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diff --git a/old/55510-8.txt b/old/55510-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 634bfbd..0000000 --- a/old/55510-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17779 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lady Jim of Curzon Streeet, by Fergus Hume - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Lady Jim of Curzon Streeet - A Novel - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: September 8, 2017 [EBook #55510] -Last Updated: March 11, 2018 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LADY JIM OF CURZON STREEET *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by -Google Books (Harvard University) - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - 1. Page scan source: Google Books - https://books.google.com/books?id=wdoWAAAAYAAJ - (Harvard University) - - - - - - -Popular Novels by Fergus Hume -============================= - -THE SECRET PASSAGE -_The Albany Evening Journal_ says: "Fully as interesting as his former -books, and keeps one guessing to the end. The story begins with the -murder of an old lady, with no apparent cause for the crime, and in -unraveling the mystery the author is very clever in hiding the real -criminal. A pleasing romance runs through the book, which adds to the -interest." - -12mo, Cloth bound, $1.25 - - -THE YELLOW HOLLY -_The Philadelphia Public Ledger_ says: "'The Yellow Holly' outdoes any -of his earlier stories. It is one of those tales that the average -reader of fiction of this sort thinks he knows all about after he has -read the first few chapters. Those who have become admirers of Mr. -Hume cannot afford to miss 'The Yellow Holly.'" - -12mo, Cloth bound, $1.25 - - -A COIN OF EDWARD VII. -_The Philadelphia Item_ says: "This book is quite up to the level of -the high standard which Mr. Hume has set for himself in 'The Mystery -of a Hansom Cab' and 'The Rainbow Feather.' It is a brilliant, -stirring adventure, showing the author's prodigious inventiveness, his -well of imagination never running dry." - -12mo, Cloth bound, $1.25 - - -THE PAGAN'S CUP -_The Nashville American_ says: "The plot is intricate with mystery and -probability neatly dovetailed and the solution is a series of -surprises skillfully retarded to whet the interest of the reader. It -is excellently written and the denouement so skillfully concealed that -one's interest and curiosity are kept on edge till the very last. It -will certainly be a popular book with a very large c lass of readers." - -12mo, Cloth bound, $1.25 - -THE MANDARIN'S FAN -_The Nashville American_ says: "The book is most attractive and -thoroughly novel in plot and construction. The mystery of the curious -fan, and its being the key to such wealth and power is decidedly -original and unique. Nearly every character in the book seems possible -of accusation. It is just the sort of plot in which Hume is at his -best. It is a complex tangle, full of splendid climaxes. Few authors -have a charm equal to that of Mr. Hume's mystery tales." - -12mo, Cloth bound, $ 1.25 - -====================================================================== -G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY -PUBLISHERS NEW YORK - - - - - - -LADY JIM of -CURZON STREET - -_A Novel_ - - - -By -FERGUS HUME - -_Author of_ - -"The Mystery of a Hansom Cab," "A Coin of Edward VII," -"The Pagan's Cup," "The Yellow Holly," "The Red Window," -"The Mandarin's Fan," "The Secret Passage," etc. - - - - -G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY -PUBLISHERS NEW YORK - - - - - - -Copyright, 1906, BY -G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY ------------ -Issued March, 1906 - - - -Lady Jim of - Curzon Street - - - - - - -LADY JIM OF CURZON STREET - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -"We're on the rocks this time, Leah, smashin' for all we're worth. How -we can win clear beats me." - -With hands which had never earned a shilling thrust into pockets empty -even of that coin, Jim Kaimes stretched out his long legs and surveyed -his neat boots as he made this cryptic speech. His habit of expressing -himself in a parabolic fashion was confusing to his friends. But five -years of marital squabbling had schooled his wife into ready -comprehension, and she usually responded without comment. On this -occasion, however, the subject under discussion irritated even her -healthy nerves, and she replied irrelevantly. - -"Really, Jim, I wish you would talk English." - -"Huh! Never knew I was talking Choctaw." - -"You might be, for all the sense an ordinary person can make of it." - -"Ah-a-a!" said Jim, with the clumsy affection of a bear; "but you're -not an ordinary person, Leah. I'm the common or garden ass, that can't -straighten things. Now you can." - -"For want of a husband I suppose I must." - -"Come now, Leah. Am I not your husband?" - -"Oh yes!" she answered, with a flick of her handkerchief across a pair -of scornful lips: "_my_ husband, not _a_ husband." - -"What's the difference?" - -"As if I could waste time in explaining. We have more serious matters -to talk about than your want of brains." - -"Serious enough," assented the man, sulkily; "but you know how to deal -with trouble, Leah." - -"I ought to," retorted his wife, with a shrug, "considering the -experience I have had since marrying you. I wish I hadn't." - -"So do I," confessed Jim; then mended his speech with a dim sense of -having overstepped the mark: "No, by Jupiter, I don't mean that. You -an' I get on very well, considerin' each swings on a private hook. You -are not a bad sort, Leah, and I'm a--a--a--well, you know what I am." - -"Not a diplomatist, certainly. Isn't this praise a trifle obvious? You -don't mean it, do you?" - -She looked at him wistfully, but her candid husband soon stopped any -sentimental illusions she may have momentarily entertained. "Oh yes, I -mean it in a sort of way. An' good temper on both sides will help us -to push through the business quicker." - -"You mean the Bankruptcy Court," snapped his wife. - -"Perhaps I mean the Divorce Court," was his tart reply, but she was -quite ready with an answer. - -"On your own part, then; you can't say a word against me." - -"Who said I could? You've got the one virtue that gives its name to -the rest, and think yourself an angel." - -"I had your assurance that I was an angel--once." - -"No doubt. It's the sort of thing a man has to say to the woman he is -engaged to." - -"And never says to the woman he is married to!" - -"Marriage isn't all honey, Leah, and----" - -"Heavens!" Lady Jim addressed the ceiling; "as if I required telling. -But compared with other women, Jim, I am not----" - -"I never said you were," interrupted Kaimes, crossly. "I'd screw your -neck if you went on like other women." - -"Upon my word, Jim, I would admire you more if you did attempt -something of that sort." - -"Sorry I can't oblige you; but I'm a gentleman and bear an honoured -name." - -"An honoured name!" - -"Sneerin' won't alter facts, Leah. The name of Kaimes has always been -honoured----" - -"Till you dragged it through the mud," interrupted Leah, in her turn. -"The old Duke is all right, and Frith's a kind man, if somewhat dull. -But you--oh heavens! to think that such a Saul should be amongst the -prophets." - -Jim, not understanding the scriptural allusion, thought he was being -chaffed, a liberty which his bovine pride resented by two minutes of -sulky silence. Moreover, he dreaded his wife's formidable tongue, the -lash of which could cut through even his tough hide. - -"How are we goin' to get through the business at this rate?" was his -next contribution to the conversation. "You don't remember that I've -to meet a fellow at the club to see about a bet. An' I haven't got one -shillin' to rattle against another," declared Jim, pathetically. - -"Well," was the sharp reply, "I have to shop this afternoon with but -one miserable sovereign in my purse." - -Lord Jim opened his sleepy blue eyes. "I say, you couldn't----?" - -"No," said his wife, decisively. "I couldn't and I wouldn't, and I -can't and I shan't. Perhaps you'll read the paper and let me think." - -"All right," said Kaimes, reaching for the _Sporting Times_. "I want -to see the bettin' on Podaskas." - -"Betting will be your ruin." - -"Has been," corrected Jim, chuckling; then reverted to his early -metaphor: "We're on the rocks this time, Leah, and no mistake." - -His wife cast a look of scorn on the pink-and-white face she had once -thought handsome. And, indeed, Kaimes was good-looking in a heavy -Saxon way. Tall and muscular, with the strength of a bull and the -manners of a bear, he was precisely the sort of brutal athlete to -attract women. They flocked round him like bees, and gave him more -honey than was good for him. He accepted their endearments with the -complacent vanity of an egotist, and took little trouble to please -even the prettiest, whereupon he was adored the more. - -Leah, with her elbows on the breakfast-table, stared at Jim's -well-brushed head bending over the pink sheets, and asked herself, for -the hundredth time, why she had married him. Physically he resembled a -splendid Hercules, but in another sense the likeness was not a -speaking one. He satisfied her eyes, and in no other way gave her -pleasure. When he talked, he babbled vainly about himself and his -doings, to the exclusion of any topic likely to interest other people. -Possessed of that easy good-nature which refuses nothing, which costs -nothing, Jim Kaimes was looked upon as "a good fellow," a title which -covers a multitude of the minor sins. Jim would have been meritorious -as a cave-man, and pre-historically perfect. As a civilised being he -left very much to be desired. - -The subject was neither agreeable nor inexhaustible, and Leah rose -with a shrug of her shapely shoulders. Jim looked up. - -"Well?" he asked encouragingly. - -"Nothing!" said his wife, curtly, and moved to the window. - -Here she leaned against the sash and looked at the narrow grey street -which was such a good address to impress tradesmen, and so expensive -to live in. Not that the question of rent troubled the pair. They paid -none, and would have been as much insulted, if visited on quarter-day, -as an Irish tenant. The Duke of Pentland at the time of their marriage -had presented them with the furnished "10, Curzon Street," but -hampered with certain restrictions. They could not sell it, or even -mortgage it, nor could money be raised on the furniture. The Duke paid -all rates and taxes, and saw to all repairs. Beyond dwelling in this -very desirable residence, and calling it publicly their home, Lord and -Lady Jim had no interest in it whatsoever. Both thought it was -ridiculous that they could not turn the Curzon Street house into -money, when they needed ready cash so badly. - -And life was so hard to people of their standing and tastes. Leah came -of a bankrupt family, and had brought nothing to Jim but her own -clever, beautiful self. She considered the two thousand a year which -the Duke allowed his second son opulence, until she learned what -delightful things money could buy. Then Jim used a large amount of the -quarterly payments on his own account, and tradesmen would not give -her the delightful things without money. She certainly had bills in -nearly every shop in Bond Street and out of it, but even bills had to -be paid in the long run. The post brought a good many, and brought -also lawyers' letters, not pleasant to read. Between them, this happy -pair had mortgaged their income, and the money they had obtained was -all gone. Now they had no income and many bills. What was to be done? -This problem Jim had set Leah to solve, but clever as she knew herself -to be, the solution was beyond her. - -"Can't you borrow, Jim?" she asked, turning gloomily from the window. - -"Perhaps a fiver," was the prompt response; "every one's as mean as -mean. I've tried 'em all. And you?" - -Leah shook her head. - -"Twenty pounds, for all my asking." - -"There's your godmother, old Lady Canvey," suggested Jim. "She's as -rich as Dives." - -"And, like Dives, won't give a penny to this Lazarus. She smiles, and -talks epigrams, and preaches, but as to helping----" Leah shrugged her -shoulders again. - -The action drew her husband's attention to a very magnificent figure -which was loudly admired. Jim had admired it himself before he had got -used to seeing it in the breakfast-room. Now it struck him that this -attraction might be turned into money. - -"You're a ripping woman in the way of looks," he said, throwing down -the newspaper; "if you went on the stage--eh?" - -"As the fairy queen?" inquired his wife, scornfully: "that's about all -I'm suited for. I know the things I can't do, Jim, and acting is one. -Besides, think of what the Duke would say." - -Jim yawned, and lighted a cigarette. - -"He can't say more than he has said," he remarked, lazily. "'Sides, I -never go to hear him preach, now." - -"No; you send me." - -"Why not? The Duke loves a pretty woman. You can twist him round your -little finger." - -"I can't twist any money out of him," said Lady Jim, irritably. - -"More's the pity. We're on the rocks----" - -"You've said that twice already." - -"An' I'll say it again and again and again," snapped Jim. "You don't -seem to realise the hole we're in." - -"Don't I?" she queried, with an emotion she would never have shown in -society. "I realise that I have one sovereign; and you----?" - -"Only a fiver I intend to borrow from a sure man," said Jim; "but I -say, what's to be done?" - -"We must go through the court." - -"What's the use of that? It'll only settle our debts. We want ready -money. I don't care a straw about the tradesmen. Can't we let this -house?" - -"No; the Duke says we can live in it as long as we like, but if we -leave he'll take it back again." - -"It's like giving a boy half a crown and telling him not to spend it," -said Kaimes, looking round. "If we only could! It's a jolly sort of -room this, and we'd get a good rent for the house." - -The room was indeed pretty, being decorated in a Pompadour manner. Its -walls were adorned with white paper, sprinkled with bunches of roses -tied with fluttering blue ribbons, and the carpet bore the same dainty -design. The furniture was of white wood, upholstered in brocade, also -diversified with roses and azure streamers. There were many delicate -water-colour pictures, a grate and fire-irons of polished brass, and -electric lights in rose-tinted globes. Even the grey December light -streaming in through the two windows could not make the apartment look -anything but clean, and delicate, and dainty, and delightful. It was -an ideal nest for a young couple. But this one had outlived the -honeymoon, and cared very little for the ideal. - -"A very pretty room," said Jim, again; "and you're the prettiest thing -in it, Leah." - -She looked at him scornfully, and then glanced around. "I hate all -this frippery" she said contemptuously. "Something more massive would -suit me better." - -"Well, you are a kind of Cleopatra, y' know." - -If Jim's historical knowledge had been more accurate, he would have -made a better comparison. Cleopatra, according to the latest -discoveries, was small, foxy-haired, and dainty. She would have suited -this Watteau-like room to perfection. But Lady Jim was as tall as any -daughter of the gods, and bore herself after the imperial style of -Juno, Queen of Olympus. Her hair was of a deep red, and she had a -great quantity, as those who saw her pose in charity tableaux knew -very well. Leah possessed the creamy complexion which usually goes -with such hair, and a pair of large blue eyes, out of which her soul -had never peered. They were hard eyes, shallow as those of a bird, and -surveyed the world and its denizens with the inquiring expression of a -cat on the look-out for titbits. Her lips were thin, and covered -admirably white and regular teeth. It was a clever face, and beautiful -in its serene immobility. Those who did not like Lady Jim called her a -cat; but she was more like a sleek, dangerous pantheress, and woe to -the victim who came under her claws. Yet she could purr very prettily -on occasions. - -"Well, Jim," she said more graciously, for she was sufficiently a -woman to be pleased with her husband's grudging compliments. "Now that -you have finished saying sweet things, what next?" - -"This business. We're on the----" - -"Jim, if you say that again I'll leave you to get out of the trouble -yourself. You're my husband. Think of something." - -"I can't--unless it's the insurance." - -"The insurance," said Leah, thoughtfully; "twenty thousand pounds, -isn't it, Jim?" - -Her husband nodded. "Old Jarvey Peel, my godfather, had my life -insured when I was a child, and arranged that his heirs should pay up -the money every year to keep it in force. Then there's accumulations -of sorts. I don't understand these stale things myself, Leah, but I -know that there's over twenty thousand." - -"Can't you raise money on it?" - -"No; the old man arranged that I should lose it if I tried that game. -Lord," said Jim, with disgust, "if I could have raised money I should -have got rid of it, ages ago." - -"But how does it benefit you?" asked his wife, curiously; "if the -money is paid when you are dead, you won't have any fun. But I"--her -eyes gleamed. - -"Oh no, you don't," snapped Jim, not at all pleased at this hint; -"you'd like to turn me into cash in that way, I know. But it so -happens that the twenty thousand, and whatever additions may have -come, will be paid to me when I'm sixty. Much fun in that, when I -shan't have teeth to crack nuts." - -"You're over thirty now, Jim." - -"Thirty-five, and you're only five years younger; so when we get the -cash at sixty there won't be any enjoyment left for either of us." - -"Thirty-five from sixty," murmured Lady Jim. "Leaves how much, Jim?" - -"Twenty-five," replied Kaimes, after wrinkling his brow and communing -with his none too quick brain. "Beastly long time to wait." - -Leah nodded. "There's no chance of your getting it sooner?" - -"Not the slightest. I can't get a cent on it, and I can't sell it, and -I can't use it in any way. Jarvey Peel was a silly old ass. Died worth -no end of coin, and didn't leave me a penny." - -"But if you died, Jim?" - -"Drop it," retorted Kaimes, who did not at all relish the suggestion. - -"Well, but supposing you did?" insisted Leah. - -"Then I 'spose the money would be paid to you," said Jim, kicking the -hearth-rug with a gloomy face; "but don't you make any mistake, Leah. -I'm goin' to live right on to sixty and handle the money. I can't do -much at that age, but I'll try hard to get through the lot before I -slip off." - -"And what about me?" - -"Oh, you must look after yourself," said Jim, heartlessly; "but -if you can think of some scheme to get the cash now, I'll give you -half--there now. There's nothing mean about me." - -"What's the use of talking rubbish?" said Lady Jim, crossly; "you -won't die." - -"Not to oblige you, my dear, so don't think it." - -"Then don't let us talk any more of the impossible." - -"Is it impossible?" asked Kaimes, cunningly. - -Leah looked at him with wide, bright eyes. "What is it?" she asked. - -"I might _pretend_ to die, you know," said Jim, looking at her very -directly; "then the cash 'ud be paid to you, and we could share." - -"But it's ridiculous," cried Leah, raising her eyebrows; "you would -have to give up your position and disappear." - -"Who cares? You know I never stop longer in England than I can help. -As to my position, it's all debts and duns, and squabbling with you. -Oh, I'd give up the whole thing for the money!" - -"You never think of me." - -"Got enough to do to think of myself," grumbled Kaimes; "'sides, you -don't care for me. As a widow you could have lots of fun on--on, -say--five thousand." - -"That's right, Jim, take the lion's share to yourself." - -"Well, shouldn't I be paying the largest price for getting the cash?" - -Leah shrugged her shoulders again. "There would be very little -sacrifice in it so far as you are concerned," she said. "You've been -three times to South America since we were married, and I presume with -this money you would go there again." - -"I'd go out of your life for ever." - -"Oh, well," she said coolly; "I could show my respect to your memory -by wearing a widow's dress. I expect I should look rather nice in a -cap." - -Lord Jim was rather disgusted. Little as he loved his wife, he -expected her to be devotedly attached to him, and her ready -acquiescence in his disappearance annoyed him greatly. - -"You've got no heart." - -"How clever of you to guess that! I gave it to you five years ago." - -"And took it back before the honeymoon was over." - -"Well, you see, Jim, you are so careless a man that I could not think -of leaving the only heart I possess in your hands. Besides, so many -women have given you their hearts that I thought you might confuse the -lot." - -Lord Jim did not like this banter, and said so in a few forcible -words. Then he moved to the door, casting a disgusted look at a pile -of bills on Leah's side of the table. - -"What about this truck?" - -"Oh, we'll pay them out of your insurance," laughed Lady Jim. - -"Not much. I'm not going to disappear and give up everything for the -benefit of a lot of measly tradesmen." - -"I wish you wouldn't dangle grapes out of my reach," said his wife, -pettishly; "you know it's not to be done." - -Jim plunged forward, and, gathering up the mass of papers, threw them -into the fire. "Pay them in this way, then," said he, enraged. - -"I wish I could," sighed Leah, wearily, and looked at herself in the -mirror. "Do stop worrying me, Jim. I'm getting to look quite old. Are -you going out?" - -"Yes. We've wasted an hour in talking about nothing. We're on the -rocks, I tell you." - -"And so," said Lady Jim, calmly, "you end where you began." - -Jim looked up to heaven. "And this is a wife!" said he, plaintively. - -"And this," she mocked, laying her hand on his shoulder, "is a -probable bankrupt!" - -"Not me. I'll clear out first to South America." - -"Leave the insurance money to me, Jim," called Leah, as he banged the -door. "Twenty thousand pounds," she soliloquised--"it's worth trying -for. But I might as well cry for the moon"; and she sighed, the sigh -of selfishness, unexpectedly thwarted. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -Lord And Lady Jim Kaimes were regarded as a most agreeable couple, and -utilised this reputation to live on their friends. The husband was an -admirable shot, a daring and judicious polo-player, and his skill at -cards was as notable as his dexterity in golfing. Consequently, he was -much in request, and benefited largely in free board and lodging. He -was good-looking, which pleased the women, and good-natured, which -satisfied the men. In wrestling and boxing Jim could more than hold -his own, and always paid his gambling debts, even at the cost of -allowing tradesmen to threaten legal proceedings. Thus, according to -modern ideas, he was an honourable man and a good all-round sportsman, -a credit to the British aristocracy and a pleasure to his numerous -friends. "These be thy gods, O Israel!" A clergyman once preached on -this text in Jim's accidental hearing, but Jim did not know what he -meant. - -The wife was a general favourite with the men, but women fought -rather shy of her. She thought too much of herself, they said, and -dressed altogether too well; and, moreover, never gave even the most -bitter-tongued female a chance of talking scandal in connection with -the honoured name to which Jim had called her attention. However, -feminine artfulness led one and all to conceal this dislike, and Lady -Jim received as much kissing and as many sweet words and invitations -as her vain, hungry soul desired. She saw through the wiles of her own -sex clearly, and knew that in nine cases out of ten the woman who -kissed would have preferred to bite. But they knew that Lady Jim knew, -and Lady Jim knew that they knew she knew, so everything went well. As -to what was said behind her back Lady Jim cared not a snap of her -fingers, and if any rival dared to attack her openly she was quite -able to use a particularly venomous tongue, the safeguard against -calumny which Nature had given her. And it must be said that she never -went out of her way to harm any one: her position was that of a -passive resister. As she pathetically observed, she was a contented -woman, if only permitted to have her own way. - -Certainly the women had cause to complain of Lady Jim's gowns, which -were far beyond the ordinary female intellect in cut and fashion, in -new material and up-to-date trimmings. She added her own ingenuity and -taste to the creations of the dressmaker, and the result was always -such a triumph as to lead the rest of her sex to doubt if Providence -existed. It would have been even more aggravating than it was, had it -been known that Lady Jim paid next to nothing for her gowns, and -advertised the dressmaker instead of settling the bill. But Leah did -not make this fact public. She was content to use her magnificent -figure and good looks, and her popularity in society, to save a lean -purse, and therefore was daily and nightly clad in the purple and fine -linen which wrung envious tears from other women's eyes. Sometimes -Lady Jim, fascinating a society-paper editor, would utilise his -columns and circulation to advertise deserving tradesmen: while from -these, in return, she exacted tangible gratitude in the welcome shape -of gloves, handkerchiefs, scents, and similar needful if expensive -commodities. Lady Jim never signed her name to these literary efforts, -but they drew custom to the shop and filled her wardrobe with what she -wanted at the moment, so she was not ambitious to be known as an -authoress. Even Jim never knew how his wife, as he put it, "contrived -the tip-top"; and privately thought that the age of miracles was not -yet past, when Leah could make something out of nothing. - -For five years, more or less, Lady Jim had been clothed as -the lilies of the field, and had been supplied with nutriment -by the lineal descendants of Elijah's ravens; but now things were -coming to a crisis. The long lane down which she had marched as -Solomon-in-all-his-glory was about to take a turning, and Lady Jim did -not relish the new route. It led to second-rate lodgings at home or -abroad, to the lack of frocks and a diminution of other women's envy, -to the loss of a thousand and one luxuries which had become -necessaries, and to a self-denying ordinance of which she did not -approve. Something must be done to prevent the necessity of turning -down this penurious alley, but when Lady Jim set out on her shopping -excursion she did not very well see how she could avoid the almost -inevitable. - -Needless to say, Leah had a trifle more in her purse than the one -sovereign she had admitted the existence of to Jim. To be precise, she -possessed ten pounds, and that had to last a week as pocket-money. She -felt very hard up as she stepped into her motor-car and whirled down -the street. Had she possessed the lamp of Aladdin she would have made -its slave bankrupt; and to think that seven days of desiring pretty -things should be supported on ten pounds! The beggar at the gate of -Dives could not have been poorer. - -But there was no sign of penury on the surface. The unpaid sables Lady -Jim wore were the best that the animal could give; the fur rug over -her feet had cost enough to keep a poor family for six months in food -and fire, though she, or rather Jim, was being dunned for the payment -of that; the motor-car was one of the best and newest, and Lady Jim -drove it with the reckless speed of a woman who thinks the world was -created so that she should play Juggernaut. Having plenty of courage, -and a love for playing with death, Leah was a daring and skilful -driver. Before now she had swept round a corner with two wheels -beating the air. But she had not as yet crushed any one under the said -wheels, and she ascribed this luck to her peacock's feather. Like all -who have small belief in the Deity, Lady Jim was superstitious in a -small way. Her fetish was a peacock's feather, and so long as she had -one about her, nothing, so she averred, could possibly go wrong. There -was one now thrust into the left-hand lamp of the car, and the panels -were painted with the same feathers, until they resembled the tail of -Juno's favourite bird. Lady Jim might forget to go to church, or to -say her prayers, or to thank God, but she never forgot the necessary -peacock's feather which was to ensure prosperity and safety. She was -reported to make genuflections before a shrine of this sort, but the -report was probably exaggerated. No one knew what kind of a Baal she -worshipped, but it is ridiculous to say that she did not adore at -least one, for she was, in her way, a very religious woman. - -Lady Jim raced her car out of Curzon Street, down Park Lane, and into -Piccadilly, where she amused herself with dodging nervous people and -shaving the wheels of vehicles drawn by humble quadrupeds. The -chauffeur sat grimly silent, expecting an almost certain spill, with -the calm of a fatalist. He knew it would come some day, in spite of -his mistress's skilful driving, but he neither worried nor -remonstrated. He was paid for a silent tongue and healthy nerves, and -if his life _was_ insured rather heavily, considering his profession, -that was no one's business but his wife's, and she had already decided -how to spend the insurance money. But the woman need not have been so -sure of such good fortune. Lady Jim did not mind hurting other people, -but she had an uncommonly good notion of how to preserve the only neck -she possessed. - -When the car reached Bond Street, Lady Jim, who was as calm as though -she had finished a donkey-ride, stepped down and entered a jeweller's -shop. Lately she had paid a trifle off his bill, and thought herself -entitled to double the gross amount. The jeweller, knowing the Duke of -Pentland had fifty thousand a year, and that Lady Jim was too pretty a -daughter-in-law not to get her own way with so gay an old nobleman, -did not object to his customer's purchases. If Lady Jim could not pay -the Duke would, so she was permitted to take away several objects for -which she had no use. Then she went to select some new hats, and look -at the latest thing in frocks. A call at certain other establishments -resulted in the car being heaped with expensive trifles for Christmas -presents. Afterwards the car whirled into Oxford Street, returned to -Piccadilly, and stopped every now and then like a bird of prey. At -some shops she was received with sickly smiles; at others, which she -favoured for the first time with her custom, with rejoicing grins: but -out of every place Lady Jim walked calmly, with a shopman in the rear -bringing parcels to increase the baggage on the car. She achieved the -whole afternoon's work without once opening her purse. Could -Rothschild have financed things better? - -At five o'clock, with lighted lamps and unabated speed, Lady Jim drove -her machine to Berkeley Square, and, leaving the chauffeur to choke -and shiver in the damp fog, walked into a dull-looking house to see -her godmother, Lady Canvey. She wished to ask the advice of that -kindly, shrewd old pagan, and was not at all pleased when she found -the Rev. Lionel Kaimes, trying to lead Lady Canvey in the right way. -He had been trying to guide her heavenward for the last year, but the -bright-eyed old dame still danced along the primrose path with nimble -feet and an appreciation of the agreeable people who were dancing -along with her to perdition. - -"Well, my dear," said Lady Canvey, submitting her withered cheek to a -conventional kiss. "Lionel, here, has been speaking of the devil, and -you appear. There's some truth in proverbs, it seems." - -"Oh, Lady Canvey," sighed a soft voice at the old pagan's elbow. - -"I forgot, Leah, this is my 'Philip you-are-but-mortal' companion. You -have not met her before, and I don't think you'll seek her company -again. She's not quite your sort, my dear, not quite your sort. Joan, -come and show yourself." - -In response to this order a slim, tall girl, with a serious face, came -forward shyly, and put out a timid hand. She was plainly dressed in a -black stuff gown, without colour or ornament. Her hands and feet were -slim and small; she had wavy brown hair twisted into a loose knot at -the nape of her neck, and the features of her somewhat pale face were -delicately shaped. On the whole an uncommonly pretty girl, Lady Jim -decided, after taking in all this at a glance, but less seriousness -and brighter smiles would improve her looks. She was like Pygmalion's -statue before the goddess had flushed its cold whiteness with rosy -blood. - -"How are you?" asked Leah, nodding in a friendly way, but without -shaking hands. "You are one of Lady Canvey's discoveries, I suppose." - -"My discovery," put in Lionel, cheerfully, and with a proud glance at -the white-rose beauty of the girl. "Lady Canvey wanted a companion, -and I brought her----" - -"One of Fra Angelico's saints," finished Lady Jim, who was honest -enough to confess inwardly that this ethereal loveliness was most -attractive. - -"Quite so," chuckled Lady Canvey, arranging many costly rings on a -pair of knuckly hands. "Lionel knows how I enjoy the company of a -saint." - -"You must put up with a sinner for the time being," said Lady Jim, -good-humouredly. "I have come to talk business." - -"That means you intend to worry me," grumbled Lady Canvey, with a -sharp glance from under her bushy eyebrows. "I hate being worried and -bored." - -"Oh, I shan't bore you." - -"Yes, you will. Other people's affairs always bore me. I am not like -his reverence here," and she waved her ebony cane towards the young -curate, who laughed cheerfully. - -"I admit there is some lack of resemblance," assented Lady Jim, dryly. - -Then she looked from the young man to the old woman. Lionel was her -husband's cousin, and should death make a clean sweep of the Duke, and -Frith and Jim, he would inherit the title and the fifty thousand a -year which Lady Jim coveted. This possibility, which it must be -admitted was sufficiently remote, did not make Leah love the young man -any the more. Besides, he was what she called "goody-goody," which -meant that he had entered the service of his Master for use and not -for show. As the curate of an exacting vicar in a Lambeth parish, he -grubbed amongst the dirty poor, and dispensed soup, soap, shelter, and -salvation. Rarely did Lionel come to the West End, as his task lay -amongst the poor and lowly; but when he did venture into high places -he always called on Lady Canvey, who had an odd kind of affection for -him. "He's misguided, but genuine, my love," said the pagan, "and -moreover, he amuses me!" which last statement amply accounted for the -favour with which the old lady regarded him. Lionel was rather like -Jim, tall and muscular and handsome. But his face had an intelligent -look which Leah had never beheld in the dull visage of her husband, -and his blue eyes had the bright, calm gaze of one whose faith is -certain. He affected the usual clerical garb, but being only -twenty-five, and boyish at that, his face wore a genial, cheerful, -unworried expression, which made most people open their hearts. Like a -doctor, a clergyman must have a good bedside manner, and this Lionel -possessed. Moreover, his heart was kindly, and he was quick to observe -the snubbed and neglected. This feeling drew him towards Joan, who had -retreated, colouring painfully, when Lady Jim substituted a nod for a -handshake. The girl was busy with a silver teapot, egg-shell china, -and hot cakes, and presently handed a cup to the visitor. Lady Jim -took it somewhat absently, and having satisfied herself with Lionel's -looks and personality, turned her eyes on Lady Canvey. - -Outwardly the old dame resembled the godmother of a fairy story, and -would have been admirably suited to the pointed cap and scarlet cloak -of a professed witch. Yet the remains of beauty lingered about her -wrinkled face, recalling exciting Crimean days when she had been a -belle. She was small and shrunken and bent, and sometimes her grey -head shook with palsy. But her spirit was still vigorous and her brain -clear, as could be seen by the steadiness of her piercing black eyes, -diamond-bright and clear. She wore a lace cap, a dress of silvery grey -satin, and many jewels costly but old-fashioned. Add to these a white -China-crape shawl and an ebony cane, and behold the portrait of the -lady known as the "cleverest old harridan in town." But that -description was given by an enemy. Lady Canvey had a quick brain and a -sharp tongue, yet her heart was as kindly as that of Lionel. Perhaps -it was this which drew the young and old together. - -The room was comfortable, and luxuriously furnished, but with the ugly -taste of the Early Victorian epoch. Lady Canvey, now over eighty, -clung to the decorations and colours which had been fashionable -when she was young, and on stepping into the room Lady Jim felt as -though she had slipped back to the time of the Great Exhibition. The -motor-car outside, and the old lady in the red velvet armchair, -represented widely-severed eras. And even Joan the saint and Lionel -the curate seemed alien to the world Lady Jim inhabited. For that -world closely resembled the one Noah had fled from into the ark, when -the denizens "were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in -marriage"--though, to be sure, marriage nowadays, save as a visible -sign of respectability, was not much considered. - -"Well, godmother," said Lady Jim, thinking to curry favour with this -she-Cr[oe]sus by using an approved, if somewhat obsolete, address, -"you are looking well." - -"Then I'm a living lie," retorted Lady Canvey, grimly. "How can you -expect me to look well, when Lionel here has been quoting texts for -want of originality?" - -"I wanted you to hear the scripture," protested Lionel. - -"That's _your_ business," replied Lady Canvey, stirring her tea; "but -I can hear the scriptures read when I please by Joan, who has a much -sweeter voice than you, young man, as I suppose you think"; and she -gave one of her dry chuckles. - -The curate reddened, and Joan looked confused. Lady Jim, glancing from -one serious face to the other, drew her own conclusions, and murmured -something about a "sealed fountain." Lady Canvey, not being versed in -biblical imagery, did not understand, but Lionel comprehended on the -instant. - -"I am glad to hear that you read your Bible, Lady James," he said -quickly. - -Leah hated to be addressed in this stiff manner; yet it seemed -appropriate to the out-of-date room. But she had no desire to quarrel -with her godmother's pet in the presence of that opulent lady, so she -turned the tables on Lionel by looking shocked. "Of course I do. I am -not a pagan." - -"Then I must be one," snapped Lady Canvey; "for I wouldn't be you, -Leah Kaimes, for the heaven I don't expect to go to." - -"Hush! hush!" said Lionel, pained by this flippancy coming from those -withered lips. - -Lady Jim glanced at her opulent beauty in a dim mirror, framed in -tarnished gold, and laughed softly. Her godmother saw the look and was -swift to interpret its meaning. - -"I was like that once," she said, in rather a quavering voice, "and -you'll come to be such as I am, only you'll never wear so well. Oh, -what an arm I had!" and she began to weep silently over her lost -beauty. - -While Lionel and Joan comforted the poor soul, Leah looked sympathetic -but gave no assistance. She decided that Lady Canvey was in her -dotage, and would be the more easily dealt with on that account. Her -one desire, therefore, was to get rid of the two unnecessary people -and begin operations at once. She hoped by skilful management to come -away with a considerable cheque in Lady Canvey's shaky handwriting. -Those drivelling tears meant a weak will, and that, to one of Leah's -determination, meant money. - -"About this business," she began, when the old woman was again her -cheerful, cynical self: "could you spare me ten minutes, godmother?" - -"Certainly, my dear. It's all I _can_ spare you." - -This was not a promising beginning, but Lady Jim knew she would not -walk off with the spoils without a sharp brush for their gaining. She -looked at Lionel, and then at the girl, whom she was sure in her own -heart the curate loved. - -"Have you ever heard Mr. Kaimes talk Chinese metaphysics, Miss -Tallentire?" she asked Joan, having possessed herself of the -companion's surname. - -"No," said Joan, opening her violet eyes widely. "I am not clever -enough to understand." - -"Ask Mr. Kaimes if he doesn't think you are clever enough." - -"Really, Lady James----" - -"Lionel," interrupted Lady Canvey, sharply, "go into the conservatory -with Joan. She will show you a new dwarf oak which I lately bought. -Leah will entertain me. And I'm pretty sure," chuckled she, "that I -shall entertain Leah." - -"She's going to be nasty," thought Lady Jim, with a charming smile, -and continued to smile until the curate and his unsuspecting companion -went to see the dwarf oak and to talk Chinese metaphysics, which Leah -was certain they would do. Lionel, with a defiant glance at his -cousin, and with a colour which made him look unexpectedly handsome, -followed Joan out of the stuffy room. When the door was closed, and -the fire was unnecessarily poked up, and Lady Canvey was comfortably -settled in her chair, after a word or two about the draughts which no -one but herself could feel in that close atmosphere, Lady Jim waited -patiently for her godmother to begin the battle. - -She had not long to wait. Lady Canvey's eyes were bright, and Lady -Canvey's spirit reared like a warhorse to plunge down on Leah. She -sniffed once or twice, and looked sharply at the beautiful, smiling -face. Then she delivered herself of a speech which put Lady Jim's late -behaviour in a nutshell. - -"Leah," said Lady Canvey, "you're a born cat." - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -Lady Jim was not at all offended. She made every allowance for the -querulous temper of old age, and still smiled. - -"I rather like cats myself," she observed casually. "They know what -they want." - -"But they don't always get it, my dear," snapped Lady Canvey; adding -inconsequently, "when the cat's in the dairy, she's after the cream." - -"I don't think that's an original remark," said Leah, languidly, and -loosening her furs, for the room really was heated like the -conservatory, in which the lovers talked Chinese metaphysics. "Didn't -George Eliot say something of the sort?" - -"I never knew him," retorted Lady Canvey, wilfully dense. "You and -your Chinese metaphysics indeed! I won't have it----" - -"Have them," corrected Leah, gently, and unable to resist the -opportunity. - -Lady Canvey scowled like the fairy Caraboss, and continued, without -heeding the impertinence, "Joan is the daughter of Lionel's vicar." - -"I see, and he intends to be the vicar's son-in-law." - -"What is that to you?" - -"News!" expressed Lady Jim, serenely. "I never knew such a prig as -Lionel could fall in love." - -"His love is the love of an honest man," declared the old dame, -striking her crutch on the carpet. - -"I hope so, for the sake of his cloth." - -"Chinese metaphysics indeed!" grumbled Lady Canvey. "The poor child -did not know what you meant." - -"She certainly seems to be somewhat dull." - -"Dull yourself, Leah. She's a sweet-tempered, good, thoughtful girl." - -"Oh, I didn't mean to say she was so dull as all those qualities -imply," said Lady Jim, sweetly. - -Lady Canvey looked wrathfully round for something to throw at her -visitor's head. But the tea-table was too far away, and the old woman -prized her cups and saucers. Finally she took refuge in a spiteful -speech. - -"_She's_ an honest girl." - -"I sincerely hope so, seeing she is your companion," replied Leah, not -caring to take up so ridiculous a challenge. "When did you start her?" - -"Leah!" Lady Canvey thumped the ground again. "Don't talk slang. If -you wish to know, although I don't think it is any of your business, -Joan Tallentire came to me two months ago, during which time you have -not come to see me." - -"I was abroad," apologised Lady Jim, stifling a yawn. - -"Gambling at Monte Carlo, I'll be bound." - -"I did meet Jim there. He lost heavily on the red. I won, and came -home with enough to see me through the last month." - -"Who were you living on abroad?" asked the old woman, contemptuously. - -Lady Jim leaned back and placed her muff-chain between two very red -lips. - -"Let me think," she murmured, not put out in the least. "Oh, that -little dowdy Australian woman, who is trying to get into society on -her husband's money, asked me to stop at their villa." - -"And you did?" - -"For four weeks." - -"And borrowed money, I'll be bound." - -Lady Jim nodded blandly. "You can't expect me to live with pigs for -nothing," she said, with the greatest coolness. - -"You'd live with the devil and borrow from him, I believe," cried the -exasperated Lady Canvey, glaring. - -"I _do_ live with one," assented her god-daughter; "but he's a -stony-broke devil." - -"More modern flowers of speech!" - -"I didn't create the language." - -"You can help using it." - -"No. People wouldn't understand if I talked like Lady Jane Grey or -Elizabeth Fry." - -"They were good women." - -"But so dull," objected Lady Jim. "Why is it good women are always -dull and dowdy?" - -"They are getting ready for the next world," mumbled Lady Canvey, -solemnly. - -"Their outfit can't cost much, then," declared Leah, flippantly; "but -aren't we going to talk business? Think of that poor French, sitting -in the motor-car all this time." - -"You're sorry for him, I'm sure," said the old woman, ironically. - -"Horribly," replied Lady Jim, calmly; "but at least the poor creature -is cooler than I am. This room is stifling." - -"Don't call your fellow-sinner a creature, Leah." - -"Ah! Even had I not seen Lionel I could guess he had been with you, -godmother. He loves the dirty and disreputable." - -"And you love the rich and disreputable." - -"That obvious speech is hardly worthy of your reputation," was Lady -Jim's reply. Then she crossed her legs, rested her muff on her knee, -and protested, "I can't wait here much longer----" - -"On account of French?" - -"No; but I'm going to dine at the Cecil to-night, with a boy in the -Lancers. He's a nice boy." - -"And a rich boy?" - -"Of course! I don't like boys without money. But this business," she -went on hurriedly. "Jim and I are in a hole." - -"You ought to be in gaol," was the angry reply. - -"That _would_ be a hole," said