Yes? But didn't she tell you that--that I must see her before I go?
That--that it is important?"
"She cannot see you," said Nell, her heart beating fast. "She wishes you
to go, and--and to remain abroad----"
His face crimsoned, then went pale.
"You know--she has told you why--why I have come this morning?" he said,
in a low voice.
"Yes, I know," assented Nell, the shame, for him, dyeing her face.
He stared at her for a moment in silence; then he said, half defiantly,
half sullenly:
"Very well, then. If you know why I am here, you must know that I cannot
take such a message, that I cannot go--without her. For Heaven's sake,
Miss Lorton, go and fetch her! There is no time to lose. Her--my
happiness is at stake. I beg your pardon; I'm afraid I'm brusque;
but----For Heaven's sake, bring her! If I could see her, speak to her
for a moment----"
Nell shook her head.
"I cannot," she said. "It would be of no use. Lady Wolfer would not go
with you."
He came nearer to her and lowered his voice, almost speaking through his
teeth.
"See here, Miss Lorton, you--you have no right to be in this
business--to interfere with it. You--you are too young to
understand----"
Nell crimsoned.
"No," she said, almost inaudibly. "I understand. I--I have seen your
letter." Her calm, almost her courage, broke down, and, clasping her
hands, she pleaded to him. "Oh, yes, I do understand! Sir Archie, go; do,
do go! It is cruel of you to stay. If--if you really love her, you will go
and never come back."
His face went white and his eyes flashed.
"No, you don't understand, although you think you do. You say that I am
cruel. I should be cruel if I did what she asks me, what you wish me to
do, to leave her in this house, to the old life of misery. I love her; I
want to take her away with me from the man who doesn't care an atom for
her, whom she does not love."
"It isn't true!" said Nell, with a sudden burst of indignation, and with
a sudden insight as inexplicable as it was sudden. "He loves her, and
she, though she does not know it, cares for him. They would have
discovered the truth if you had not come between them and made them hard
and cold to each other. Yes, you are cruel, cruel and wicked! But--but
perhaps it has not been all your fault--and--I'm sorry if--if I have
spoken too harshly."
He scarcely seemed to have heard her concluding words, but repeated to
himself: "She cares for him. She cares for Wolfer--her husband!"
"Yes, yes!" said Nell eagerly, anxiously. "I know it; I have seen her
when she was most unhappy. I have heard the truth in her voice--I
remember little things--the way she has behaved to him, spoken to him,
when she was off her guard. Yes, it is true she cares for him as much as
he cares for her; but they have hidden it from each other--and you--you
have made it harder for them to show their love! But you know the truth
now, and--and you will go, will you not?"
In her anxiety she laid her hand on his arm imploringly, and looked up
at him with eyes moist with tears.
He looked at her, his brows knit, his lips set closely.
"By Heaven, if I thought you were right!" broke from him; then his tone
changed, and his eyes grew hard with resentment. "No; you are wrong,
quite wrong! And it is you who have come between us, and will rob us of
our happiness! I--I--beg your pardon!" he faltered, for this slave of
passion was, after all, a gentleman. "I beg your pardon! If you knew
what I am suffering, what she must be suffering at this moment! Miss
Lorton, you are her friend--you have no reason to bear me any ill
will--I honor you for--for your motives in all this--but I implore you
to stand aside. If you will go and bring her, I will wait here, and you
shall hear from her own lips that you are wrong in supposing that any
affection exists between her and him. I will wait here. Go, I beg of
you! There is no time to lose!"
"I will not!" said Nell, her slight figure erect, her eyes more eloquent
than the tone of her resolution to save her friend.
"Then I will ring and ask her to come," he said, and he went toward the
bell.
Nell sprang in front of it.
"No," she said, in a low voice. "It is I who will ring, and it is the
earl who shall come."
Sir Archie stood, his hand outstretched to push her aside. Men of his
class and character dislike a scene. He was not physically afraid of
Lord Wolfer, but--a scene and a scandal which would leave Lady Wolfer at
Wolfer House, while he was turned out, was a contretemps to be avoided,
if possible.
"You must be mad!" he said, between his teeth. "Worse; you are laboring
under a hideous mistake. She loves me, and you know it--she has never
cared for Lord Wolfer. Please stand aside."
He put out his hand to gently remove her from before the bell, and at
his touch the strain which Nell was undergoing became too tense for
endurance. The color left her face and left it deathly white. With a
faint moan she put her hand to her throat as if she were choking, and
swayed to and fro as if she were giddy.
Sir Archie caught her just in time.
"Good heavens, don't faint!" he exclaimed, in a horrified whisper.
At the sound of his voice, at his touch, Nell recovered her full
consciousness.
"Let me go! Don't touch me!" she breathed, with a shudder; but, before
she could free herself from his hold, the door opened, and the earl
entered.
With an oath, Sir Archie turned and glared at him, and Nell sank against
the mantelshelf, and leaned there, faint and trembling.
The two men stood quite still and looked at each other. In these days we
have taught ourselves to take the most critical moments of our lives
quietly. There is no loud declamation, no melodramatic denunciation, no
springing at each other's throats, or flashing of swords. We carry our
wrongs to the law courts, and an aged gentleman in an ermine tippet, and
a more or less grimy wig, avenges us--with costs and damages.
The earl was pale enough, and his eyes wore a stern expression as they
rested upon his "friend"; but yet there was something in his face which
seemed to indicate relief; and, presently, after a moment which seemed
an age to Nell, his gaze left the other man's face and fixed itself on
her.
"Were you going out with Sir Archie Walbrooke, Miss Lorton?" he asked
coldly.
