"Exactly! The principle of the thing has been perfectly carried out. A
man who has too much money _creates_ forgers and thieves about him,--he
cannot expect to meet with honesty. Let the bank prosecute if it
likes,--I shall not. I am free!--free to work for my living. What I earn
I shall enjoy,--what I inherited, I have learnt to loathe!"
With that I left him, puzzled and irate,--and in a day or two the papers
were full of strange stories concerning me, and numerous lies as well. I
was called 'mad,' 'unprincipled,' 'thwarting the ends of justice,'--and
sundry other names, while scurrilous civilities known only to the penny
paragraphist were heaped upon me by the score. To complete my entire
satisfaction, a man on the staff of one of the leading journals, dug out
my book from Mudie's underground cellar, and 'slashed' it with a
bitterness and venom only excelled by my own violence when anonymously
libelling the work of Mavis Clare! And the result was remarkable,--for
in a sudden wind of caprice, the public made a rush for my neglected
literary offspring,--they took it up, handled it tenderly, read it
lingeringly, found something in it that pleased them, and finally bought
it by thousands! ... whereat the astute Morgeson, as virtuous publisher,
wrote to me in wonder and congratulation, enclosing a cheque for a
hundred pounds on 'royalties,' and promising more in due course, should
the 'run' continue. Ah, the sweetness of that earned hundred pounds! I
felt a King of independence!--realms of ambition and attainment opened
out before me,--life smiled upon me as it had never smiled before. Talk
of poverty! I was rich!----rich with a hundred pounds made out of my own
brain-labour,--and I envied no millionaire that ever flaunted his gold
beneath the sun! I thought of Mavis Clare, ... but dared not dwell too
long upon her gentle image. In time perhaps, ... when I had settled down
to fresh work, ... when I had formed my life as I meant to form it, in
the habits of faith, firmness and unselfishness, I would write to her
and tell her all,--all, even to that dread insight into worlds unseen,
beyond the boundaries of an unknown region of everlasting frozen snow!
But now,----now I resolved to stand alone,--fighting my battle as a man
should fight, seeking for neither help nor sympathy, and trusting not in
Self, but God only. Moreover I could not induce myself yet to look again
upon Willowsmere. The place was terror-haunted for me; and though Lord
Elton with a curious condescension, (seeing that it was to me he owed
the free gift of his former property) invited me to stay there, and
professed a certain lame regret for the 'heavy financial losses' I had
sustained, I saw in the tone of his epistle that he looked upon me
somewhat in the light of a madman after my refusal to take up the matter
of my absconding solicitors, and that he would rather I stayed away. And
I did stay away;--and even when his marriage with Diana Chesney took
place with great pomp and splendour, I refused his invitation to be
present. In the published list of guests, however which appeared in the
principal papers, I was scarcely surprised to read the name of 'Prince
Lucio Rimânez.'
I now took a humble room and set to work on a new literary enterprise,
avoiding everyone I had hitherto known, for being now almost a poor man,
I was aware that 'swagger society' wished to blot me from its
visiting-list. I lived with my own sorrowful thoughts,--musing on many
things, training myself to humility, obedience, and faith with
fortitude,--and day by day I did battle with the monster, Egotism, that
presented itself in a thousand disguises at every turn in my own life as
well as in the lives of others. I had to re-form my character,--to mould
the obstinate nature that rebelled, and make its obstinacy serve for the
attainment of higher objects than world's renown,--the task was
difficult,--but I gained ground a little with every fresh effort.
I had lived for some months like this in bitter self-abasement, when all
the reading world was suddenly electrified by another book of Mavis
Clare's. My lately favoured first work was again forgotten and thrust
aside,--hers, slated and screamed at as usual by the criticasters, was
borne along to fame by a great wave of honest public praise and
enthusiasm. And I? I rejoiced!--no longer grudging or envious of her
sweet fame, I stood apart in spirit as it were, while the bright car of
her triumph went by, decked, not only with laurels, but with roses,--the
blossoms of a people's love and honour. With all my soul I reverenced
her genius,--with all my heart I honoured her pure womanliness! And in
the very midst of her brilliant success, when all the world was talking
of her, she wrote to me, a simple little letter, as gracious as her own
fair name.
Dear Mr Tempest,
I heard by chance the other day that you had returned to England. I
therefore send this note to the care of your publisher to express my
sincere delight in the success your clever book has now attained
after its interval of probation. I fancy the public appreciation of
your work must go far to console you for the great losses you have
had both in life and fortune, of which I will not here speak. When
you feel that you can bear to look again upon scenes which I know
will be sure to rouse in your mind many sad and poignant memories,
will you come and see me?
Your friend
Mavis Clare.