Leah, good-humouredly; "but you don't -want to see Jim and me in the bankruptcy court." - -"Why should I bother? It's nothing to do with me!" - -"I'm your god-daughter." - -"You're a heartless cat," said Lady Canvey, angrily, and with her eyes -scintillating like jewels. "It's no use, Leah. I've helped you and -that rascal Jim over and over again. Apply to the Duke." - -"Oh, we've done that. He won't give us a penny." - -"Then ask some of those nice boys you talk of." - -Lady Jim sat very upright in her chair, and a becoming colour -heightened her beauty. - -"I don't ask any men for money," she declared; "you know perfectly -well, Lady Canvey, that I am any honest woman." - -"And how dull that sounds," chuckled Lady Canvey, turning the tables; -"you should be more original, Leah." - -"I don't mind going out to dinner with a man," cried Lady Jim, feeling -herself much aggrieved, "nor do I mind a box at the theatre, or some -gloves or things of that sort, so long as Jim doesn't object.' - -"Pooh! Much you care for Jim." - -"I do. Jim's got a temper. He told me this very morning he'd screw my -neck if I broke loose." - -"Then I respect him for saying it," said Lady Canvey, energetically; -"and I'd respect him still more if he did it." - -"That's what I said to him," retorted Leah, grimly. "All the same, I -am straight enough. No one can say a word against me." - -"I'm glad to hear it. You have your good points, Leah," observed Lady -Canvey, in a more kindly tone; "but you show your worst side to the -world. Why not turn over a new leaf?" - -"I'm just about to do so, and there's bankruptcy on the other side, -unless you help us, dear godmother," she ended coaxingly. - -"I won't," was the firm response. "It's like pouring water into a -sieve. I've given you and Jim at least five thousand pounds. Where is -it, I ask--where?" - -"We must pay our bills." - -"You ought to, but you don't." - -"Money will go." - -"In ways it shouldn't go," snapped the old woman, feeling herself -mistress of the situation. "Don't talk nonsense to me, Leah. You and -that rascal are a couple of spendthrifts. The Duke, bless him, started -you both with a good home and a good income, and now----" - -"Now we're on the rocks, as Jim cleverly puts it," said Leah, who could -not help seeing the humour of the dilemma. "You didn't think Jim was -so original, did you, godmother?" - -"Leah, you're impossible!" - -"I'm sure I don't know why you should say that," remonstrated Lady -Jim. "I must keep up my position." - -"It's not as if you had been expensively brought up," went on Lady -Canvey, unheeding. "Your father was a wasteful pauper, for he got -precious little off that estate of his in Buckinghamshire." - -"And what he did get went into his own pocket," said Lady Jim, -supplementing the family history; "but as my mother was dead, and I -was his only daughter, he might have treated me better." - -"Geoffrey Wain was like yourself, Leah--a hard-hearted, selfish----" - -"Oh, spare me these adjectives," interrupted Lady Jim, rising. "My -father is dead, so there's nothing more to say. If you can't help me, -at least you needn't call me names." - -"I beg your pardon," said Lady Canvey, very politely. "As I don't -intend to give you a shilling, I have no right to tell you what I -think of your doings. Will you ring the bell, please? I want Joan." - -When Lady Canvey took this tone Leah knew well that the case was -hopeless. In spite of senile weeping, it appeared that the old woman -was not so easily beguiled as might have been expected. There seemed -nothing for it but to leave in silence; but remembering how desperate -was the position, Lady Jim refrained from ringing the bell and made a -last appeal--this time on business grounds. - -"If you will give me a thousand pounds for six months," she proposed, -"my husband and I will pay it back with interest." - -"And the security, my dear?" - -"Our joint names," said Leah, with dignity. - -"Ring the bell," was all the answer that Lady Canvey vouchsafed to -this proposal; "and goodnight, my dear." - -Lady Jim recognised that she was beaten, and nothing remained, but to -retire with dignity. Pressing the button of the bell, she crossed to -Lady Canvey and kissed her withered cheek with a caressing smile. "I -am so pleased to see you looking so well," she said gently; "but I see -signs of failing in your conversation." - -"You won't see any signs of lending," was the grim response. "Oh, here -you are, Joan," as that young lady entered the room with Lionel at her -heels. "Send these people away, and read me a chapter out of that new -novel which came yesterday." - -"Goodnight," said Lionel, bending over the old lady, and kissing her -hand with the tenderness of a son. - -She twitched it away. "There--there--goodnight. Take Leah to that -miserable creature who is perishing in her motor-car, and don't make -love to her. She is one of those women who are a crown to their -husbands." - -Lady Jim did not wait to hear the old woman's chuckle as she fired -this last shot, but swept out of the room, smiling kindly on Miss -Tallentire. The curate followed her, and Leah began to consider what -use she could make of him to farther her plans. - -"Let me drive you to Lambeth," she said, while arranging her sables at -the door. - -Lionel laughed. "Lambeth would be shocked to see me arrive at my -lodgings in such an up-to-date style," said he, pulling up the collar -of his coat. "No, thank you, Lady James. I'll walk for a time, and -then take a Westminster Bridge 'bus." - -"No, you won't," she contradicted, in an imperious tone. "I wish to -talk to you. Come, get in. French, you can go home." - -"But the car, my lady?" - -"I'll look to that. Do as you're told." - -Looking rather apprehensively at the machine, which was humming and -shaking in the bitter cold, French touched his cap and moved away. -Leah stepped lightly in, and beckoned to Lionel with one hand, while -she gripped the steering-wheel with the other. - -"Come along." - -The curate did not display much eagerness to come. "Is it safe?" he -asked; "you've sent the man away." - -"Because I want to talk privately with you. Safe!" she echoed in a -tone of impatient scorn; "I'd drive a car against Edge himself." - -"Oh, very well," said Kaimes, carelessly, and placed himself beside -her. He was utterly devoid of fear, and if there was to be a smash, he -was not unprepared to enter the next world. Lady Jim gave the wheel a -twirl, and the car glided through the square under the grey muffling -of the fog. Reckless as she was, Lady Jim had to steer carefully and -move slowly, lest she should run into something, for the fog was a -trifle thicker than it had been during the afternoon. All the same, -her keen eyes could see clearly enough, and she was not at all afraid. -Cool under all circumstances, Lady Jim would have hummed a ditty on -the streaming bridge of a plunging, bucking tramp-steamer, going down -in the bitter North Atlantic weather. Lionel marvelled at her -composure, and wondered if even her dear intellect could grasp the -meaning of death and its hereafter. But Lady Jim was thinking of this -world rather than of the next, and talked of her troubles while -steering the car down Piccadilly. - -"Jim and I are in a hole about money," she announced abruptly, for -there was no need to be diplomatic with this simpleton. - -"That is not unusual," murmured Lionel. - -She laughed and nodded. "No. We have both a wonderful capacity for -getting through cash. Now we've got down to what an American girl -called the bed-rock, and we want help." - -"I never knew you when you did not want help," said the curate, -wondering what was best to say; "and in some ways, your want is very -dire." - -"Don't preach, Lionel. Money is better than sermons." - -"To such as you and Jim, no doubt. But setting aside the spiritual -need, a sermon on your extravagance would do you good." - -"I'm afraid not," rejoined Lady Jim, putting on the brake for the St. -James's Street incline; "it would only go in at one ear and out of the -other. When I want sermons I'll come and hear you preach in that dirty -little church of yours. Meantime, you must help to get Jim and me out -of this scrape." - -Lionel was annoyed by her reference to his church, but from experience -he knew it was worse than useless to argue with Lady Jim. "I cannot -help you," he said stiffly; "you know my small means." - -"Bless the man, I don't mean you to put your hand in your pocket. I am -quite aware that the clergy are better at asking than at giving." - -"You have no right to say that," remonstrated Kaimes, warmly. "We help -the poor and needy." - -"In that case you have now a chance of practising what you preach." - -Lady Jim negotiated Cockspur Street and felt her way along Trafalgar -Square in the hope of hitting Whitehall. Only when the car was buzzing -down that thoroughfare did Lionel speak. - -"I am sitting in a most expensive machine," he said, indignantly, -"swathed in a costly rug, and beside a woman with a fortune on her -back in the way of clothes." - -"Then you ought to be very happy," said Leah, calmly; "but I'll drop -you at Lambeth soon, and then you can get back to the mud and rags, -which you seem to prefer." - -"My meaning is, that if you were poor you could not afford these -luxuries." - -"Nonsense. It is only poor people who _can_ afford them. The rich make -their money by self-denial, and wearing clothes which don't fit, in -houses furnished with the riff-raff of auction-rooms. Jim and I have -been brought up to better things." - -"To better worldly things," corrected Lionel, bitterly. - -"And very pleasant they are, my dear man." - -"It is people such as you and your husband who make the poor -discontented," insisted the curate. - -"I'm sure I don't see why the poor should be," murmured Lady Jim, -vaguely; "there are lots of shelters and soup-kitchens and workhouses. -And I always put ten shillings into the plate on Hospital Sunday, not -to speak of the way in which I've danced and sung at performances--got -up to help people who don't need the money so much as I do." - -"Nero fiddling, while Rome burned." - -"Well, and what else could the poor man have done?" retorted Leah. -"There were no fire-brigades in those days, were there?" - -Lionel felt helpless. "You don't understand!" - -"Oh yes, I do. You mean to be nasty. If I were a vindictive woman I -would drop you into the river, car and all"--they were crossing -Westminster Bridge by this time--"but I always like to be nice. Being -nasty brings wrinkles, and makes one so old. But about our trouble," -she went on, determined to have her own way. "Lady Canvey won't help -us, and no one else either. There's the Duke----" - -"He has done enough for you." - -"Not at all," Lady Jim assured him coolly. "He's kept us on bread and -water--that's all." - -"Oh!" Lionel was shocked at this ungrateful speech. "And you prefer -_pâté de foie gras_ and champagne?" - -"Naturally! Not that I like _pâté de foie gras_. They torture the -geese to get it, I believe, and it seems cruel to eat it." - -"You have a tender heart," said Kaimes, sarcastically. - -"It has been my ruin. But this trouble----" She harked back again to -the one subject which occupied her thoughts. "Will you see the Duke, -and ask him to give us--say--er--er--well, two thousand pounds?" - -"No, I won't. You'll only waste it." - -"That's so like you parsons," said Lady Jim snappishly: "we ask for -bread, and you give us a stone." - -"Two thousand pounds' worth of bread is a trifle too much to ask for." - -"Not at all, I always ask for twice what I hope to get. But here we -are on the other side of the water. I can't take the machine into your -dirty little slums. Get down." - -Lionel did so, and stepped on to the pavement. "Thank you for the -drive," said he, lifting his soft hat. - -Lady Jim nodded vaguely. "Won't you speak to the Duke?" - -Kaimes hesitated. He did not wish to appear churlish; yet it seemed -useless to interfere. "The Duke is very independent," he explained; "I -don't think he'll listen to me." - -"Oh yes, he will. You're a parson, and he is old enough to be afraid -of the next world. Tell him we're cleaned out, and get Jim and me a -thousand. And I tell you what," added Leah, generously. "If you do, -I'll give you a ten-pound note for your charities, though I don't -believe in helping paupers myself." - -"Yet you ask help on that ground." - -"Oh, I mean the unwashed paupers you're so fond of." - -Lionel ruminated. "Do you and Jim go down to Firmingham for -Christmas?" - -"Yes. It will be horribly dull. The Duke is so fond of that -old-fashioned Dickens Christmas, with its holly and mistletoe rubbish; -but we must keep in with him. What of it?" - -"Why not explain your position, and----?" - -"Oh, we've explained it a dozen times. But the Duke doesn't seem to -understand. Now, you can put the thing to him nicely." - -"Well," said the curate, slowly. "I go to Firmingham at Christmas to -preach, so I'll speak to the Duke." - -"You're a brick," cried Lady Jim, holding out her hand. "I'll come and -hear you preach when we're in Firmingham." - -"I hope it will do you good," said Lionel, shaking hands. "You think -me a prig, Lady James, but I assure you----" - -"I know you do," said Leah, dreading further sermons; "but I must get -home to dress. Goodnight." - -"Goodnight," echoed Lionel, hopelessly, and saw the car glide away -into the fog between the lines of blurred lights. "Poor woman!" he -thought, turning towards his lodgings. "How terribly sad her spiritual -position is! I trust she will get home safely, seeing she is so -worldly." - -He need not have troubled. Lady Jim reached Curzon Street in safety, -and in very good spirits. Did not a peacock's feather adorn one of the -motor-car lamps? - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -Firmingham was the smallest of the Duke of Pentland's country seats, -and so cosy, that he invariably held his Christmas revels there, in -preference to dispensing Yule-tide hospitality in more splendid -mansions. Situated in a woody and elevated part of Essex--that county -presumed to be a fog-tormented puddle--the quaint Georgian house was -ideal in itself, and in the repose and charm of its surroundings. - -Ugly it probably was when erected, but time had mellowed its glaring -walls of red brick, and nature had draped them with hangings of dark -green ivy. The square, lofty house, with its freestone ornamentation, -its many windows and gigantic porch, stood on a slight rise, a -position which enhanced its noble proportions. On three sides, level -with the ground floor, extended broad greystone terraces, with shallow -steps leading downward to smooth lawns. These, stretching for a -considerable distance, terminated in flower-beds, now devoid of -blossom and colour. And lawns, house, and flower-gardens were girdled -by pines and oaks, sycamore-trees and elms, with noble examples of the -birch, the beech, and cedars, proud and tall. A wide, straight avenue -ran for a quarter of a mile through grim firs to ornate iron gates -swinging between massive stone pillars, surmounted by the ducal arms. -And these same gates gave entrance to a spacious and wild park, as -delightful as that "wood near Athens" where Oberon tricked Titania. - -The charming country outside this sacred enclosure appealed to artists -in search of the picturesque. Certainly, the landscape was domestic -and tame, for here nature yielded to the controlling hand of man. But -the pleasant walks, the deep lanes, the ancient villages, and the -comfortable farmhouses, sprinkled thickly for miles, made, in -conjunction, a pretty picture of rural peace and contentment. And the -contentment was genuine, for no better or more considerate landlord -than the Duke existed. He was popular in the neighbourhood, and his -sway almost imperial--a true king of the castle. - -Jim and his wife drove from the station in quite a Darby and Joan -style, and, through fear of the Duke, rather than in compliment to the -season, were prepared to enact the parts of man and wife to -perfection. It was rather hard for Leah to say pretty things to Jim in -public, and for Jim to hover anxiously round Leah as a lover-like -husband; but the Duke expected such behaviour, and they were astute -enough not to disappoint him. In his rough tweeds, with jovial looks -and hearty words, Jim was quite the English squire of the story-book, -and shook hands with some of his father's tenants who haunted the -local station in quite the "all-men-are-brothers" style. Leah also -dispensed smiles and nods to marvelling villagers, who stared -open-mouthed at her beauty. But in the comfortable brougham, Jim -folded his arms and lapsed into sulky silence, and Leah yawned and -looked out of the window for want of something better to do. They were -off the stage now, and could take their ease. - -Very wintry looked the landscape through which they passed. The -meadow-lands were deep in snow, and gaunt, leafless trees started like -black spectres from the milky ground. Ponds and ditches wore masks of -darkly-green ice, and the frozen road rang like iron under the hoofs -of the horses. A yellowish sky, with the promise of almost immediate -snow, lowered over the starving world, and, for lack of foliage, the -landscape widened to the observing eye. A dull crimson in the west -showed that the sun was sinking in foggy splendour. The shrill voices -of children, singing music-hall songs instead of carols, saluted their -ears. - -"Quite like a Christmas card, isn't it, Jim?" - -"If it wasn't for the music-hall songs," assented her husband, looking -out of his window. "Wonder if there'll be skatin'." - -"I daresay. I hope so. I love skating." - -"'Cause you can show off." - -"We have each our little vanities, Jim," said Lady Jim, whom hope made -good-humoured. "There's the church--what a pretty old building, and -how well the snow contrasts with the red roof and the ivy!" - -"We have to go there on Christmas Day," gloomed Kaimes. - -"We must show an example to the lower orders," explained Leah, in her -British-matron tone. "Besides, Lionel preaches." - -"How awful! Why has the Duke put him in the bill?" - -"Mr. Dane, the vicar, is ill, and asked Lionel to fill the pulpit. The -Duke has nothing to do with it." - -"Wish I had," grumbled Jim. "I'd have the sermon cut out." - -"You'd have the church turned into a music-hall, I daresay," retorted -his wife, contemptuously. "But you must be as nice as you know how to -Lionel. Remember, he promised to speak to the Duke." - -"I'll keep awake during his sermon, but I shan't promise to do more, -Leah. You're runnin' this show." - -"Quite so, but I don't want you to spoil it. Lionel has great -influence with the Duke." - -"Frightens the old man to death with texts and Tophet, I expect," said -Jim, crossly. "I know these parsons." - -"I was not aware that your circle of friends included such respectable -acquaintances." - -"Oh, I can hold a candle to a certain person as well as you, Leah. Who -do we meet at Firmingham?" - -"The usual dull lot," said Lady Jim, with a yawn. "Frith and his -stupid little wife, who seems to model herself on David Copperfield's -Dora. Then Lady Canvey, with her new companion, is sure to be -present." - -"Fancy havin' that death's-head at a Christmas feast. Who else, Leah?" - -"That little Russian doctor, Demetrius. We met him at the Embassy, if -you remember. Not the Russian Embassy, but the French. He's out of -favour with the Czar, and dare not leave England in case he should be -sent to Siberia." - -"He can practise for it here," said Jim, shivering, "Beastly cold, -isn't it, Leah? What's Demetrius doin' here?" - -"Looking after the Duke's health. He says he can cure his gout." - -"I hope he will," muttered Kaimes, devoutly. "For if Frith comes along -we shan't get a shillin'!" - -"I'm half afraid we shan't get one now," sighed Lady Jim. "Here's the -avenue. What a charming place!" - -"I'd let it out on buildin' leases, if I had it," remarked the prosaic -Jim, "an' cut the timber. Lot of money in those trees." - -"Don't look into jewellers' windows, Jim. You're not rich enough to -buy the stock." - -"Rich! It was as much as I could do to scrape enough together for our -tickets." - -"Ah, well," said Leah, reassuringly, as the wheels scrunched the -frozen snow before the great porch, "we needn't spend anything here, -except half a crown for the plate." - -"Catch me wastin' money in that way," snapped Kaimes, swinging himself -out to help his wife to alight. "Halloa, here's old Colley, lookin' -like a dean as usual"; and Jim, again assuming his hearty manner and -jovial leer, shook hands with the butler, whom he had known since -Etonian days. - -The house-party was composed of hostile elements; consequently, -every one was compelled to adopt a forced air of Christmas peace and -good-will, which rather tried jumpy nerves. The Duke dug up fossilised -cousins to participate in the festive season, and these did not suit -with some fashionable folk, who for various reasons, as they put it, -"had to be nice to the dear old Duke." Mr. Jaffray and his poetic -sister of fifty, who quarrelled incessantly, hardly suited the tastes -of Mrs. Penworthy, as a daughter of the horse-leech and intensely -up-to-date. Nor did Graham, the Little England politician, enjoy the -company of Lord Sargon, a Tory, and a believer in the divine right of -the last legal descendant of the Stuarts. Also, the various young -women and men, who were really nobodies, and fancied themselves -somebodies, found the parts they were expected to take in an -old-fashioned Christmas rather a bore. - -"The season of peace and good-will," explained the Duke, after dinner, -when this collection of smartness and do wellness embellished the -great drawing-room. "We must all love one another." - -The company assented conventionally, and every one smiled violently on -every one, to the amusement of Lady Canvey. "If this was the Palace of -Truth," she announced, "there would be trouble." - -"But the mellowing influence of the time----" - -"Just so, Duke. But some people are like certain pears, they won't -mellow--they only become sleepy. And that reminds me," she added, -looking round for Joan. "I'll go to bed soon." - -"Not on Christmas Eve," urged the Duke, bending over her chair. -"We intend to keep Yule-tide as our ancestors did--snap-dragon, -the mummers, the Christmas-tree, the carol-singers, and the -ghost-stories." - -"Not one of them clever enough to tell a real ghost story," snapped -Lady Canvey, cynically examining faces old and young, made up and -natural. - -"Oh, I know a lovely, lovely tale," said Miss Jaffray, who was gowned -girlishly in white, trimmed oddly with ivy, and who looked like a -ruin. - -"That will last till to-morrow morning," chimed in her brother, seeing -an opportunity of being nasty; "snap-dragon is more fun. Eh, Lady -Frith--you used to enjoy that once." - -"I do so now--dear snap-dragon," said the Marchioness, who -was sentimental and adored her tall lean husband; "but the -Christmas-tree--oh, that is too sweet. Bunny and I met for the first -time under a Christmas-tree, and he fell in love with me. Didn't you, -Bunny?" - -It was rather hard on Lord Frith that he should be addressed by this -most inappropriate name. He was as stiff as a Spaniard, sad in his -looks, and spoke little. Although eminently well-bred, and clever in a -political way, he was not a genial personage. In this he differed from -his father, for the Duke was stout and kindly looking, beaming with -good-humour, and quite the style of host who would have figured in Sir -Roger de Coverley's time. Report said that he had been much too gay in -his youth, and that the late Duchess had put up with a great deal. -Lady Canvey could have related stories about the Duke likely to be -much more entertaining than the proposed ghost-tales. But she was fond -of her host, who, like herself, was a link with the remote past, and -never told stories out of school. When she and the Duke got together, -they wagged their old heads over dead and done-with scandals, and -lamented these days of vulgar and blatant sin. But whatever their -pasts may have been, they were an ideal couple in the way of venerable -looks and sweet old age. Quite a Philemon and Baucis of modern times. - -Meantime, "Bunny" scowled on his frivolous little wife, and then gave -her a sentimental smile. He was always torn between love and -propriety, for Lady Frith, imitating Dora, as Lady Jim averred, said -the most exasperating things in a sweet treble. He used to lecture her -in private and explain what she should say; but these corrections -always ended in tears on the part of the child-wife, and in complete -surrender on the part of her doting husband. Lady Frith certainly -could play her part in society excellently well on occasions, and was -more shrewd than would have been guessed from her baby face and -infantile manners. But she wanted to be original, and therefore -plagiarised from Dickens' novel. This assumption of an imaginary -character she called "possessing a personality." - -Mrs. Penworthy was old wine in a new bottle: that is, she looked -twenty-five, and acted like an experienced coquette of double the age. -Married to a modern Job, called Freddy, whose meekness was proverbial, -she led him about like a pet lamb and taught him a few parlor tricks, -so that people might say, "What an attached couple"; which they did, -tongue in cheek. A sweet look from Mrs. Penworthy warmed Freddy's -heart for four and twenty hours, even though the cost of the merest -glance sometimes ran into double figures. In his hours of leisure, -which were few, he frequently told her that she was an angel; but the -expression did not sound so agreeable on Freddy's lips, as on those of -the half dozen nice boys who constituted her court. - -She went everywhere and knew everyone, and did the things she ought -not to have done, with discretion. Freddy thought her a playful -kitten, quite blind to the fact that she had grown rapidly into a cat. -But with smiling looks and sheathed claws, and Freddy's diamonds on -her neck, she was a very pretty cat, and blinked sleepily at those who -admired her, so long as Freddy gave her a silken cushion to rest on -and plenty of cream to drink. Moreover, she only scratched those who -could not scratch back. - -"I really think it's awful fun," said Mrs. Penworthy to her -court--"all this sort of thing, you know--holly and snow and----" - -"And mistletoe," suggested one of the nice boys. - -"Now if you talk like that, Algy, you shan't be spoken to for a week." - -"A look is enough for me," whispered the adoring Algy. - -"Naughty! What would Freddy say?" - -Lady Canvey's sharp ears overheard the banter. "Were I Freddy I know -what I'd say," she murmured grimly; then aloud, to spoil sport, "Is -your husband here, Mrs. Penworthy?" - -"Freddy? Oh, dear me, no. He's gone to Paris, or Peru, or--I forget -exactly where--but it's something beginning with a 'P.' Dear Freddy," -she laid an entirely useless fan on her lips, pensively, "he works so -very, very hard." - -"And quite right too," said Lady Canvey, bluntly, "seeing what a -devoted wife he has." - -"Ah, you don't know how Freddy tries me, dear Lady Canvey. I _am_ -devoted--that I am. But, you see, I took Freddy for better or worse." - -"Oh no," corrected the old woman, tartly; "you took the better, and -Freddy took the worse." - -Mrs. Penworthy, not being ready with an answer, murmured something -about "jealous old thing," and moved away with her court to where Lord -Sargon was holding forth on his pet craze. "If only our ancient kings -were back," he said, but not too loud, as the Duke might have -disapproved of the disloyalty, "Christmas would be Christmas. In the -good old times of the blessed martyr Charles----" - -"The bad old times," contradicted Mr. Graham; "it was then that our -beloved country began to annex places which are useless. Let us give -up everything beyond the Channel, and attend to our own country. Then, -indeed, Christmas will be Christmas." - -"And the parish pump will pour forth beer," said Mr. Jaffray, -referring to the badge of the Little Englander. - -"Ah, the conduits ran wine in those sweet old days," sighed his -sister, in her poetic vein. - -"And people never washed," said a truculent old gentleman given to -sanitation. "What I say is, let every house have a bath-room." - -"I say, Jim, is this going to last for ever?" asked Leah, considerably -bored by these intellectual fireworks. - -"A week, anyhow," replied Jim, who was feeling happy after a large -dinner; "but if you will come to the Zoo, Leah, you mustn't find fault -with th' animals." - -"They are scarcely so interesting." - -"Oh! Animals don't talk, I 'spose you mean." - -"You do," retorted Lady Jim, calmly. "There's Demetrius!" and she left -her husband in the clutches of Mrs. Penworthy, with a whispered -caution. "Don't let her go too far, Jim. This week we're the -respectable middle-class pair, who live in slate-roofed houses." - -Jim did not quite understand, but he vaguely guessed that he was to -keep Mrs. Penworthy at a distance. For some minutes he did this, but -she soon overcame his scruples, and begged him to take her to the -picture gallery. The discreet court did not follow. - -Constantine Demetrius was a small, dark, neat man with an ivory -complexion, black hair, a waxed moustache, and a stereotyped smile. He -was dressed perfectly in a foreign fashion, and placed his small feet -together when he made his bow to Lady Jim. His English was much better -than his morals, and perhaps this was why Lady Jim beckoned him to her -side. Demetrius was one of her most ardent admirers, and she had a -vague idea of making use of him. At present she did not see how to -utilise his services, but if ever she required a thoroughly -unscrupulous man, she knew that she would need him. Besides, he was -really a clever doctor, and when Lady Jim was ill, she felt it would -hasten the cure to think she was being attended to for nothing. - -"What do you think of all this?" she asked him, when they were snugly -bestowed in a cosy corner. - -"It is very English," said the Russian, with a shrug. - -"That means very dull!" - -Demetrius clicked his heels together and made a bow from the middle of -his body. "At present I cannot say so," said he, gallantly. - -"And you wouldn't, if you thought so!" - -"Madam, the truth to a ravishing woman----" - -"Is like sunshine to a coal-miner: we get it so rarely. By the way, -how is Mademoiselle Aksakoff?" - -"She is well." - -"And as pretty as ever?" - -"I see nothing of beauty but what is before me." - -"All the same, you will leave me and marry Mademoiselle Aksakoff." - -Demetrius looked at Lady Jim with such fire in his dark eyes that she -felt slightly uncomfortable in spite of her courageous nature. It was -easy to play with the hearts of phlegmatic Englishmen, but to amuse -herself with this fiery Slav was like trifling with a tiger. -Nevertheless, Lady Jim, with a view to future contingencies, allured -him with sweet looks, and tantalised him with half-granted favours. -Katinka Aksakoff, the daughter of a Russian official attached to the -Embassy, loved Demetrius even to the extent of helping him to escape -the lures of the secret police, which would have drawn him to the -Continent, _en route_ for Siberia. Therefore she hated Lady Jim, -because that astute diplomatist kept Demetrius dangling at her skirts -in the bonds of a never-to-be-requited love, on the chance that some -day she might require him. And the Russian knew that Leah Kaimes was a -woman who wanted all for nothing, but, if possible, he intended to -make his own bargain with her. Lady Jim was clever, but Demetrius -thought he could entangle her. - -"Monsieur Demetrius," she said after a pause, during which the fire -died out of the Russian's eyes, "if you wanted money----" - -"I would get it," said he, determinedly. - -"But if you saw no way of getting it?" - -"I would make the way." - -"You can't make bricks without straw." - -"Clever people can," replied Demetrius, dryly. - -Lady Jim looked down at her rings. - -"Are you clever?" she asked. - -"To benefit some people I might be," he said in a low voice. - -She stared straight before her, and noted that Lionel was chatting -with Miss Tallentire. As yet the curate had not spoken with the Duke, -so that was a quarter yet to be tried. Nevertheless, Lady Jim had a -shrewd idea, in spite of the comedy being played by herself and Jim, -and of Lionel's pleading, that the Duke would be adamant. It behoved -her to have another string to her bow, and this she could find in -Demetrius. But she did not know yet to what use she could put him. It -was impossible to ask him to sway the Duke, strong as his influence -was with that gouty nobleman. Lady Jim had a good deal of what she -called pride, and did not intend to let Demetrius know her true -position, if she could help it. - -Before she could say anything, and really she did not know what to -say, the Duke gave the signal for the commencement of the Christmas -festivities. These were strong in intention, but weak in execution. -The company burnt their fingers over snap-dragon, capered in Sir Roger -de Coverley, tempted the Fates with roasting chestnuts, and finally -adjourned to a large hall, where glittered a splendid Christmas-tree. - -Then danced in the mummers, villagers all, tricked out as Robin Hood -and Maid Marian, as the Terrible Turk, Santa Claus, St. George and the -Dragon--a most meek beast--and with hordes of merry, laughing -children. The Christmas-tree dropped its costly, many-coloured fruits -into expectant laps, and a chorus of praise hymned the munificence of -the gratified Duke. Even Lady Jim thanked him for the dainty gold-net -purse which she received, and if she did peep in slyly to see whether -it was lined with a cheque or a bank-note, that was only out of -compliment to her father-in-law's known generosity. - -"Santa Claus has not got a banking account," she murmured to her -husband. - -Jim, who was scowling at his gift,--a set of sleeve-links enamelled -with the four vices--women, cards, drink, and racing,--growled. - -"He's got a dashed lot of impertinence. As if I'd wear these things!" - -"No," said Leah, tickled by the implied rebuke, "it doesn't do to wear -your heart on your sleeve--links": a witticism which was entirely lost -on Jim. He was one of the many obtuse swine who trampled on Leah's -pearls. - -What with eating and drinking, and professing seasonable sentiments -which certainly did not come from the heart, everyone became bored and -bilious and fractious. Leah surveyed the yawning revellers with a -feeling that Christmas, old style, was a failure. - -"You can't arrange an orgy," was her comment to Lady Canvey, "it must -come by chance, to be successful." - -"I don't think Pentland intended anything so disreputable," retorted -the old dame, "consequently you are disappointed." - -"Bored," Lady Jim assured her. "I suppose it's eating plum pudding -which always makes me dull." - -"But not good-natured." - -"My digestion has its limits. Good night, godmother; I suppose it's -time for you to be taken to pieces," and having stricken Lady Canvey -dumb with rage, she slipped away to bed, wondering what would happen -before next Christmas. - -"Something must be done," she thought, wearily climbing the stairs. -"If Lionel fails with the Duke, Demetrius might----" - -Might what? She did not know. But she really did feel that something -might be done with Demetrius. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -A congregation drawn to the Church of All Angels, by various -inducements, filled it to overflowing the next morning. Some came -because it was Christmas Day, others to hear Lionel Kaimes preach; -many desired to see the ducal party, and one or two presented -themselves in God's house to thank Him for the gift of His Son, sent -to save a dying world. Knowing the Duke's old age impeccability, -nearly all his guests were present and filled three large pews, to the -wondering awe of the villagers and their wives. These last, -especially, were distracted by the splendour of the ladies' dresses, -and the variety of the new fashions. Many laudable imitations of those -marvellous frocks were visible in country lane and village street -before Easter. - -Lady Jim and her husband discreetly sat in the body of the church, -some distance from the pulpit, as Leah did not wish to come under the -curate's eye. She thought he was quite capable of preaching at her, in -which case a natural resentment would have led to a quarrel, -prejudicial to the exercise of Lionel's good offices with the Duke. -Moreover, Leah, occupied with her own thoughts, did not want to be -distracted by a sermon of religious platitudes. She stood up and sat -down mechanically, looking too flamboyant to be in harmony with the -simplicity of the building. Tucked into the opening of her -"Incroyable" coat, claret-coloured and with strikingly large buttons, -she wore a cup-shaped nosegay of white and pink orchids. Her hat was -large, with many feathers of the new Titian red, and resembled nothing -in nature. She did not wear jewellery, but the vivid colours of her -dress made up for the absence of gems. There was something tropical -about Leah, and in that chill grey church she glowed like a gorgeous -flower, all splendour and perfume and radiant vitality. Her exuberant -beauty and colour attracted even the attention of Jim. He bent -forward, when the prayer for the King's Majesty was being said: - -"I believe you're enjoyin' it," muttered Jim, resentfully. - -"H-sh-s-s-s!" breathed Leah, devoutly, and knelt in a saintly attitude -which was far from expressing her real feelings. For the moment she -did not pray herself, or think of the prayer that was being offered. -Her thoughts were busy with bills and duns and Jim's defects, and the -chances that Demetrius might prove useful. And when she did murmur a -prayer, it was one of those which are rarely answered, or, if -answered, turn to the confusion of the suppliant. Plenty of money, no -trouble, much enjoyment, and the destruction of her enemies, were the -elements which composed this remarkable petition. Lady Jim was not -very clear as to whom she was asking, but she had a vague feeling, -which she mistook for religion, that there might be Some One who could -give her what she required. Moreover, it was just as well to be on the -safe side. Yet, even as she tried the experiment, the earthly -superstition asserted itself, and she carefully fingered a peacock's -feather inside her muff. This serving of God and a fetish may seem -ridiculous in a woman of Leah's capacity. Nevertheless, she devoutly -believed that if the unseen Deity did not help her, the seen Baal -would. And after all, was there not a cat of Heine's acquaintance, who -made genuflections before a pink-ribboned flageolet? But cats, as the -poet remarks, are so superstitious. And Leah the pantheress was of the -feline tribe. - -Having made herself safe with the Unknown, Lady Jim joined in the -ensuing hymn bravely. She thought the words dreary and the tune -barbarous, but the fervour of her deep contralto voice reached the -Duke's ears, and he gave her an approving glance; so that was -something gained. Leah would have gone through the whole collection of -Ancient and Modern to learn the precise meaning of that look, but she -was satisfied with guessing, and sat down cheerfully to be bored with -the sermon. It occurred to her that the prayer had been heard, and -would probably be granted. But whether by the peacock's feather, or -the Deity of whom Lionel now began to speak, she could not determine. - -"And His name shall be called Wonderful"--this was the curate's text, -and he discoursed on it in a simple and impressive way. Speaking of -the birth of Christ, of His teaching and plan of salvation, of His -self-denying life and unwearying kindness, the young man's grave and -tender periods shamed the most inattentive into thoughtfulness. Lionel -was not a born orator, but he was very much in earnest, and preached -with an emphasis which carried undeniable conviction. Mrs. Penworthy -felt suddenly virtuous, and resolved to repeat as much of the sermon -as she could remember to Freddy, so that he might not grumble so much -over what the silly thing called "her extravagance." Even Lady Canvey -wagged her aged head, and thought that she might help a few deserving -paupers, if their needs could be supplied in moderation. Leah herself -was impressed, to the extent of hoping that the Duke would see that it -behoved him to fill the empty pockets of a deserving and pretty -daughter-in-law. Jim would have approved of this sentiment, but all -the time he was fast asleep, and woke up cross when she pinched him to -rise for the Doxology. - -Beyond a stray sentence here and there, Leah had not paid much -attention: she had heard it all before, though some of the sentiments -were new, and, as she thought, ridiculous. When the preacher was -fairly started she relapsed into her own thoughts. These being -unpleasant, she permitted her hard eyes to wander round the church. -After a wondering gaze at the extraordinary fashions of the women, and -a patronising examination of the decorations, she caught sight of a -face belonging to a young man on the other side of the aisle. He was -so like Jim that she involuntarily turned to see if her husband still -slumbered placidly by her side. The double was dressed in grey tweeds -and looked almost like a gentleman. He stooped a trifle, in spite of -his square shoulders and stalwart figure, and every now and then -coughed painfully. Apparently he was ill with some pulmonary -complaint, which the freezing atmosphere of the church accentuated. -Leah wondered at the resemblance, and thought of certain traditionary -stories concerning the youthful days of the Duke. But after a second -glance she decided that perhaps there was nothing in it. Jim was of a -pink-and-white, bovine, commonplace type, and there were hundreds -like him in manners and morals and looks. Moreover, she was so weary -of seeing Jim's inane face over the breakfast-cups that she did not -care to gaze at the imitation. Nevertheless, being a woman with the -orthodox share of Eve's curiosity, she resolved to ask questions about -this consumptive double. Mrs. Arthur, the Firmingham housekeeper, -could doubtless tell some story, as she knew much more about the Duke -than had ever appeared, even in the most scurrilous society paper. And -Lady Jim knew how to make her talk. - -When the plate circled, Leah quadrupled Jim's half-crown, and he did -not approve when the piece of gold jingled amongst the silver. - -"You've been borrowin'," Jim accused her in an angry whisper. - -"Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow," sang Leah, without -replying; and put her whole heart and voice into the hymn in the hope -that some of the blessings might trickle her way. And why not, seeing -that she had baited her hook with a sprat to catch the much-needed -mackerel? But it was useless to explain this to Jim. He would not have -understood such lavish fishing. - -"It was really too lovely," Mrs. Penworthy assured the Duke at -luncheon. "Mr. Kaimes spoke just the things I feel. And the -decorations--oh, really--so very tasteful. But the mistletoe, Duke. I -don't think there should have been mistletoe round the pulpit." - -"Such an immoral plant," chimed in Lady Canvey, with sharp, twinkling -eyes; "and so useless to some people, who can dispense with it as an -excuse. I daresay the Druids were no better than they should have -been." - -"They were before my time," said Mrs. Penworthy, very prettily; "and -you must have been quite a child then, dear Lady Canvey." - -The sermon affected Lady Frith in another fashion. - -"Oh, dear Bunny," she said to her saturnine husband, "what a lovely -way Lionel puts things! Do let us help people. There's Leah, you -know----" - -"Exactly," assented Frith, dryly. "I do know, and for that reason I -don't intend to waste money in that direction." - -"But Lionel talked of aiding the poor and needy." - -"That doesn't include the extravagant and ungrateful," retorted her -lord. "You are an unsophisticated child, Hilda." - -"Oh, Bunny, how could you call poor Leah and her husband names? We -must love every one at this season." - -"Oh, I'll love them as much as you please; but not to the extent of -supporting them." - -Plainly there was nothing to be got out of Frith, as Lady Jim decided -when the Marchioness reported a part of this conversation later in the -day. But she attempted to soften the Marquis by saying things which -she knew the child-wife would babble again to her hard-hearted -husband. - -"Jim and I don't want money, dear," she said, kissing Lady Frith; "so -long as Frith is nice to us, we don't care. You have your position to -keep up, and we are nothing. But it was sweet of you to speak." - -"Oh no," prattled Hilda, in her childish way. "I want every one to -love me, ever so much." - -"I am sure they do. Isn't Frith jealous?" - -"As nearly jealous as a perfect man can be." - -"I thought perfect men had no imperfection," retorted Lady Jim, -ironically; "but it's all right, dear," another kiss--"we must bear -our cross, as Lionel said this morning. Now I must go to see old Mrs. -Arthur. One must be good to one's inferiors." - -The result of this conversation was, that Lady Frith told her husband -of Leah's pointedly correct humbleness; whereat the marquis laughed -shortly. He quite understood Lady Jim's tactics, and was resolved that -they should not succeed. Frith was one of the few men Lady Jim had -never fascinated, and she hated to be under his clear-sighted gaze. If -Hilda could have heard Leah's inward remarks as she proceeded to the -housekeeper's room, she would scarcely have given so favourable a -report. - -"Good day, Mrs. Arthur," said Lady Jim, to the old-fashioned dame in -the black silk and lace cap, who rose to drop a prim curtsey. "I have -come to wish you the compliments of the season." - -"Thank you, my lady. Won't you be seated?" - -Lady Jim selected the most comfortable chair in the quaint small room, -and graciously requested the housekeeper to resume her seat. Then she -asked about Mrs. Arthur's cough, and her sailor son, and her married -daughter, and after various other things in which she did not feel the -least interest. The old woman, much impressed with Leah's -condescension, and not sufficiently clever to see through her arts, -expanded like a winter rose in this aristocratic sunshine. In a few -minutes she was chatting quite at her ease, and with the discursive -garrulousness of old age. This was the unguarded mood Leah desired for -the satisfaction of her curiosity, and having created it by an -appearance of the deepest interest in Mrs. Arthur's domestic -small-beer chronicles, she proceeded to take advantage of the -opportunity. - -"The service was delightful this morning," she observed; "the -decorations were charming and the congregation so attentive. I suppose -you know every one in the village, Mrs. Arthur." - -"I ought to, my lady. I am Firmingham bred and born." - -"And a very good representative of the place," said Leah, kindly. "The -villagers are really quite nice-looking--especially the men." - -"If you saw my son----" - -"Was he in church this morning?" asked Lady Jim, who knew very well -that the young man was with his ship in Chinese waters. "I saw rather -a handsome young fellow in one of the pews, but he looked ill. Of -course, I thought him handsome," she went on carelessly, and with a -soft laugh: "he was the image of my husband." - -Mrs. Arthur looked rather nervous. "There is only one young man -hereabouts who resembles Lord James," she observed, "and I do not -wonder you saw the likeness, my lady. Harold Garth is like Lord James -now, and is such as his Grace was in his youth." - -"Oh!" Leah's eyes opened. "Do you mean to say----?" - -"Nothing, my lady--nothing"; and Mrs. Arthur's hands fiddled nervously -with the gold chain she wore round her neck. Then, woman-like, she -went on to contradict herself. "Harold Garth has lately returned from -Canada, where he went to farm." - -"Garth? I seem to know the name!" - -"I don't know who can have mentioned it to you, my lady. He is the -only Garth in the district, and I daresay you never saw him before." - -"Well, no; I must admit that I never have. Why?" - -"Canada," explained Mrs. Arthur, vaguely. "He has been there for the -last twenty years. He went out to make money, at the age of fifteen." - -"And has apparently returned with consumption." - -"Yes, poor lad; but the Duke is very kind to him." - -Lady Jim laughed meaningly. "Oh, the Duke is very kind to him, is he? -That's so like the Duke. Always thoughtful. Fifteen and twenty--he is -about thirty-five." - -"More or less, my lady." - -"My husband's age," said Lady Jim, pointedly. "Yes, my lady," assented -Mrs. Arthur, closing her lips firmly. - -Leah tried another question. "Why doesn't this young man's family keep -him instead of letting the Duke support him?" - -"Harold Garth has no family, my lady. His mother is dead." - -"And his father?" - -Mrs. Arthur looked down. "I know nothing about his father," she said -in low tones. "Harold is a lonely man, poor soul. He lives at the -Pentland Arms, and Mrs. Kibby, the landlady, is as kind to him as -though he were her own son. And his Grace--bless him--does all he can -to smooth Harold's way to the grave. He sent that foreign doctor -to----" - -"Demetrius," said Lady Jim, quickly. "Oh, so Demetrius knows him?" - -"Yes, my lady. He thinks he can cure him of this consumption. I do not -think so myself" proceeded Mrs. Arthur, garrulously, "for Harold is -booked for death. You can see it in his face. I believe his Grace -wants him to go to a warmer climate." - -"What a deep interest the Duke takes in this man!" - -Mrs. Arthur looked up suddenly, and a flush dyed her withered cheek. -The eyes of the two women met, and the situation was adjusted without -words. After that interchange of glances Leah knew, as well as if Mrs. -Arthur had explained at length, that Harold had ducal blood in his -veins. "And that is why he is so like Jim," she thought, rising to go. -"I hope the poor fellow will get well," she said aloud; "but really, -he was foolish to venture into that cold church." - -"I don't think he minds if he is dead or alive, my lady. He has no -friends." - -"Oh yes, the Duke----" - -"Certainly his Grace, who is a friend to all," said Mrs. Arthur -loyally. - -Lady Jim laughed, and went away. She had learned all she wished to -learn, but, beyond satisfying a passing curiosity, had no desire to -pursue the subject. Still, she thought it would amuse her to ask -Demetrius a few questions concerning this patient, and went in search -of him. Somehow the subject of Harold Garth and his resemblance to Jim -took hold of her imagination, and she could not put it out of her -head. While she was thinking of other matters, the thought of the -strange likeness--now fully accounted for--would slip in, and she -would find herself pondering. Afterwards she declared that this -insistence of a passing thought was the work of Providence, for so she -called the peacock-feather Baal she served. - -Demetrius was not in the house, having been called out to see some one -who was ill in the village. So Lionel assured her, and moreover -supplied her with the name of the patient. "It's a young fellow called -Harold Garth," he said gravely; "he foolishly came to church this -morning, and, being already ill, is worse from having ventured out." - -"I never heard a parson call going to church foolishness before," said -Lady Jim, surprised that the subject should crop up again in so -unexpected a manner. "Who is Harold Garth?" - -"A protége of the Duke's. He has just returned from Canada," said the -curate, simply; "and, curiously enough, he is rather like the Kaimes -family. Perhaps that is why the Duke is so kind to him." - -"Perhaps it is," said Leah, wondering how much Lionel guessed. "I -don't think I ever saw him," she added, mendaciously. - -"If you did you would mistake him for your husband." - -"How awful!" shuddered Leah. "As though one Jim wasn't enough to be -bothered with. But can't we talk of something more interesting--your -sermon, for instance?" - -"I trust you found that interesting," said Lionel, smiling. - -"Oh yes--it wasn't too long." - -"I see"--dryly--"you judge the interest of a sermon by its length." - -"Oh no--really, I quite enjoyed your preaching." - -"I don't preach that people may enjoy, but that they may think -seriously of what they are." - -"I'm sure I think seriously enough, Lionel. Have you spoken to the -Duke? No? I wish you would." - -"To-morrow. This is Christmas Day, remember." - -"As if I could forget, with all the nonsense that's going on here," -retorted Lady Jim, glancing superciliously round at the decorations. -"Every one is overdoing the brotherly business. I quite expected my -maid to tell me that she loved me. And I don't see why you shouldn't -ask the Duke to-day. You'll squeeze the money out of him the more -easily while he's got this Christmassy emotion on." - -"I don't squeeze money out of people," said Kaimes, stiffly. - -"What a large income you must have, then." - -"I live within it." - -"That's nothing to boast of. I'd live within mine, if I had ten -thousand a year." - -"I doubt it," replied Lionel, who could not help laughing at her -coolness; "you'd spend fifty thousand if you had it." - -"Rather--if I were the Duchess of Pentland. But there's no chance of -such luck. Frith's too healthy. Do smile again, Lionel--you've got -such nice teeth, and look quite a good sort when you let yourself go." - -"What am I to smile at?" asked the curate, with deliberate austerity. - -"At me, and on me. I put ten shillings into the plate this morning." - -Lionel was a thoroughly good young man, and had a great sense of the -dignity of his cloth and the responsibility of his position. But he -also possessed humour, and could not help retorting after the style of -a certain witty bishop. - -"That's the smallest fire insurance I ever heard of," said he, -genially, and moved away, leaving Lady Jim amused. - -"I didn't think he had so much fun in him," she thought, making for -the library; "but the speech is too clever to be original"--which -showed that Leah suspected the existence of the witty bishop. - -But the word insurance put her mind on Jim's mad idea to pretend death -and cheat the company out of twenty thousand pounds, with -accumulations. Leah devoutly wished that the trick could be managed. -Its success meant a clearance of debt and of Jim, when the millennium -would come, and, as Mrs. Nickleby's admirer put it, "all would be gas -and gaiters." She resolved to have another chat with Jim on the -subject, and meantime went to seek for a novel. After boring herself -with Mrs. Arthur and Lionel, she wished to read away a well-earned -hour of peace. - -But this for the moment she was not destined to enjoy. The library was -empty, save for the presence of the last person whom Lady Jim wished -to encounter. When Miss Jaffray looked up from a gigantic volume with -an almost toothless smile, Leah turned to fly. But the old maid -arrested her flight with a joyful shout. She usually did shout, as her -brother was slightly deaf, which deceived her into thinking the entire -human race was likewise afflicted. - -"So sweet of you to come here," shouted Miss Jaffray. "I am just dying -for some one to talk to." - -If the decision had been left to Lady Jim, she would have gladly -avoided the talk, to bring about this result. But it occurred to her -scheming mind that this dull spinster was wealthy, and might be -cajoled or frightened into lending money. Leah did not specify the -sum, even in her own mind, as she did not know how much more this -virgin soil would yield, if properly worked. Sitting down promptly, -she began to chat on the first subject that came into her head. - -"What are you reading so earnestly?" she asked sweetly. - -"The _Morte d'Arthur_," said the spinster, fondling the ponderous tome -which her weak knees could hardly support. - -"Heavens!" thought Lady Jim, with a charming smile, meaning nothing, -"am I to be bored with another Arthur?" - -"The black-letter edition," went on Miss Jaffray, in a loud and -oratorical voice. "Most interesting. So sweet to think of those dear -dead days, when knights went about as troubadours with guitars in -steel armour, dying for queens of beauty." - -"Delightful," assented Lady Jim, yawning at the dullness of the -picture; "but"--with a disparaging glance at the lettering--"isn't it -rather like reading a German newspaper? I prefer novels myself." - -"So do I, when not in a poetic humour," shouted her companion. "All -the old, old masters of fiction. Dickens, Bulwer-Lytton, Wilkie -Collins. I love them all--every one." - -"I seem to know those names," ventured Leah, carefully. "What did they -write, Miss Jaffray?" - -The spinster gasped. Brought up in a library, she could not understand -this fashionable ignorance, which, truth to say, was partially -assumed. Leah was by no means the ignoramus she made herself out to -be. But, for the sake of business, she thought it judicious to foster -Miss Jaffray's vanity by assuming an inferior position. - -"Do you ever read?" asked Miss Jaffray, in the voice of Goliath -challenging the army of Saul. - -"Oh yes; society newspapers, and French novels." - -"But they are so improper." - -"Nothing amusing is improper to my mind," said Lady Jim, calmly; "and -I really did skim through a page or two of Dickens. Horribly dull, I -thought him." - -"Oh!" Miss Jaffray gasped again. "He did so much good." - -"Perhaps that is why his books are dull. Thoroughly good people are -invariably----" Here she discreetly pulled the reins, as Miss Jaffray, -considering herself good, might not relish the malicious witticism, -presuming she could understand it. "I'll take you as my instructor, -dear Miss Jaffray," added Leah, stifling another yawn. "Do tell me -what to read." - -"There's Wilkie Collins's _Armadale_," said the old maid, delighted at -being put into the pulpit; "but you may think me rude for recommending -that." - -"Why should I?" - -"There's a character in it so like you, in appearance," apologised -Miss Jaffray; "in appearance only, you will understand. I should be -sorry indeed to think that in morals you resembled Miss Gwilt." - -"Miss--how much?" - -"Gwilt. G-w-i-l-t," spelt the spinster--"the strange name of a strange -woman. She's the character I spoke of. No, really you mightn't like -her. She was--well--er--er--disreputable. Better begin with _The Woman -in White_." - -"Oh, I have heard of that. What is it about?" - -"A striking resemblance between two women. One is passed off -by her wicked husband as the other, and buried--to get money, you -understand--a kind of fraud." - -Leah turned cold and hot. It sounded as though this simple woman -was explaining the contemplated deceit of herself and Jim. "I don't -think I should like that book at all," she said, diplomatically -cunning; "it sounds dull. I would rather read about the naughty -woman--Miss--what's-her-name?" - -"It's in yonder bookshelf," said Miss Jaffray, pointing a lean finger -to the end of the room, "along with the rest of the master's novels. -But please don't think that I fancy you resemble Miss Gwilt's moral -character. You certainly have her auburn hair." - -"Red hair," corrected Lady Jim, rising. "I'm rather proud of it." - -"You ought to be," said the old maid, with simple admiration, and -rising to put away her tome. "I can imagine you a queen of beauty in -the dear old tournaments, with knights at your feet." - -"Oh, many are there now, without tournaments," said Leah, with superb -self-confidence; "but I prefer men of higher rank than knights. Though -I will say," she added generously, "that men who have won knighthood -are cleverer than those donkeys who inherit." - -All this was Greek to Miss Jaffray, and after putting away her volume -she departed, with a final recommendation about Miss Gwilt. Lady Jim -walked to where Wilkie Collins's novels lined the shelf, and--needless -to say--selected _The Woman in White_. - -"I wonder if I can make fact out of fiction?" she asked herself. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -It was Jim's custom to saunter into his wife's bedroom, before -descending to make a hearty meal, and complain that he had rested -badly. This was a pleasing fiction, as he slept like a dormouse, and -snored steadily through the hours he allotted to sleep without even a -dream. But on entering for his morning grumble, he was so surprised to -find Leah in her dressing-gown before a brisk fire, with a breakfast -at her elbow and a book open on her lap, that he forgot his egotism. -Jim could scarcely believe his lazy eyes, for he knew well that Leah -was no student. - -"What's up?" he asked, after pausing at the door to say "By Jupiter!" -with every appearance of surprise. "Got a headache?" - -"If I had, should I cure it with a novel?" asked his wife, -disdainfully. - -"Don't know, I'm sure," replied Jim, with the matutinal good-humour of -a healthy animal. "Doctors recommend such rum things nowadays. But it -doesn't matter. I'm off to feed." - -"Wait for ten minutes, Jim. I have something to say." - -"You're not goin' to read, are you? I can't stand readin' on a empty -stom--well, on nothin'." - -"Have you ever heard of _The Woman in White?_" asked Leah, -irrelevantly. - -"No; who is she?" - -"It's a novel." - -"Don't read 'em. Real life's much more fun." - -Lady Jim looked at him steadily. "We might turn this"--she touched the -book lightly--"into real life." - -"Goin' to make a play of it?" questioned Jim, obtusely. - -"Well, you might call it a comedy," she answered. "I certainly do not -want it to be a tragedy--though it might come to that," she ended in a -lower tone. - -Jim opened his puzzled blue eyes. "Want of breakfast, I s'pose," he -ruminated, "but I don't know what you're talkin' about." - -"I've passed a white night," announced his wife, abruptly. - -"What's that?" - -"The French expression for a wakeful night." - -"But you say it in English, and how can----?" - -"It's useless wasting French on a man who understands only the argot -of the _trottoir_." - -"You're wastin' it now. A wakeful night--eh? Why didn't you try that -new sedative Demetrius gave you?" - -"I didn't want to sleep. This book was too interesting. I wish you to -read it"; and she extended the novel to her husband. - -"What!!!" If she had offered poison Jim could not have betrayed more -abhorrence. "Read? You--want--me--to--read?" - -"Well, you know words of two syllables, don't you?" she retorted -impatiently. "Take it." - -Jim handled the book as though it were a scorpion, turning over a -hundred leaves rapidly. "Love an' diaries, and--oh, bosh!" - -"Not at all, unless bosh is your word for common sense. I see a chance -of getting that money." - -"What money?" - -Leah made an impatient movement. "How dense you are! The insurance -money, of course--the twenty thousand pounds. Suppose you died----" - -"Stop it. I told you I wouldn't." - -"And you told me that you might pretend to die." - -"Oh, I was only talkin'. You don't want me to be buried alive!" - -"It wouldn't be much good," said his wife, with a shrug. "We must have -a genuine corpse--like you." - -An inkling of her meaning stole into Jim's dull brain, and he sat down -suddenly. "Go on," said he, hoarsely. - -"Harold Garth is like you." - -"Where the--what the--you saw him?" - -"In church yesterday. He's ill with consumption, dying they say. -Demetrius attends him. Supposing--supposing"--her imagination made her -cheeks flush--"supposing--oh, you understand." - -The sluggish comprehension of the man grasped her hinted scheme -suddenly, and his eyes lighted up. "Supposing he died and was buried -in place of me, you mean?" - -"You don't suppose I mean murder, do you?" she cried, rising to the -height of her tall figure and speaking irritably. - -"You would if there was money in it," said Jim, grimly. - -"It would be a natural death," went on Leah, rapidly, and pacing the -room to relieve the strain on her nerves. "The poor fellow can't live -long. If he died, and was buried as----" - -"No go," contradicted Jim, rising in his turn. "Every one about here -knows of the likeness; for which," he added slowly, "there's a -reason." - -"So I learned yesterday from Mrs. Arthur." - -Jim was indignant. "Do you mean to tell me----?" - -"I mean to tell you that I gathered the truth from what she left -unsaid. You don't suppose that I require words to explain things." - -"I don't see how it's to be managed," said Kaimes, reflectively. - -"If it could be, would you surrender everything and----?" - -"Yes, I would, for a quarter of the money. Then I'd go out of your -life an' to Lima----" - -"Lima," said Lady Jim, stopping suddenly. "Why to Lima? You've been -there three times since we married." - -"No end of a place, Lima," muttered Jim, feebly. - -His wife looked at his colouring face attentively, and laughed in a -short, rasping manner. An idea had occurred to her which she did not -think it necessary to impart to Jim. "When you're legally dead," she -said sharply, "I shall have no control over your life or movements. -All I want to know is, if this business can be managed, will you do -your share by disappearing?" - -"Yes; but I don't see how----" - -"Read that book, Jim, and you'll understand better. It gave me the -idea, though our plot will be different in many ways." - -"Well," said Jim, tucking the novel under his arm, "I'll dip into it." - -"Don't let any one see you reading, and replace it in the library -without any one knowing." - -"Why should I?" - -"You fool," snarled Leah, viciously; "if this thing is to be carried -through safely, no suspicion must rest on either of us. Do you suppose -that I have spoken to this double of yours, or have let any one know -that I have read the book? I don't think it really matters much, as -people are too stupid to see things; but it is just as well to be on -the safe side." - -"But I don't see how----" began Kaimes again, and again she cut him -short. - -"I do--I do. Demetrius attends this young fellow." - -"Oh, and he--Demetrius, I mean----" - -"Leave me to deal with him," she said confidently. - -Jim flung the book on the floor, and looked at her with clenched -hands. "What is this Demetrius to you?" he asked violently. - -"A puppet I can pull the strings of," she retorted; "and be good -enough to remember that you are not in a training-stable." - -"If that beastly little Tartar----" - -"My dear Jim," said his wife coolly, "if you ask me about Demetrius, I -shall certainly ask you about Lima." - -Kaimes was taken aback. "Lima," he stammered, flushing to the roots of -his fair hair. "What do you mean?" - -"I mean that you can trust me to ask no questions, if you will mind -your own business." - -"As you are my wife, Demetrius is my business." - -"Think of me as your widow then," she mocked, "and that I can't be -without the aid of Demetrius." - -"Why can't you speak plainly?" - -"I might ask you the same question, but"--she picked up the novel and -thrust it into Jim's unwilling hands--"I fancy you and I understand -one another pretty well." - -"I won't have any man making love to you." - -"Very good," said Leah, calmly; "then you must remain a pauper, and my -husband. I'm not going to all this trouble to share you with----" - -"Well, with whom?--out with it!" - -"I think you can answer that question best, Jim." - -"Upon my honour----" - -"Pah!" she said with disgust. "Hadn't we better leave honour out of -this shady business we are about to embark in?" - -"You really mean to----" - -"I really mean to get that twenty thousand pounds!" - -"You'll lose me," Jim reminded her uneasily. - -Leah made a grimace. "My loss is another's gain," she said -significantly. "Now go away, Jim. I have to dress in my best frock in -order to fascinate Demetrius"; and she vanished into her dressing-room -with a provoking laugh. - -Lord Jim said something about Demetrius that involved the use of -unprintable language. Then he slipped the book into the pocket of his -shooting-jacket and lumbered downstairs. In spite of his squabbling -with Leah, and the existence of some one in Lima, he was furiously -jealous of Demetrius, and scowled at the Russian when they met. -Demetrius rather liked that scowl, as he guessed the reason, and took -it as a tribute to his fascinations. If he had known Lady Jim's real -intentions, and that she intended to convert English rather than -French fiction into everyday facts, he might not have smiled so -victoriously over his coffee. But Demetrius made the fatal mistake of -so many clever men: he knew he was clever, and thereby was not what he -fancied himself to be. The true secret of success lies, not in knowing -how clever oneself is, but how stupid other people are. - -While Jim was growling over his provender, Miss Tallentire, who had -finished her breakfast, slipped out of the room. She felt strange in -the company of the frumps and fashionables which formed the -house-party. Certainly the frumps were eating in private, and would -not appear till the world was well-aired, and they had been "made-up" -sufficiently well to prevent the younger generation being shocked. But -the fashionable people came to breakfast in public, and Joan found the -talk far above her comprehension. These languid creatures, who ate so -little and talked so much, were like inhabitants of a strange planet, -and it was with great relief that the girl found herself passed over. -Of course, nobody thought of noticing Cinderella in her rags. - -As Lady Canvey was being rehabilitated by a skilful maid, and would -not be seen as the world knew her for at least two hours, Joan had -this time to herself. The brightness of the day tempted her to assume -hat and jacket for a morning walk, and she was shortly tripping over -the crisp snow of the avenue. The glorious sunshine, the keen air, the -dazzling whiteness of the snow, and the generally invigorating -influence of this ideal winter morning stirred the current of her -blood to nimbleness. Joan began to sing softly, and could hardly keep -from dancing, so rapidly did her spirits mount skyward. At length, the -place being solitary and she being recklessly young, a sudden impulse -sent her flying like an arrow between the grim firs. Near the gates -she shot directly into the arms of a man, and uttered an ejaculation. -This was hardly to be wondered at, seeing that the arms closed tightly -round her, and a pair of warm lips deepened the colour which exercise -had brought to her cheeks. - -"Lionel!" cried Joan; and "Darling!" replied Lionel, which -sufficiently explains the feeling which existed between Lady Canvey's -companion and Lady Canvey's pet. - -These two babies, as the old lady called them, had been engaged for -six months, but the fact was not generally known. The clerical parent -of Joan had given his consent, on the understanding that Lionel was to -possess a better income and the best vicarage obtainable before he -made Joan Mrs. Kaimes. The young man had agreed readily enough, as he -did not want to inflict his comparative penury, and poor lodgings, on -the girl he so dearly loved. Joan and he had decided to wait for two -years, and during that time Lionel was to reform Lambeth. He was -attempting to do this with all the vigour of his energetic nature, and -between times made love to Joan. Lady Canvey knew of the engagement, -and would have had the couple married at once, since she could easily -have given Lionel a living, and wished to do so. But the curate was -anxious to become the vicar of Firmingham. The present incumbent was -seriously ill, and in the event of death the Duke had promised that -Lionel should fill the pulpit. - -Therefore the lovers waited very happily, and if Firmingham did not -come to them within the decreed two years, they were quite prepared to -marry on the bread and cheese of a hard London life. Meantime, Joan -was seeing a trifle of West End life under Lady Canvey's wing, and her -earnings, as Lady Canvey's companion, were most acceptable to the -hard-worked Mr. Tallentire and his wife. Thus it was that Joan -returned Lionel's kiss, and only released herself from his loving arms -when she remembered they were within sight of the lodge. - -"Lionel, how can you?" she said, setting her hat straight. - -"How can't I, you mean," he replied, smiling; "do you think I am as -cold as the snow?" - -"I don't know if you're as nice," pouted Joan, "or you would have -asked me to walk with you this morning." - -"No, dear," he said, gravely: "I could not have taken you to see -Harold Garth. The poor fellow is too ill. But we can walk now. I have -nothing to do, and--Joan, where are you going?" - -"Back to the house. I won't be taken for a walk on nothing-to-do -terms." - -"You silly child!" - -"You cruel boy!" - -Then they kissed and made it up in full view of a red-breast, who -cocked his head on one side and wondered why these human beings looked -so pleased. Joan said "Shoo!" and he flew away to tell his wife, while -the couple walked sedately through the gates, and into a world which -their love created for themselves alone. - -All the same, their conversation was a trifle prosaic. They read a -letter which Joan had received from her mother about trouble over the -Christmas gifts to the poor of the parish, and discussed this old -woman who lived in a chilly garret, and that old man who dwelt like a -troglodyte in a damp cellar, till the conversation became as sober as -the looks of the village sexton whom they met. And he was a -teetotaller. - -But however enthusiastic human nature may be in the talking and doing -of good works, love after all takes precedence of philanthropy, and -shortly they began discussing themselves and their happiness. What -they said does not matter much. Although foolish, it was sweet to -them, and Joan's eyes sparkled like the icicles on the bleak -hedge-rows at the looks her lover gave her. They walked in the -pleasant Land of Tenderness, and down the by-lane of First Love. Joan -had never seen the old French chart of that country, with its quaint -names and odd geography, but neither Lionel nor herself needed its -guidance. They had skimmed through the country before, and knew the -lie of it extremely well. - -The pair soared pretty nearly to the gates of their transcendental -heaven, until the strain became too great for mere human effort, and -they folded their wings of thought to drop earthward. That unfailing -timepiece, the human interior, announced the hour of luncheon, and -with some haste they turned homeward. - -"I _am_ hungry," said Lionel, ogreishly. - -"Don't eat me," laughed Miss Tallentire; "you look as though you -could!" - -"You be Red Ridinghood and I the wolf," suggested Lionel. - -"No. Do be serious, Lionel! I want you to tell me about this poor man -you saw." - -"Garth? Ah, he'll never see another Christmas. Consumption is wasting -him to a shadow. In another three or four months----" Lionel broke off -with a sigh, "Poor man!" - -"Can't anything be done?" asked Joan, sympathetically. - -"Everything possible is being done, Joan. The Duke is looking after -Garth in every way--you know how kind he is. He even sent Demetrius to -cure him, and if Demetrius can't, no one else can." - -"But if he was taken to a warmer climate----" - -"The end would only be retarded for a few months," interrupted the -curate. "Demetrius says there is no hope. And I don't think the poor -fellow is sorry to go, Joan. He has no relatives, and few friends. I -fancy he has had a lonely life." - -The tears filled Joan's brown eyes. "Poor fellow!" she echoed, -stealing one hand into that of her lover's. "Fancy, if we----" - -"I can't fancy it with you by my side. And what is more, I don't -intend to fancy it," said Lionel, hastily. "Please God, you and I have -many happy and useful years before us. How do you like the Firmingham -vicarage, Joan?" - -"Oh, it's lovely, and such a sweet church. But I fear it's too good to -be true." - -"Perhaps it's not what you want," joked the curate. "If I were the -Duke, now!" - -"Ah, that's impossible," she laughed, amused at the idea of being a -duchess; "the very idea frightens me." - -"It needn't," Lionel assured her: "you will never be called upon to -wear strawberry leaves, unless the Duke and Frith and Jim all go the -way poor Garth is taking. And then Frith's wife may have a little Lord -Firmingham. I sincerely hope so, as it would never do for Jim to be -the Duke of Pentland." - -"You don't like him?" - -"Not passionately," said the curate, dryly. - -"His wife would make a splendid duchess." - -"In looks, I have no doubt. But with fifty thousand a year and a great -position, she and Jim would do good to neither God nor man." - -"Lady James Kaimes seems very kind," observed Joan, timidly. - -"It's all seeming. Of real, true, self-sacrificing kindness she knows -absolutely nothing." - -"But she is so beautiful, Lionel." - -"So was Jezebel, I expect." - -"Oh, Lionel!" - -"Oh, Joan!" he mimicked. "Don't worry your head over Lady Jim. She -will always get on well in this world, though I am very doubtful about -her position in the next. Come," he pointed down the incline of the -lane, "I'll race you to the bottom." - -"We might meet some one." - -"I don't care--I'm out for a holiday"; and away flew Lionel down the -snowy lane, with his clerical coattails fluttering in the wind. - -Joan, girlish and simple and extremely young, sped after him, and with -rosy cheeks arrived at the goal before her lover. - -"Come," said the curate, wiping his heated brow, "considering I won -three flat races at the 'varsity, that's not bad, Joan." - -"You humbug, as if I didn't see that you let me win. - -"I'll be a tyrant after marriage," said Lionel, merrily. "Enjoy your -little day, my love!" - -"I am enjoying this day," said Joan, as they walked rapidly towards -the park gates; "but what will Lady Canvey say?" - -"Pooh! What does it matter? She was young herself a century ago." - -"She's a dear old woman." - -"No," contradicted Lionel, critically; "she is old and clever, but I -should not call her a dear. That word suits some one else." - -"Me," cried Joan, triumphantly. - -"How clever of you to guess that! Hulloa, who is this?" - -The gates were opened and a sledge issued, drawn by two black ponies. -In it sat Lady Jim, who was driving, and Dr. Constantine Demetrius. - -"What is she up to now?" Lionel asked himself. He was intensely -distrustful of Lady Jim, but he did not explain this to Joan. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -The sledge occupied by this well-matched couple might have been used -by Pompadour, in the days when the finances of France were melting in -the furnace of Versailles. The basketwork body of a swan, gilded and -painted and elegantly fragile, rested delicately on slim steel -runners, and glided over the frozen snow in the rear of two spirited -black ponies. These, harnessed in the Russian fashion, with a paucity -of trappings and many tiny silver bells, sprang forward, under Lady -Jim's skilful guidance, as though they were rioting in a spring -meadow. She and her companion were snugly wrapped in an opossum rug, -which Leah, rather vulgarly, despised as a cheap article. Her mink -cloak, with the snowy ermine scarf drawn through the shoulder cape in -the latest fashion, had cost nearly ten times the amount, and Leah -wore it with the proud consciousness that she owed no money for it. It -was an early-winter present from Lady Frith, and she had accepted it -on the generous ground that its cut and rich brown colour became her -better than they would have suited the dowdy, insignificant -Marchioness. But the little woman never knew that Lady Jim's -good-nature had prevailed to this extent. She had thought to give -Leah pleasure. - -Demetrius, muffled in Muscovite sables, sat contentedly by this Tauric -Diana, wondering why he had been graciously invited to drive with the -goddess, after a hurried luncheon. The two were tête-à-tête, for the -groom had been dispensed with as out of keeping with the novel -vehicle. The excuse was artistic. Nevertheless, Demetrius suspected -other reasons for the absence of an eavesdropping servant. What these -might be he hoped to hear from Lady Jim. - -But as yet she showed no disposition to speak frankly, for the -Russian, in Jim's picturesque speech, was a gentleman to be handled -"with the gloves on." Jim himself had impressed this on Leah, before -he sat down to spell out _The Woman in White_. Needless to say, this -unusual effort to improve what Jim was pleased to term his mind bored -him extremely. "Not a word about racin'," grumbled Jim, skipping page -after page. Still, as Leah pointed out the necessity of poaching on -the domain of fiction, Jim sat at his lesson like a good little boy, -and his wife drove out with her proposed victim. That the irony of -fate might change the victim into a possible tyrant did not occur to -Leah at the moment. - -All the same, she was careful not to commit herself too hastily, and -for two miles talked society-journal paragraphs with an assiduity at -once boring and perplexing to Demetrius. Even when the sledge slipped, -silent and ghost-like, over an Arctic waste, and they were alone to -babble secrets to a frosty sky, Leah showed no disposition to come to -the point. She wished Demetrius to question her, and then, by seeing -into his mind, she could be guided as to the most selfishly-successful -way of making up her own. But the doctor guessed her reason for this -diplomatic silence, and knowing what a shameless capacity she had for -word-twisting and for slipping out of untenable positions, he gave her -no opportunity to overlook his hand. It was certainly, as he -reflected, a game of skill, but what the precise style of game might -be Demetrius could not guess. However, one thing was certain; this -game, like all others, was being played for money. On Lady Jim's part, -that is. Demetrius shuffled his cards for the stake of love, and so, -having Leah Kaimes for an antagonist, lost at the outset. A game -between a man and a woman, on amatory grounds, is always unequal. The -one in earnest invariably loses. - -"Does this remind you of the steppes?" asked Leah, waving her whip -towards a desert of snow and ice. The polite conversation was still -much in evidence. - -"Somewhat, madame; but I cannot remember sledging across any steppe in -such charming company." - -"Ah! You have never driven Mademoiselle Aksakoff, then?" - -"It is a pleasure yet to come." - -"In Russia?" - -"Why not? She may induce her father to make my peace with the Czar." - -"You would be pleased?" - -Demetrius shrugged his spare shoulders, and replied in the evasive -manner which characterised this conversation on the part of both. - -"I am well content with England," he remarked calmly. "Many people are -pleasant, and all agreeable. Also, the Duke pays me well--too well, -considering he is my solitary patient." - -"I never knew a physician to quarrel with his fees before," laughed -Lady Jim, flicking the ponies lightly; "and you have another patient, -I understand--Mr. Kaimes said something about it." - -"The young priest--ah, yes. He was at the gates with that most -adorable young lady, whom I presume he will marry. Your Anglican -priests, like our Greek popes, have that freedom, have they not?" - -"You do not answer my question." - -"Ah, pardon, madame," said the doctor, with an apologetic smile and -his hands palm to palm. "Yes--it is so. I have another patient, a -peasant--one Harold Garth," he pronounced the name uncommonly clearly. - -"How well you speak English, Monsieur Demetrius! So many foreigners -over-emphasise their 'h's', and slur their 'r's.'" - -"We Russians have a capacity for tongues. I know five languages." - -"Can you tell the truth in any one of them?" asked Lady Jim, rather -rudely; but then she wished to make him lose his temper, in the hope -of breaking down his reserve. But love had not yet blinded Demetrius, -and he became offensively gentle. - -"To you, madame, I always speak the truth." - -"I take you at your word," said Lady Jim, smartly. "Why did you leave -Russia, Monsieur Demetrius?" - -"Madame, I come of a princely family, but for the sake of humanity I -practised my profession in Moscow. A dear friend of mine foolishly -joined the Anarchists, and an order was issued for his arrest. -Fortunately, the official who signed the warrant was my patient, and I -chanced to be with him when the paper was brought for his signature. -He laid it aside for the moment, and I saw my friend's name. I -therefore gave my patient a drug, which made him sleep for twenty-four -hours, so that he could not sign. Meanwhile, my friend escaped--it -matters not how--but he escaped, with my help. Through a rival doctor, -my use of the drug to aid my friend became known, and I was accused of -conspiring also. The governor of Moscow was enraged, and ordered my -arrest in my friend's place. The prospect of Siberia was not pleasant, -so I crossed the frontier after many delightful adventures, with the -recital of which I shall not trouble you. Behold me, therefore, in -your free country, madame, no longer a subject of the Czar, but your -devoted slave." - -He told the story, without preamble or excuse, in an unemotional and -level voice, though all the time he wondered why Lady Jim desired to -hear it. She gave him no explanation. "And if you go back to Russia?" -she asked carelessly. - -"I fear I shall never go back, madame." - -"Who knows? Mademoiselle Aksakoff might----" - -"Precisely, madame. She might, and, with small encouragement, she -would. But her gaining of my pardon would assuredly lead to a marriage -of gratitude." - -"That would be no sacrifice." - -"To many--no. To myself--madame, it is impossible!" - -"Can you not make your peace without her influence?" - -"Alas, no, madame. The Grand Duke was furious at my share in my -friend's escape. He would give much to capture me, and should I set -foot on the Continent"--he shrugged his shoulders significantly; "but -the Third Section has no power in your land of liberty." - -"The Third Section?" - -"If it pleases madame better, the secret police. No; unless I marry -Mademoiselle Aksakoff, of whom I admit my unworthiness, I must remain -in exile--but it has many compensations," he added, bowing his head -courteously to Lady Jim's profile. - -"Quite so," she assented, scarcely heeding the compliment; then added -thoughtfully, "You are a daring man, Monsieur Demetrius." - -"Daring, when necessary, madame. But I confess to a love of ease." - -Leah swung her ponies round a curve with careless dexterity. "It is -not probable that any one will invite you to leave your lotus-eating, -monsieur. Thank you for the story." - -"It is at your service, madame." - -Lady Jim hesitated. "You do not ask me why I requested you to relate -it," she said at last. - -"Your wish is a command. A command is never questioned." - -"I might wish you to do something that you might question." - -"Ah, no--believe me!" - -"Don't jump in the dark," said Leah, with a hard little laugh; "by the -way, this woman, for whom you ventured so much----" - -"It was a man, madame." - -"David and Jonathan in Crim Tartary, I suppose. They say," she gave a -conscious laugh, "that a man would venture farther for a woman than -for one of his own sex. You, I resume, are an exception." - -"Madame, one does some things for friendship, but all things for -love." - -Leah glanced at the pale face beside her with a smile, and saw that -the dark eyes were full of fire, "You are romantic." - -"As is every man, when he loves, madame." - -"I understand--Mademoiselle Aksakoff." - -"You penetrate my thoughts admirably." - -Lady Jim relieved her feelings by using the whip on the obedient -ponies. Demetrius was clever and suspicious; also, as his story -assured her, he was daring, clear-headed, and might be dangerous. If -she gave this man a hold over her, he might be, and probably would be, -unscrupulous enough to use his power. Moreover, Lionel had not yet -asked the Duke, and there was always the chance that the money could -be obtained without the necessity of plotting. Leah had taken the -doctor for this delightful drive with the intention of speaking -plainly; but his skilful use of words made her cautious. She was too -clever a woman to build her tower without reckoning the expense. - -Demetrius watched her with keen, questioning eyes and a perfectly -impassive face, but he learned nothing. Lady Jim was quite as Oriental -as himself in masking her emotions. Nevertheless, he guessed that the -interest displayed in his past involved more than the satisfying of an -idle curiosity. She wanted money--he was certain of that. But unless -she intended to sell him to the Third Section, he could not conceive -why she had forced his confidence. The enigma irritated him, though he -paid a silent tribute to the diplomatic powers of this charming -Englishwoman. But, cool and cautious as he was, her next speech nearly -reduced him to the necessity of speaking plainly, although he regarded -candour as a greater sin than making love to another man's wife. - -"Now we'll drive home," said Leah, briskly. - -"Ah, but no, madame. This is charming." - -"And chilly. I am not a Russian, to revel in snow and ice." - -"Madame, the fire in our veins prevents our feeling the disagreeables -of nature. I am no phlegmatic Englishman." - -"How interesting," said Leah, indifferently. "I wonder if the cattle -will face this snowstorm." - -They were driving straight into a chaos of eddying flakes, and meeting -the sting of bitter sleet dashed in their blinking eyes by the wind. -Demetrius bit his lips, and suppressed his fiery nature with an effort -due to years of training. He could have killed this woman with her -contemptuous indifference and impregnable self-possession. As the -ponies plunged, with tossing heads and jingling bells, into that -Arctic hurricane, he wished that the sledge would overturn, so that he -might extort a word of gratitude by saving her life. But Leah's -courage was as high as his own, and her strength greater, so it was -quite probable that she would be able to look after herself. All he -could do was to unflinchingly face the volleying snow, while Lady Jim -dashed through the hostile elements like Semiramis in her war-chariot. -With a turn of her wrist she prevented the frightened ponies dashing -into a thorny hedge, with another turn swung the light vehicle away -from a dangerous ditch, and then lashed the animals into a headlong -gallop, which ended only when they trembled, with smoking flanks and -drooping heads, before the Firmingham porch. And throughout that -furious, rocking, blinding drive Demetrius sat grimly silent. Lady Jim -was disappointed. It would have been more courageous and amusing had -he made love to her in the jaws of death. - -"Quite a Russian adventure," she said, tossing the reins to a groom, -and jumped out, all colour and animation. "I hope you were not afraid, -Monsieur Demetrius," she added unjustly. - -"For you," he replied significantly. - -With a rosy face and a display of white teeth, Leah faced him on the -steps. "There was no need, I assure you. I can look after myself in -every way." - -"I can believe that, madame." - -"Then why talk nonsense?" - -"To amuse you." - -"My good man, I don't want amusement, but help." - -Demetrius started forward, impulsively. "Command me." - -Lady Jim flung her wraps, her whip, her mink cape, and her gloves into -his arms. "Thanks," she said carelessly, and turned towards the -library, leaving her illegal admirer pale with rage. - -She stopped laughing at the remembrance of his wrath when she saw -Lionel studying a book near the window. "Well?" she asked, coming -lightly towards him: "any news?" - -"Yes; I have seen the Duke!" - -"And he--and he----" her voice died away under stress of emotion. - -"He will help you!" - -Leah's first feeling was one of relief, and she was almost on the -point of expressing gratitude, but a sudden remembrance that aid from -the Duke meant the retention of Jim as a most undesirable husband, -cooled the warm impulse. She recovered her self-command, and was about -to go into figures, when Mrs. Penworthy with a noisy party bustled -into the room, looking rather tousled and flushed. - -"We have been playing 'Hunt the Slipper,'" she announced, in her high, -thin voice, "and Algy found mine three times." - -Lady Jim, annoyed at the irruption, glanced at Mrs. Penworthy's feet, -which could scarcely have worn the slippers of Cinderella. "I can -quite believe that," she said sweetly, and left the room smiling. - -"What does she mean?" asked Algy, obtusely. - -Mrs. Penworthy knew perfectly well what was meant, but was too -feminine to explain, save in a way calculated to mislead her courtier. -This could be done by arousing his egotism. - -"She means that you are clever to play the game so well," was her -explanation. "I rather think Lady Jim admires you, Algy." - -The youth fondled what he called a moustache. "Rippin' woman, Lady -Jim," said he, taking the speech literally. - -"Go and tell her so," snapped Mrs. Penworthy, colouring angrily. - -"You wouldn't like it." - -"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," remarked the lady, fervently -hating him for his stupidity, "than to see her dancing on you, as she -does on all men who are foolish enough to make themselves carpets." - -"I'm not a carpet." - -"No! You're a tame