Sir Archie started slightly, and would have spoken, but Nell looked at
him quickly, a look which smote him to silence. She, too, remained
silent, her hands clasped, her eyes fixed on the ground.
"Is my inference a correct one?" said the earl, still more coldly. "I
find you here--at this unusual hour--and dressed for traveling. And he
is here--by appointment, I presume? Ah, do not deny it! It is too
obvious."
Sir Archie opened his lips, but once more Nell looked at him, and once
more her eyes commanded, rather than asked, his silence. He suppressed
an oath, and stood with clenched hands, waiting in helpless
irresolution. What was this girl going to do? Was she--was it possible
that she was going to screen Lady Wolfer at the cost of her own
reputation! The man was not altogether bad, and the remnant of honor
which still glowed in his breast rose against the idea of such a
sacrifice. And yet--it was for the woman he loved!
The perspiration broke out on his pale face, and he looked from the
stern eyes of the earl to Nell's downcast ones.
"I can't stand this!" broke from his lips. "Look here, Wolfer!"
The earl raised his head.
"I have nothing to say to you. I decline to hear you," he said grimly.
"I am addressing Miss Lorton. I have asked her a question; but it is not
necessary to inflict the pain of an answer. I am aware that I have no
legal right to interfere in Miss Lorton's movements, but she is under my
roof, she is a connection"--his voice grew a shade less stern--"I am,
indeed, almost in the position of her guardian. Therefore, I deem it my
duty to acquaint her with the character of the man with whom she
proposes to--elope."
Nell raised her head, the crimson staining her whole face; and it seemed
to Sir Archie as if her endurance had broken down; but she checked the
indignant denial which had sprung to her lips, and, closing her lips
tightly, sank back into her former attitude--an attitude which convinced
Lord Wolfer of her guilt.
"Are you aware that this gentleman, who has honored you by an invitation
to fly with him, is already a married man, Miss Lorton?"
Nell made no sign, but Sir Archie started and ground his teeth.
"He has carefully concealed the fact; but--well, I happen to know it, and
I think he will not venture to deny it."
He paused, but Sir Archie remained silent.
"Were you ignorant of it?" asked the earl.
Nell opened her lips, and they formed the word "Yes."
"I expected as much," said the earl. "And now that you know the truth,
are you still desirous of accompanying him?"
Nell, with her eyes fixed on the ground, shook her head.
"No!" she whispered.
Sir Archie swore under his breath.
"I can't stand this!" he said desperately. "Look here, Wolfer, you are
making a damnable mistake. Miss Lorton----"
The earl turned to him, but looked above his head.
"Excuse me," he said, "I have no desire to hear any explanation of your
conduct--it would be impossible for you to defend it. But, having
received Miss Lorton's reply to my question, I have the right to ask you
to quit my house--and I do so!"
Sir Archie went up to Nell and looked at her straight in the face.
"Do you--do you wish me to remain silent?" he said hoarsely. "Think
before you speak! Do you?"
Nell looked up instantly.
"Yes!" she replied, in a low voice. "If you will go--forever!"
Sir Archie gazed at her as if he had suddenly become unconscious of the
earl's presence.
"My God!" he breathed. "You--you are treatin' me better than I deserve.
Yes, I am goin'," he said, turning fiercely to the earl, who had made a
slight movement of impatience. "But I want to say this. I want"--he
moistened his lips, as if speech were difficult--"to tell you--and--and
her--that--that what has taken place will never be spoken of by me while
I live. I am goin'--abroad. I shall not return for some time."
The earl made a gesture of indifference.
"Your movements can be of no interest to me," he said, "and I trust that
they may be of as little importance to this unhappy girl, now that she
knows the character of the man whom she was about to trust."
Sir Archie laughed--a laugh that sounded hideously grotesque at such a
moment; then he took up his hat and gloves; but he laid them down again.
"Will you give me a minute--three--with Miss Lorton, alone?" he asked,
biting his lip.
The earl hesitated for a moment, and glanced at Nell searchingly; then, as
if satisfied, he said:
"Yes, I will do so, on condition that you leave this house at the
expiration of that time. I will rejoin you when he has gone."
As he left the room, Sir Archie turned to Nell.
"Do you know what you have done?" he asked hoarsely, and almost
inaudibly. "Do you know what this means: that you have sacrificed
yourself for--for her?"
Nell had sunk into a chair, and she looked up at him, and then away from
him; but in that momentary glance he had read the light of an inflexible
resolution, an undaunted courage in the gray eyes.
"Yes, I know," she said. "He--he thinks, will always think, that it was
I----" She broke off with an irrepressible shudder.
Sir Archie's hand went to his mustache to cover the quiver of his lips.
"My God! it's the noblest thing! But--have you counted the cost--the
consequences?"
"Yes," she said. "But it does not matter. I--I am nobody--only a girl,
with no husband, no one who loves, cares for me; while she----Yes, I
know what I have done; but I am not sorry--I don't regret. I have your
promise?" she looked up at his strained face solemnly. "You will keep
it?--you will not break your word? You will go away and--and leave her?"
His hands clenched behind him, and he was silent for a moment; then he
said:
"Yes, by Heaven! I will! The sacrifice shall not be all on your side.
Tell her--no, tell her nothin', or you will have to tell her all. Tell
her nothin'. Miss Lorton----" His voice broke, and he hesitated. Nell
waited, and he found his voice again. "When I hear that there are no
good women, no noble ones, I--I shall think of what you have done this
mornin'. Good-by. I--I can't ask you to shake hands. My God! I'm not fit
for you to touch! I see that now. Good-by!"
He went out of the room with drooping head, but he raised it as he
passed the earl, and the two men nodded--for the benefit of the footman
who opened the door.
Nell hid her face in her hands and waited, and presently the earl
reentered the library.