A mist came before my eyes,--I almost felt her gentle presence in my
room,--I saw the tender look, the radiant smile,--the innocent yet
earnest joy in life and love of purity that emanated from the fair
personality of the sweetest woman I had ever known. She called herself
my friend!--... it was a privilege of which I felt myself unworthy! I
folded the letter and put it near my heart to serve me as a talisman,
... she, of all bright creatures in the world surely knew the secret of
happiness! ... Some-day, ... yes, ... I would go and see her, ... my
Mavis that sang in her garden of lilies,--some day when I had force and
manliness enough to tell her all,--save my love for her! For that, I
felt, must never be spoken,--Self must resist Self, and clamour no more
at the gate of a forfeited Paradise! Some day I would see her, ... but
not for a long time, ... not till I had, in part at least, worked out my
secret expiation. As I sat musing thus, a strange memory came into my
brain, ... I thought I heard a voice resembling my own, which said--
"_Lift, oh lift the shrouding veil, spirit of the City Beautiful! For I
feel I shall read in your eyes the secret of happiness!_"
A cold shudder ran through me,--I sprang up erect, in a kind of horror.
Leaning at my open window I looked down into the busy street below,--and
my thoughts reverted to the strange things I had seen in the East,--the
face of the dead Egyptian dancer, uncovered to the light again after two
thousand years,--the face of Sibyl!--then I remembered the vision of the
"City Beautiful," in which one face had remained veiled,--the face I
most desired to see!----and I trembled more and more as my mind, despite
my will, began to weave together links of the past and present, till
they seemed growing into one and the same. Was I again to be the prey of
evil forces?----did some new danger threaten me?--had I, by some
unconscious wicked wish invited new temptation to assail me?
Overcome by my sensations, I left my work and went out into the fresh
air, ... it was late at night,--and the moon was shining. I felt for the
letter of Mavis,--it pressed against my heart, a shield against all
vileness. The room I occupied was in a house not far from Westminster
Abbey, and I instinctively bent my steps towards that grey old shrine of
kings and poets dead. The square around it was almost deserted,----I
slackened my pace, strolling meditatively along the narrow paved way
that forms a short cut across into Old Palace Yard, ... when suddenly a
Shadow crossed my path, and looking up, I came face to face
with----Lucio! The same as ever,--the perfect impersonation of perfect
manhood! ... his countenance, pale, proud, sorrowful yet scornful,
flashed upon me like a star!----he looked full at me, and a questioning
smile rested on his lips!
My heart almost stopped beating, ... I drew a quick sharp breath, ...
again I felt for the letter of Mavis, and then, ... meeting his gaze
fixedly and straightly in my turn, I moved slowly on in silence. He
understood,--his eyes flashed with the jewel-like strange brilliancy I
knew so well, and so well remembered,--and drawing back he stood aside
and--let me pass! I continued my walk steadily, though dazed and like
one in a dream,--till reaching the shadowed side of the street opposite
the Houses of Parliament, I stopped for a moment to recover my startled
senses. There again I saw him!----the superb man's form,--the Angel's
face,--the haunting, splendid sorrowful eyes!----he came with his usual
ease and grace of step into the full moonlight and paused,--apparently
waiting for some one. For me?--ah no!--I kept the name of God upon my
lips,--I gathered all the strength of faith within my soul,--and though
I was wholesomely afraid of Myself, I feared no other foe! I lingered
therefore--watching;--and presently I saw a few members of Parliament
walking singly and in groups towards the House,--one or two greeted the
tall dark Figure as a friend and familiar, and others knew him not.
Still he waited on, ... and so did I. At last, just as Big Ben chimed
the quarter to eleven, one man whom I instantly recognised as a
well-known Cabinet minister, came walking briskly towards the House, ...
then, and then only, He, whom I had known as Lucio, advanced smiling.
Greeting the minister cordially, in that musical rich voice I knew of
old, he took his arm,--and they both walked on slowly, talking
earnestly. I watched them till their figures receded in the moonlight,
... the one tall, kingly and commanding, ... the other burly and broad,
and self-assertive in demeanour;--I saw them ascend the steps, and
finally disappear within the House of England's Imperial
Government,--Devil and Man,--together!
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| Transcriber's Note |
| |
| Inconsistent hyphenation and word boundaries have been |
| retained: any rate / anyrate, bluebells / blue-bells, |
| commonplace / common-place, deathlike / death-like, |
| goodwill / good-will, honeysuckle / honey-suckle, Maypole / |
| May-pole, notepaper / note-paper, nowadays / now-a-days, |
| overhead / over-head, Pall Mall / Pall-Mall, pocket book / |
| pocketbook / pocket-book, someone / some-one, Supernatural / |
| Super-natural, uplifted / up-lifted. |
| |
| Minor punctuation and spelling repairs have been made |
| without comment. |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+