cat." - -"Then come and play Puss in the Corner," urged Algy, gaily, and Mrs. -Penworthy consented, as this game had nothing to do with abnormal -slippers. - -Leah, pleased at having snubbed Mrs. Penworthy, whom she considered -quite an improper person, went to look for Jim in his room. He was -there, sure enough, lying on the sofa with the novel tossed carelessly -on the floor, and a black pipe between his lips. Evidently he had not -heard the good news. - -"Jim," cried Leah, breathlessly, "the Duke will part." - -"He has parted," growled Jim, swinging his long legs on to the floor -and producing a cheque. "Look at that." - -Lady Jim did. It was for two hundred pounds. "Oh!" She crushed it in -her two hands, as though she were throttling his Grace. "What an -insult!" - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -Two hundred pounds. Lady Jim rapidly ran over in her mind such of the -most pressing liabilities as she could recollect, and shuddered at a -total of two thousand. They owed that, and many other debts which, for -the moment, escaped her memory. So far as she could see, nothing -remained but a compulsory journey through the court. Not that she -really minded bankruptcy. Plenty of people, accepted as immaculate by -society, made use of that desirable institution to get a receipt for -past extravagances, on the plea of having lived beyond their incomes. -She and Jim could make the same excuse with perfect truth, and would -doubtless be enabled to make a fresh start. And if a few tradesmen -were ruined, what did it matter? They always overcharged, and it might -be a lesson to them not to worry customers. - -No; the bankruptcy court matters very little, but the want of ready -cash mattered a great deal. Leah cared nothing about paying the bills, -but ardently desired to have a re-filled purse and no bother about -such vulgar things as pounds, shillings, and pence. It was perfectly -idiotic of the Duke to be so stingy. If he had come down with a -thousand, she and Jim could have enjoyed themselves abroad for a -couple of months, and meanwhile, he could have paid these troublesome -tradesmen. But two hundred pounds! Did the old fool take them for the -respectable middle-class couple, living in slate-roofed houses, to -which she had alluded? Without Jim's assistance she could get rid of -that trifle in a fortnight. - -"I believe your father's brain is softening," she complained crossly. - -"I'm not responsible for his crazy arithmetic," retorted Jim, with the -helpful addition of a few adjectives. - -But, beyond swearing as much as he dared in her presence, Jim could -offer no assistance, and Leah concluded that, after all, it might be -necessary to trust Demetrius. Her husband, having gained some faint -idea of the novel, had ended in declining to turn fiction into fact. -His remarks were not without shrewdness. - -"The chap who writes the story knows what's goin' to happen," said -Jim, when pressed for his opinion, "an' can invent circumstances to -dodge results. But if we start a yarn of this kind on our own, we -don't know what the end 'ull be." - -"Oh yes!" protested Leah, very patiently, considering she disagreed -entirely; "you'll disappear, and I shall become a widow with my share -of the twenty thousand." - -"An' how long will your share last?" asked Jim, derisively. - -"That depends upon my mood. Some time, I expect, seeing that your -death will force me into retirement, and crape is not so very -expensive. And when you get through your lot, Jim, what will you do?" - -"That's what I'm askin' you," said Jim, evasively; and continued -hurriedly, lest she should insist upon a disagreeable explanation, -"'Sides, there's my father to be considered." - -"Since when have you taken him to your heart?" - -"Oh, it's all very well talkin'. But your father's your father, when -all's said an' done. The Duke doesn't think me a saint, but he'd be -sorry to see me die." - -"No one wants you to die," she said impatiently. - -"That's bunkum, an'--an'--what's the word?" - -"Might I suggest 'sophistry'?" said Lady Jim, quite aware that her -reasoning was fallacious. - -"Oh, you'll suggest anythin' to get your own way. But what I mean is -that, though I do die, I don't really die." - -"How clearly you put things, Jim. Please yourself. We must go back to -town with this money, to be whitewashed"; and eyeing the cheque -contemptuously, she saw that it was unfortunately made payable to Jim. -Her husband stretched for the cheque and slipped it into his waistcoat -pocket. - -"I'm goin' to see the Duke m'self," he announced, "an' tell him -everythin'." - -"What, about the money we've raised on the income?" - -"Every blessed thing," said Kaimes, doggedly; "he's my father, an' -it's his duty to square things." - -"He mightn't follow your reasoning," murmured Leah, with one hand on -the mantelpiece and the other holding up her skirts to warm one foot. -"But you can't make a much worse mess of it than Lionel has made. Two -hundred pounds--he must have thought he was asking money for some old -woman. Shall I come with you, Jim?" - -"No." He halted at the door to deliver himself of the remark, "You're -like a red rag to a bull." - -"Oh, very well. I only thought you'd like me to translate your talk -into something resembling English." - -"Don't you fret yourself, I'll make him understand. An' if I do get -things squared," cried Jim, warming at the thought of his heroism in -facing an angry parent, "you'll have to drop spending money, an' live -as other women do." - -"Yes, dear James, and you'll live as other men do, won't you?" - -"I'll do what I jolly well please. An' why James?" - -"There never was a St. Jim, that I ever heard of," mused Leah, turning -pensive eyes on her exasperated husband, "and as you wish to canonise -yourself, of course you must change your name. Yes, James"--she moved -swiftly towards him, and detained him gently by the lapels of his -coat--"from this time forth we'll live in holy matrimony, and pig it -on what's left of the income. Curzon Street given up, Bayswater -remains, and there, James darling, we'll live a life of extremely -plain living and high thinking." - -"Don't talk bosh," growled Jim, trying to escape; but she held on. - -"No, James, I won't, if you will only raise my intellect to the level -of your own. And think what a delightful existence it will be, James. -A cheap Bayswater dungeon, with three servants and the shopping done -at Whiteley's. I'll turn my dresses and trim my hats and you'll give -up your clubs, to curse in a stuffy drawing-room while you play -bezique with your dear wife, till we go to bed at ten. No more betting -on Podaskas, James; no more whist-drives, or bridge, or any such -expensive naughtinesses. And how nice it will be for you, James, to -flirt with those earnestly-fashionable suburban girls, who are just -half an hour behind the times, and who----" Here Jim rent his garments -from Leah's grasp, and departed in haste with an impolite word. His -wife's humour did not appeal to him in the least, and he banged the -door unnecessarily hard. - -Leah returned to warm her toes and laugh till she cried. There was -something excessively amusing in the idea of Jim setting up for a -plaster saint. For once in his dull life he displayed a sense of -humour, and she picked up the discarded novel with a fresh burst of -laughter at the picture of the Bayswater ménage, as drawn by her -fertile fancy. Jim as a middle-class Philistine tickled her even more -than Jim in a stained-glass attitude, with an artificial halo -misfitting his empty head. - -But a remembrance of the cheque--payable to Jim--and of her husband's -possible position at the moment, telling clumsy truths to an aggrieved -father, made her serious. Certainly the Duke, pleased to hear his son -speak honestly for once in a life of consistent fibbing, might shed -tears over a hastily-produced cheque-book. Jim's falsehoods, in times -of pressing need, were almost inspired, and it was not impossible that -he might return with the loot. Then, the tradespeople being paid, Leah -decided that she could run up fresh bills to any amount: they would be -all the more eager to give her unlimited credit when they knew that -the Duke was in the background. Decidedly the prospect was not so bad, -and, after all, it might be dangerous to make real-life experiments in -sensational fiction. - -These common-sense reflections led Lady Jim to thank the watchful -fetish for governing her tongue during the afternoon. Demetrius could -be nasty when he liked. She was certain of that, and it was just as -well to give him no chance. Some people carried tyranny to a -ridiculous excess, and liked to hear their victims squeal unmeaningly. -Leah did not belong to the squealing species, and vowed a vow that -Demetrius should never have an opportunity of provoking such futile -outcries. As a gleam of good sense warned her of possible danger, she -decided to avoid the Russian, or only to flirt sufficiently to make -him miserable and Jim cross. - -Having settled the question in this sensible way, Leah sought her room -to dress for the five o'clock muffin-scramble. She assumed the -prettiest tea-gown she possessed, for the truly feminine purpose of -irritating Demetrius into over-estimating what he had lost. Descending -like a Homeric deity in a cloud--of lace--she went at once to the -library, and restored to its place the text-book of her proposed -fraud. Fortunately, the room was empty, so no one would ever know that -the novel had been read with a view to plagiarism. Not that it -mattered much now, since Jim was proceeding on the lines of "Honesty -is the best policy." Leah hoped fervently that he would succeed, but -felt more than a trifle doubtful. Jim was so new to this -straightforward method of gaining his ends. - -The house-party was picnicking in the winter-garden, a delightful -Eden, where tropical plants flourished in defiance of the season. On -its glass roof the hail rattled like small shot, and through its glass -walls could be seen the bleak, wintry landscape, faintly white in the -deepening gloom. These glimpses of the unpleasant increased the sense -of comfort, and over-civilised humanity luxuriated in the warm -atmosphere, as independent of nature's laws as the palm-trees under -which it ate and drank and talked scandal. The frumps nibbled dry -toast and sipped milk; the fashionables devoured dainty sandwiches and -enjoyed the strongest of tea, and both aided digestion with chatter -and laughter. It was the complacent contentment of animals, mumbling a -plentiful meal, and for the moment all spiritual instincts were -governed by material needs. - -Mrs. Penworthy's courtiers were feeding their queen, who had a large -appetite for so small a woman. After a full meal she was disposed to -be amiable, even to Freddy, had he been there; but she became -decidedly cross when some of the court deserted her for "that woman," -as she termed Lady Jim. Leah was feminine enough to enjoy the fallen -expression on Mrs. Penworthy's face, and accepted with marked pleasure -the attentions of those who crowded round her. The sight gave Mrs. -Penworthy a fit of indigestion, which prevented her enjoying a late -dinner. It was hard that her vanity had to content itself with the -banal compliments of the faithful Algy, who tried to be a host in -himself, and was snubbed for his ambition. - -"May I present my nephew to you?" asked Lord Sargon, in his thin, -precise voice. - -Leah intimated that she would be charmed, and found herself nodding to -a slim, dark young man, clean-shaven and alert. He looked more alive -than the languid youths around her, and she was not surprised when -Sargon explained that Mr. Askew was a naval officer, who had lately -returned from a five years' cruise. - -"I thought you hadn't been wrapped up in cotton wool all your life," -said Lady Jim, when Sargon had removed the attendant youths and the -lieutenant was making himself agreeable in a bluff, briny way. - -"Do I look so uncivilised?" he asked, with laughing eyes. - -"Highly. You are the nearest approach to pre-historic man I have yet -seen," said she, and thus was unjust to Jim. - -"I am sorry----" - -"Oh, there's no need to apologise. I daresay Circe found Ulysses very -agreeable." - -"Homer says so," answered Askew, who appeared to be well read; "but if -I am Ulysses, you must be Circe." - -"I accept the compliment!" - -"Is it a compliment?" asked the pre-historic man, daringly. - -"Unless meant for one it should not have been said." - -"Beg pardon. I'm several kinds of ass. But I did mean it civilly, you -know. Circe was a clever woman, whose magic turned men into outward -semblances of their real characters." - -Lady Jim smiled scornfully. "And if my magic could transform these," -she glanced disparagingly round the place, "what a menagerie it would -be! Pigs, and snakes, and parrots, and----" - -"Dogs." - -"Of the mongrel kind, Mr. Askew. Do you speak of yourself?" - -He nodded laughingly. "Dogs are so devoted!" - -"That means you wish to attach yourself to me," said Leah, gravely. "I -might take you at your word--I need a friend; but Ulysses deserted -Circe." - -Askew laughed, and gazed admiringly at her beautiful, pensive face. -"We talk parables, I think," he said, with assumed lightness. - -"Prehistoric man always did, I understand." - -"On the contrary, his speech was direct and blunt!" - -"Mine will be now," smiled Lady Jim. "This cup has been empty for five -minutes, and you never offered to----" - -The young man took the tiny cup hastily. "But for the publicity of the -place, I would ask you to tread upon my prostrate body." - -Leah eyed his lithe, active figure as he went to the bamboo table -presided over by Lady Frith. He was really a delightful sailorman, she -reflected, and quicker than most of his sex to understand the -unspoken. It might be more amusing to drop Demetrius and flirt with -him. But then, his face was too honest, and he might object to being -made use of. - -"Men of that kind are so dreadfully in earnest," sighed Leah, with a -sense of irritation; "they think a woman always means what she says." - -Askew walked lightly over the mosaic floor with a fresh cup of tea and -a plate of hot cakes. Some man bustled in his way, and he stopped to -avoid an upset of his burden. At the moment, he glanced towards the -Moorish door which admitted triflers into the winter paradise. To Lady -Jim's wonderment, he started, and a look of surprise overspread his -expressive face. Her eyes turned at once in the direction of the -entrance, and she beheld Jim blinking his eyes at the dazzle of light. -He looked heavy and sullen, which hinted that the interview with the -Duke had not been successful. But Leah forgot that momentous question -for the moment, as her quick brain was trying to understand Askew's -look of surprise. Before she could ask herself what he could possibly -know about Jim, he approached with the tea. - -"This is nice and hot," he said, placing the plate on the table at her -elbow and offering the cup. "I hope you'll forgive me for neglecting -you." - -"On one condition," replied Leah, stirring her tea. - -"Consider it fulfilled," was the impetuous answer. - -"Why did you look surprised when you saw that gentleman at the door?" - -Leah pointedly suppressed the fact that Kaimes was her husband, as, if -there was anything, she would learn it the more easily by pretending -that Jim was a stranger. In fact, should Askew learn that the man who -had startled him was her lawful lord, he might decline to open his -lips. The lieutenant's next words proved the wisdom of her -concealment. - -"Oh, Berring," he said, carelessly. "Well, I was surprised to see -Berring so unexpectedly." - -"Is his name Berring?" asked Lady Jim, guessing that she was about to -learn something connected with Jim's very shady past. - -"Yes; I met him in Lima." - -"Lima?" - -"In Peru, and that's in South America." - -Leah nodded. "I did learn geography at school," she said, setting down -her empty cup; and when Askew coloured at the implied snub, softened -it by asking a friendly question: "You are surprised at meeting -Mr.--er--er--Berring, here?" - -"Yes; I said so before. A nice sort of chap, but selfish." - -"What a reader of character you are, Mr. Askew!" He looked up eagerly. -"You know him, then." - -"A little. Why do you ask?" - -The young man stared at the ground, and replied in muffled tones: "I -thought you might have met his wife." - -"Mrs. Berring?" - -"Of course." - -Leah began to laugh. The idea that Jim might be a bigamist had never -struck her before. She had guessed that there was a woman connected -with those frequent journeys to Lima, but that Jim had adopted the -Mormon religion was news. Some women would have been angry, but Leah -had no amatory feelings likely to arouse jealousy, so she was frankly -amused at her husband's duplicity. Also, she was sorry for Mrs. -Berring, who perhaps was silly enough to love Jim. - -"Is she a nice woman?" was her next question. - -"She's an angel." - -"That means, you love her." - -"How do you----?" - -"Because you are a brick wall I can see through, Mr. Askew. No; -I have never met Mrs. Berring. Why did she throw you over and marry -Mr.--er--Berring?" - -Askew looked quite alarmed. "I say you _are_ clever," he remarked. - -"Why not? You called me Circe, and I must live up to the name. Well?" - -"Well!" echoed Askew, blankly, and their eyes met. He coloured. "No, I -can't tell you," he said quickly, for he guessed her desire. - -"Yes, you can, and you will," rejoined Leah, composedly. - -Jim was bearing the artillery of Mrs. Penworthy's eyes in his usual -indifferent way, and showed no disposition to seek out his wife. -Probably he would remain for the next hour in the clutches of the -little woman, who was the limpet to Jim's rock. This being so, Leah -began to ask questions which Askew hesitated to answer. - -"We hardly know one another," he murmured, embarrassed. "I daren't -tell you, Lady James." - -"Ah! Then there's something improper in the matter?" - -Askew flushed through his bronzed skin. "Not at all," he said in a -brusque tone. "Señorita Fajardo is all that is good and holy and -pure." - -"What bread and butter!" thought Leah, wondering if Jim had stumbled -upon a convent. But she was too wise to quote Byron to this young man, -who apparently was simple enough to regard love as something sacred. - -"Fajardo," she repeated. "A Spanish name." - -"And a Spanish lady," he said, gloomily. "Lola Fajardo, of the -Estancia, San Jago, near Rosario." - -"I thought you said of Lima?" - -"No; I met her there. She is in the habit of stopping at Lima with her -aunt. But her true home is at Rosario, in the Santa Fe province of the -Argentine republic. I wonder if Berring brought her to England. She -was madly in love with him." - -"She must have been, to marry him." - -"Oh, Berring's a good-looking chap, and not bad," said Askew, with the -innate chivalry of a man towards a successful rival. "I suppose they -_did_ marry." - -"Oh! Then you are not certain?" - -"No; I never even knew if they were engaged. But when I joined my ship -again at Callao, every one said 'marriage'--they were so uncommonly -thick. I must ask Berring." - -"I'm sure he'll be delighted to afford you the information you seek," -was Lady Jim's ironical reply. - -"Have you seen Mrs. Berring?" asked the young man, eagerly. - -"No; I don't think any Mrs. Berring is stopping here." - -"Then perhaps he did not marry Lola, after all," cried Askew, rising -hastily, and with flashing eyes, "unless"--his voice fell--"she is -dead." - -Leah yawned. "Really, I don't know," she replied; "you had better ask -Mr. Berring. I see he is passing out of the garden with Mrs. -Penworthy." - -"In that case I can't spoil sport," laughed the lieutenant, with an -obvious effort; "but later on." - -"Later on, of course," she said, rising. "Here comes your uncle." - -Lord Sargon advanced, and, with an apologetic look towards Leah, took -Askew's arm. "I wish to present you to Lady Canvey," he said. - -The young man looked towards his charmer. "Will you permit me to leave -you for a time?" - -"Certainly. You will find Lady Canvey delightful, and as pre-historic -as you can wish. We may meet after dinner," and, with a nod, she left -the winter garden for the purpose of seeking solitude. She wanted to -think over Jim's iniquities, and to consider what use might be made of -them for her own benefit. - -Lady Canvey was delighted to receive Askew, as she liked handsome -young men, especially when they were deferential and attentive, as -this new acquaintance appeared to be. "Though I'm a bad substitute for -Lady Jim," she remarked pleasantly. "Lady Jim?" - -"That charming creature with whom you have been talking." - -"Yes, of course, Lady Canvey. She is indeed charming." - -"But private property. Her husband is the Duke's second son, at -present in the clutches of that little harpy, Mrs. Penworthy. Don't -you make love to Lady Jim, or you'll burn your fingers. I mistrust -red-haired women, myself. But she and Jim match each other capitally. -Their marriage was made in heaven"; and Lady Canvey chuckled. - -"Is her husband here?" asked Askew, looking round, anxious to see who -owned Circe-of-the-many-wiles. - -"No; he went out with Mrs. Penworthy a quarter of an hour ago." - -Askew remembered how Lady Jim had drawn his attention to an outgoing -couple. "Didn't the lady go out with a Mr. Berring?" he gasped. - -"No; with Lord Jim Kaimes!" - -"And she--his wife--the lady I----" Askew stopped with a groan. - -"Try an unmarried woman," advised Lady Canvey, misunderstanding his -emotion. "It's more proper, and less expensive." - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -Keeping up the necessary Darby-and-Joan comedy, Kaimes strolled into -his wife's dressing-room half an hour before dinner to inquire if she -was ready. Leah had a second-hand view of him in a full-length mirror -before which she posed, while her maid added a few final touches to an -eminently successful frock. From the composed expression of his face -she guessed that he had not yet renewed his acquaintance with Mr. -Askew, and therefore must be ignorant that the free-spoken sailor had -let the cat out of the bag. Lady Jim possessed the animal now, but she -did not intend to reveal her capture until Jim explained how he had -sped with the Duke. A slight nod towards the glass showed her husband -that she was aware of his presence, and the maid continued to use -experienced fingers. But Leah looked so charming, that further trouble -in this way was like adding sugar to honey. Jim stared approvingly, -and, when the maid was dismissed, saw his way to a compliment. - -"You have the good points of several women rolled into one, Leah," he -said, with the look of a sultan appraising an odalisque. - -"That polite speech means much, coming from a man of your experience, -my dear Jim. What good point of Mrs. Penworthy's have I annexed?" - -"You're jealous!" - -"Horribly! You are so deeply attached to that bundle of faded -chiffon." - -"I don't care two straws for her." - -"Appearances are misleading, then. But," added Leah, remembering -Askew's eulogy, "it may be that you prefer something that's good and -holy and pure." - -"I don't know why you should say that," grumbled Jim, annoyed at being -credited with such primitive tastes. - -"You may know before long," and she laughed at the thought of the -marine bomb-shell which would shortly shatter Jim's complacency. - -"I don't know what you're talkin' about," said Kaimes, with unaffected -surprise, "an' I'm confoundedly hungry." - -"Ah! Did the Duke's lecture give you an appetite?" - -"Leah!" Jim became so serious as to look almost intelligent. "My -father is the best man who ever wore shoe-leather." - -"He is usually condemned to cloth boots for gouty feet," murmured -Leah, patting the back of her head. "So you've pulled the wool over -his eyes again?" - -"I wish you wouldn't use slang," protested Jim, virtuously. - -"I can't pretend to vie with Mrs. Penworthy's purity of speech, my -dear man. How much have you got out of the Duke?" - -"Well, he hasn't given me money----" - -"Oh!" - -"But he's promised---- - -"Ah!" - -"I wish you'd let me speak," cried Kaimes, testily, "My father has -promised to pay all the debts----" - -"Good heavens! Is he aware of the amount?" - -"Wait, I've not finished. He'll pay the debts, and reduce our income -to a thousand a year till he recoups himself." - -"Really! I thought you had seen your father, and not a money-lender. -Have you accepted this most generous offer?" - -"Yes, I have," said Jim, sulkily, and kicking a mat out of the way. - -"I see. It's to be Bayswater after all, James." - -"If you talk like that, I'll go down to dinner without you." - -"By all means. You've taken away my appetite." - -She laughed in a way calculated to still further infuriate Jim, who -paced the room in a towering passion. Nevertheless, she was seriously -angry. Had the Duke refused all help, it would have been more decent; -but this bargain, which was all on one side, annoyed her beyond -measure. What did the Duke mean by taking _their_ money? - -"It seems to me we've got to pay our own debts, then," she said, while -Jim seethed like a whirlpool. - -"An' why shouldn't we? It's only fair." - -Leah stared, and began to think that Jim was too good for this world. - -"I hope you are not going to die," she said, anxiously. - -"Not in your way," cried Kaimes, misunderstanding her, "we aren't -going to have any buryin' alive or substituted corpses, an' I'm goin' -to hang on as a respectable member of society." - -"I'll come and hear you preach, Jim." - -"I'm preachin' now," raged her husband, "an' don't you make any -mistake, Leah. I've told the Duke everythin'." - -"How injudicious! He might have had a fit." - -"He didn't even blame me," said Jim, breaking down, "an' there were -tears in his eyes." - -Leah laughed amazingly long and loud, considering the tightness of her -corset. - -"I wish I had been present. Did you cry too, Jim?" - -"I jolly well nearly did," said Kaimes, truthfully, if -ungrammatically, "though it's no good explainin' to an icicle like -you. But the pater's goin' to pay the debts, free our income, an' let -the Curzon Street house." - -"Better and better. Then we _do_ go to Bayswater?" - -"He'll allow us one thousand a year till the debts are wiped off," -went on Kaimes hurriedly, and wishing to get the explanation over, -"an' we can go abroad for a couple of years." - -"You can. I shan't!" - -"As my wife, you must." - -"As an individual, I shan't," retorted Lady Jim, calmly. She was -getting over her rage now, as she foresaw a very different interview -between herself and Jim before they retired for the night. "It is very -good of you to have settled all this without consulting me. And now -that you have done so, let us go to dinner." - -"But I----" - -"There's the gong," observed Leah, opening the door, "and I don't like -cold soup." - -"You'll have to like lots of things now you didn't like before," said -Jim, as they went down. - -"The selection doesn't include you, my good man, so don't be -disappointed." - -Jim could have shaken her, and began to understand why the lower -orders indulged in wife-beating. But as they were entering the -drawing-room at this moment, he had to play the part of a devoted -husband. Leah floated radiantly into the brilliantly lighted -apartment, and Jim sought out the oldest and ugliest woman he could -find. When he thought of his wife, beauty sickened him for the time -being. Thus it came about that Miss Jaffray had the pleasure of -shouting into his ear throughout a long and wearisome dinner. - -Whether it was the work of the fetish or of Lady Frith, Leah did not -know, but she found herself seated at the table with Askew on her -right hand. - -The young man looked flustered, and ill at ease. "I'm so sorry!" he -began apologetically, and, as she thought, tactlessly. - -"That you're my neighbour?" she interrupted sweetly. "How unkind!" - -"No! But I never knew he was your husband." - -"Who? Mr. Berring?" - -"Don't make it harder for me," he entreated softly. "I've been calling -myself names ever since we parted." - -"You should have left that to me, Mr. Askew." - -"There's nothing in it, you know," he stuttered, heedlessly. "Of -course, she never married him." - -"I hope not, for the sake of morality," said Lady Jim, lightly, and -thinking that the soup was worse than usual. "However, it doesn't -matter. My husband is a modest man, and sometimes drops his title when -travelling. I daresay, as Mr. Berring, he thought he was free to make -love." - -"But he wasn't," protested Askew, with a glance towards the -unconscious Jim, who apparently had not recognised him. - -"You should tell him so." - -"I intend to--in the smoking room." - -Lady Jim looked at him imperiously, and softened her voice to a very -direct whisper. "Don't make trouble," she said, in a somewhat -domineering tone; "that will do no good and much harm. And after all, -married or unmarried, every man has a right to admire a pretty woman." - -"But not to make love to her," muttered the young man, with another -vengeful glance. - -"I am no casuist," replied Leah, calmly; "and you should be pleased -that things are as they are. You can now return to Lima, or Rosario, -and marry the lady." - -"She wouldn't have me!" - -"Is she so much in love with Mr. Berring, then?" - -"Please don't, Lady James. I can't talk like this to you." - -She gave a light laugh. "It seems to me that you are talking; -therefore I repeat my question." - -"It might only have been gratitude," he murmured. - -"For what?" - -"Berring--I mean your husband--saved her from being trampled upon by a -mustang." - -"How picturesque, and how suited to Jim's qualifications! And -she----?" - -"No, she didn't," interrupted Askew, hurriedly. "I see I have been -mistaken. It was gratitude, not love." - -"Of course," said Lady Jim, jeeringly; "a woman always prefers to -exercise the former rather than the latter." - -"I wish I'd stopped and tried my luck," muttered the sailor, not -clever enough to interpret this speech. - -"It's not too late. Mr. Berring is safely secured, by love and the -law, to my apron-strings, so you can go back and----" - -"No; I've just come in for a property of sorts, and the service has -seen the last of me." - -"Is Señorita Fajardo in the same predicament as the service?" - -"There's a cousin, Lady James----" - -"A female cousin, who goes with the property, as a fixture. I quite -understand. You have to marry her, out of gratitude for the money, and -without the discomforting passion of love. The Spanish lady's history -repeats itself, I see." - -Askew was rather discomfited. "How quick you are!" - -"You can't have had much to do with women," she murmured; "but I hope -you will make no trouble in the smoking-room." - -"No; as things are, it's none of my funeral," he observed, grumpily. - -"Quite so. I am the chief mourner." - -"But I say, Lady James," said the lieutenant, anxiously, "I hope what -I've inadvertently told you won't----" - -"Of course not," she assured him, mendaciously; "my husband is most -trustworthy, as you can see by his choice of that ugly old maid as a -dinner companion. You were mistaken." - -"I think I must have been," said Askew, with great relief. "Of course, -people talk at Lima, as elsewhere," he ended apologetically. - -"Unless South America is inhabited by the deaf and dumb, I suppose -they do." - -"You're laughing at me, Lady James." - -"I always laugh. It's good for the digestion." - -"At everything?" - -"At everything." - -"Even at love?" he asked timidly. - -She shot an amused glance at his colouring face. "Remember you are -engaged to the fixture, Mr. Askew." - -"But I say, can't I come and see you in town?" - -"I shall be delighted, if you can find your way to Curzon Street." - -"You live there?" he asked obtusely. - -"In a most respectable manner with my husband, Mr. Berring. I'm known -as Lady Jim of Curzon Street. Most improper, isn't it, when -Berring----?" - -"I say, don't," expostulated the young man, quickly. "I'll never -forgive myself for being such a fool. Can I call you Lady Jim?" - -He was getting on very fast, and Leah, in the interests of virtue, -deemed it necessary to snub him. "Certainly not. Only people who have -known me fifty years address me so familiarly." - -"You must believe in re-incarnation then," he retorted. - -This was clever and pleased her. "I was Circe in the days of Homer, -Mr. Askew. But as to my name now, there is another Lady Jim--a horrid -woman who carries tracts and meddles with morals, and dresses in a -piously shabby fashion. So that we may not be mixed up, I am known by -the name of the street I live in. To you I am Lady James Kaimes!" - -"And Circe, the sorceress," he murmured. - -Leah laughed. "We'll see what sort of animal my magic will turn you -into," she observed, with an encouraging smile. - -This was a distinct promise, or at least he construed it as such, for -his eyes brightened, and he glanced at her in a way which assured her -that she was looking her best. He was certainly a delightful boy, she -reflected, if somewhat fickle. But a man who was catholic enough to -marry the fixture, and adore the Spanish lady, and make sudden love to -herself, must be worth feminine appreciation and study. Besides, he -was good-looking, and had money, conjoined with a frank and -unsuspicious nature. Assuredly, he might be useful, if not inclined to -explore the Land of Tenderness too assiduously. But in that case, he -might compromise her in an earnest, pig-headed way, which would be at -once boring, ridiculous, and dangerous. Leah approved of playing with -fire, but she was too careful to risk a personal conflagration. Though -allured by the prospect of tormenting an honest heart, she had not -made up her mind to enjoy the opportunity by the time she left the -dining-room. But a distinctly tigerish glance, sent to her address by -Demetrius, almost inclined her to give young Askew the chance of -making a fool of himself. The Russian had apparently noticed the -embryo flirtation. - -"All the better," thought Leah, sailing into the Adamless Eden of the -winter garden; "it will be an additional card to play"--which showed -that Lady Jim was by no means satisfied with the arrangement come to -between her husband and his father. - -"A cigarette, dear Lady Jim?" simpered Mrs. Penworthy. - -"No, thanks; I leave smoking to women who bait their hooks with -agreeable vices"; and she moved towards Lady Canvey. - -It was horribly rude, and Mrs. Penworthy choked back an hysterical -scream. - -"Delightful woman, Lady James," said Miss Jaffray. - -"Delightful," assented the other, who at the moment would gladly have -mounted the scaffold on a charge of murdering her insolent rival. "I -call her perfectly lovely. Such a perfect complexion, and exquisite -figure, and heavenly eyes, and large hands." - -But this piece of spite was wasted, as by this time Lady Jim was -seated by her godmother, assuring that sceptical lady how absolutely -delighted she was to learn that dear Jim had arranged matters with the -dear Duke. "And so sweet of the Duke to tell you," she went on. "I -know how anxious you have been about me. - -"Can you wonder at it, my dear, when you are so sweet and gentle and -womanly?" said Lady Canvey, who was quite equal to a war of words. - -"You must be thinking of Hilda Frith," replied Lady Jim, calmly. "I -cannot call myself such an angel." - -"No; you left that to the sailor-boy you were flirting with." - -"Poor boy, he doesn't know how to flirt." - -"You'll teach him, my dear," chuckled the old lady. - -"Not without fees." - -"Humph. His education will cost him a pretty penny." - -"Possibly. But I might teach him for love, after the fashion of Miss -Tallentire and Lionel." - -"Rubbish! Joan doesn't know how to flirt." - -"Or to dress either. I must ask her how the Whiteley sales are getting -on." - -"Leah!" said Lady Canvey, with a pained look. "Why have you such a -bitter tongue?" - -"I must defend myself somehow. You wouldn't have me scratch and bite, -would you?" - -"I would have you be more womanly and lovable, my dear." - -"On a thousand a year, and such a husband as I have?" - -"Every man is what his wife makes him." - -"They generally go to other men's wives to be manufactured. Besides, -so far as Jim is concerned, you can't make a silk purse out of a -certain animal's ear." - -"My dear, I am an old woman, and perhaps rather sharp-tongued at -times, but I have a motherly feeling for you. Can't you give up this -wild life, and go abroad to devote yourself to Jim? He has his good -points, my dear, and if you would try and live more amicably with him, -I am sure you would be a happy woman. Then, in a year or so, you could -come back to Curzon Street, with all the debts paid, and your full -income to live on. Believe me"--she laid a withered hand on Leah's -beautiful arm--"I speak for the best, my dear girl." - -Leah smiled disdainfully. "Now that the sermon's over, can I pass -round the plate?" she said cruelly. - -"Not for me to put money in," said Lady Canvey, with a flush. "I -shan't give you a penny. It is useless talking to you, Leah; your one -idea is money and enjoyment and love of admiration." - -"It seems to me that those are three ideas," replied Lady Jim, rising; -"but as our conversation is neither enjoyable nor instructive, I shall -go away." All the same she lingered, and talked in a low tone, with -unexpected emotion. "You blame me, Lady Canvey, for being what I am. -Pray, what chance have I had of being otherwise? I lost my mother when -I was a child; I was brought up by a neglectful and selfish father; I -am married to a husband who has nothing of the man about him, save -those handsome looks, which lured me into a much-regretted marriage. -All my life I have lived with worldly and material people, and your -counsel has been as worldly as that of any one of them. I have never -been shown the difference between right and wrong, and there isn't a -single soul in the world who has a spark of love for me. If my -up-bringing and surroundings had been better, I might be a good -woman--so far as I can be, I _am_ a good woman. I have my moments of -regret--I have my moments when I wish I could be a religious, dowdy -saint. But who will help me out of the mire--who will----?" Here she -broke off, for her emotion was becoming too strong for the publicity -of the place. With a violent effort, which showed the strength and -courage of her nature, she calmed down, and the colour faded from her -face, as did the frown, which gave place to a cynical smile. Annoyed -with herself for having given Lady Canvey a glimpse of her better -nature, she walked away, leaving the old woman surprised and startled, -and, in her own selfish way, truly sorry. There was much truth in what -Leah had said. - -But her mask was on again the moment she crossed to the door, and -Demetrius, who was obviously looking for her, saw only the beautiful, -calm woman he knew so well. His face was as agitated as Leah's had -been a few minutes previously. - -"Madame, I must see you privately." - -"What an extraordinary request, monsieur!" - -"Ah, but you will understand----" He threw out his hands expressively. - -"No; I am ignorant of the deaf and dumb language." - -"Cruel--cruel." - -"Silly--silly," she mocked, then glanced round with up-raised -eyebrows; "don't make a scene, monsieur, or I shall begin to believe -that you appreciate our English custom of lingering over the wine." - -"Will you let me explain?" entreated the Russian. - -"Certainly--to-morrow, at four. Ill be in the picture gallery. Good -night"; and with a friendly nod she moved away. - -Demetrius swore softly in Russian, which is a most picturesque -language in many ways. Without a glance, Lady Jim ascended the stairs, -well pleased. Demetrius was losing command of himself, and therefore -would be all the easier to manage, should she require his services. -"I'll have that twenty thousand before spring," she decided. - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -"What is love?" asked Leah, the next day, at twenty minutes past four -of a clear wintry afternoon. - -With all his knowledge of five languages, Demetrius could find no -answer, and rose from his knees with the feelings of a man who is -trying to melt an iceberg with a lucifer match. Ever since Lady Jim -arrived to keep her appointment in the picture gallery, he had been -explaining his feelings at length, and in the orthodox attitude of a -mortal worshipping a goddess. He had crossed his "t's" and dotted his -"i's" with the utmost precision. From English he had glided into -French, to plead the attractions of illicit passion: two minutes of -German resulted in sentimental assertions of that passion's -righteousness, and in illustrations of Wertherism; and, immediately -before she asked that impossible question, he had harked back to her -native tongue, to impress upon her the solid British common-sense of -his wooing. Leah listened to this polyglot love-making with the -feeling that she was camping under the tower of Babel. Demetrius might -have been a gramophone, pouring out recitations from the poets, for -all the impression his impassionate rhetoric made on her well-trained -feelings. - -"I suppose all these speeches can be classified under the heading of -love," she said unkindly, when his exhaustion gave her an opportunity -of intervening. "But--what is love?" - -"I have been trying to explain," stammered the Russian, getting on his -legs dispiritedly. - -"Oh, your intentions are of the best. I gather that much; but I am -still waiting for a definition." - -"Love is worship," ventured Demetrius, rashly. - -"Then why aren't you on your knees?" - -"I have been on my knees for fifteen minutes." - -"Really! When did you look at your watch?" - -"My heart told me." - -"Then your heart is a time-keeper, or perhaps a time-server." - -"If you will permit me to serve you, my service will be for all time." - -"Ah! It seems we are immortal, then?" - -"You are," he declared passionately; "every goddess is immortal." - -Lady Jim laughed. This war of words was amusing and pretty, but she -wished to arrive at some conclusion which would repay her for spending -an hour in a cold gallery, packed with shockingly bad pictures. - -"I am waiting for your definition of love," she said at length. - -"I cannot explain the impossible." - -"It seems to me that you have been trying to do so. Would you like to -hear how I define love?" - -His eyes burned like two menacing stars. "Yes," he muttered in a husky -voice, and holding his passions in leash. - -"Love is sacrifice," said Leah, slowly. - -"Then I--love you," he burst out. "There is no sacrifice I would not -make for your dear sake." - -"Can I believe that?" - -"Try me," and he again dropped on his knees. - -"Get up," said Lady Jim, brusquely. He did so. "Take a seat!" He did -so. "Look at the floor, and not at me." He did so. "Now then," she -continued, feeling relieved that those fierce eyes were not making her -flesh creep, "do you know what you are, Monsieur Demetrius?" - -"A fool," he murmured bitterly, his gaze on the parquetry. - -"I quite agree with you," she rejoined promptly. "And why?" - -"Because I love you." - -"Not at all. Because you don't love Katinka Aksakoff." - -"What has that to do with this?" he said gloomily. - -"Everything. She is free and I am not; she loves you, and I don't; she -will do you good, I shall do you harm; she can gain your pardon and -make your fortune----" - -"And you can make me happy," cried Demetrius, looking up with the air -of one who has found a clinching argument. - -"With the crumbs from my husband's table?" - -"You don't love him!" - -The British-matron portion of Leah revolted against this plain -speaking. She liked sugar-coated speeches. "You have no right to say -that." - -"I have no right to make love to you," cried the doctor, rising, "but -I do. Pschutt"--he snapped his fingers--"what care I for that English -pig, your husband? As to that young fool who sat beside you last -night----" - -Lady Jim clapped her hands, and jumped up, laughing. "Oh," she cried, -with great enjoyment, "so it was Mr. Askew's attentions that made you -lose your head?" - -"But not my heart. I lost that months ago, when I first met you. Ah, -you cruel woman, have I not worshipped and adored you these many days? -Do I not ache here?" he struck his breast passionately. "Have you not -made my life miserable with your looks and smiles and coldness and -beauty?" He seized her hands roughly. "I love you so much that I--even -I, Constantine Demetrius--could kill you--kill you." - -She released herself with a cold laugh. "That sounds as though you -were in earnest. But if I could return your love----" - -"Ah!" he made a step towards her, trembling and breathing hard. - -"One moment." She waved him back, and retreated herself to the window. -"Supposing I could love you--what then?" - -"I would--I would----" He flung out his hands with a sob. "What is -your price?" he cried savagely. - -"How crudely you put things!" said Lady Jim, coolly. "My price is your -services, to be given blindly, and without question." - -"And my reward?" - -"Marriage with me." - -Demetrius stared, and gazed at her with unaffected amazement. "You -mock me," he said faintly. - -"No, I am in earnest. It is true that I am not free now. But," she -looked at him steadily, "you can make me so." - -"Murder," whispered Demetrius, looking up and down the long, empty, -chill gallery, and not at the Eve who was tempting him. - -Leah blazed out into genuine rage. "What do you mean?" she cried, -stamping her foot. "Not a hair of Jim's head shall be harmed." - -"Then how--how----?" - -"Sit down and listen," she said, pointing to a chair. "I have a deeper -feeling for you than you think. No; leave my hand alone. We are now -talking business." - -"Business," echoed Demetrius, blankly. - -Lady Jim nodded composedly. "The pleasure can come later. You have no -money, no title, no position----" - -"I can make money," he explained rapidly; "and I can take up again my -title of Prince, which I dropped when I became a doctor. As the wife -of a Russian noble----" - -"You will have to make your peace with the Czar to get these things." - -"I will do so." - -"Through Mademoiselle Askakoff?" - -"No; there are other ways. I am not worthy of Katinka----" - -"And, therefore, think yourself worthy of me," said Lady Jim, calmly. -"Thank you! There's nothing like being honest." - -"But you do not understand----" - -"Oh yes, I do. I understand that you can make me a cheap sort of -princess, and in some way can give me money----" - -"All that you require--as my wife." - -"You must have the lamp of Aladdin, then," said Leah, with a shrug. -"My capacity for spending will try even your finances. But at the -present moment I have not a penny, neither has my husband." - -"Well?" asked the doctor, anxiously. - -Now that the plunge was made she found less difficulty in speaking -plainly. Leaning towards him, till the perfume of her hair and the -close neighbourhood of her whole gracious person nearly maddened him -into seizing her in his arms, she proceeded rapidly. "My husband's -life is insured for twenty thousand pounds. If you as a doctor can -arrange to satisfy the insurance company of his death, so that we can -get the money, he will disappear, and I, in the eyes of the world, -shall be free to marry you." - -"Do you mean that I should give him a drug, and----" - -"No; I mean--Harold Garth." - -"My peasant patient. Well?" - -"How stupid you are," said Lady Jim, with unfeigned irritation. "This -man Garth is very like Jim, and is apparently dying----" - -"He can't live another two months." - -"Then the matter is easily managed. Can't you see?" - -"Yes," replied Demetrius, whose quick brain seized the feasibility of -the scheme at once. "But will your husband give you up?" - -Leah nodded, not wishing to be too explicit. "We have arranged that." - -"And does he know that his disappearance means our marriage?" - -"No! He thinks you are poor, and will do anything for money." - -"Ah," said Demetrius, sarcastically. "Then the high-born nobleman does -not credit me with being a gentleman?" - -"What does it matter what he thinks?" said Lady Jim, impatiently. "We -needn't trouble about him after he disappears. Can it be managed?" - -"Yes, if you will promise to marry me when you are free and in -possession of this money." - -She gave him both hands. "I do promise." - -He bent down and kissed them, passionately. "Consider it done." - -"Without any scandal?" - -"Assuredly. Listen! The Duke wishes to save the life of this Garth, -because--he is fond of him." - -"Yes, yes; I understand. Go on." - -"I say to the Duke that a warm climate will work wonders," continued -Demetrius, dramatically. "He will gladly consent, and with this Garth -I go to----" - -"To Nice, or Cannes, or----" - -"No," said the doctor, sharply. "If I set foot on the Continent I may -be captured by the secret police. I have no wish to take Garth with me -to Siberia," he added sarcastically. "It is not a warm climate. The -Azores--Madeira--Jamaica--Barbados--any such place, will make him -better." - -"I don't want him to be made better," said the other conspirator, -naïvely. - -"Leave that to me, madame. Garth will die as Garth, and be buried as -Milor, your husband." - -"No, no," said Leah, with a shudder. "I won't have murder." - -"You are scrupulous," rejoined Demetrius, with a shrug. "But make your -mind easy. Garth cannot live--he may die on the voyage---- - -"Or he may live for months." - -Demetrius shrugged his shoulders again. "In that case, I may have to -assist nature." - -"No," said Leah, again, and very determinedly. "I could never spend -the money with any pleasure if I thought that you--you assisted -nature," she ended faintly, not liking to use a strong word. - -The Russian looked at her with silent surprise. He could not -understand why she should be scrupulous in one thing and not in -another. She contemplated a fraud on the insurance company, and -bigamistic marriage with him, so it was impossible to guess why she -should object to the inclusion of a third crime. - -"And it would scarcely be murder," said Demetrius, continuing his -train of thought aloud. "He is so ill, this poor Garth, that the -relief of death----" - -"Don't," interrupted Leah, who both looked and felt pale. "I won't -have it. Let the poor man die in peace. If he dies otherwise, I shall -refuse to marry you." - -"You may do that in any case," said the doctor grimly. "What hold have -I over you?" - -"There is no need for you to have any hold," said Lady Jim, wincing, -and feeling that she had indeed delivered herself into the power of -the enemy. "But if you think I will not keep my promise you are -mistaken. I swear to marry you." - -"Ah, well," said Demetrius, with a penetrating look. "If you do not -marry me, you cannot marry another, since your husband will always be -alive." - -He spoke with slow significance. - -"Oh, you make him out to be immortal also," said she, with an uneasy -laugh; then felt the necessity of bringing this interview to a -conclusion. "We must part now. It will not do for us to be seen -talking together." - -"I agree," said Demetrius, gravely; "your proposal alters our -relations entirely. In society, I will speak to you little." - -Lady Jim nodded, and put her handkerchief to her lips with a feeling -of nausea. Now that her scheme was taking shape, its outlines appeared -rather repulsive. To read of such a plot conceived and detailed by a -dexterous author was amusing and stimulating; to engage in its -execution meant worry, and a fearful ignorance as to what might -happen, should things go awry. The same difference might be supposed -to exist between Aldershot man[oe]uvres and a real battle. Theorising -in criminality was easy; practice would be both difficult and -dangerous. - -Moreover, she might have to pay a very large price for the privilege -of engaging in this questionable transaction. Demetrius would -certainly exact his bond in genuine Shylock fashion. Needless to say, -she had no intention of marrying him, and trusted to the providence of -the peacock fetish to avoid the necessity though at the moment she saw -no means whereby she could escape fulfilling her promise. This -reflection almost made her draw back. As yet, she was not under the -doctor's thumb, and could extricate herself even at this eleventh hour -by denying everything, should he dare to speak out. But a second -thought of her desperate need of money, a sordid vision of cheap -hotels and ready-made frocks, a shuddering remembrance that the -future, as it now stood, meant limited pocket-money and the -everlasting boredom of Jim's society, turned the scale in favour of -the venture. "Be bold! Be bold!" said the warning of the door in the -old fairy tale, and Leah thought the advice worth taking. But she -forgot the concluding words, "Be not too bold!" - -"I leave details to you," she said to her companion, when they had -concluded their nefarious bargain. - -"Madame, I relieve you of all responsibility," said Demetrius, now -quite his grave, restrained self. "But, should I tell the Duke that -your husband is suffering from consumption, you will endorse my -statement, I trust." - -"Consumption? Jim? Oh, Lord, he's as healthy as a pig." - -"He will not be if he takes a certain medicine," said the man, dryly. - -Leah had a conscience, though for years it had been persistently -snubbed into holding its peace. After all, Jim _was_ her husband, and -she had no right to sanction tricks being played on his robust health. -"You don't mean----" Her voice died away nervously. - -"I mean business," Demetrius flashed out. "I love you, and I mean to -win you. The price that you ask shall be paid." - -"Without harm to Jim or this man Garth?" - -"I swear it." - -"In that case"--Leah extended her hand, to withdraw it suddenly before -the Russian could rain kisses on its soft whiteness. A choking -sensation, new to one of her superb health, made her gasp frantically -after the breath which seemed to be leaving her. With unexpected force -came a new sensation. This abominable playing with the lives and -hearts of men stirred up to vehement protest a hitherto unknown better -self which overwhelmed her with wave upon wave of reproachful shame. -Conscience, uppermost for once in her greedy, selfish, animal life, -stripped the contemplated sin of its allurements, and she recoiled -before an inward vision of the horror her baser nature was creating. -It might prove to her what the monster proved to Frankenstein, and -haunt her with nightmare insistence for the remainder of an unbearable -life. - -"So weak, madame?" asked Demetrius, reading the secret handwriting on -the wall like a very Daniel. - -The sneer nerved her, and she strove desperately to escape from the -light of heaven into the material darkness, that would not reveal her -sin, unclothed and shameless. "No!" she cried in a loud, ringing -voice. "I--I----" Again the celestial light mercilessly and mercifully -disclosed the inward foulness of that fair-seeming sin, and the sight -beat down her pride and courage into nothingness. "I take it all -back," she stuttered, broken-up and panic-struck. "Forget--don't move -in--in----" Something clicked in her throat, and only by a violent -effort did she repress the climbing hysteria. Incapable of speech, and -only anxious to escape from this extraordinary influence, which -compelled her to face the powers of darkness in their naked horror, -she passed swiftly down the long, echoing gallery. Not till she was -safe in her own room did she halt, to consider why she had fled. Her -brain was now clear, and the actual world resumed its wonted aspect. -Her face was still white, her lips still quivered, her soul was still -shaken by the visitation. But, with a courage worthy of a better -cause, she sat down and fought with her fears, till the colour -returned and the nerves came under control. Yet her material nature -could not grasp that the terrible gift of the interior sight had been -hers for one short moment. - -"I'm a fool!" she assured herself harshly. - -And she was. For, as the walls of the flesh closed round her soul, to -darken it anew, her good angel, who had wrought the miracle, weeping -for the blind that would not see and the deaf that would not hear, -left her despairingly. Then the powers of darkness soothed her into -such contentment, that she laughed scornfully at her late folly, and -adopted their explanation. - -"I'm run down with all this worry," said Lady Jim. "I really need a -tonic." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - -A triple knock at the door both interrupted Leah's meditations and -annoyed her, as she was far from wishing for company. It could not be -Jim, as he usually banged the panels impatiently, and walked in before -the invitation to enter could be heard through the noise of his -tattoo. Besides, Jim, for obvious reasons, connected with Askew, had -made himself scarce for the last four-and-twenty hours. Should it be a -visitor, Leah resolved to decline conversation, especially with one of -her own sex. But the women of the house-party so rarely ventured into -Lady Jim's sitting-room, that she concluded the disturber to be some -servant with a message. Perhaps Jim had broken his head while skating, -or had made a hole in the ice. If so, his death would greatly simplify -matters. - -"Come in," she cried impatiently, and to her surprise, Lionel -presented himself, with a somewhat diffident look. "Oh, it's you, -padre!" Lady Jim had picked up the word from a Sandhurst cadet. -"What's the matter,--anything wrong?" - -"What should be wrong?" inquired Kaimes, closing the door and -remaining on the inside. - -"Oh, I don't know. I always expect bad news when I see a lawyer's -letter or a parson's face. Well? Has Lady Canvey been converted, or -has Jim gone to that place where the climate forbids skating?" - -"Nothing of the sort has happened," said Lionel, dryly. "I have merely -come to chat with you." - -"Sit down, then, though I warn you I don't feel companionable." - -"You are worried." - -"My dear man, when am I anything else but worried, with Jim for a -husband, and the Duke behaving like Shylock at his worst? You and Jim -have made a mess of things." - -"I don't know about Jim," said Lionel, resenting this ungrateful -speech, "but I did my best to put matters in the right light." - -"Oh, Lord, who wanted a right light? The less light on Jim's and my -affairs the better. A few white lies would have resulted in a larger -sum than that miserable two hundred with which the Duke insulted us." - -"I am not in the habit of telling lies, white or black, Lady James." - -"I daresay. You parsons are so ridiculously punctilious. As if -diplomatic lies were not as oil on the troubled waters of this world." - -"I did not come to discuss this," said Lionel, seeing how utterly -impossible she was, "but to help you in your trouble." - -"What trouble?" - -"I don't know. I was reading in the library, when a feeling came to me -that I must see you at once--that you needed assistance." - -Leah looked rather queer. What could he possibly know of her late -experience? "Telepathy, I suppose." - -"Well, that may be the scientific name for the Divine Spirit." - -"The what?" - -"The Divine Spirit," he repeated, firmly and seriously. "I believe -that the impulse to seek you came from above. You are in danger." - -"Am I--of being bored to death?" - -"You can't deny that you are in trouble of some sort. I can see it in -your expression." - -"My trouble is my own. I share it with no one." - -"Then you are in----" - -"Pray don't question me," snapped Leah, with a nervous glance around. -This interference of the Unseen with her material affairs was both -weird and uncomfortable. She could not deny the panic that had driven -her headlong from the security of the flesh, and it was remarkable -that Lionel, unsummoned and unsought, should seek her at so critical a -moment. The feeling that he was meddling with what did not concern -him, annoyed her the more. "I wish you would not frighten me," she -cried, with an angry determination to stop this uncanny business. - -"Perhaps it is your conscience that is frightening you." - -"How dare you say that?" - -"Because there is something serious the matter, or I should not have -been called to your assistance." - -"I never called you." - -"Then your good angel did." - -"I don't believe in such things." - -"Do you believe in anything?" - -"Yes," she said defiantly--"in myself." - -"That is a poor help in time of trouble." - -"I have managed very well hitherto." - -"Can you substantiate that statement, seeing how embarrassed your -worldly affairs are at this moment?" - -Lady Jim could find no direct answer. "Parsons have nothing to do with -worldly matters," she muttered, averting her eyes. - -"Very true. But if I can offer spiritual consolation----" - -"Take it to Lady Canvey. She needs it more than I do." - -"I doubt that, or the call would not have come." - -"It's a false alarm, padre," she said jeeringly. "I don't want to be -preached at, and you're suffering from indigestion, or softening of -the brain." - -"Well, Lady James," said Lionel, rising with a sigh, "your limitations -may lead you to look at the matter in that light. But if I can do -nothing for you, I can only retire, after asking your pardon--as I -do--for my intrusion"; and he made for the door. - -Her mood changed with feminine rapidity, and she beckoned imperatively -that he should remain. Disguise it as she would to Kaimes, his sudden -coming on the top of her late puzzling experience drove her to -acknowledge that something outside the material was at work. Leah was -too clever a woman to deny the existence of more things in heaven and -earth than came within the scope of her knowledge. - -"It is the duty of you parsons to pry into the secrets of souls, I -suppose," she said, leaning her elbow on the chair arm, and her chin -on her hand. "But what interest can you have in my soul--if I have -one?" - -"I, as other servants of the Master, interest myself in all souls." - -"That you may save them?" - -"Only Christ can do that." - -"I may deny His power to do so--I may deny Him." - -"And so fall as Peter fell," said Lionel, sadly. "Yet he repented with -bitter weeping." - -"I am not a tearful woman," she retorted, and turned to look into the -fire. She did not wish to meet his eyes when she spoke the ensuing -acknowledgment. "You are a good man, Lionel, and--and--you may be able -to help me." - -Kaimes resumed his seat. "I hope so; but I can only point the way to a -better Helper, and One more powerful." - -She continued to gaze at the burning coals. "I was frightened a few -minutes before you entered," she said abruptly. - -"By what?" - -"That is the question you must answer. By something which made me see -what a horrid nature I have." - -Lionel was silent for a few moments, not quite sure of his speech. - -"The Unseen presses closely around us," he remarked at length, "and at -times reveals itself. For instance, a contemplated sin may be -prevented by a spiritual influence informing the intelligence how -terrible the consequences of such a sin may be." - -"It was the sin itself rather than its consequence which frightened -me," murmured Leah, so softly that Lionel caught but one word. - -"What is that you say about sin?" - -Lady Jim's cunning made her shirk confession. "Nothing--oh, nothing," -she said hurriedly; "only it seems to me that everything pleasant is a -sin in your eyes." - -"Dead Sea Fruit," replied Kaimes, earnestly; "fair to the eye, foul to -the taste. If you turn devoutly to the spiritual, the material -pleasures of this world lose their attractiveness." - -"Perhaps," she said sceptically; "but many things goody-goody people -of your sort shudder at are attractive. You can't deny that." - -"I have no wish to. Satan always supplies us with rose-coloured -spectacles, through which to contemplate his works." - -Lady Jim rose and walked up and down the narrow limits of the room, -twisting her hands in a nervous, hesitating way, quite unlike her -usually calm, decisive self. "I wish you would not talk nonsense," she -snapped; "it is absurd to believe in a personal devil." - -"And in a possible hell also, I suppose you would say." - -"Oh," she said carelessly, "scientists have explained that away." - -"And the Inquisition of the middle ages denied that the earth went -round the sun," said Kaimes, grimly; "but I understand that it does." - -"Clever, but not convincing. What is the use of talking nursery -theology and cheap science to me? What can you say that is likely to -do me good?" - -"The patient must be frank with his physician," hinted Lionel. - -"Oh, we always tell the exact truth to doctor and lawyer," said Lady -Jim, scornfully, "because we fear for our bodies and our property. But -who tells the truth to a parson?" - -"Those who are convinced of sin." - -"In that case I may as well hold my tongue. I am not convinced of -anything, not even if I ought to make you my father confessor." - -"I cannot compel your confidence. On the other hand, I cannot help you -unless----" - -"Unless! Quite so. Let me think," and turning her back on him, she -went to the window. The early winter gloom was blotting out the -distant landscape, but near at hand the spectral glare of the snow -revealed blackly the figures of homeward-bound skaters. The cold -deadness of so sinister a world did not tend to soothe Leah's -overstrung nerves, and shrouded Nature could give her no counsel. Had -it been a summer's twilight of nightingales and roses, of sleeping -blossoms and murmuring leaves, she would have recovered sufficient -spirit to scoff. But this arctic waste, livid and still in the half -light, reminded her of the frozen hell, in the deadly chills of which -shuddered Dante, the seer. And the virile Saxon word hinted at the -possible, if not at the probable. Of course, it was all very -ridiculous, and her system was out of order. Nevertheless, she felt -that some kindly human comfort and advice might restore her tormented -mind to its usual peace. And whatever she said to Lionel, he would not -dare to repeat. As a cousin, as a gentleman, as a priest, his lips -would be triply sealed. And he might be able to point out a less -dangerous path than that towards which the need of money was driving -her. He was a good fellow, too, and honest enough, in spite of his -superstition. She decided to speak, and came back to her chair. Had -she been less material, she could have heard in the stillness the -rustling wings of a returning angel. Lionel looked at her inquiringly. -She was about to speak hurriedly, lest the good impulse should pass -away, when Jim's tattoo was heard. With a snap Leah closed her lips, -as he lumbered, red-faced, hearty, and essentially fleshy, into the -room. The mere sight of his tangible commonplace made the woman thank -her stars that she had not blundered into hysterical frankness. - -"Holloa, Lionel! Holloa, Leah! Sittin' in the twilight an' talkin' -secrets--eh? Mind some light?" He clicked the ivory knob near the -door, and the room sprang into vivid being. "Had a jolly day's skatin. -Y' should ha' come, Leah. No end of a lark. Feel sick?" This polite -question was asked because she shaded her eyes from the glare. - -"No; but I can't stand wild bulls charging into a room." - -"Might call it a china-shop," chuckled Jim, glancing disparagingly at -the nicknackery. "Nerves slack, I'll bet. Fresh air an' exercise an' -cheerful company is what you want, Leah." - -"I'm likely to get the last, with you," she rejoined witheringly, for -the overpowering vitality of the man made her wince. - -"Well, Lionel here's--been no catch in th' way of fun, I expect. Seems -to have given you the hump. Goin', old man? All right! I'll cheer her -up. See you at dinner." - -The curate nodded and went out. Since Jim's plunge into the middle of -their conversation he had not uttered a word, for the interruption had -jarred on him, as on Lady Jim. Moreover, he departed with an intuitive -feeling that the golden moment had passed. And this was truly the -case. When she next saw him, Leah wondered why she had so nearly made -a fool of herself. And indeed, she was already wondering while Jim, -obviously embarrassed, discoursed in a breezy, blundering way, with an -attempt at connubial fondness. - -"Poor old girl," he said, sitting opposite to her, looking fresh and -handsome, and essentially manly. "'Awfully sorry you're chippy. If I'd -known I'd ha' come back to keep you company." - -"Are the heavens falling?" asked Leah, listlessly. - -Jim, as usual, could not follow this recondite speech. "Don't know -what you're talkin' about," he remarked good-humouredly, and bustling -to the bell. "You're a peg too low, Leah. Tell you what: we'll have -tea here, an' a talk, if you don't mind." - -His wife nodded, wondering if he was about to confess his possible -Mormonism. She did not think so, as Jim never confessed anything, -unless it was dragged piecemeal out of him. Her feelings at this -moment did not lean towards cross-examination, so she let him ring the -bell and order tea, without using her too-ready tongue. In fact, she -unbent so far as to make use of him. - -"Get me a dose of sal volatile, Jim," she ordered. "There's a bottle -on my dressing-table." - -"Poor old girl," said the sympathetic Jim, again, and stumbling into -the next room with eager haste. - -Leah smiled to herself. This ready obedience argued a guilty -conscience. - -After Jim dosed her, he was tactful enough to hold his tongue and -improve the fire, without clattering the poker and tongs. Then he -pulled down the blinds and drew the curtains, and altered the shades -of the electrics, so that Leah might not be overpowered by the glare. - -"It's quite like a new honeymoon," she said, sarcastically. The drug -was doing its renovating work, and her original devil was returning to -a swept and garnished house, with seven other spirits more wicked than -himself. - -Jim took the remark seriously, and coloured with pleasure. "I believe -we'd get on rippin'," said he, enthusiastically. "If we only had the -money I believe we'd be as happy as birds." - -"They can't be very happy in this cold weather," replied Leah, seeing -plainly that Jim's amiability was owing to a selfish fear of reproval -for his iniquities. "Here's the tea. I don't want any just now, as the -sal volatile is doing me good. You can eat." - -"Oh, can't I, just," said Jim, when the footman left and he was -filling himself a cup. "Th' skatin's given me an appetite. 'Sides, I -want to get into form; as I've somethin' serious to say about this -insurance business." - -Leah looked up suddenly. "I thought you had given that the go-by." - -"No--o--o," drawled her husband, not meeting her eyes. "Course, th' -pater's a good sort an' all that. But his arrangement will give us a -howlin' bad time for the next few years." - -"So I told you." - -"Well, then," Jim fiddled nervously with a piece of toast, "why not -get the twenty thousand?" - -"It could be managed, of course, with some little difficulty." - -"Through that Russian Johnny?" - -"Demetrius? Yes." - -"You've see him, then?" - -"To-day. He'll see the thing through." - -"What's his price?" - -Leah smiled blandly, as she thought of what Jim would say did she -reply honestly to this question. But she did not intend to. It seemed -to her that Jim was driving her towards the very path which Lionel, -unknowingly, wished her to avoid. It was useless to fight against -fate, so she decided, and like many another person, she laid the blame -on those scapegoats, the stars. She was now completely dominated by -the selfish influence of the great god Mammon, and the lesser sin of -lying was swallowed up in the greater one of idolatry. - -"He'll want a few thousands, of course," she said mendaciously; "but, -as yet, we have not fixed any sum." - -"Hum," muttered Jim, suspiciously. "I thought he'd want something more -than money." - -Leah rose indignantly, and proclaimed a virtue that her conscience -assured her she might yet lose. "I am an honest woman, Jim," she said -haughtily, "and, married or unmarried, I should never allow any man to -make love to me." - -"Seems to me you do." - -"Only to pass away the time. I stop short when----" - -"When their hearts are broken," growled her husband. "Upon my soul, -Leah, I'm straighter than you are." - -"I doubt that, since you swear by what you haven't got." - -Jim rashly became aggressively virtuous. "I've not been a bad sort of -husband to you, Leah." - -"I have seen so little of you that it is rather difficult for me to -give an opinion," she said, resting her elbow on the mantelpiece. -"Mrs. Berring may be in a better position to judge of your virtues." - -Kaimes turned white with emotion, and he rose from his low chair as -though worked by springs. "It's a lie," he growled hoarsely. "I never -married her." - -"Married who?" - -"The lady you talk about." - -"The lady Mr. Askew talked about, you mean. I merely mention her -name." - -"It is not her name. She is Lola Fajardo." - -"Of the Estancia, San Jago. So Mr. Askew explained." - -"Oh, if you're goin' to make a row----" - -"Do I ever make rows?" asked Lady Jim, impatiently. - -"You don't care enough about me to raise Cain," said Jim, rather sorry -for himself. "I swear I'd be a different man, if you were a different -woman." - -"Every husband in the divorce court witness-box makes the same excuse. -Sit down, Jim, and let us talk over the matter quietly. Your -infidelities have long since converted us from man and wife into a -business firm to earn money." - -"But, Leah, I swear----" - -"By that soul you know nothing about?" she flashed out contemptuously. -"Talk sense, if you are capable of doing so. You have been trying to -dodge this explanation ever since you met Mr. Askew last night, in the -smoking-room. But now that we've stumbled on an opening, perhaps you -will explain." - -"Explain what?" - -"All that Mr. Askew did _not_ tell me." - -"Oh, he's been makin' somethin' out of nothin', the silly ass," -protested Jim, sitting down and handling the poker with a fervent wish -that he could use it on the sailor's head. "I met Señorita Fajardo at -Lima, and later at Buenos Ayres. Her brother asked me out to their -estancia in the camp of Argentina, near Rosario, and I stopped there -for a month. Bit of luck came my way, an' I pulled her from under a -beastly mustang, that would have kicked the life out of her. She took -a fancy to me, 'cause I saved her life." - -"Is that all?" - -"Well, I went again to San Jago, last year----" - -"Your third visit to South America since our marriage." - -"Yes," said Jim, sullenly; "an' I met Lola--I mean Señorita Fajardo." - -"Oh, don't apologise. Lola is a pretty name." - -"An' she's a pretty woman, an' I'm flesh an' blood," cried Jim, -getting up to work himself into a rage. "I met her durin' my second -visit, an' went again to the estancia on my third. It was no use -luggin' a title round, for these mouldy hotel-keepers always make a -chap pay for havin' a handle to his name, so I called myself -Berring--James Berring." - -"James Berring, bachelor." - -"Bachelor, certainly. I haven't married her, and if Askew says I have, -he's a liar." - -"And assuredly a marplot," said Leah, dryly, "since he has exploded -your romance. I understood from him that this lady loves you." - -"So she does." - -"And you love her?" - -Jim wriggled. "Oh, go on--go on! Kick a chap when he's down!" - -"If I had intended to kick, you would have been black and blue by now, -Mr. James Berring. But you needn't flatter yourself that my feelings -are hurt in any way. You're not worth it." - -"Other women think differently." - -"Lola Fajardo, for instance." - -"Well, I can't help that, can I? If you'd been a different sort of -woman, I'd have----" - -"You said that before. Had we not better get to business?" - -"What business?" - -"The insurance business. I don't care for you, and you show very -plainly that you don't care for me. It is useless for us to struggle -together like a couple of ill-matched dogs in leash. Give me fifteen -thousand of this money, and then you can marry your Lola woman." - -Jim turned white again. "You seem jolly anxious to get rid of me." - -"Can you wonder if I do? How many women would take this scandalous -matter as quietly as I do?" - -"It's not scandalous," said Kaimes, fiercely. "She thinks that I am a -bachelor, and I'm not even engaged to her. I have tried to be true to -you, Leah," declared Jim, pathetically. - -His wife shrugged her shoulders. It was rather late in the day for Jim -to talk sentiment, besides being a waste of time. "Well?" she asked, -facing him squarely. - -Jim read her purpose in a very flinty face. "I'll do what you want," -he said weakly. - -"Then there's no more to be said," remarked Leah, coldly, moving -towards the door of her bedroom. "Demetrius will explain, if you will -afford him half an hour's private conversation." - -"Leah, do you really mean it?" - -"I have meant it from the first moment you put the idea into my head," -she said in a harsh voice. "This underhand love-making of yours only -makes me the more determined." - -"But there was no----" - -"Don't lie, Jim. A man can no more love two women than he can serve -two masters. Is it to be Lola Fajardo, or myself?" - -"I leave it to you, Leah." - -"Then I choose the fifteen thousand pounds," she said, and vanished -into the bedroom. Jim took an impulsive step towards the door, but the -sharp click of a turning key showed him that he was locked out for -ever. - -That evening Leah talked so gaily, and looked so beautiful, that her -father-in-law was absolutely fascinated. "Is it all right between you -and James?" he asked graciously. - -"Yes," Leah assured him; "we understand one another thoroughly." - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - -Leah welcomed the New Year at Firmingham, with the fervent hope that -its bounty would bestow the insurance money, and rid her of an -official husband. It really seemed as though Providence, or the -fetish, was in a benign mood, for Jim caught the worst of colds while -skating. Being confined to an undesired bed, and fed with food -tasteless to a cultivated palate, he lost both flesh and temper. -Demetrius talked gravely of weak lungs, and hinted at inherited -consumption. The Duke was anxious, but scarcely surprised, and -recalled similar cases of a grandmother, two ancestors, and a rackety -uncle. Lady Jim encouraged these pulmonary recollections for obvious -reasons. She and Demetrius winked privately at one another like the -celebrated augurs, when they heard the old man's lamentations. Nature -was acting strictly on the lines of the Russian's proposed medicine, -and there was no need to dose Jim into a sickly likeness of Garth. Day -by day he grew as white-faced, as haggard, and as lean, until he -became alarmed at the anxiety of Providence to forward the schemes of -himself and Leah. - -But there was no end to the kindness of an overruling fate. Jim's -illness afforded his wife the opportunity of posing as a sister of -mercy, and she fussed round the patient so ostentatiously, that the -Duke was quite touched. He began to think that Leah was a true -ministering angel, and not the money-wasting doll he had considered -her to be. Jim grinned as Leah measured medicine, and fed him with -gruel, and read him interesting bits from the sporting journals. - -"I believe I'm goin' to get well," he chuckled. - -"Why so, dear?" asked his wife, who was profuse of adjectives in -private, so that they might slip out the more easily in public. - -"You look so uncommon dismal." - -"It is necessary to keep up appearances," Leah assured him. "Besides, -this will be the last chance of my doing anything for you. In future, -Lola will soothe your weary pillow"; after which and similar passages -of arms, Jim would curse himself to sleep, and wake up to accuse his -wife of wishing to poison him. - -This fortunate illness kept Lady Jim at Firmingham when the -house-party disintegrated. But as the Duke was a twaddling old ass, -and Jim the most trying of patients, Leah looked upon her ten days' -boredom as a kind of Lenten penance. Besides, she had frequent -confabulations with Demetrius, to settle details of the plot. Already -the doctor had explained to the Duke that Garth would die easier in -the tropics, and Funchal had been selected as the most agreeable place -for his demise. - -"And then?" asked Lady Jim. - -"Your husband must go to Jamaica, to wait events." - -"What events?" - -"Those which I propose to bring about," retorted Demetrius, who had -his reasons for not explaining himself too fully. - -Leah did not question him closely. With a selfish regard for her own -safety, in case anything might leak out, she preferred that the doctor -should arrange matters in his own way. But she obeyed instructions to -the extent of hinting to the Duke that Kingston was the very best -place for dear Jim's weak lungs. - -"Will you go with him?" asked Pentland, anxiously. - -"Oh no," said Lady Jim, sweetly; "we mustn't make too much fuss over -him, else he'll think he's going to die." - -"He might," sighed the Duke. "I had an uncle----" and he described the -sufferings of old Lord George for the tenth time. - -Leah comforted him after the manner of one Bildad, a Shuhite. "Oh, -Kingston will do Jim no end of good, my dear Duke. It won't cure one -lung, but it may patch up the other. And then, you know, if he gets -worse, I can always reach him in fourteen days." - -"Does Demetrius think he will die?" asked the Duke, piteously. - -"He doesn't think poor Jim will ever be so strong as he was," said -Leah, gravely; "but he'll hang on, with care." - -"Just like my grandmother," muttered the Duke, and then detailed the -sufferings of a dowager duchess, who couldn't be kept alive beyond the -age of sixty. - -"If Jim lives till that age, I shall be content," said Leah. - -"Are you thinking of the insurance money?" demanded Pentland, with -sudden anger. - -"What insurance money? Oh yes, I think Jim did mention something about -an insurance." - -"He gets it if he lives till sixty." - -"Really! I don't quite understand, Duke, but I'm sure it's all right." - -"I hope so, my dear. Has he made his will?" - -"No. Why should he?" - -"Because, in the event of his dying, the insurance money should be -left to you. No will means trouble." - -Leah had never thought of a will, as it seemed natural that the money -should come to her without the necessity of paying lawyers' bills. But -her quick brain seized the chance of smoothing the way to acquiring -the fortune with as little trouble as possible, and she promptly -cornered the Duke. "_You_ speak to him," she suggested. - -And this the Duke did, with the result that a will leaving the money -to Leah was drawn up and signed, after some opposition, by Jim. He did -not at all relish the carrying out of this necessary step. It was too -like preparing a death certificate to please Jim. - -However, as a reward for his obedience, Demetrius set him on his legs, -and Jim went to Torquay with the devoted Leah. But when he was settled -in a comfortable hotel as an interesting invalid, and with a -superfluity of pretty girls to soothe him with sympathy, Lady Jim left -him for a round of visits to various country-houses. Now that the Duke -was out of sight, Jim's connubial comforts were out of mind; but Leah -left strict injunctions that he was not to put on flesh. Within the -month, she was to see him start for Jamaica, and impressed upon him -the necessity of looking quite ready to depart for a place where Jim -had no desire to go. - -"I don't see why you want to make a holy show of me," grumbled Jim. - -"We must make your death appear as plausible as possible." - -"But I don't want to look like a livin' skeleton." - -"Oh, I don't think Lola will mind," said Leah, cruelly, and started -out to enjoy herself in the best of spirits. - -While at Lord Sargon's seat in Shropshire, she met Askew in the -company of the fixture. The young man's betrothed was extremely like a -dairy-maid, and her frocks set Lady Jim's teeth on edge. If she could -combine colours that did not match, she always did so, and her -character was as colourless as her wardrobe was gaudy. Marjory was the -creature's name, and her conversation was the "Pa-pa!" "Mam-ma!" of a -squeaking doll. - -"How much are you paying for her?" asked Leah, after satisfying -herself that the young lady was really a woman. - -"Five thousand a year," replied the lieutenant, sulkily. - -"What a bargain!" - -"Don't laugh at me," he implored; "you know there is but one woman in -the world for me." - -"So you told me. Lola--what's her name?" - -"Some one nearer and dearer than her!" he murmured, with what the -Americans call "goo-goo" eyes, whereat Lady Jim laughed, and allowed -him to fetch and carry, and sit on his hind legs and bark prettily, -like a well-trained lap-dog. It amused her, and kept him on -tenterhooks. The only annoying thing was, that Marjory seemed to care -little for this annexation of her lover. She much preferred a -fox-hunting squire, who talked "stables," and glowered on Askew for -not appreciating the dairy-maid. - -In this capture of another woman's man, Leah combined pleasure with -business. She did not wish to spoil Jim's little game with the Spanish -lady, and it would never do for Askew to detail Mr. Berring's past in -a quarter where such betrayal would lead to trouble. By this time the -amorous sailor was the slave of beauty, so Lady Jim was sufficiently -mistress of his will to limit his correspondence. This she did one -evening after dinner, while admiring Marjory's new frock. - -"Yellow and green," murmured Leah, when she and Askew filled up a -corner, and watched frantic people playing bridge; "poached egg on -spinach. If you design her gowns, Mr. Askew, I should advise a less -lavish use of primary colours." - -"She means well," he muttered, apologetically. - -"People who need excuses for existing always do," retorted Lady Jim; -"but she is really a sweetly simple girl, with two ideas, neither of -which includes you, my dear boy. I am sure you will be very happy -together, doing cake-walks." - -"Doing cake-walks?" - -"That sort of dress always makes me think of South Carolina and the -'old Kentucky home,' you know. They invented cake-walks there, I -believe. But I forgot--you prefer places below the equator." - -"I never think of South America," he protested. - -"Of course not. The jewel is more attractive than the casket. When did -you last hear from Señorita Fajardo?" - -"I never had a letter from her in my life." - -"She is cautious, it seems. Are you?" - -"I don't write to her, if that is what you mean. I did love -her----" - -"What a polite thing to say to me!" - -"But I don't any longer. You see, I thought that Berring--your----" - -"There's nothing in that," said Lady Jim, quickly. "There never really -was, and if you really love this estancia lady, why not marry her?" - -"I am engaged already." - -"To me, or to that pretty, vivacious girl over there?" - -As Marjory was looking particularly like a wooden Dutch doll at the -moment, Askew reddened. - -"I wish you wouldn't say these things, Lady Jim----" - -"Lady James!" - -"Lady James, then. Marjory can't help herself." - -"It seems to me she has--to that intelligent young man with the face -like a sheep and the manners of a costermonger." - -"They were boy and girl together." - -"And are still, from the infantile look of them. I quite expect to see -their nurse arrive. You know, it won't do," said Leah, gravely; "here -I am making fun of Marjory, and you aren't man enough to stand up for -her." - -The young man coloured still deeper, and mumbled something about a -woman's privilege. Shortly he made a lame excuse, and left Leah to -devote himself to Marjory, who was not grateful for the attention. -Leah did not mind. She had learned that Askew did not correspond with -Lola Fajardo, and had no intention of doing so; therefore there was -little likelihood that Jim's fettered past would ever become known at -the Estancia, San Jago. Being really a good-natured woman with her -affections thoroughly under control, Leah half decided to loosen her -apron-strings and let Askew lead his bargain to the altar. But this -she did not do, for two obtrusive reasons, firstly, the fox-hunting -squire and Marjory were made for one another; and secondly, it would -be just as well to keep the sailor under her eye for the next year. -She did not wish him to hark back to Lima, for melodramatic purposes. - -After a very pleasant visit, thanks to Askew's infatuation, Lady Jim -returned to Curzon Street. There she found a letter from Demetrius -announcing that he and Garth had sailed for Madeira early in the -previous week, and that it would be as well if Lord James Kaimes -journeyed forthwith to Jamaica. Leah promptly sent an answer to her -accomplice at Funchal, a telegram to Jim, a paragraph to a society -paper, and a lengthy letter of sorrowful forebodings to the Duke. Then -she sat down to wait events, and, meanwhile, considered the situation. - -Pentland was all right, thanks to her cajoling. Before she left -Firmingham he had arranged to free the income, to pay the debts, and -to allow her to occupy the Curzon Street house until such time as -Jamaica should kill or cure Jim. That interesting invalid had gone -halves over the cheque, and Leah's purse still contained over fifty -pounds, which would do for the present. But she intended to get a few -hundreds from the Duke, by playing off Jim's sickly looks and her own -lonely condition of grass-widowhood. It was really very satisfactory, -and she found it hard to look miserable, as in duty bound, when -Pentland arrived to see the last of Jim. Leah arranged that the -parting between father and son should be in town. She did not want to -have a bereaved father bothering at Southampton. The journey back to -town after Jim's dispatch would be boring at the best, and her -consolatory powers were not great. - -"You look disgustingly fit," said Leah, when Jim was established on -the drawing-room sofa, with a rug and a few unnecessary medicine -bottles, and other sick-room paraphernalia. - -"Sorry I can't be more of a corpse," growled the invalid; "but it's -not easy to pretend you're a goner, when y' feel fit to jump over the -moon." - -"Try and cough louder," suggested his wife. - -"Shan't! It hurts m' throat. Hang it, I've lost three stone. I believe -you want me dead in real earnest." - -Lady Jim thought for a moment. "No, I don't," she said, truly enough. -"You haven't treated me over well, and I should have been a different -woman, had you been a different man----" - -"Divorce court lingo," said Jim, remembering what she had said at -Firmingham, and with a derisive laugh. - -"All the same, I hope you'll have a good time in South America." - -"Why not in Jamaica?" - -"Because you've got to be thoroughly sick there. Demetrius will come -along later with Garth's corpse, and----" - -"Ugh! Drop it! What about the money--my share?" - -"I'll get the cash, as soon as you are sent home." - -"Me? What for? Ain't I goin' to disappear?" - -"Of course," said Leah, impatiently; "but Demetrius has to embalm -your body and bring you home to the family vault." - -"I say, don't," cried Jim uneasily; "that's the other Johnny you're -talkin' about. Leah," he looked round cautiously, "I hope Demetrius -won't polish off that poor fellow. He's a sort of relative of mine, y' -know." - -"Don't worry your head," said Lady Jim, calmly. "Garth's dying as fast -as he can; he may be dead by this time, for all we know. And don't -think that I would allow Demetrius to be so wicked," she cried, with -virtuous indignation. "I'm not a criminal." - -"Oh, Lord!" was all Jim could find to say, as he thought of what they -were doing, and conversation ended for the time being. Leah went to -the theatre and supper at the Savoy that evening, leaving Jim to -practise coughing amongst the useless medicine bottles. - -Next day, both Pentland and his eldest son arrived at eleven, and were -informed by a sad-faced wife that her dear husband would travel to -Southampton by the afternoon train. At the sight of Leah's dismal -looks and attentive care, Frith expressed his opinion that women were -protean. - -"Never thought you cared so much for Jim," he said bluntly. - -"Oh, I don't for a moment say that I think Jim is a good man," was -Leah's artistic reply; "and we've had our tiffs, like other married -people. But Jim's my husband, after all. And he has his good points." - -"What are they?" - -Lady Jim was not prepared with a catalogue of her husband's -perfections. "Oh, I don't know," she murmured vaguely; "he drinks in -moderation, you know. That's something." - -"There's no virtue in resisting a non-existent temptation," said the -Marquis, grimly. "Jim doesn't come of a drinking family." - -"Of a consumptive one, I believe," retorted Leah, softly. - -Frith was nettled at the implied slight. "Not at all," he said, with -unusual gruffness. "Look at me." - -"But that poor Garth----" - -"Oh, he--I don't understand--and if you----" Frith coloured as he met -her derisive eyes, and devoted himself to his brother. - -Lady Jim left the affectionate trio together, lengthening out their -farewells, and retired, laughing, to her room. It was really amusing -to think that Jim, who was as healthy as a trout in a pond, should be -wept over, and coddled, and pitied, and generally elevated to a -sainthood. The business was serious enough, no doubt; but Leah could -not help seeing the humorous side. She felt unequal to keeping a grave -face while the comedy in the drawing-room was being played, and -therefore did not rejoin her husband till the principal comedians had -departed. - -"We are a couple of rotters," said Jim, gloomily, when she appeared. - -"Speak for yourself, my dear," she retorted coolly. "Well, and what -did they say?" - -"Never you mind. You'd only snigger over a father takin' leave of his -dyin' son." - -"Oh! I did not know that the Duke had seen Harold Garth." - -"Leah," cried her husband, fiercely, "you're a--never mind. Whatever -you are, I'm another." - -"Did the Duke leave a cheque for me?" asked Leah, more business-like -than sympathetic. - -Jim banged about among the medicine bottles. "Five hundred." - -"Dear man," cried his wife, snatching the cheque from his very -reluctant hand. "I must go and dress for the journey." - -"Won't you kiss me, Leah?" quavered Jim, really moved, and quite -forgetting the rascally plot in which he was taking so prominent a -part. - -At the door she turned with an expression of withering scorn. "Keep -your kisses for your wife, Mr. Berring!" cried this too-previous -widow, and left him to digest the insult at his leisure. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - -The paragraph sent by Leah to her pet editor intimated concisely to -the tuft-hunting world of Tom, Dick, and Harriet, that the suddenly -developed pulmonary complaint of Lord James Kaimes necessitated his -wintering in Jamaica. This intelligence surprised the clubs, as Jim's -hectoring voice and devotion to damp field sport had always suggested -aggressively sound lungs. - -"Never knew him to be chippy in his life," growled one man, who -admired Leah as much as he hated Jim for possessing her. "What's his -game this time, I wonder?" - -"Perhaps he wants to get away from his wife," hinted a pigeon of Jim's -plucking. "Bit of a tongue, hasn't she?" - -"Tongue be hanged! She has both wit and beauty." - -The pigeon sniggered, knowing the speaker's devotion to Delilah. "Oh, -Kaimes appreciates those qualities--in another man's wife." - -"Scandal! Scandal!" murmured a meek member, blessed with a spouse -whose looks prevented temptation. "Kaimes has dined with us many -times, but I never saw----" - -"No; _you_ wouldn't," struck in a sporting baronet, whom Leah snubbed -on every possible occasion. "Jim likes red-haired women." - -"Then why doesn't he stick to the one he's legally entitled to?" - -"Because she sticks to him. If she'd only syndicate her admirers in -the D. C., Jim 'ud be after her like an Indian mosquito in search of a -new arrival. I'll bet there's some petticoat in this Jamaica -business"; and the sportsman looked round for some one to pander to -his besetting sin--but no one gave him a chance of committing it. - -Contradiction and argument arrived with the oldest inhabitant of -Clubland, whose memory was as exasperating as his verbosity. "Wrong! -All wrong," he purred, like the tame cat he had been for half a -century. "Kaimes is really consumptive. I remember his grandmother -dying of tuberculosis. It's in the family, along with gout and water -on the brain." - -"Oh, bosh! If Jim was sick, he'd sin more judiciously." - -"I never knew that damnation depended upon health," was the retort. -"Take a case in point. During the Great Exhibition----" - -Leah's admirer cut short a much-dreaded anecdote. "She'll make a -lovely widow." - -"I don't believe in second-hand brides myself," said the horsey man, -venturing an epigram. "'Sides, her tongue--cuts like a knife. Even the -mares shy when she kicks." - -"Wit! wit!" explained the admirer, who misread French memoirs. "She is -Madame de Rambouillet--without a history." - -"Hum! She hasn't published one yet, but I dare say----" - -"Tut! tut!" interrupted the ancient. "Madame de Rambouillet was, and -Lady James is, entirely respectable." - -"And the horse is the noblest of all animals," snapped the baronet. - -"Maybe, though the beast doesn't improve your morals," and the laugh -was with the oldest inhabitant. - -"Wonder if Kaimes will die," pondered the man who saw Leah as a -probable widow and a possible wife. - -"Lay you ten to five he won't." - -"You will lose; you will most assuredly lose," said the octogenarian. -"Very consumptive family, the Kaimes. And our friend is just the sort -of healthy man to depart suddenly." - -"Where to?" asked the pigeon. - -"Hu-s-s-sh!" droned the meek member; "that's a serious question." - -"To Jim!" finished the racing man, smartly; "but I don't care. Jim, -dead or alive, is equally useless to me." - -"Oh! He isn't in your debt, then?" - -"Catch me trusting him--not much. But what's the use of talking -obituary notices? Let's bridge." - -"If your play is as bad as your grammar, I prefer to stand out," said -Methuselah, and the symposium broke up, in time to prevent bickering -between crabbed age and irreverent youth. - -There were many such talks during the nine minutes' wonder of Jim's -unexpected sickness, and it was generally considered that he would -return in spirits of wine to the family vault. Leah did not hear these -encouraging prognostications, so conducive to the entire success of -the plot. She was tolerating life at San Remo, under the hired roof of -a truly great dame, who wished to disentangle her from the golden nets -of ultra-fast society. A grass-widow has to be more careful to keep up -appearances than the genuine crape article, even at the risk of being -bored by highly placed humanity, as dull as stainless. Lady Hengist -and her friends belonged to that seventh heaven where newly rich Peris -and the Mammons who cocker them seek admittance in vain. Social laws -differ from those of nature, inasmuch as the gilded scum does not -invariably rise to the top. Hence the creation of the over-discussed -smart set, which is taken by the suburban reader of back stairs -journalism as representative of the British aristocracy. - -Lord Hengist came of an autochthonous family which had been at home -when William the Conqueror raided the ancestral cabin. His wife was -descended from a knight who emigrated from Normandy in 1066, with -apparently several million others, judging by the claims put forward -by those who enter the peerage. This alliance--they were too great to -talk of mere marriage--resulted in two children, not made of ordinary -clay, but compounded of the superlative porcelain sort. Their parents -possessed a genuine mediæval castle, as uncomfortable as the builders -knew how to make it, and which had the rare distinction of possessing -a state-bedroom in which Elizabeth had never slept. The family -archives read like the Book of Numbers, and their ancestors had made -history at opulent wages for the benefit of the Hengist coffers. The -men had sided with the Stewarts and ratted to the Guelphs; the women -bloomed in Lely and Kneller portraits in loosely slipping clothes, -with pastoral accessories; and finally, the present head of the house, -with four seats, two children, a charming wife and a large income, -lived comfortably on the loot of ages. Of all these things Lord and -Lady Hengist were so proud that they had no need to exhibit pride. - -Well-born as Leah Kaimes was, the pleasant, if somewhat stately and -stiff, life of these genuine rulers wearied her intensely. Bread -and milk is insipid after a repast of ortolans in aspic, and a -motor-flight is more exhilarating than a donkey-ride. Moreover, it -annoyed her to see how sensibly the Hengists spent their many pounds a -day. They could have had much more fun for the money, had they known -the right shops; but they patronised out-of-date establishments, where -the goods were of an excellent quality, but just five minutes behind -the newest things. Of course, this was Leah's figurative way of saying -that the Hengists came out of the Ark. They always bought the wrong -things at the wrong shops, and had a middle-class eye to the lasting -quality of the goods they purchased. They were clothed rather than -dressed, and being colour-blind, invariably chose garments which -matched abominably with their complexions. In a word, the Hengists -were so commonplace as to be original. Lady Jim could not understand -why they should have been thrust into positions which they could not -fill. It was like bringing cows into the drawing-room. - -"It's so hard for me to taste the pleasures of self-denial," -complained Hengist, one day, as they sauntered on the promenade. - -"I don't think it is wise to attempt the extraction of sunbeams from -cucumbers," said Leah, dryly. - -"Dean Swift said that, but he was an egotist," replied Hengist, in his -serious way, that reminded Lady Jim of Lionel at his worst. "It is -more blessed to give than to receive, you know." - -"Is it, indeed? Who said so?" - -"The wisest and most loving of mankind. And it is a true saying. I -assure you, that if I deny myself something I greatly desire, and send -the money which would have purchased the gratification to a charity, I -feel absolutely happy." - -"I don't think I ever tried that experiment." - -"You will not know true happiness till you do, Lady James." - -"Then I must make a bid for Paradise," she answered, privately -thinking that the man talked sad nonsense. - -"It's a dreadful thing to be able to have the moon for the asking," -went on Hengist, reflectively. - -"That's your epigrammatic way of putting it, I suppose; but the moon -won't drop from her sphere for me, howl as I may. You are very lucky -to command the planet, Lord Hengist." - -"So the world thinks, but it forgets that there is the curse of -satiety." - -"Is there? I never knew it existed. I only wish I could cram the -twelve hours of the day with twenty-four of pleasure." - -"Have you ever had everything you wished for, Lady James?" - -"No!" said Leah, promptly. "I'd have the sun as well as the moon, and -the stars thrown in, if I had my way." - -"Only to be bored by the acquisition of the lot." - -"Me bored--oh dear no! I am too stupid. It is only clever people like -yourself who suffer from ennui. I only wish I were a Roman empress, -with provinces for a dowry. Those dear women knew how to live." - -"But in the majestic pages of Gibbon----" - -"Who? Oh, that man who came to think he was the Roman Empire. Now his -work would bore me--I'm not stupid enough to appreciate him." - -"Julia"--this was Lady Hengist--"Julia and I read Gibbon during the -honeymoon, and received much instruction." - -"Oh, Lord!" said Lady Jim; "as though honeymoons were not disagreeable -enough without that!" The idea made her laugh consumedly. In her -mind's eye she saw this new Paolo and Francesca reading heavy prose in -ten volumes. But Hengist did not even smile--he had absolutely no -sense of humour. Besides, he considered his companion's chatter -painfully frivolous, and sighed to think that she had such a light -nature. Leah, still laughing, glanced sideways. "I shall begin to -think you are discontented, Lord Hengist." - -"I am, that I cannot do the good I should like to do. Both Julia and I -wish to benefit mankind." - -"The twelve labours of Hercules, with no thanks for their -accomplishment." - -"We don't want thanks, but results," said Hengist, austerely; "and we -can commence in a small way. Next summer we intend to invite five -hundred Whitechapel children to the Castle. Will you come and help us -to entertain them, Lady James?" - -"Delighted," yawned Leah, for the man spoke like a copy-book; "but I -hope you'll wash them first. It will prevent disease, and give some -new soap a philanthropic advertisement." - -Hengist eyed her suspiciously. He was a very, very dull young lord, -large-hearted and unintelligent, who took life so seriously that he -had almost forgotten how to laugh. England clean, England contented, -England happy. He constantly started crusades to bring on a premature -millennium, and earned his reward, after the manner of reformers, by -being abused in halfpenny newspapers as one who attempted to avert -certain revolution, by stuffing the starving with sweets. Lady Jim -thought him a bore and a prig, and too virtuous to be amusing. But -that he and his wife were of use to her, she would not have endured -this presentation of his year-before-last's Tree-of-Knowledge apples. -He never plucked fresh fruit, and his Eve was quite as blind as he in -discerning up-to-date harvests. Still, Hengist was a sort of -bell-wether, leading a flock of prize sheep towards a closely guarded -fold. Leah liked the fun and money and adulation of the smart set, but -she had no notion of being a shut-out Peri from that dull paradise -that the newly rich longed for. Besides, its very dullness gave a -fillip to her enjoyment of the larky amusements of those who could not -enter the sacred ark. - -"I am really very fond of children," she said, to do away with the -effect of her last remark. "I wish I had some myself," and she sighed -very prettily. "Hilda Frith is more fortunate than I, with her two -dear babies." - -"Both girls. I fancy Frith would like a son and heir." - -"I'm sure he would, and both Jim and I would be the very first to -congratulate him." - -"Your husband is next in succession?" - -"Yes, poor dear! But Frith is strong and healthy, while darling -Jim--oh, I can't bear to talk about it." - -This was perfectly true. To invent sentimental domestic histories and -bewail a husband she detested was difficult, even to a woman of Leah's -imagination and tact. But Hengist thought it was very good of her to -talk so generously, and paid her serious compliments till she began to -think that some unpardonable sin had thrown her into the society of -this prosing creature. It was like reading the dictionary, or drinking -Homburg waters, or paying bills. The sight of a friend made her gasp -with relief, after the manner of a pearl-diver rising to take the air. - -"Here's Lady Richardson and Sir Billy," she said with a frown, for her -companion's benefit. "So horrid, to interrupt our nice conversation!" - -"We can pass them," replied Hengist, decidedly pleased. - -"Oh, I don't think so," was Leah's quick reply. "It would look rude; -and then, Fanny Richardson never passes any one who will listen to her -prattle of chiffons. Besides, Billy is a nice boy--quite a little man. -Don't you think so?" - -"Too much a man for his years," said her companion, austerely. "I do -not like Chesterfields in their teens. The lad's manners are too -good--much too good." - -"Can any child be much too good?" - -"In the wrong way of over-artificiality, yes. Sir William----" - -"He likes to be called Sir Billy!" - -"So flippant. His mother should insist----" - -"She! She never insists on anything, except having the newest dye and -the best-cut frock, and a few dozen male ears to pour her babble into. -Billy can do no wrong in her eyes, nor in mine. He is such an admirer -of women." - -"And at the age of thirteen," groaned Hengist. - -"Come now, even you must have made love to some pretty pastry-cook's -daughter when you were at Eton. There must be some of the old Adam in -you, Lord Hengist." - -"I was never an entirely modern child," replied the serious man, -evasively, and with a sad eye on the trim figure of the rapidly -approaching Billy. "To think that he should take dinner pills, and -know the difference between sweet and dry champagne! What will the -next generation be?" - -"Boys and girls," said Leah, flippantly. "Good day, Fanny." - -The vivacious little fairy who warmly greeted Lady Jim and her solemn -escort was as pretty and fragile and dainty as a Dresden china -shepherdess, and quite a credit to the maid who re-created her every -morning. There was nothing natural about her, save her genuine -adoration of Billy, and that arose from a knowledge that royalty had -made it fashionable to exploit the nursery. Blonde and plump, jimp and -graceful, dressed in perfect taste, and coloured in the latest -fashion, she was popular even with her own discriminating sex. Hengist -thought her a respectable doll, with no particular vices, and did not -object to having her at the Castle. But he disapproved of Billy the -precocious, which was decidedly unfair, as Billy could scarcely help -shaping himself to the mould into which he had been slipped by a -mother who required his assistance to play the pretty comedy of the -widow's only son. - -"How are you, Leah darling? So sweet you look, and Lord Hengist too. A -most unexpected meeting, and so delightful," babbled Lady Richardson, -who talked more and said less than any society gramophone. "Billy and -I are just going to Monte Carlo, to plunge on the red. Reggy Lake is -to meet us at the station; such a nice boy--Lancers, you know--a great -chum of Billy's. Won't you come too, Leah, to brighten Billy up? He's -got the hump, poor boy, as his new nerve-tonic doesn't suit him, and -such a lovely, lovely day as it is too. Don't you think so, Lord -Hengist?" - -The respectable Hengist's hair bristled at this incoherent -speech, and did not lie down again at the look in Billy's eyes. -Dressed in a particularly smart Eton suit, gloved and silk-hatted and -patent-leather-booted with fashionable accuracy, the boy appraised -Lady Jim's beauty in a calm way, which would have made a captain of -dragoons blush. Behind his graceful, nonchalant, handsome mask of -youth was hidden an old, old man, and in many ways Hengist was his -junior. He certainly blushed when Leah gave him an amused glance, but -this was Billy's way of mashing the sex. He knew the value of youthful -diffidence, backed by mature knowledge. - -"Should not your little boy be at school?" asked Hengist, scandalised -into an implied snub. - -Sir William looked at the troubled face of his elder with the serenity -of a cherub. "Goin' back nex' week," said he, carefully dropping his -"g's." "Th' little mother wanted me to look after her for a bit." - -"Billy can't trust me out of his sight," giggled Lady Richardson. -"He's so afraid I'll give him a second father." - -"Not Reggy Lake, anyhow. He's a rotter!" - -"What's a rotter, Sir Billy?" asked Lady Jim, enjoying the disgusted -looks of Hengist. - -"A fellow who rots." - -"What an admirable definition?" - -Billy rapidly dropped his left eyelid, and showed a set of white -teeth. "I don't carry coals to _your_ Newcastle," he said -parabolically. "Say, Lady Jim, chuck this chappy, and come to -Charlie's Mount." - -The wink and the speech were lost on Hengist, for he was being worried -by Lady Richardson. She danced before him, a pretty figure gowned in -burnt-almond red, and would have distracted his heart with daintiness -but that Julia kept that article in the nursery. - -"Do join us, Lord Hengist," she pleaded seductively. "Such fun, when -you know the ropes. Billy can show them to you." - -"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings," quoted Hengist, ironically. -"Quite a new reading, Lady Richardson." - -"Now you are horrid," said the widow, who did not know in the least -what he meant. "I'll tell your wife. By the way, how is she, and the -darling, darling twins? Twins are too sweet. I wish Billy was a twin." - -"One of Sir William is quite sufficient." - -"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about, and it's very -horrid of you to say so. Billy is adored." - -"Is he ever whipped?" - -Lady Richardson gave a scream. "How barbarous! The man who tried to -whip Billy would have to order his coffin beforehand. Billy can handle -his bunches of fives, I can tell you, Lord Hengist." - -"His what?" - -"It's Billy's way of putting boxing. You should see him give the -postman's knock! Oh, he _is_ clever! He can drive a motor, too, and -pick out the winner five times out of ten." - -"Does he know the kings of England?" - -"No; he hasn't been to Court yet, and of course, there's only one. How -funny you are! Well," Lady Richardson put her head on one side like a -coaxing cock-robin, "are you coming with Billy and me? Do, oh do! We -have afternoon tea with Monsieur Aksakoff and his daughter." - -"What's that?" asked Leah, overhearing the names; "the Russian man?" - -"Stiff sort of fella'!" said young Eton. "Nothin' birdish about him. -Daughter's a clipper, though. Say, little mother, we'd best get. Th' -train won't wait, y' know." - -Before he had finished speaking Lady Jim had made up her mind. She had -not heard from Demetrius, and it was not impossible that he had -written to Katinka. In spite of his discouraging love-making he kept -in with her, on the chance that she might be able to procure his -pardon, and in any case she was useful in keeping him posted in the -doings of the Third Section. The girl was so infatuated that she never -saw he was making use of her in this way, and constantly wrote to him -about any official gossip she heard. There was something pathetic in -her devotion and heart-whole love for the man who deceived her. But -Leah did not look at the matter in this way. She knew that Katinka, if -any one, would have news of the doctor, and being anxious to learn how -Garth was progressing towards the grave, she turned to Hengist. - -"I think I'll go over," she said in a low voice. "Jim asked me to see -M. Aksakoff on some business. Would Julia mind?" - -"Not at all," said Hengist, heartily, and quite deceived. "I would -escort you, only I have some letters to write about the distress in -London." - -"Oh, Billy will look after us," said that young gentleman's mother. - -"I _have_ driven a team before now," observed Billy, with dignity. - -I Hengist gave him a reproving look (which Billy bore very stoically), -and whispered to Leah as they parted, "Don't encourage that lad." - -"I don't think he needs much encouragement," said Lady Jim, laughing, -and the two women walked away with Billy between them. Hengist stood -where he was and frowned. - -"Charming woman, Lady James," he murmured, gazing after Leah's -amethystine gown; "but that lad--ugh!" He shook his head over young -England up-to-date; then returned to the villa to hear the twins say -the alphabet. Life had its compensations, even for a millionaire peer. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - -After the happy-go-lucky fashion of Italian officialism, the train was -detained for some time at Ventimiglia. Lady Richardson, unsettled as a -fly, changed her seat five times, and complained garrulously. - -"Captain Lake is so very particular," she explained, producing a -pocket-mirror and a powder-puff to repair possible damages. "He can't -bear to be kept waiting five minutes." - -"Then I should make him wait five hours," replied Leah, calmly. "It -doesn't do to spoil men." - -"You spoil me," said Sir Billy, audaciously. - -"Pooh! You are merely a rascal in the making. I wouldn't hint how we -govern your sex, if you were anything but a grub." - -The boy laughed complacently. "I'm a very nice grub." - -"Very precocious, at all events. You know much more than is good for -you. Fanny, you should whip him." - -"I haven't the heart or the muscle, my dear. The only safe thing will -be to marry a strong man with a bad temper." - -"I should jolly well like to see the stepfather who would pitch into -me." - -"You will, if you don't behave. Isn't that eyebrow a little crooked, -Billy?" and she fingered it delicately. - -"Don't think so; but you have a smudge of powder on your chin." - -"So I have. How horrid! There!" dusting it off. "What a comfort you -are to your darling mammy, my own! Kiss me." - -Billy brushed her rouge with careful lips, and after a glance to see -that he had not blurred the picture, Lady Richardson put away the -mirror. - -"Thank goodness, we're moving again," she prattled. "I do hope Reggy -won't be in a bad temper." - -"I'll square that, little mother. Been to the theatres lately, Lady -Jim?" - -"No," answered Leah, amused by his man-about-town air. "Is there -anything good on?" - -"Awful stuff," announced Billy, with the conviction, of mature -judgment. "Couldn't sit out more than two plays. _The Woman with Three -Husbands_ isn't bad, though. Very French, of course. Saw it four times -before I told the little mother she couldn't face it." - -"How alluring! Will you take me?" - -Billy was obviously shocked. "No woman should see that piece. I can -stand heaps, but----" an after-me-the-deluge shrug hinted at the -degradation of the drama. - -"Yes, poor darling," chimed in his mother; "he was blushing three -inches deep all over when he came home." - -"I am glad to hear that Billy can blush at all," murmured Lady Jim. -"How's the betting, William?" - -"Tolerable! I pulled off a fiver on Fly-by-Night; but a man in my form -lost a tenner, silly juggins." - -"Oh! How old is that man?" - -"Sixteen, and thinks he's twenty. Awfully saucy chap though. Went nap -on a girl, and another fella' scooped th' pool." - -"Don't they teach English at Eton, Billy?" - -The youth was quite undisturbed. "Try to," he assured her; "but -there's no snap about the classical rot they give us. Oh, here we -are." - -"And there is Reggy," cried Lady Richardson, craning her dyed head out -of the window like another Jezebel. "How d'y do, Captain Lake? Lovely -day! So sorry we're late. You know Lady James Kaimes?" - -"I have that pleasure," said the tall young soldier, saluting. "Very -sorry to hear your husband is ill, Lady James." - -"Thanks! But I daresay Jamaica will pull him round, Captain Lake." - -"Hope it won't," breathed Billy, at her elbow, as the lift soared. - -"Why, you horrid little boy?" - -"There'll be a chance for me." - -"No, no! You're too much of a general lover, Billy." - -"Girls do run a man so hard, nowadays," observed Billy, pathetically. - -"It was different in your youth, no doubt. But I am not a girl, and -quite old enough to box the ears of conceited urchins." - -"Do!--if you'll let me give you a kiss for a blow." - -"What precocious Christianity! You had better apply to that pretty -American girl near the Casino door." - -"Miss Mamie Mulrady? Oh, I can get her kisses without fightin'. Not -bad-lookin', is she? Lots of tin, an' as spry as they make 'em. -There's th' little mother an' that rotter chippin' into th' Casino. -Shall we follow, Lady Jim?" - -They were stopped on the steps by Miss Mulrady, "who knew both, and -claimed acquaintance through a wholly unnecessary lorgnette. She was a -vivacious Wild West product, who exaggerated the vernacular, because -Europeans expected to find the Californian girl of fiction in real -life. Her exaggerated slang was assumed out of sheer amusement, and -she greatly enjoyed the amazed looks of those who heard her talk good -Anglo-Saxon, which she did, when she escaped from fools to forgather -with wise men. - -"How are you, Miss Mulrady?" asked Billy solemnly. - -"Keepin' afloat, I guess, but that's about all. The dollars I've lost -buckin' the tiger would have bought me a dozen husbands." - -"Foreign ones are cheap, I believe," said Leah, admiring the -prairie-flower's Paris frock more than her republican manner. - -"You make me smile. I'm goin' to run tandem with Sir Billy here--me -first and he the wheeler." - -"No go," said the boy, quite able to hold his own. "I'm not goin' to -marry a Bret Harte girl." - -"Oh, do," replied Miss Mulrady, in the purest of English, and placing -two small gloved hands together. "I'll be a wife and a mother in one." - -"What economy!" smiled Lady Jim. "Are you coming into the 'devil's -parlour'?" - -"Later. I'm waiting for Mr. Askew." - -Leah started. She thought that Askew was safe in Shropshire, making -attempts to civilise the fixture. "Harry Askew?" - -"That's so," assented Miss Mulrady, relapsing into her Wild West -vocabulary, and with a keen look. "He called on Mommo an' me, when he -was cruisin' out 'Frisco way. We're negotiatin' a system to break this -old bank." - -"You evidently wish to be popularised in a song," said Lady Jim, -languidly. "How long has Mr. Askew been devoting his energies to such -things?" This with an angry reflection that he had not called on her. - -"You might reckon it twenty-four hours," said the American, admiring -her pointed brown shoe. "He's here for his health." - -"I've heard that excuse before, with regard to Monte Carlo." - -"Shouldn't wonder. We ticket our sins best sugar. Sir Billy, come -along an' buy me candy at the stores." - -"But your man, Miss Mulrady--the Askew chap?" - -"Lady Jim an' I 'ull swap humans. What say?" and she looked at Leah, -mischievously overdoing the slang. - -"I never swap what isn't my own property," answered Lady Jim, -considering this offer too Western, and resenting the familiarity to -the extent of walking into the Casino with her head very much in the -air. America could hold her own with the mother-country, and Leah did -not approve. - -"She wants to be the whole show an' the box-office," murmured Mamie, -mischievously. "Stay here, Bub." - -"I am sorry to refuse a lady," replied Billy, resenting the word; "but -I've put my money on Lady Jim, this trip." - -"On the red--hair, you mean. Go bye-bye with your nurse, then. Here's -Mr. Askew, he's older than you." - -"And easier to please," snapped the youth, much offended. "You'll -excuse me, Miss Mulrady, but a man can't keep a woman waitin'." - -He retired into what Lady Jim called the "devil's parlour" with a -Floreat Etona air, and Miss Mulrady, after a glance at the ears which -she longed to box soundly, turned to receive a breathless apology from -the belated Askew. - -"There's a friend of yours gone in to sin for an hour," said she, when -a treaty was concluded. - -"I have so many friends--so-called." - -"Of the high-toned gilt-edged sort, with red scalps?" - -Askew comprehended in a second. "Lady Jim," he stammered; "yes, I -heard that she was at San Remo. What's she doing here?" - -"Visitin' the sick an' the poor," said Mamie, shrewdly. "It's what -folks come to Monte for. Guess, she best drop in on you--a sicker man -I never saw, an' you'll be poor enough by th' time we're through with -this old system of yours. I know a bank where th' wild time goes. You -may look all through Bacon without findin' that remark--it's my own. -Let's get." - -Thus, with barbaric japes, did the child of nature lead her companion -into the gilded halls of iniquity, and the two jostled the -well-dressed crowd which circulated round the tables. The silence was -that of an arctic night, save for the droning voices of the croupiers, -and at times a hurried whisper of joy or dismay. - -"Goin' in for rouge et noir with Lady Jim?" asked Miss Mulrady, -alluding to the hair of Askew and his friend; "or perhaps she's -sportin' on trente et quarante, to suit her years." - -"She's under thirty," growled Askew, crossly. - -"An' you're under the weather, considerable," retorted the American, -sharply. "Get up steam an' fizzle a bit, can't you?" - -"Shall I war-whoop, or dance a horn-pipe?" - -"Neither I prefer originality." - -"Try the system, then"; and Askew pushed his way through the -Mammon-worshippers to where the roulette ball wheeled its fatal round. - -Lady Jim did not play. She had stupidly forgotten her peacock's -feather and could not risk loss with her small capital. But Billy, -having the audacity and luck of innocence, was at hand, so she gave -him five hundred francs to experiment. - -"We'll halve the winnings." - -"Never take money from a woman," said Billy, gravely; "but I don't -mind a fly. Got any sportin' number?" - -"Thirteen, because that's your age. There is Mademoiselle Aksakoff, I -wish to speak to her"; and she moved gracefully towards the tall, pale -girl, while Young Iniquity, with the air of a Vanderbilt, planked her -money on the odd number. - -Katinka Aksakoff grew crimson when Lady Jim saluted her, and would -have evaded the meeting if possible. She might have been a nun from -the looks of her, and was garbed in unrelieved black, which Leah -concluded was mourning for unrequited affection. After that fleeting -wave of colour, her thin, oval face grew marble white, and a pair of -dark questioning eyes appeared twice as large and three times as -brilliant as they had been before resting on Lady Jim's gracious -smile. - -"So glad to meet you," murmured Leah, as they shook hands in the air. -"Lady Richardson and I have come to tea. Where is your father?" - -"He is talking with the German ambassador," replied Katinka, without a -smile, and with Siberian coldness. - -"So fortunate. We can chat without interruption." - -"I scarcely think we have much to chat about." - -"Oh yes," rejoined Lady Jim, with perfect good-humour. "When you learn -how you misjudge me, we shall get on capitally." - -"Pardon. I do not understand." - -"Probably not, since I have yet to make my explanation. Let us walk on -the terrace, and you can throw me over, to where they shoot the -pigeons, if my conversation displeases you." - -"Ah, but it is so strange!" - -"And so necessary--to your peace of mind." - -"No!" Mademoiselle Aksakoff's face grew scarlet once more, and she -pressed her hand to her heart, as though she felt there a cruel pain. -Perhaps she did, poor soul! But the stoicism of the Slav enabled her -to summon up a wry smile, and to bow her head, as she followed her -brilliant rival. With the excess of an ill-governed, passionate heart -did she hate this woman; but as a Niobe, frozen and cold, did she -appear when they were pacing the terrace. And not one single word of -her companion's sugared speech was she prepared to believe. - -Leah's eyes rested appreciatively on the varied beauty of God's work -and man's improvements. The huddled white houses of Monaco crowned its -giant rock, which bulked hugely against the blended azure of sea and -sky. The placid waters ringed its base with foam, and stretched with -sparks and dashes of fire towards an immeasurable horizon. Landward -bunched the red roofs of the town, below arid and precipitous heights, -soaring massively into the radiant and ever-deepening blue. A balmy -wind, like some invisible alchemist, changed the sombre green of the -olive-groves to patches of glittering silver. Near at hand spread the -lustrous foliage of lemon- and orange-trees, nor was wanting the -almond-blossom of the far east. They walked under palms suggestive of -Bedouin life, and, to the well-read, of Heine's sad little song, -immortal and heart-rendingly true. Roses and violets, and flowers of -many shapes and hues, bordered the terrace; the wide sea laughed at -their feet, and behind them rose the palatial structure of the Casino, -gorgeous as the Golden House of Nero. It was Fairyland, and Lady Jim -said so to her sad companion, who was too blinded by love to see -beauty anywhere when the beloved was absent. - -"We can talk in French, if you like," said Leah, after she had paid -her tribute to nature. - -"In English, I think," replied the Russian girl; "my father wishes me -to speak only your tongue, while we remain in London, so that I may -improve." - -"You can't," answered Leah, genuinely complimentary. "Your accent is -much better than a born English person; also your grammar, and your -choice of words." - -"We take the trouble to learn your language, whereas you English do -not." - -"We're too busy annexing the world to bother about philological -lessons," said Lady Jim, remembering Heine's remark anent the Romans. - -"Possibly," assented Katinka, with a chilling smile; "but, interesting -as this conversation is, I do not see its necessity." - -"Monsieur Demetrius," began Leah, abruptly, when Mademoiselle raised a -protesting hand. - -"We need not speak of him, madame." - -"Why not? He is a mutual friend. I know you fancy----" - -"I fancy nothing," interrupted the other, haughtily. "Words are not -needed where he is concerned." - -"But explanations are. You think that I love Demetrius!" - -Katinka flushed painfully, and she put her hand suddenly to her -throat. - -"I forbid you to speak," she said, in a stifled voice. - -"Nonsense. We are not in Russia, where people kneel down and say -please. Besides, it is necessary for your peace of mind that you -should hear what I have to say." - -"You made that remark before, Lady James." - -"True, and I make it again, to emphasise my meaning, though I hate -repetition. Demetrius loves you." - -"No, no! It is you who----" - -"Pish! His heart is yours; his science mine." - -"His science!" Mademoiselle Aksakoff looked surprised. - -"What else do you think attracted me? I am an English cat, and I have -no lovers. Do you remember La Fontaine's fable?" - -"Lady James, be plain with me." - -"I am trying to be. You think that I love Demetrius, and that he is -devoted to me. It is not so." - -Katinka winced. She did not like such plain speaking, and, moreover, -doubted its truth. "If I could think so, I would----" - -"Of course you can think so," said Lady Jim, amiably. "Demetrius is -particularly clever in curing consumptive diseases. For that reason I -conversed with him a great deal. My husband is very ill, and I wanted -the doctor to cure him. If Demetrius thought that my liking for his -society meant anything else, he is an egotist. My advice is, that you -should procure his pardon and marry him." - -"There are obstacles in the way." - -"I am not one, I assure you." - -"Are you speaking honestly?" - -"I am!" and the eyes of the two women met. Katinka searched the hard -blue orbs of the great lady with painful intensity, and Leah bore the -scrutiny with the knowledge that her conduct had been, and always -would be, perfectly correct. Had she been the least in love with the -doctor, she would not have dared to submit to that probing, painful -gaze. Women may deceive mere men; they cannot deceive one another, -especially in affairs of the heart. When Katinka withdrew her eyes she -was satisfied that Lady Jim cared nothing for Demetrius. Without -explanation, she burst into rapid and wrathful speech, and Leah's -feminine perspicacity enabled her to guess the unuttered preamble, -which a man would have required to be put into words. - -"Why then do you lure him to your feet?" cried the Russian girl, in a -sharp, pained voice. "If you love him not, why torture him, and me? I -know he loves you--I know--I know--oh yes, I know." - -"You do not. His love for me--if it can be called so--is the mere -passing fancy of a man for a woman who has been kind to him." - -"Too kind," muttered Katinka, vengefully. - -"Not at all. But men are so conceited that they think a woman's smile -means a woman's love. You have a golden heart, yet you throw it into -the greedy hands of this selfish egotist----" - -"He is not that," gasped the girl. - -"Yes, he is, and much worse. Demetrius possesses the selfishness of a -woman and the vanity of a man." - -"You reverse the proper order." - -"No, I don't. Men are far vainer than women, and women more selfish -than men. I'm selfish myself, therefore I am happy. You are one of -those self-tormenting, self-denying angels, who make men what they -are--vain, greedy, conceited, lord-of-creation beasts. And I insult -the beasts by such a comparison." - -"I thought you liked men." - -"I use them, and I detest them," retorted Lady Jim, speaking more -plainly than was her custom. "There are good men--I don't deny that, -for I know one at least"--she was thinking of Lionel; "but the -majority--ugh! God help the women like yourself, who give their hearts -into the keeping of such animals!" - -"You love your husband, surely." - -"We all love our husbands--it's part of the Church Service to love -them. Pah!--I am not here to talk of my marriage, but of yours. You -know now that I don't care for Demetrius, and that I desired his help -merely for my husband's sake." - -"Yes. I have wronged you"; and Katinka put out her hand. - -Lady Jim took it, rather softened. "You poor child, how foolish you -are! Why not forget Demetrius?" - -"I cannot." - -"He is not worthy of you." - -"Is he not?--ah, you don't know him." - -Leah smiled grimly. "I know him much better than you do. However, if -you insist upon putting him on an imaginary pedestal, there is no more -to be said. Have you heard from him lately?" - -Mademoiselle Aksakoff was now quite deceived, and looked upon Lady Jim -as her dearest and best friend. "Last week I received a letter from -Funchal," she said eagerly. "Yes; I wrote to him about the chances of -his pardon----" - -"Are there any chances?" - -"Yes, yes; I assure you--yes. I have a cousin, high in favour with the -Czar, who can procure an immediate pardon. But my father does not wish -me to marry Demetrius----" - -"Wise man," murmured Leah. - -"And so there is some difficulty. Oh"--she clasped her hands--"if -Constantine would only be guided by me! He comes of a rich family, and -has the title of Prince----" - -"So he told me." - -"Ah, but did he say how he had parted from his family because of his -advanced ideas? He gave up money and rank, and all that makes life -pleasant, to labour among the poor peasants. Is that not noble?" - -"So noble that I have difficulty in thinking M. Demetrius acted so." - -"But he did--he did. And my father is angered because of this -self-sacrifice. If Constantine would only return to the rank of life -in which he was born, my father would permit me to marry him, and then -the pardon would speedily be procured. But I plead in vain," she -murmured, with hanging head "he will not listen." - -"He may, when he returns," volunteered Lady Jim, kindly. - -"But when will that be? If he goes to Jamaica----" - -Leah turned suddenly white. "Why to Jamaica?" she asked sharply. - -"He wrote that the Duke of Pentland had asked him to go there, to see -after your husband. And you say that----" - -"Yes, yes; but this patient Garth, who----" - -Katinka looked surprised. "But have you not heard?" - -"Heard? I have heard nothing. I do not correspond with M. Demetrius, -my dear. It is now April, and he has been at Funchal since January, -trying to heal that poor man. Has he----?" - -"No," said Mademoiselle Aksakoff, quickly. "The man is dead." - -"Garth dead?" Lady Jim sat down, with a gasp. - -"Yes; so Demetrius wrote last week, and said he would go on to Jamaica -at the Duke's request to see your husband. But you look quite ill." - -"I hate to hear of deaths," said Lady Jim, viciously. She certainly -spoke truly with regard to this particular death. In her mind lurked a -dread lest Demetrius had assisted nature, after all. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - - -Monsieur Aksakoff owned a toy villa, pleasantly placed amongst -orange-groves and lemon-gardens, on the outskirts of Fools' Paradise. -Hither, somewhere about the hour of five, trooped a gay party, of -which Katinka was not the least merry. So unaccountable were her -spirits, that the majority judged her to be what the Scotch aptly call -"fey." Lady Jim, in the minority, knew better. A recollection of the -recent interview explained the girl's dancing on a possible grave. - -Leah had subjugated one of her own suspicious sex. This is a rare -miracle; rarer still, it had been achieved by truth-telling. -Certainly, with inevitable female reservation, Lady Jim had not told -the whole truth and nothing but the truth; but then, her knowledge did -not include the shibboleth of oath-taking. She did not love -Demetrius--no avowal could have been more honest. Still, his medical -acquirements had scarcely induced the flirtation which Katinka -resented, and in saying so she swerved from the path of rectitude. -Nevertheless, that ingenuous explanation of the illegal apron-string -deceived Mademoiselle Aksakoff into believing that Truth had really -been dragged, unclothed and impeccable, from her well. - -The result may be guessed. From cold hostility, Katinka, ignorant of -the golden mean, melted into warm friendship: the sadness of -unrequited love was replaced by the allurements of hope, and the -hitherto dreary unpeopled world became an Arcadia of magical beauty, -through which there ever moved a possible bridegroom. The colour -returned to her wan cheeks, the light to her dark eyes, and in place -of a listless nun the astonished father beheld a dancing, laughing -nymph. Clever as Aksakoff was, he failed to understand the why and the -wherefore of this transformation. Being a diplomatist, he searched for -the magician who had accomplished its wonders; being mere man, he -naturally espied the obvious. The unexpected presence of Demetrius, as -he concluded, was responsible for the breathing of life into this -statue. - -Lady Jim guessed his explanation, and was amused by his inquiring -looks. She promised herself the pleasure of making things clear, in -such a way as would compel confidences on his part. These might be -useful in averting the wrath of Demetrius, when he came to know that -his reward was withheld. And Leah was not unreasonable in anticipating -trouble of the worst, seeing that the doctor had already loaded her -with a portion of a debt which she did not intend to pay. Garth was -dead. That part of the task had been accomplished. Now, Katinka -informed her that Demetrius was bound for Jamaica. There he would -arrange for the obliteration of Jim, and return with a substituted -corpse to console the afflicted widow. The widow herself shivered at -the prospect of being honest and tangibly grateful; and, since the -possible was rapidly becoming the probable, began to consider -means of evasion. But it was no easy matter to nullify the bond of a -semi-oriental Shylock. - -With a diplomatist, superadded to a father, for an ally, and with -tricky Muscovite politics to play with, Lady Jim fancied that her end -might be obtained. But, although she knew the goal, she could not see -the most direct and least dangerous way to gain it. Her path was -perplexing and perilous, so it was necessary to find a finger-post. -She thought that Aksakoff might stand for such, since he would do much -to neutralise the chance of his daughter's marriage with Demetrius. -But to enlist him on her side, and in her schemes, required a private -conference, and plainer speaking than Lady Jim approved of. However, -as there was no opportunity of private speech for at least one hour, -she had time to construct feasible plans. - -Meanwhile, her silence over the teacups was remarkable in so lively a -lady. Certainly, Garth might have died in the orthodox manner, as -ample time had been given for his exit. On the other hand, Demetrius, -eager for his reward, might have--but no; she could not bear to think -of such a horror, and employed her will to deny the possibility. -Nevertheless, strive as she would to banish the thought, it returned -again and again, insistent and terrifying. No wonder Askew was moved -to ask if she felt unwell, and no wonder she protested, with -unnecessary emphasis, that she never felt better in her life. - -"I am gathering instruction from the conversation of others," she -assured him, when he urged smelling-salts. - -"But you are so extraordinarily pale." - -"I have parted with my colour to Mademoiselle Aksakoff. See, she -blooms like an artificial rose." - -"Why artificial? Her bloom is natural." - -"And her spirits are forced. A hothouse is Nature's corset." - -"I don't know what you mean," said Askew, bluntly; "you are a puzzle." - -"Which is as much as to say that I am a woman. I wish you would cease -personalities and refill my glass." - -This sounded more bacchanalian than it was, for the glass contained -nothing more destructive to the nerves than straw-coloured tea, -prepared, milkless, in the Russian manner, with plenty of sugar and a -squeeze of lemon. Katinka presided over a samovar, and dispensed -caviare sandwiches, so that the meal was entirely Muscovite. Aksakoff, -stiff and pale and lean, precisely dressed and watchful as a cat, paid -diplomatic compliments to Lady Richardson, while Captain Lake laughed -with Katinka. Miss Mulrady had annexed a flattering vicomte who wanted -money in exchange for a name which dated from the Crusades, and Askew -hovered, like the silly moth he was, round Lady Jim's superfine wax -candle. This possible tragedy of singed wings doubly and trebly -assured Katinka of Leah's honesty, for who could love the demi-god -Demetrius and trifle with a nautical butterfly? Thus did she argue, -crediting her once rival and now ally with the infatuation which, in -Fairyland, made Titania clip Bottom in her arms. - -"The air of this place suits you," said Lake, wondering at this -bubbling gaiety; "you were pale and sad when we last met, -Mademoiselle." - -"I may be the same when we meet again," she replied, refilling Lady -Jim's glass. "What would you? Moods are agreeable." - -"Hum! I don't choose April as the most enjoyable month of the year." - -Katinka laughed meaningly, and glanced slyly at Lady Richardson. "I -see; you prefer an autumn month--highly coloured and mature." - -This was too symbolic for Lake, but some intuition of its meaning -caused him to flush to the roots of his fair hair, and verbally deny -comprehension. "I do not understand." - -"No gallant man would," she retorted, and, further enlightened, the -captain's pink became a violent crimson, to the concern of its cause. - -"How red you are, Reggy!" cried Lady Richardson. "I hope it isn't -scarlet fever." - -"I guess you suffer from that," murmured Mamie, posing her lorgnette. - -"Plaît-il?" inquired the bewildered vicomte; but received no reply. -Miss Mulrady's knowledge of French was too limited to permit of -pathological discussions. - -"Russian tea," explained Lake, cooling to his ordinary sun-burn. - -"Why not one word--indigestion?" - -"Indigestion," repeated the soldier, with dry obedience. - -"You should really try Billy's new medicine; it has made him very fit. -By the way, where is my darling?" - -Lake dodged the quizzical glance of Miss Mulrady, and explained that -Sir Billy had been last seen wrinkling his young brows over the -intricacies of trente et quarante. "Couldn't haul him off; but I -daresay hunger will fetch him to the tea-table." - -"Such devotion argues good luck," said Leah, wondering if Billy would -arrive with full pockets. - -"Perhaps, Lady James. Most boys are lucky at play." - -"And therefore unlucky in love?" inquired Katinka, smiling. - -"Children should know nothing of such things," said Aksakoff, stiffly. - -"I guess not," cried Mamie; "but Sir Billy is a freak." - -"Really, Miss Mulrady," frowned the indignant little mother, "my son -is not so eligible for Barnum's Show as you seem to imagine. He hasn't -got two heads, or an elastic skin, or any of those things which seem -to be so popular in the United States." - -"Wouldn't make him more interestin' if he had. He's a moral freak." - -"Et moi aussi?" asked the vicomte, whose scant knowledge of -Americanese prevented entire understanding. - -"Oh, you haven't got morals of any sort." - -"M. de Marville is the more interesting on that account," said Leah, -rousing herself from a two minutes' silence; "a really good young man -should be sealed, as a bore, in a glass case." - -"Then why is Mr. Askew at large?" - -The sailor laughed. "I fear my past can best answer that question." - -"By your tongue? Well?" - -"Better leave that well alone," laughed Katinka, gaily. "Besides, only -women have pasts." - -"And presents, when the men are generous," said Lady Jim. - -"I guess men are always generous, when there's anythin' to be got." - -"After meals, there is nothing to be got, save smoking," said the -hostess; "you gentlemen have leave. Captain Lake, will you give me a -cigarette?" - -Like many Russian ladies, Mademoiselle Aksakoff adored those fatal -rolls of tobacco wrapped in coffee-coloured paper, and consumed a -great quantity. Lady Richardson, unlike the average Englishwoman, -smoked likewise--that is, she fiddled qualmishly with half a -cigarette, because it looked smart to do what you shouldn't. The -gentlemen also offered incense to the very modern goddess Nicotine, -and shortly Lady Jim was the only person present not committed to this -agreeable vice. - -"I am behind the times," she confessed; "but please don't look upon me -as a prude on the prowl. I willingly permit other women to spoil their -teeth and ruin their digestions." - -"What a nasty speech!" cried Lady Richardson, offended, especially as -Leah knew it was an effort for her to sin in this way. - -"My dear, it is; but then, I feel nasty." - -"And look charming," whispered Askew. - -"I wonder how many times a day you repeat yourself," she replied -impatiently. - -"As often as I recall your face. I can think then of only one -adjective, charming, and one noun, angel." - -"What limitations! And the necessary verb?" - -"I love you." - -"First person singular, as usual, after the manner of the male -egotist. Isn't this rather Lindley-Murray whispering?" - -If it was, they had no opportunity of continuing it, for Lady -Richardson drew Leah's attention to the fact that she had lost a -fortune in the Casino. "I depend upon you, dear, for my return fare." - -"Billy will pay," conjectured Lady Jim, calmly: "I quite expect he has -broken the bank." - -"Not on Mr. Askew's system," cried Mamie; "you couldn't run an -apple-stall on his lines." - -"You would suggest improvements," complained Askew, reproachfully. - -"Then you admit that they were." - -"If fitted properly into the puzzle, and at the proper time. But it's -a mistake to swap horses when crossing a stream." - -"Huh!" said Miss Mulrady, in her best Californian style. "I guess the -animals belonged to you. I lost no dollars"; and with a comfortable -sense of her own 'cuteness, she accepted a cigarette from the -attentive vicomte. - -This frothy chatter irritated a lady who was inwardly grappling with -problems of the near future. Askew ventured on more spindrift, only to -be snubbed into seeking the complaisant society of Mamie. This -necessitated a game of general post, for Katinka slipped in rapid -French and boulevard gossip with de Marville, while Lady Richardson -drew Lake once more to her elderly feet. Remained the diplomatist, in -splendid isolation, and his gaze wandered to Lady Jim, who stared -straight before her. She was looking into the next world, where a -reproachful ghost, something resembling Jim, was asking why he had -been butchered to make a woman's holiday. And the living, half -believing the terrible truth implied, gave shuffling answer to the -dead: "Demetrius is to blame----" - -So vivid was the vision, so powerful the thought, so guilty the -conscience, that her tongue actually framed this much aloud, before -she became aware that her secret was slipping out. A hasty glance -around assured her that none of the prattlers had overheard; but an -echo of the name at her elbow testified to Monsieur Aksakoff's -excellent hearing. Lady Jim grew chill. What had she said? How much -had he gathered? Instinctively facing a possible danger, she did not -even turn her head or raise her voice, but, almost in the same breath, -concluded the sentence differently: "----if he does not cure Jim." - -"Your husband?" asked the diplomatist, politely. - -With admirable skill Leah started, as though her reflections had been -unexpectedly interrupted. "You there, M. Aksakoff? I was thinking of -my husband--yes. He is trying to get well in Jamaica, and M. -Demetrius has gone to pull him round. I shall certainly blame him if -he does not cure Jim." - -"That is severe, madame. After all, no human being holds the keys of -life and death." - -Self-controlled as she was, Lady Jim shuddered. Demetrius certainly -held the key of death, and had used it--for so she began to -believe--in opening for Garth a door into the unknown. However, she -utilised the shudder very dexterously. "Don't talk like that. It makes -me fear lest Jim should never get well. But after all, M. Demetrius is -extraordinarily clever. I told your daughter, only this afternoon, how -I had been attracted to him for Jim's sake, and by his knowledge of -consumption." - -"Oh!" Aksakoff looked at her with his pale eyes, and very inquiringly. -It had not occurred to him that the lady was a model wife. "The -medical attainments of M. Demetrius attracted you." - -"Naturally! My husband is ill. I wish him to be cured. M. Demetrius -has a European reputation for cure of consumption. We have held many -conversations on the subject, and I feel certain that there is a -chance for poor dear Jim." - -"If M. Demetrius becomes his medical attendant?" - -"He is," Leah assured him. "The poor creature he was looking after in -Madeira, on behalf of the Duke, is dead, and Katinka informed me that -M. Demetrius had sailed for Jamaica." - -Aksakoff frowned. "How does my daughter know that?" - -Lady Jim rose to shrug her shoulders, and to seize the opportunity -thus offered to solve her problem by means of a private conversation. - -"A charming place you have here," she said, glancing round, and giving -him to understand that the shrug was his answer; "the air is so -balmy." - -"You will find it more so without tobacco smoke," said the Russian, -throwing away his cigarette, and, without knowing it, was thus -skilfully entrapped into a duologue by an ostensibly reluctant woman. - -"I am so comfortable here," urged Leah, with feigned hesitation. - -"So pleased, madame; but your sense of the picturesque will make you -sacrifice ease for a particularly charming view of the Estrelles." - -"The proper study of womankind is man," misquoted Lady Jim, accepting -the invitation; "but nature comes as a relief at times. We see so -little of her in society," and she glanced at Lady Richardson's dyed -hair and tinted cheeks. - -"You are severe, madame." - -"I shall begin to believe so, if you repeat that a third time," she -replied, smiling, and glancing sideways at his face. This she did to -discover, if possible, his intentions. It suddenly occurred to her, -that the diplomatist's insistence meant intrigue on his part. He, like -herself, was playing a game, and Lady Jim, for the sake of the result, -wished to overlook his hand. Had she seen it, which she did not, the -knowledge that people knew more about her domestic affairs than she -would have approved of might have shocked her. - -Ivan Aksakoff was not a tricky Russian, nor a diplomatist of repute, -for nothing. Instructions had reached him several times from -headquarters that Demetrius was to be watched while in England, and, -if possible, decoyed into the territory of a less scrupulous nation, -for the purpose of arrest. A drugged official's feelings had been -outraged, a much-wanted Anarchist had escaped through the connivance -of the exile, and a paternal government thought that an enforced trip -to Siberia might cool misplaced friendships for suspected persons. -Several times Aksakoff had tried to induce the Demetrius opossum to -climb down from his tree of refuge, but the suspicious beast refused -to oblige him. Therefore, all that the diplomatist could do was to -keep himself advised of the doctor's doings, in the hope of luring him -to destruction when he was off his guard. He had biblical precedent -for this hope. Shimei, the son of Gera, lulled by long security, had -crossed the forbidden brook Kidron, so why should not Demetrius, -likewise forgetful, cross the Channel? - -Stealthy inquiry into the doctor's affairs had led Aksakoff to ask -himself, why the man dangled at Lady Jim's apron-strings. Reports -poured in, fast and thick, that the Curzon Street household was -insolvent, but these did not help the diplomatist overmuch. If Lady -Jim wanted money, she would scarcely ask a penniless exile for the -cash he did not possess. The man was not sufficiently handsome, nor so -superlatively fascinating, that he should gain the love of the most -beautiful woman in London. And, incidentally, Aksakoff learned that -Lady Jim was a modern Lucrece, although she did not profess an ardent -love for her lord and master. Therefore, as neither Mammon nor Cupid -could explain a friendship which was pretty freely discussed in clubs -and drawing-rooms, Aksakoff could not comprehend this particular wile -of woman. - -In his endeavour to fathom the meaning, he even went so far as to -question his daughter, knowing that she was as infatuated with -Demetrius as Demetrius was with Lady Kaimes. But Katinka either could -not or would not explain, and for months the diplomatist had been -exasperated by the sight of a genuinely platonic friendship, for which -there seemed to be no reason. Now he learned from one of the parties -to the bond that a husband's sickness, and a friend's skill, were the -elements which composed the intimacy. Such a case, in such a light, -had never before been presented to him, and while sauntering by Lady -Jim's side to view the Estrelles against the sunset, he was trying to -think if the explanation was genuine. To his acute hearing, it did not -sound even plausible. - -Nevertheless--and this was Aksakoff's reason for seeking the -interview--some use might be made of the woman to entrap the man. Lady -Jim was badly in need of ready money, and the Russian Government had, -at the time, full coffers. Since there was no love in the question, -this singular lady might, for a round sum, dispense with the doctor's -attendance on her husband. More--if delicately handled, she might -induce Demetrius to show her the sights of Paris. It was difficult to -hint this without shocking the feelings of a great lady and a spotless -woman. Still, if skilfully done, and without too much emphasis, Lady -Jim might gather that her finances could be put in order without much -trouble on her part. - -But Aksakoff had another argument which induced him to risk a -scene with outraged virtue. He loved his daughter, and wished her to -marry a highly placed cousin, who would be of political use to his -father-in-law. Unfortunately, Katinka was infatuated--Aksakoff could -find no more appropriate word--with Demetrius. Marriage with a person -wanted by the powerful of St. Petersburg meant a check to the -diplomatist and a handle to his many enemies. The match was not to be -thought of. Yet, if Demetrius would only prove kind, Mademoiselle -Aksakoff would assuredly become his wife, even if she had to achieve -the marriage by elopement. Also, Katinka might be able to procure the -man's pardon, and of this Aksakoff entirely disapproved. Even if the -doctor was whitewashed, he had such socialistic or anarchistic -feelings--it mattered not which--that he would never consent to resume -his title or the large income attached to such resumption. On the -whole, both from a fatherly and a domestic point of view, Aksakoff -felt that this marplot would be safer in a Siberian mine. How to get -him there was the problem. - -The solution might come through Lady Jim. If he could only ascertain -her feelings towards Demetrius, and hint that such a lovely woman -should not be worried by sordid money affairs, it was not improbable -that such a satisfactory result would be arrived at. It was a forlorn -hope, but Aksakoff dared it; it was a straw, but he grasped at it--and -now, fully committed to the speculation, he was casting about in his -mind as to a promising beginning. No easy task, for Aksakoff's spies -and Aksakoff's experience assured him that Lady James Kaimes was a -prickly plant, needing care in the handling. - -So it will be seen that Leah's intuition had not deceived her, scanty -as was the ground for suspicion. The closer she examined his face by -swift side-glances, the more certain she became that he was playing a -game, and--from her experience of diplomatists--by no means for love. -To vary the metaphor, she and the Russian were about to engage in a -duel, either with foils or swords. Lady Jim did not care which. She -was perfectly assured that, however dexterous her antagonist might be, -she could fence quite as well, if not better. And thus she marched to -the duelling ground, already a victor. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - - -Silhouetted against a pale purple sky, the dark masses of the -Estrelles floated on a shimmering sea. Nearer and clearer, yet less -sharply defined, etherealised by amethystine hues, and indistinct -through the haze of gloaming, frowned the Grimaldi stronghold, its -mouldering walls, clasping closely packed houses, dominated by a lean -and soaring campanile. Over the cactus hedge, and between bending -palms, could be caught a glimpse of the trim, unromantic modern town, -of the sleepy waters of the bay, and fishing-boats rocking beside -spick-and-span toy yachts, with here and there the picturesque felucca -of Mediterranean commerce, old-fashioned, with oars and lateen sails. -Only Shelley in radiant verse could have described with any approach -to truth this magical dreamland, real yet unreal, under the changing -colours of sunset. - -As at the outset of an earlier and less difficult interview, Lady Jim -admired the loveliness of paradise, with ostentatious disregard of her -embarrassed companion. And embarrassed he was, to such a degree that -she marvelled at his choice of a profession in which emotions count as -crimes. This judgment was unfair, for Aksakoff ordinarily commanded -his feelings with the severity of a martinet. But so great were the -stakes for which he proposed to play--his daughter's future and his -political advancement--that he shifted uneasily from one foot to the -other, clasped and unclasped his hands, and betrayed more of the -natural man and anxious father than was consistent with diplomatic -reticence. - -Having some idea of this mental confusion, Leah waited for him to make -an almost certain mistake, of which she intended to take full -advantage. She was like a cat watching a mouse-hole, ready to pounce -at an opportune moment. Meanwhile, she held her tongue, which -sufficiently assured Aksakoff of her dangerous capability. He had -never before beheld the ominous miracle of a silent woman, and his -nerves were none the better for this surprising spectacle. - -"Demetrius, madame," he finally blundered, and recognised the blunder -as the words left his mouth--"Demetrius is your friend." - -The attack was so weak that Lady Jim contemptuously gave him -vantage-ground. "Katinka's lover also, I understand." - -"And the Czar's enemy," retorted Aksakoff angrily. "Let us have all -his qualifications at once, madame." - -"By all means. Enemy, friend, lover. Well?" - -"It is very far from well, as you know, madame. I desire no Siberian -felon for my son-in-law." - -"I never knew that M. Demetrius had been to Siberia." - -"He will go there yet--to his grave." - -"What an odd choice of a cemetery!" said Leah, shrugging; "but I -assure you, M. Aksakoff, that I take no interest in these funeral -arrangements." - -"No! Yet report says----" - -He was about to blurt out something still more undiplomatic, but that -Lady Jim's pity for his ineptitude made her intervene. "I know what it -says, and of course I deeply sympathise with you." - -"Madame!" - -"Yes, yes; I comprehend your feelings. It is hard that your own -daughter should defy you, especially as M. Demetrius is merely a -doctor." - -"He is a prince in our country," said Aksakoff, furious that she -should take the lead, and at a loss how to regain it. - -"A felon also, I understood you to say." - -"Let him venture on French soil, and I shall certainly make him one," -snarled Aksakoff, with unpleasantly glittering eyes. Lady Jim had -scratched him rather dexterously, and the Tartar stood revealed. - -She scratched again. "Even if Katinka makes him your son-in-law?" - -"That shall never be!" He hesitated, then attempted a bear-hug. "I -will speak plainly, madame----" - -"About Katinka and her infatuation? Oh, certainly." - -Aksakoff bit his lip. Used as he was to verbal fencing, Leah's -handling of her tongue baffled him. He took refuge in truth-telling. - -"Demetrius does not love my daughter," he said bluntly. - -"How fortunate for you, and disagreeable for her!" - -"He loves an--an--an actress," explained Aksakoff, wondering if her -interest in the man deepened to jealousy. - -Apparently it did not. "That would interest Katinka more than it does -me," she assured him; then, affecting the innocence of ignorance, "May -I ask why you chronicle small beer?" - -"Demetrius is your intimate friend." - -"My husband's medical attendant," she corrected quietly. - -"If you remove him to that distance, I confess to an indiscretion. -Shall we return?" - -"Without admiring the Estrelles?" - -"Madame, the excuse was obvious." - -"For what?" - -Aksakoff shrugged his shoulders. "For the clearing up of -misunderstandings. You are anxious--so you say--that Demetrius should -cure your husband. My reason for this conversation is, to apologise -for my intention to rob you of his very valuable services. If I can -trap Demetrius--say in Paris--Lord James must content himself with an -inferior doctor." - -Leah looked pensive and puzzled. "I comprehend; but why should you -make use of the wrong word?" - -"Misunderstanding?" Then, when she nodded, "My ignorance of your -language----" - -"Or of my feelings? By this talk of Parisian traps and Siberian -punishment, you assume that I am acquainted with the private affairs -of M. Demetrius." - -"It is possible that I have made that mistake," said Aksakoff, dryly. - -"As a diplomatist you should never confess as much. It might be that I -may take advantage of your--mistake, to inform M. Demetrius of his -danger." - -"I foresaw that possibility, madame. As a dutiful wife, you naturally -wish to keep so clever a doctor in attendance on your husband." - -"Of course; but a trip to Siberia would not improve Jim's health." - -"There is no need for the mountain to go to Mahomet, madame." - -"Pardon me if in this case I think otherwise." - -Aksakoff shrugged again. "I admit the reason, seeing that this -particular mountain is married." - -"These parables are a trifle wearisome, M. Aksakoff. The air is -chilly, and I wish to return to Lady Richardson. Would you mind -telling me plainly, before we part, why you sought this interview?" - -"Assuredly, madame. My daughter loves this man, who does not love her, -and who, by reason of his crime and opinions, is not an eligible -husband. You were with Katinka this afternoon, as you informed me, and -she is now so cheerful that I suspect you must have delivered some -message from Demetrius to so raise her spirits. Or it might be"--he -looked squarely at her, as he added, "that Demetrius is in Monte -Carlo." - -"No; your daughter had a letter from him, in which he stated that he -was leaving Madeira for Jamaica. Go on, please." - -"Katinka had a letter?" said Aksakoff, with an unpleasant look. "That, -no doubt, accounts for her spirits. Were you Cupid's messenger, -madame?" - -Lady Jim smothered a laugh. "No; though I admit that I should like to -see her happy." - -"She will never be happy with a man who does not love her. Demetrius -will not come near me, and I cannot explain. Will you oblige me by -taking a message?" - -"Why should I?" - -"For the sake of retaining him as Lord James's medical attendant." - -Leah nodded. "As a wife, I will take your message. What is it?" - -"Tell Demetrius that if he will give Katinka to understand that he -will never marry her my gratitude will be stronger than my duty." - -"In other words, you will not arrest him." - -"So long as he remains in England." - -"Where he can't be arrested," laughed Lady Jim. "Well, your message -shall be duly delivered. And I may as well confess, since we are -committed to plain speaking, that M. Demetrius informed me why he had -to leave Russia." - -"His confidence will render it easier for you to make a treaty between -us, madame." - -"Possibly. But you will understand that I assume the rôle of -peacemaker solely on my husband's account." - -"Madame," Aksakoff bent and raised her hand to kiss it; "as a wife you -are far above rubies. Shall we return?" - -Leah consented without moving. She had not yet solved her problem. -"One moment. You will give me your word that M. Demetrius will not be -lured to Paris?" - -"I give you my word, if the treaty is made, and Katinka is disabused -of her infatuation." - -"Which forms part of the treaty," said Leah, lightly. "In the -interests of Jim, I'll do my best; but should he go to Paris----" - -"He will assuredly leave it for Siberia, which is much colder and not -so amusing." - -"Then I must advise him to be naturalised in England." - -"It will be the act of a friend, madame. And also, you might advise -him to beware of this actress." - -"Oh, I can't intrude my advice into his strictly private affairs." - -"If you wish your husband to be cured, it will be as well to do so," -Aksakoff recommended. "Mademoiselle Ninette is not to be trusted." - -"Ninette? I have seen her--a very charming artiste." - -"But unscrupulous." - -"Not so much so, I hope, as to betray the man she loves." - -"A woman, madam, will do much for money." - -"How well you know the sex, monsieur!" said Lady Jim, ironically. - -"I have had some experience, madame." - -"And have benefited so little that you cannot manage your daughter -without my intervention." - -"I confess it. Let me amend my statement by saying that I have had -many experiences and little experience." - -"That is a more correct way of putting it," said Leah, gravely; "for I -assure you, M. Aksakoff, that if a woman loves a man, she certainly -will not betray him for money." - -"We join issue, madame. The Uranian Aphrodite is not the divinity in -this case, and Aphrodite Pandemos can be bought." - -"How classical and confusing! And the price?" - -"Two thousand pounds," said Aksakoff, carelessly. - -"You should reckon it in francs, seeing that Mademoiselle Ninette is -French. Otherwise she will not understand." - -"The jingle of gold is a universal language, madame." - -"An agreeable one, at all events. I wish we had more opportunity of -studying it. Well, M. Aksakoff, for Jim's sake, I shall see that M. -Demetrius affords this harpy no opportunity of earning the money." - -"And you will pardon my mentioning the harpy's name?" - -"We are a man and woman of the world, M. Aksakoff: there is no need to -call spades shovels. I thank you for considering my husband. To lose -the skill of M. Demetrius might result in his death." - -"I am happy to have been of service to you, madame, and of course, you -can understand my paternal feelings." - -"Assuredly; I shall do my best to make your daughter see reason. A -woman can talk to a woman of such things, you know." - -"When she is such a woman as you, madame," said Aksakoff, again -bending over her hand; "and now----" - -"Just one hour to catch the train," remarked Leah, with a glance at -the tiny watch set in her bracelet. - -In this way Leah solved her problem, and Aksakoff gained his point; -yet, on the face of it, their conversation dealt entirely with the -saving of Demetrius from a Siberian prison, and Katinka and Katinka's -matrimonial salvation. But Lady Jim knew that, if she could lure the -doctor to Paris, she would not longer need to fear a Sabine alliance; -while the diplomatist was satisfied that, for two thousand pounds, -Demetrius would be safely transported to Siberia. Leah, guessing this, -let him think that the money tempted her, though she wondered how he -came to know that she needed cash, and was secretly angered that he -should dare to offer a bribe. But she could not confess her true -reason for wishing the exile of Demetrius without letting Aksakoff -know about the plot; therefore, of the two evils she chose the less. -But she resolved to take no Russian gold. This cynical foreigner -should learn that a strictly virtuous Englishwoman cannot be bought. -It was commendable in these augurs that they did not wink at one -another. - -Their reappearance at the tea-table was greeted with shrieks of joy -from Lady Richardson, whose emotions were invariably noisy. "Leah! -Leah!" she cried, overcome by maternal love and pride, "Billy has won -you twelve thousand francs." - -"Twelve thousand five hundred," corrected Sir Billy, who was disposing -of tea and cake and sandwiches in a way which argued long abstinence. - -"Five hundred pounds," translated Captain Lake. - -"Oh, you dear, clever boy!" said Lady Jim, coming rapidly to the table -to kiss her catspaw. "Halves, of course." - -Sir Billy shook his head and tried to keep cool, for the kiss rather -upset his dignity. "I am more than repaid," said he gallantly. - -"So I should think," murmured Askew, who would have doubled the amount -for a similar attention. - -Mamie overheard, and recalled a phrase she had never used before, but -which suited her impersonation of the American girl as--she is not. -"Don't put the banana-peel under your own foot, sonny!" - -"What _do_ you mean?" asked the mystified islander. - -Miss Mulrady glanced at Lady Jim's back, then winked at Askew to -intimate that she had remarkably good eyesight; also, that kissing -married women led to D.C. cross-examinations; also,--but there was no -end to the many meanings of that wink. Lord Burleigh's head-shake, in -_The Critic_, Act II., scene 1, could not have been more eloquent. - -Meanwhile applausive adjectives buzzed round Billy's head. He fought -his trente et quarante battle o'er again, between hasty mouthfuls, -while his mother, thanking Providence for having bestowed on her such -a son, murmured ecstatic asides to Katinka Aksakoff. It was the -apotheosis of the modern child. - -Leah counted her gains, placed them safely in one of those wonderful -feminine pockets unknown to man, then gave a passing thought to the -virtuous Hengists. - -"We must get back, dear," she warned Lady Richardson. "Katinka, -darling"--this was for Aksakoff's benefit--"do come over and see me. -We have so much to talk about." - -"I shall be delighted," replied the girl, flushing with joy, and -really was so. The prospect of unlimited conversations on the subject -of demi-gods, and their ways with a sympathetic friend, allured her -towards an hour of happiness. What was left of Lady Jim's conscience -smote her; she felt almost sorry for her dupe. But, with the -premeditated self-deception of people who rearrange biblical texts for -the palliation of pet sins, she reflected that a fool's paradise for -Katinka was better than no paradise whatsoever. - -Monsieur Aksakoff said no more. He and Lady Jim understood one another -perfectly, and it was useless to add touches to a finished picture. -With cordial stiffness he sped his guests on their way through the -town and the glare of the electrics down to the station-lift Mamie and -her supple vicomte shook hands midway; but Askew and Captain Lake -insisted upon seeing the ladies safely into a comfortable compartment. - -Billy was disgusted. "One man's enough to run this show," protested -Billy. - -"Don't talk American slang," rebuked his mother, and pelted the men -with breathless adieux. "Goodnight, Reggy, so very charming, our day! -Mr. Askew, goodnight--so very amusing! We've had a ripping time." - -"And the mother-kettle calls my pot black," Billy breathed to Leah. - -She paid no attention. Askew was trying to extort an invitation to San -Remo, with eloquent eyes and persuasive lips. But a recollection of -his four-and-twenty hours in the vicinity without calling, added to a -resentment that he should have experimented with his system in the -unauthorised company of a much too attractive girl, made her ignore -his hints. Moreover, being an ex-sailor and undiplomatic, he would -probably prove so affectionately honest, that the Hengists might--and -if the Hengists did, then "adieu grapes, the vintage is over." -Julia and her serious spouse would never understand the need of a -grass-widow for amusements of this sort. While her Ulysses wandered -they expected her to be a replica of Penelope, that dull woman who was -so fond of speeches and sewing. - -"Come to Curzon Street in a fortnight," she advised, and the train -departed, leaving him to muse on the "ars amatoria," as understood in -the navy. - -"I hope you have enjoyed yourself, dear," said Lady Richardson, -arranging Billy's tie and kissing Billy's nose, but addressing Leah; -"I'm sure you ought to have. This darling has won you pots." - -Lady Jim nodded, rather wearily. The cackle of the hen over her chick -worried her, and she retreated to the most distant corner, bored by -maternal fussiness. This visit had taken her a step farther, but it -was most annoying that success should make her feel uncomfortable. -Aksakoff, misapprehending her reasons as he did, would certainly -assist her materially. But Katinka,--bur-r-r-r! Why couldn't -conscience quit worrying? - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - - -Even the skilful find it no easy matter to drive a kicking, squealing -team. The off-horse must be flicked into decorum, the near leader -soothed, the wheelers, bearing the heat and burden of the day, -encouraged into pulling with a will. Then, a deft hand on tugging -reins, a quick eye for the deviations of the road, some knowledge of -mouths, tender and hard, and manifestations of that will which makes -of vehicle and quadrupeds a coherent whole--these things must be -attributes of the god in the car. Likewise of the "Dea ex machina," -although Lady Jim was in and not out of the vehicle. Enthroned with -whip and ribbons, she drove a team of five. And in the odd number lay -the difficulty of bringing the car of Destiny to the selected stables. - -For by this time, rejecting an overruling Providence other than the -fetish, who was a domestic god and biased, Leah looked upon herself as -her own omnipotent and triumphing Destiny. She would, so she decided, -expunge Jim, utilise Askew and Katinka, obliterate Demetrius, and -assist Muscovite politics through Aksakoff. This team, in harness, and -rendered obedient by blinkers, she controlled with considerable -judgment, and made, single-hearted, for her goal. That the actual -Destiny, whose rôle she affected to play, might upset her -smoothly-running chariot by a judiciously placed and unlooked-for -stone, she never paused to consider. So far as she could see, the -course was clear to the prize--a money-bag, which she would seize as a -victorious widow of the wrong sort. - -Askew was the odd animal of the team, the fifth wheel on her chariot, -though he was less like a horse than a troublesome and over-faithful -dog. Notwithstanding her prohibition, he invaded San Remo, played a -most exasperating Patience on a monument along the promenade, and -dodged her angry eyes round convenient street-corners. She could not -go abroad but what he turned up in unexpected quarters, nor could she -remain at home without his appearing, to excuse, on frivolous -pretexts, a wholly unnecessary visit. Luckily, the Hengists approved -of his frank looks and modest manners, else she might have been -compromised. Even in easy-going Italy such cicisbeism was annoying. - -Later, Lady Jim returned to London, for that season invented by man, -and left him to kick his heels in cross isolation. But, even before -the Curzon Street house could be warmed, he rang the bell, and -presented himself in the character of a martyr. For the sake of the -future Leah kept him in the team, but she gave him more of the whip -than he liked, and also--ironically--a marked almanack, limiting his -visits. But that she had some liking for him, and much use, she would -have bundled him into the arms of the fixture, with strict orders to -give those same arms a legal right to embrace him for ever. But Askew -himself put an end to that chance of being safely bestowed. - -"What will Marjory say if you make my house your hotel?" she asked, -when he appeared on the fifth day of the week for the eighth time, and -at afternoon tea, too, when she, with a hard day's pleasure behind -her, was recruiting for the night's fatigue. - -"Nothing," he asserted, sulkily and guiltily; "she has no right to -control my actions." - -"That depends upon your feelings towards your future wife." - -"She is not my--I mean, we have broken it off." - -"What!" Lady Jim was frankly exasperated. She as a married woman, and -he as an engaged man, could platonise to any extent; but he free, and -she shortly to be a widow--what then? She would no more make him her -husband than she would allow Demetrius to lead her to the altar. And -here he was, selfishly placing himself in an eligible position for the -very matrimony she declined to contemplate. - -"Marjory and I decided we were not suited," he explained, but timidly, -because her eyes flashed. "She takes half the income, and marries that -fox-hunting ass. I am free with the rest of the money"; he waited for -congratulations which never came. "I thought you would be pleased," he -blundered. - -"And pray why should I be pleased?" - -"I believed--I fancied--you--you liked me," he stuttered, growing red. - -"Tolerably--as an engaged man." - -"Then you've been playing with me?" he cried; "you don't love me?" - -"Did I ever tell you so?" - -"No; but I thought----" - -"Your vanity thought! Go on." - -"Oh, Leah----" - -"Kaimes--which is my married name." - -Askew gasped. Her amazing impudence reduced him to staring silence. -She had lured him to her feet with sweet looks and significant smiles -and cooing words, till he had been deceived into thinking that her -passion was as strong and as true as his own. Now she reminded him -that she was--married. "Oh!" he gasped again, and Lady Jim laughed -shortly. Her cat-nature was enjoying this mouse-play. - -Visitors had come and gone, and they were alone in the dainty -drawing-room, with an untidy tea-table. Askew, having escorted her -home from Ranelagh, had waited for an hour with stubborn patience for -this solitude of two. His end had been gained, and now--he looked -helplessly round, as though seeking for some third person to explain -if his charmer were a demon or a woman. "Oh!" he said, once more. - -"Nearly six," said Leah, consulting her bracelet. "How long do you -intend to stand there saying 'Oh!'?" and she mimicked him. - -"Leah!" - -"Lady James Kaimes!" - -"Not even Lady Jim," he said, clenching his brown hands. "Oh, -you--you----" His voice became inarticulate with sheer anger. - -"Pray consider that you are in my house," she reminded him coldly. - -"I'll never come here again." - -"That is as you choose." - -"But I can't live without you." - -"How flattering!" - -"And I won't"; he came a step nearer the low chair in which she sat, -but her derisive laugh made him pause. "Leah--I--I--love you!" His -voice broke, and he stretched out his arms. - -"I saw that ages ago." - -"Then why did you----did you?" He stopped, and looked at her with -imploring eyes. "I thought you loved me," he murmured, choking. - -"Oh, you thought!" said she, ironically. - -"Is it not true? Have I been deceived? No!" he flung out a beseeching -hand; "don't speak--I cannot bear to hear the truth. Let me go--let me -go," he stumbled towards the door, blindly. "You have broken my heart; -but I'll go away--far away--to South America, and--and--oh, my God!" -he leaned against the wall and covered his face with his hands. - -Lady Jim might have been in the stalls of a theatre for all the -personal feeling she had hitherto shown. But his last words brought -self uppermost. If he went to South America, he would certainly see -Lola Fajardo, and, possibly, might come face to face with Jim. -Recognition of an admitted corpse would spoil Jim's game and her own. -Askew, for she put herself in his place, would certainly make things -unpleasant, and she did not wish to provide a scandal in high life for -circulating extra editions of newspapers during the silly season. -Besides, he was really a nice boy, and she would miss his good looks -and canine attentions. Both circumstances and inclinations demanded -that she should keep him under her eye. An explanation came to her -while he sobbed at the door--looking very ridiculous, she thought--and -she made use of it, to soothe his sorrow and save herself. - -"You silly boy," she began, and the beginning produced an effect she -was far from foreseeing. - -"Silly! Yes, I am silly," he admitted between his teeth, and flinging -back his head to regard her with fierce, wet eyes. "I am silly to have -believed in you and in your false affection"; before she could protest -against this language--she had risen to do so--he hurled himself -across the room, and gripped her wrists so tightly that she could have -screamed with pain. "You shan't treat me in this way--do you hear, you -shan't. I'm not going to be whistled to your feet like a dog and then -kicked aside. Married! Yes, you are married, as you were when you -whistled. But hang your husband and damn your husband--he has no claim -on you, other than a legal one. Mine you are, and mine you shall be. I -tell you, Leah"--he shook her in his anger--"that you must leave this -man, and come with me. You must--you must!"--he dragged her hands to -his breast--"you shall!" - -"Harry!" She gasped his name in sheer surprise. - -"Yes. Harry--the fool, if you will; the man, as you shall find." - -"How--how dare you?" - -"Because I do dare, and I shall dare more, if you play football with -my heart. Why couldn't you leave me alone? Why couldn't you stick to -the man whose name you bear? Don't struggle, for you shan't be free -till I have had my say out. You made me love you--now I shall make you -love me. You and your society rubbish, and gimcrack rules, and polite -lies, and make-believe of truth! You with--ah-r-r-r!" he shook her -again--"you over-civilised coquette, you Circe-of-many-wiles, you ruin -of honest men! Do you think that I, who am flesh and blood, care for -your lady and gentleman humbug? No, no! I am a man, you a woman, and -we are one; you hear--one. If not, I'll put a bullet in your head and -another through my own. You have fooled many, you shan't fool me. -There!" ha flung her roughly from him; "now you can ring for your -servants, to put me to the door." - -With bruised wrists and wide-open eyes Leah stood dumfoundered. Jim, -at his worst, had never been like this. If he had been she would have -truly loved him. At the moment she very nearly loved Askew, -recognising in his outburst that masterful nature which every woman -adores and succumbs to. In spite of her dexterity in playing with -amorous fire, it really seemed as though she was burning her fingers -on this occasion. Naturally, she enjoyed the experience. This -reversion to cave-life thrilled her pulses. Had Leah been capable of -loving anything with a beard she would have then and there fallen at -Askew's feet and implored him to trample on her. But her absolute -ignorance of the strongest of passions, save self-love, snatched the -victory in--what would have been to an ordinary woman--the hour of -defeat. - -"Well," she said, admiration struggling with anger, "you are a brute!" - -The man, still panting from conflicting passions, acted strangely and -foolishly, as men do at crucial moments. He smoothed his hair, -arranged his tie, and pulled down his waistcoat, not looking at her -but into a near mirror. Yet he saw her astonished face at second hand, -and smiled grimly. - -"I can be a brute," said he, ominously quiet; "but you haven't seen me -at my worst yet." - -"Good heavens!" This was undoubtedly a man--_the_ man--the dominating -male, the genuine lord of creation, whose animal honesty can rend the -cobweb entanglements of the female sex, and does rend them, when the -bandage of love inopportunely slips. Defiance would not lure him again -to his proper position at her feet; and she was half afraid of the -might her trickiness had evoked. But in woman's weakness lies woman's -strength, and Delilah pulled down the corners of her mouth to -subjugate Samson. - -"My poor wrists!" she murmured. - -Askew wheeled from the mirror, shied, and winced; but his mouth and -eyebrows were still three straight lines. - -"My poor wrists!" reiterated the temptress, moving towards her -pre-historic man; "see--you have bruised them." - -He could see that he had; they were under his eyes, under his very -nose, but he threw aside his head, with the modern equivalent of a -word which a cave-man might have used in some such plight. Adam was -weakened into aggressive firmness. - -Eve offered a more tempting apple. "If you really loved me"--tears -emphasised the murmur. - -"Leah--darling!" - -He was again in the toils, and kissing the bruised skin madly, with -feverish lips. "How could I be so cruel?" he mumbled, and slipped to -her victorious feet. "Oh! oh! oh!" in three distinct keys. "Forgive." - -"If you will promise not to leave me," she whispered tenderly. - -"Never! never! never! never!" a kiss on alternate hands for each word. - -Circe's magic having evoked the brute, she knew thoroughly the sort of -animal she had to deal with. Considering that she had no feeling of -love, or even pity, to create fervour, Leah acted admirably. Cooing -like a mother over her babe, and with a seraphic look, she bent above -the tame animal, less to caress him than to make sure that the halter -was round his neck. - -"You foolish, hot-headed boy! Do get up and talk sensibly!" - -The subjugated obeyed meekly, all the fire out of his veins, and sat -like a whipped schoolboy in a distant chair, which she indicated with -regal indignation. "For," said Leah, as if she were announcing an -entirely new fact, "I am a married woman"; and she slipped behind the -tea-table to prevent further demonstrations. - -"As if I didn't know," sighed Askew, disconsolately. - -"Then why did you behave so badly, you wicked boy?" - -"Because jewellers' windows are tempting." - -"Jewellers' windows?" - -"You look into them, and see pretty things you can't buy. Naturally, a -fellow wants to smash the glass and----" - -"I understand the parable. But a thief has to reckon with the law, and -so has a married woman. You would not like to see me divorced, Harry?" - -"I would like to see you my wife," he retorted, evasively and -stubbornly. - -"Impossible! I am already a wife. If I eloped with you, what respect -could you have for me? - -"I should have whatever you liked, including you." - -"Which I don't like, and won't give," said Leah, indignantly. "In you -I looked to find a friend, and I find nothing but ungoverned passion, -that would drag the object of his adoration in the mud. Oh! oh!"--out -came the inevitable handkerchief--"how I have been deceived!" - -By this time, the brute, with a penitent tail between its legs, was -beginning to believe itself entirely in the wrong. Lady Jim, seeing -this, became more than ever a tender woman. "I forgive you," she -declared, plaintively, from behind a handkerchief mopping dry eyes; -"this scene will be as though it had never been." - -"But my feelings," rebelled the cave-man, sulkily. - -"Will always be those of sacred friendship for a much-tried woman." - -"How can they be, when----?" - -"When you have made such a fool of yourself? Ah, my poor Harry, forget -your folly. Remember only that I forgive you." - -"I don't exactly mean that," grumbled poor Harry, scenting -sophistry, but unable to prevent the war being carried into his camp. -"You--well----you see Oh, hang it, Leah, you know that I love you." - -"Not with that true love which is at once tender and respectful." - -These sentiments were really noble, but somehow the bewildered man was -not in the mood for copy-book philosophy. "You offer me a stone and -call it a beautiful loaf," said he, bitterly, and with heat. - -"Another parable! How biblical you are becoming!" said Lady Jim, -desperately weary and with her eye on the clock. "I do not understand, -nor do you, my poor boy." - -"I understand that you have made a fool of me," he snapped brusquely. - -"Oh no! Nature has been beforehand there," she retorted, beginning to -lose her temper with a man who would explain. "Don't be silly, Harry! -Go home, and think of our future." - -"_Our_ future!" He leaped to his feet with a shining face. - -Leah regretted the misused pronoun, and began to anticipate renewed -melodrama. But her little tin god, pitying a votary whose nerves were -jangled by stupid honesty, sent a seasonable visitor. - -"His Grace the Duke of Pentland," announced a grandiloquent footman, -flinging wide the door. - -"Don't look so disgusted!" Leah flung an angry whisper in Askew's -lowering face as she sailed forward to meet her father-in-law. "How -are you, Duke? This is a surprise--a delightful one, of course. I -never expected so pleasant a visitor." - -The room was tolerably dim, and the Duke had not the keen sight of his -youth. "Mr.--Mr.----!" hesitated His Grace. - -"Mr. Askew," chimed in Lady Jim, glad that the mask of twilight was on -the younger man's very cross face. "He's just going. You know Mr. -Askew, of course, Duke. I met him at Firmingham. Must you really go, -Mr. Askew? So sorry! We may meet at Lady Quain's to-night--I look in -there for half an hour. Good-bye for the present. So kind of you to -see me home from Ranelagh! Very dull, wasn't it?" and, rattling on to -drown any too tender word he might let slip, she hustled him to the -door. - -"Our future!" breathed the inconvenient third, opening the gate of -paradise most reluctantly. - -"Even the brutes have instincts, if not sense," snapped Lady Jim, -scathingly, and Adam, without Eve, took his solitary way down the -stairs, to be dismissed into a cheerless world by an indifferent -footman. - -To prevent interruption, Leah closed the door herself, and switched on -the electrics, before she returned to her untimely visitor. - -"Will you be long, Duke?" she asked, again consulting the clock. "I -have to dress for dinner. Mrs. Martin's, you know: a stupid woman with -a bad cook. Such a bore!" - -"I wonder you care to see people when Jim's away," said Pentland, -fretfully, and she noted suddenly his aged looks. - -Lady Jim felt inclined to retort with the proverb of the absent cat -and the jubilant mice, but she really felt sorry for the old man's -drooping mouth and additional wrinkles. - -"I won't see any one, if you like, Duke--I'm sure it's no pleasure to -make conversation without ideas. Do let me ring for hot tea--you look -so tired. Sit down in this chair--and the cushion--there!" She made -him comfortable with genuine womanly sympathy, wondering, meanwhile, -what was ageing him. - -"No tea, my dear. I can only wait for a few minutes; my carriage is -below. Tired? Yes, I am very tired; worried, also." - -"Nothing wrong, I hope," murmured Leah, sympathetically. - -"Jim, my dear--poor Jim! Have you heard about his health lately?" - -"Oh yes! Last week I received a few lines, and he said that he felt -ever so much better. His cough is almost gone." - -"Ah," said Pentland, sadly; "like all consumptives, he is too -hopeful." - -Leah became nervous and anxious. Had Jim been obliterated at last? -"What is it?" she demanded irritably. "Is he--is he?" her tongue could -not form the lying word. - -"Worse--yes, much worse," said the Duke, rubbing his forehead and -producing a letter. "This is from Demetrius. We may expect--oh, my -poor son!" and he almost broke down. - -"I don't trust these doctors," remarked Lady Jim, skimming the letter -with a feeling that Demetrius was really too imaginative. "They always -shout wolf, when the animal is miles away. Don't worry." - -"But you see, Demetrius says that poor Jim may go off at any -moment--and Demetrius is a clever man." - -"He may be mistaken. I have heard of surprising recoveries." - -Pentland shook his head, and groaned. "Not Jim. I had a conviction -that I should never see him again when we parted in this very room." - -"It's absurd!" argued Leah, artfully. "Jim was quite well till he -caught that stupid cold at Firmingham. Why should he go off suddenly?" - -"What they call galloping consumption is----" - -"I can't believe it. Nothing would surprise me more than to hear of -Jim's death"; and she soothed her conscience with the reflection that -this speech was perfectly true, considering Jim had the strength of a -bull and the appetite of a shark. - -"If I lose him----" - -"You won't lose him. I'll send a cable to Demetrius, and if Jim is -really so sick, I'll go out and nurse him." - -Pentland's face lighted up, and he pressed her hand. "How good of you, -my dear! It will ease my mind; but--" he hesitated--"I never thought -you cared enough about Jim to inconvenience yourself." - -"Jim has given me very little reason to care for him," said Leah, with -some bitterness. "If he had been a better husband, I should have been -a different woman"; she used the stale argument tactfully and -regretfully. - -"Yes--er--I'm afraid that's true," said the Duke, recalling his son's -peccability; "but he is so ill. Forgive and forget, Leah." - -"For your sake, if not for Jim's," she said gracefully. "I'll send the -cable this very night." - -And she did. When Pentland, overflowing with outspoken approbation of -her correct conduct, took his leave, she went to her desk and hunted -out a cypher with which Demetrius had supplied her. It would not do to -let the postal authorities know of their schemes, and the cypher was a -particularly intricate one. Leah spent an hour in concocting her -cablegram, and was late for dinner in consequence. But she had a good -appetite, all the same, in spite of the bad food and the dull -conversation. For, on their way to Kingston, Jamaica, were a few lines -in cypher, a translation of which would have been of great interest to -the father-in-law, who thought her so womanly and good. - -"Duke wants me to nurse Jim," ran the cypher, when Demetrius used the -key. "Wire that there is no need." - -If Jim had really been dying, she would not have altered a single -word. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - - -An urchin throws a stone into the horse-pond. Circles; form, not only -in the still water, but in the fluent air, to enring invisibly our -sphere. And who can say to what limit they recede, if limit there be? -So with a carelessly selected, hastily flung word. Had Lady Jim said -_your_ future, Askew, assuming no coupling, would have grumbled -himself back into tame-catism and canine contentment with casual -head-pats. But, _our_ future! The pronoun bulked portentous. Its three -letters encompassed, to the lover's prolific imagination--divorce, -remarriage, a life-long duet and amorous communings in the highest -paradise attainable by those yet moving in time. - -Lady Jim, less philological, gave him to understand, that a single -word could by no means embrace such various interpretations. She again -emphasised her matronhood, called Askew's attention to the spotless -reputation he wished to smirch, and intimated that poor Jim's illness -precluded her from thinking of anything save poor Jim's possible -decease. "In which sad case," mourned Leah, "we could renew our -conversation without reproach." - -"A widow has no bridesmaids, I believe?" hinted Askew, reflectively. -She hinted back with sweet smiles, "Don't you prefer a quiet wedding?" -And on this adjustment of the situation he built castles, believing -the foundation to be sound. Strangely enough, in so honest a -gentleman, the heartlessness of utilising possibilities connected with -the Kaimes' vault never occurred to him. Which proved, without need of -words, the essential selfishness of the feeling he miscalled love. - -On this arrangement Lady Jim frolicked gaily through the remaining -weeks of the season, well content that things were as they were. A -Jamaica cablegram, which--it designedly not being in cypher--she could -and did show to the Duke, informed both that a wifely nurse was -needless. The last word of the communication promised a letter, which -duly arrived. This last also was a public document, Demetrius being -too cunning to detail criminality in black and white. Pentland and -Leah read the letter cheek by jowl. Lord James was a trifle better, -said the script, and if able to outlast the voyage, would return to -England, en route for Algiers. Lady James could then nurse him into -health, say, at Biskra. - -"Thank heaven," quavered the Duke, not reading between the lines, as -did his better-informed daughter-in-law. "We'll make a party and go -there for the autumn. Frith will be delighted." - -"On Jim's account?" inquired Leah, dryly. "Rather an effort, Duke." - -"On my account," rebuked the old man. "Frith knows that if Jim is to -leave us"--his voice faltered and fell--"I should like to see him -depart." - -"Why does the prodigal son always banquet on the calf?" mused Lady -Jim, restoring the letter to her pocket. - -"My dear, many failings require many excuses." - -"So it seems. Selfish people receive more praise for one creditable -action, than do those kind-hearted fools who spend their lives in -self-denial." - -"We must encourage the good seed to grow, my dear." - -She laughed unpleasantly. "It usually springs up wild oats, with -over-attention!" and she departed to consider the inexplicable growth -of green bay-trees. - -Lord Frith had never given his father the slightest trouble; he was a -model son, an admirable husband; his friendships were staunch, and his -life clean--yet Pentland contented himself with perfunctory praise of -these qualities. He expected his eldest son to be a domestic Bayard, -as the unimaginative Marquis had shown no desire to sow the wind. Jim, -on the other hand, left the reaping of his whirlwind to doting -relatives. Devourer of husks with congenial swine, and caring only for -his large, healthy, greedy self, he had never done a kind act or shown -a filial trait. A spendthrift, a rogue in grain, cursed by many men, -blessed by no woman, he--this profligate egotist--was dealt with not -only tenderly, but in a way calculated to assure him that he was a -pearl without price. His notorious failings were covered by the phrase -that "he was his own worst enemy," and the presumed possession of good -qualities, never manifested, entitled him to paternal pity. Leah, an -easy-going sinner herself, was not hard on those who dwelt in glass -houses. But this gilding of Jim's base metal made her gorge rise. - -"What's the use of being good?" she moralised, as her brougham sped -towards Curzon Street. "Kindness is looked upon as weakness, and the -more generous one is, the more those who don't know the meaning of the -word sponge and sneer. If you are really bad, sham philanthropists -reclaim you and cocker you up, and praise you loudly if you say 'Hang' -instead of 'Damn!' A sinner repents, and Heaven is a-flutter; a saint -makes one slip, and the world yells hypocrite. A pied person, neither -white nor black, is left alone, as the majority are of that mottled -complexion. To be really good is to be hated; to be extremely bad -means excuses, help, and trumpetings. Frith gets the kicks without -deserving them, and Jim the half-pence he has never earned. Clever -Jim, who has chosen the world's better part." - -It will be seen that Leah, being of the world, judged as the world, -and yet with greater discernment. In one way she was right. It is -generally your sinner who gobbles up the cakes and ale. But Lady -Jim--no very ardent Bible student--misread texts, or rather, read her -own material meaning into them. Therefore, although conversant with -green bay-trees--did she not dwell in a grove of such?--her memory did -not recall the axe that might be laid to the roots thereof. The -Seventy-third Psalm might also have assisted her to a better -understanding of undeserved worldly prosperity, had she done other -than gabble it hastily, when it happened to come into the service. But -the fetish which stood to her in place of the Living God did not -encourage spiritual explorations, and Leah saw life as a -comprehensible stretch of time, limited by birth or death. The -hereafter--if any--she could not conceive, knowing only the present as -the real, the actual, and the true. Therefore did she grudge Jim his -undeserved coddlings. Had he lain on a bed of his own making, it would -have been justice--strict justice; but that fools should prepare him a -feather mattress and downy pillow seemed, and really was, intolerable. -Thinking of the Duke's wasted and misplaced affection, Leah plucked -the fruit of her Tree of Knowledge. "Good people need missionaries," -said Lady Jim. - -However, as Jim and she had occupied separate rooms for many a long -day, his featherbedism troubled her little. Also, Askew had been -brought to heel by the promise of future bones. The plot was being -rounded off in far Jamaica without her aid, and what with Sir Billy's -winnings and a moderate cheque cajoled out of the Duke, she had enough -to keep the wolf from the Curzon Street door. On the whole, things -could not be improved, and it only remained to exercise patience. But -of this virtue Leah possessed little, and did not care to expend what -she had in twiddling her thumbs at home. Jim was away, so she could -play--and did. A masked ball at Covent Garden amused her immensely; -the plays condemned by Sir Billy found in her a lenient critic; and -now that Pentland had paid off old bills, she ran up new ones with the -zest of a woman who required nothing. Also, she went to Epsom, and -pulled off a decent sum on a tip breathed into her ear by the racing -baronet, whom she had snubbed into slangy admiration. To Hurlingham -and Richmond she raced a split-new motor-car of the latest pattern, -and exhibited her nerve and skill in the Park. Charity bazaars, Savoy -dinners, bridge parties, Sunday river excursions, and such-like -time-killers beheld her in varied and tasteful frocks, and she also -dined with those friends upon whose cook she could rely. Altogether, -she enjoyed the life of a busy idler, and had that remarkably -agreeable time which magnificent health, comparative wealth, and a -conscience of no importance would give to such a woman. But her head -duly governed her frivolities, and she made no plans for the Cowes -week, although she knew a manageable man with a delightful yacht. The -daily expected decease of Jim had to be considered, and thoughtful -Leah had already designed her mourning. Meanwhile, she babbled of -Biskra to Lady Canvey, and rather overdid it. - -"Are you and Jim going on a second honeymoon?" inquired that -suspicious old dame. - -"We are," replied Leah, calmly. "How clever of you to guess it!" - -"Humph! The poor wretch must be worse than I thought." - -"I see; my affection, to your mind, is too obvious." - -"The non-existent can never manifest itself," said Lady Canvey, in -scientific English. "Either a miracle has happened to give you a -heart, or Jim is dying, and you are getting ready to dance on his -grave." - -Leah coloured with suppressed anger. This plain speaking annoyed her, -and she disliked people who peeped behind the scenes. "Jim and I are -not angels, godmother," she said with dignity; "but we're pals enough -to make me regret his death. My mourning, though you may doubt it, -will be perfectly sincere." - -Lady Canvey gave a dry laugh. "See Carlyle on the 'Philosophy of -Clothes.' Well, I shan't pay your bill at Jay's." - -"Thanks. I don't ask you to. The total might involve a larger cheque -than you would care to sign." - -"I'm sure of that, my dear, seeing your mourning is to be perfectly -sincere." - -The impracticable old woman and her god-daughter were alone, else this -snapping might not have occurred. Leah had rather neglected Lady -Canvey of late, because that astute octogenarian had locked up her -cheque-book. But on her way to an "At Home" she had looked in for a -few moments, and sat in the stuffy Victorian room, radiant in a crêpe -ninon frock of Parma violet, elaborately flounced, and with a fichu -and short sleeves. The dress was simple enough, and she wore little -jewellery; but her dazzling neck and shoulders and arms, her glorious -hair and calm strong face, would have made her noticeable even in a -crowd of picked beauties. Lady Canvey, whose ill-humour was mostly -surface-crabbedness, for she preferred losing a friend to withholding -an epigram, could not refrain from grudging compliments. But between -women these rang hollow. - -"You look charming to-night, my dear." - -"After the storm, the sunshine," said Lady Jim, smiling at such novel -civility. "Well, I appreciate the change. Whatever my faults may be, -godmother, you cannot say that I am disagreeable. I always call, in -spite of your--your--what shall we say?" - -"Home-truths! And you call when it suits you. Humph! Perhaps I am a -trifle short-tempered." - -"A trifle!" - -"Old age has its privileges," Lady Canvey reminded her; "and you can -be so cleverly nasty when you like, that it amuses me to bring the -worst out of you." - -"What a doubtful compliment! Do you extract amusement from the -Tallentire girl in the same way?" - -"She has no bad in her." - -"Quite so, and you never try to bring out the good which does _not_ -amuse you. Sunday schools are beneficial rather than entertaining. I -don't see Miss--what's her name?" and Lady Jim glanced round the -room. - -"Joan Tallentire," snapped her hostess; "you remember the name well -enough. It's fashionable to have a short memory, I suppose." - -"For debts," said Leah, sweetly; "but Miss Tallentire?" - -"She is looking after her father's house, as the mother is ill." - -"Poor woman! I hope Lionel is not preaching at her, to make her -worse." - -"Lionel isn't always in the pulpit. By the way, Leah, he told me that -he had a serious talk with you at Firmingham." - -"Did he? Yes! I believe he did give me a dull quarter of an hour. -Something about sin, I fancy it was. Parsons have a monomania on that -subject." - -Lady Canvey made an angry noise in her wrinkled throat. "You're -impossible," she pronounced tartly. "Lionel wishes to improve you." - -"What about Jim? Charity should commence with his own family." - -"Well, my dear, Lionel admires you, and----" - -"Oh! He _is_ a man, then. I don't think I ever made running with a -clergyman; it might be rather fun. I suppose Lionel would recite the -Song of Solomon to me--there's lots of love-talk in it. Not very -proper talk, either, I'm told. Perhaps Solomon wrote it for married -women; he had some experience of them, hadn't he? He collected -concubines, didn't he?--just like a stamp-maniac." - -"Leah, you're insufferable." - -"And impossible!" She rose to go, and arranged the fur-lined Medici -collar of her evening wrap in the dim mirror. "But I'm about to be -punished for my sins. The Duke made me promise to go to this At Home. -Mrs. Saracen, you know--she's one of the submerged Upper Ten, or she -married one of them; I forget which, though I know she has something -to do with a pickle, or a sauce. Very amusing old thing, too. She -gives you a nutshell biography of every one before she introduces." - -"What on earth for?" - -"Oh, so that you may be warned against people's skeletons. Mrs. -Saracen points out the cupboard and tells you not to open it, and of -course you do." - -Lady Canvey chuckled. "Rather clever. And her friends----?" - -"Male and female, I believe. She collects people who have done -something." - -"In the criminal way?" - -"She would, if the law allowed them out of gaol. But at present she -contents herself with freaks. I don't go to middle-class menageries as -a rule, but at the Duke's request I patronise this one." - -"Come to-morrow and tell me all about it." - -"If you'll promise to be nice." - -Her godmother was silent for a moment. "Leah, my dear," she said at -length, taking the gloved hand, "I am sorry we always quarrel when we -meet. I really have a corner in my heart for you, and if you were only -less--less--" Lady Canvey hunted for the right word--"less -exasperating, we should get on excellently." - -Lady Jim nodded, squeezed the bony hands, and kissed the wrinkled -cheek. - -"Let us make a fresh start," she said gently, for she really felt -sorry. "I'll come every day while Miss Tallentire is absent and tell -you the news." - -"That's a good girl. Goodnight. Enjoy yourself, my dear"; and the two -parted better friends than they had been for months. - -On her way to Mrs. Saracen, who lived in the wilds of Kensington, Leah -saw herself in the new character of dry-nurse to a spiteful old -harridan, and wondered at her good-nature. Why should she bore herself -with a spent octogenarian, whose sole attraction was the possession of -money, with which she declined to part? Yet Lady Jim had promised -daily visits to this ruin, and what is more, for no reason -discoverable to herself, intended to keep her promise, even though -there was nothing to be gained by such self-denial. The idea that she, -of all people, should do something for nothing, tickled her greatly, -and the street-lamps swinging past the brougham flashed on an amused -face. She was so pleased with discovering virtue in such an unexpected -quarter that she quite forgot to look mournful when her hostess -inquired after Jim's health. - -The waist upon which the Honourable Mrs. Saracen had prided herself -somewhere about the middle of the nineteenth century was now a matter -of guess-work. Her stoutness impressed even the unobservant with the -conviction that she had eaten her way through life, and was at present -engaged in digging a not-far-off grave with her teeth. And, for her -age, she had an astonishingly good set, obtrusively genuine. Her -general appearance was in keeping, for she wore her own white hair in -smooth bands, under a Waterloo turban, fearfully and wonderfully made, -and presented a natural face of winter-apple rosiness, scored with -good-humoured wrinkles. As Nature had made her, and Time had aged her, -so she was, growing old healthily, if not gracefully. In an alarming -dress, many-coloured as Joseph's coat, she wheezed like a plethoric -poodle, and rolled in a nautical manner by reason of her bulk. Who -would have guessed at a brain hidden in this ponderous mass of -adipose? - -Yet she was a self-made woman, who had acquired a large fortune by the -sale of "Saracen's Sauce." Therefore did current gossip accuse her of -beginning life as a cook. A perfect invention, this, as she was a -gentlewoman who had, intellectually, married beneath her--that is, she -had bought with the sauce money a scampish aristocrat of the Jim -Kaimes type, only less manly. He had long since drank himself into the -family vault, and had left his wife with one son, who was now in the -army. Every one liked Mrs. Saracen, in spite of her eccentricities, -and love of glaring colours, and many a society pauper had reason to -thank her for timely help. And to cap her good qualities, she -professed open pride in the sauce, which appeared on every -middle-class dinner-table throughout the three kingdoms. - -"Dear Lady James," she wheezed, wagging two fat hands, like a seal its -flappers, "how good of you to come! You will find some interesting -people here"--she looked round with pride at the collection of lions, -old and young, tame and wild, fat and lean, sham and real. "Now, Mr. -Wallace here--let me present him. Charming man--very outspoken--great -traveller--Zambesi--knows cannibals intimately!" Then, behind -a plump hand, whispered a nutshell biography, "Don't mention his -wife--divorce." - -Thus warned, Leah got on excellently with the lean, brown, keen-eyed -man, who confessed to extensive explorations. "Cannibals?--yes, Lady -James, I know a few and love them." - -"What strange affection, Mr. Wallace! Why?" - -"They ate a man I detested. I fear he disagreed with them in death, as -he always disagreed with me in life." - -Lady Jim laughed. "Is there any one here you would like to make a -side-dish of?" she asked, letting her eyes rove. - -"No; I am a complete stranger in London. It is the one place I have -not explored. But Mrs. Saracen has told me the past of many here, and -I can give you histories, if you like." - -"Go on, then. Only don't give me dates, else the women here might -scratch. I don't know these creatures myself," she went on, with the -calm insolence of a great lady; "to me they are like your Central -African natives." - -"I agree, Lady James--only less civilised." - -"In what way?" - -"Niggers wear no clothes, and, therefore, are more modest." - -"I can quite imagine it. That thin lady over there is evidently of -your opinion"; and Leah glanced at a mature damsel who wore just -sufficient clothing to prevent interference by the police. - -"Miss Fastine? She's a Naturopath, and is trying to revert to -primitive simplicity." - -"With such a figure she might stop short of the Garden of Eden," said -Lady Jim, dryly. "I never heard of a Naturopath. What is it?" - -"An American sect, which needs solitude to carry out its theories. The -members sleep in the open, cover themselves with earth when they feel -sick, and advocate the altogether." - -"You are joking, Mr. Wallace." - -The traveller stifled a laugh. "Upon my word, Lady James, I am in -earnest. The sect really does exist. That stout man talking to Mrs. -Saracen belongs to another queer lot. Calls himself an Osteopath." - -"What on earth is that?" - -"One who cures by vitalising the nerves." - -"I am as wise as I was before. Any more freaks?" - -"Yonder is a Christian Scientist. And the man on the left advocates -Mahomedanism as the State religion in England." - -"While the dressmakers charge so ruinously, he'll never induce men to -take four wives. And the woman in the red dress?" - -"Lady Tansey--a believer in spirits." - -"So I should imagine," said Lady Jim, surveying the lady's nose, which -was long and thin and the hue of her gown. - -"No, no! I talk of heavenly spirits. Lady Tansey has a large circle of -departed friends, who rap." - -"What a bore! As if one didn't get enough of friends in this world, -without worrying them to knock out bad grammar from the next. Really, -Mr. Wallace, I begin to think Mrs. Saracen must keep a lunatic -asylum." - -"Oh dear no," he answered, chuckling. "It is the sane people that are -usually shut up." - -"Certainly not the disagreeable people," retorted Lady Jim. - -"Oh, if you go to those lengths, there would be no society," said -Wallace, with a shrug. - -The traveller's cynicism exactly suited Leah's humour at the moment, -and she made him take her in to supper. Meanwhile, Askew, who had not -seen Lady Jim arrive, was watching the grand entrance with a lowering -face. He had called at Curzon Street, and thence had borne a message -for Leah which he was anxious to deliver. Already he had been bored to -distraction with faddists and their whims, and was seriously thinking -of slipping away, when Mrs. Saracen bore down on him for the fourth -time. Before he could object she had him by the arm, and confronted -him with a severe-looking woman, pensive and solitary. - -"Do let me introduce you to Miss Galway," she wheezed. "You'll get on -so well with Mr. Askew, dear Miss Galway. He's navy, you know, or has -been--left it--going to be married. And Mr. Askew, if you can talk of -Ph[oe]nician inscriptions to Miss Galway, she'll entertain you for -hours. Quite an authority on Solomon, I believe--very clever, -most intellectual!" Then aside, hastily: "Say nothing about her -brother--jail!" - -Poor Askew! Miss Galway proved to be a limpet, and held on to him -desperately, not because he was handsome, but for the sake of the two -ears he possessed, into which she could pour her archæological -triumphs. - -She prosed in a manly voice about Hiram of Tyre and the building of -Solomon's Temple, and the probability that its design was copied from -the Shrine of Moloch, and the remains that Zerubbabel must have found -after the Babylonian captivity, until his poor head buzzed like a -saw-mill. In the hope of stopping this endless trickle of nothings he -cajoled her to the supper-room. There, at a small table well-covered, -Lady Jim ate and drank and chatted, light-heartedly, with a -sharp-eyed, sun-dried mummy. She nodded a "How d'y do?" to her sailor, -and smilingly observed his entanglement. Luckily for the preservation -of Askew's temper, a rival archæologist arrived to discuss Hittite -grammar, and he managed to slip away while the male and female -dryasdusts wrangled over the probable origin of the Perizzites. - -"You haven't been near me all the evening," complained Leah, when -Wallace received his congé and Askew sat in the seat of the scornful. - -"Didn't see you arrive, worse luck. If you'd been dosed with Hivites -and Jebusites and all that truck, as I've been, you'd have a headache, -too." - -"It's unusual for you to have a headache." - -"And inevitable for me to have a heartache." - -"On account of that alphabet woman, I suppose. Why don't you feed?" - -"No appetite. But if you'll come along to the Cecil----" - -"Certainly not. We've been there much too often of late. People will -talk." - -"Let them! What does it matter?" - -"Everything matters, when people have tongues and eyes, and envious -natures. Don't be silly. I promised the Duke to stop here for half an -hour. And after all, it's amusing. I never knew such people existed -outside _Punch_. Well--what now?" This because, with sudden -recollection of an oversight, he brought out an envelope. - -"This was waiting at Curzon Street," he explained, handing it across, -"and the butler, thinking it might be important asked me to---- Why, -what's the matter, Leah?" - -It was his turn to inquire, for, reading while he talked, she had -suddenly whitened. "Don't call me Leah," she snapped, with the -irritation of a shaken woman, then re-read the cablegram, again and -again. - -"What is it?--what is it?" - -"My husband is--dead!" She crushed the paper into a ball, rose to go, -and dropped back, overwhelmingly faint. "Oh!" she moaned faintly. For -once in her life of shams and sneering and playing with other-world -fires she was moved to genuine emotion. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - -Leah's emotion--as she felt--was almost cruelly genuine. It bore the -trademark of sincerity; it made her heart hammer furiously against her -ribs, and drove the blood from her cheeks. Yet she knew that Jim still -lived; that the lying cablegram was but a necessary card to play for -the winning of large stakes. For once, the expected had happened--that -was all. Why then should she exhibit emotions which could not possibly -have been caused by the excuse offered to the public. Her heart -replied with brutal directness, that she had crossed the Old Bailey -Rubicon, and was actually participating in a crime. The last word -shook her out of cotton-wool wrappings into a naked world. Up to the -receipt of the cablegram she could have drawn back. Now, fully -committed to the adventure, she was compelled to tread a perilous -path. A criminal! Yes: she had been one in intention, which mattered -little; she was now criminal in fact, and that meant punishment. Her -imagination conjured up visions of the possible. The judge spoke, the -prison gaped, the bolts shot home, Curzon Street was exchanged for -Wormwood Scrubbs. Ugh! But after all, such queasy thoughts were -unnecessary. If she had broken the eighth commandment, she fully -intended to keep the eleventh and unwritten one, "Thou shalt not be -found out." - -The truth to Mrs. Saracen, excusing a hasty departure, served to -circulate the fiction of Jim's death, which the widow wished to be -speedily and widely known. She could not have selected a bell with a -better clapper. Promulgated by the "sauce queen," the sad invention -shortly became town-talk, and, disseminated by myriad tongues, ran -like a prairie fire throughout Society, with a capital letter. A more -weighty bag on the postman's back resulted, and commiserating -platitudes showered on Leah, as thick as the over-quoted leaves of -Vallombrosa. She glanced through many, replied to a few, and -burned--very wisely--the majority. Between-whiles her attention was -given to parcels from Jay's, and considerations of widows' caps, and -the recognition that the feminine uniform of woe clothed with marked -distinction a really beautiful mourner. To women, grief has its -consolations in crape millinery. - -Seclusion was necessary in those days of lamentation, but none the -less wearisome. To play the nun, while people scattered to Cowes -and the Continent, chafed the chameleon woman. Some intimate -sympathisers she received, and to these she matched mournful words -with a mournful countenance. With the blinds half down and sal -volatile at hand, in a becoming gown, and using a handkerchief, three -inches black-bordered, to redden the driest of eyes, Lady Jim held -funereal receptions, and spoke in low tones of her late husband's -hitherto unknown good qualities. His palpable evils she cloaked with -the "his-own-worst-enemy" phrase; and mentioned twice that, if not an -angel, he at least had been a man. The visitor addressed made her exit -expressing hopes that Lord James was an angel now, and the door closed -in time to prevent her seeing Leah's enjoyment of the picture thus -cashed on her amused mind. "Jim, an angel!" murmured the widow, wiping -away real tears. "He'd bet on his flying." - -With the Duke she played her comedy of sorrow very prettily. Pentland -and Frith arrived in haste, while the Marchioness hurried on -beforehand, to prepare Leah for the interview. But she was already -word-perfect in her part. Aware that Lord Frith would discredit -ostentatious grief, she assumed the position of a shocked rather than -a broken-hearted widow, though she said nothing but what might have -been inscribed on Jim's tombstone. Not a crocodile tear did she shed -under Frith's too-observant eyes, but sat near the Duke, holding his -gouty lean hand, and skilfully impressed the trio with the belief that -she and the deceased had not been so far asunder as was supposed--the -corollary of such impression being that she honestly regretted Jim's -untimely demise. No more could be expected, even from the most -forgiving woman, and no more was demanded by the ducal family. - -After these preliminary condolences Pentland suggested that Leah -should come to Firmingham for the funeral. It was necessary to agree -to this, and she did with graceful readiness; only intimating that she -would remain in town, until the remains arrived at Southampton. Even -as she made the stipulation, she wondered how Demetrius had contrived -to transfer Garth's body from Madeira to Jamaica for the deception. - -"I thought poor Jim would have been buried where he died," she -remarked tentatively. - -The Duke was shocked. "Certainly not. Jim, poor fellow, must rest with -his ancestors. We must look upon his face for the last time." - -Leah plucked nervously at her black gown, and wondered if the Russian -was wise in submitting a substituted corpse to family scrutiny. "They -say that death changes people," she ventured uneasily, "and of course, -embalming----" - -"Just what I said to Bunny," interrupted Lady Frith, in too vivacious -a tone for the occasion. "We shall hardly know Jim with the soul out -of him." - -"My--dear--Hilda!" - -"Well, Bunny, you know souls aren't buried." - -"They go to a better world, as Jim's has gone," mourned the doting -father. - -Frith looked doubtfully at his sister-in-law. The less said about -Jim's destination, the better: therefore did he crush sentiment with -dry business. "I expect Demetrius will arrive with the remains about -the end of the month," said he, in the hardest of voices; "after the -funeral, we can see about the will." - -"It leaves everything to Leah," his father informed him. - -"Indeed! And what had Jim to leave behind him besides his character?" - -"The insurance money." - -"Oh--ah--yes. Jarvey Peel's present. Twenty thousand pounds--eh?" - -"And accumulations," supplemented Lady Jim; "but need we talk of such -things, now?" and she sighed the conversation back to sentiment. - -"Quite so--quite so," quavered the Duke, shaking his head; "terrible -loss to you, my dear--and your natural grief, and--hum-hum----" -Further fossilised phrases escaped his memory. - -"I certainly feel for poor Jim," said Leah, with sedate dignity: "he -had his faults, of course; but then, so have I." - -"Your kind remembrance of Jim excuses the few you possess," was -Pentland's reply; while Frith, compressing his thin lips, made no -remark. - -Indeed, there was no chance, for Hilda clamoured that Leah should come -to her house for beef-tea and consolation. She had never agreed with -her more sceptical husband about the Curzon Street menage, and -credited Lady Jim with the requisite virtues of a genuine widow. - -"Your strength must be kept up, dear," she babbled, as though she -expected Leah to faint then and there. "I know exactly how you feel. -Just as I should, if Bunny became an angel. But we must all die, dear -Leah, and death is the gate of life, and----" - -"Can't you leave these proverbial condolences to Lionel?" broke in her -exasperated husband. - -"Oh, Bunny"--with a wail--"the sacred dead." - -"Let the child talk," commanded Pentland; "she expresses my feelings." - -Thus encouraged, the child did talk, and Lady Jim listened with a bent -head to original remarks about Time, the great consoler, and meetings -on a golden shore, to part no more, and keeping the loved memory -green, and bowing to the inevitable, and such-like official -utterances, without which no funeral is complete. When Hilda stopped -for want of breath and memory, Leah kissed her with the affection of -one deeply moved, and observed that she was tired. And indeed she -was--bored to death, in fact. So the Marchioness, pleased with her -plagiarised eloquence, took leave tactfully and tearfully on the -Duke's arm. Frith lingered. - -"Why don't you laugh?" he said dryly. - -"At Hilda in the pulpit? Why should I. She means well." - -"Huh! I allude to your demure listening. I do not wish to speak ill of -the dead, and, after all, Jim was my brother. But are you really and -truly sorry?" - -"In a way, if you _will_ press for an answer. One can't live five -years with a man without missing him at the breakfast-table." - -"Hum! Though you and I pretend otherwise, to console my father, we -know that Jim was no saint." - -"Am I?" she asked, shrugging. - -"Politeness forbids my answering that question." - -"I don't see what politeness has to do with this interview. Have you -remained to make yourself disagreeable?" - -"On my honour, no. You're a clever woman, Leah, and as a scamp's wife -you have conducted yourself admirably." - -"As I am now the scamp's widow, had that not better have been left -unsaid?" - -Frith shrugged in his turn. "I suppose so, since we have agreed to -call black white. But I waited to say that I'll help you in any way -you wish." - -Leah was surprised, and touched. She and Frith had never been good -friends. Apparently, he was not such a bad sort after all. But what -was behind this offer? Her ineradicable suspicion of human nature made -her doubt, though she spared him the question. "It is very good of -you," said she, cordially, "but with the insurance money and this -house, which your father says I can retain, I shall do very well. -There is no need for you to open your purse, or your heart." - -The Marquis hunched his shoulders and let them drop. "Hum," he -repeated, biting his forefinger; "you will be marrying again?" - -"What has that to do with you?" she flashed out, haughtily. - -"Well, you bear our family name," he reminded her, "and Demetrius----" - -Lady Jim felt qualmish. "Demetrius?" she echoed faintly. What could -Frith possibly have to say about the prime mover in the plot? - -"The man is crazy about you," said he, frowning. - -"I can't help lunatics being at large," said Leah, reassured as to his -meaning and at once on the defensive. "Have I encouraged him?" - -He hastened to protest. "Oh no. As I said before, your conduct as -Jim's wife has been admirable--truly admirable. But I should not like -to see you marry Demetrius." - -"Why should you think me willing to do so?" - -"I don't, since the man is a foreigner and poor and untitled." - -"He can be a prince and wealthy, if he chooses to be reconciled with -the Russian authorities." - -"Even then, Leah, do you really like this man?" - -"As a clever doctor and an amusing talker--yes. Well?" - -Frith, baffled and perplexed, bit his finger again. "He is devoted to -you; they talk of it at the clubs. No, no," hurriedly, as she turned -crimson with indignation; "there's not a word said against you. But -this absurd infatuation--and you a widow; these foreigners go to -ridiculous lengths, so you see----" - -"I certainly do not see," interrupted Leah, with conviction. "Did you -offer assistance so that you might meddle?" - -"Oh no, no," protested the Marquis, looking shocked; "but you have -behaved so well as Jim's wife----" - -"That is the third time you have said so, and I am by no means stupid. -It seems to me," she looked straight at him, "that you believe M. -Demetrius will ask me to marry him." - -"Yes, I do think so." - -"Will it ease your mind if I say that I have no intention of accepting -any impertinent proposal he may make?" - -"It will and it does," said Frith, bluntly. "I should not like to see -you throw yourself away on that man. Should you marry again----" - -"It will be entirely my own affair." - -"Of course, of course. All the same----" - -"Quite so! Good-day, Lord Frith." - -He smiled grimly, seeing that she would not permit him to finish a -single sentence. "Am I to take your use of my title as an intimation -that we are to be strangers?" - -"To the extent of supervision, yes." - -"But you can't manage things unaided." - -"That also is my business. As your interference is concerned with M. -Demetrius, and I have set your mind at rest on that point, there is no -more to be said." - -"As you please. Still, this Demetrius----" - -"Oh, Demetrius," she echoed, enraged by this parrot repetition. "I -never wish to hear his name or set eyes on his face again." - -This was true enough. Now that the Russian had served her turn he -could go hang; she had no further use for him, and he could whistle -for his well-earned wages. When Frith, after further interrupted -expostulations, took his leave, Lady Jim sat down, chin on hand, to -consider this town-talk. The love-sick babbling of Demetrius troubled -her little. No scandal could attach to a Diana who never hunted the -noble quarry, man; and Leah was such a known lover of herself that -even scandal refrained from giving her a rival. Still, the Russian was -pertinacious, and could be vindictive; he had fulfilled her bidding -for a certain price, and that price he would assuredly demand. Make -him her second husband she would not. He belonged to Katinka, who -could keep him and welcome. The remembrance of the daughter suggested -the useful father. - -Aksakoff, unfettered by honourable prejudices, certainly could help -her, for the attaining of his own ends, if Demetrius became -troublesome. Could she lure him to Paris, his disappearance from her -life would only be a question of days, perhaps hours. But, for the -moment, she did not see how to export her accomplice to Siberia, via -the gay city, without becoming a more active agent than was wise. One -Russian had her--there was no blinking the fact--under his thumb; and -to remove that pressure, in the only way in which it could be removed, -meant the substitution of a similar thumb. She would merely jump from -the frying-pan into the fire--both equally uncomfortable. - -On this account, and lest she should exchange King Log for King Stork, -Leah hesitated to enlist Aksakoff s assistance. Luckily, there was no -need to come to an immediate decision. She had three weeks at least to -consider the matter. The funeral, the procuring of the insurance -money, natural grief, for the tricking of the world, and the -regulation period of mourning--she could oppose these obstacles, -should Demetrius press his suit unduly hard. This being so, she flung -off the burden for the time being, although the necessity of settling -the matter, sooner or later, haunted her thoughts. Such insistence of -the disagreeable broke up her rest, and she would waken at dawn, to -plot escape. Chloral, occasionally, aided her to sleep the difficulty -out of her head: but she detested drugs that demand extortionate -repayment for their kindness, and used narcotic discreetly. A week of -these haggard hauntings aged her. Anxiety became apparent in hollow -eyes and colourless cheeks. One day, with outspoken horror, she -discovered an entirely new wrinkle, and noted later that the -unexpected opening of a door caused her nerves to jump. Kind friends -ascribed such things to commendable sorrow for the dead, and Leah -tacitly accepted their comforting and petting on this obvious plea. -But not to regret a thousand Jims would she have risked her beauty; -as, after her tongue--for Leah put brains before looks--it was her -keenest-edged weapon with which to fight the world, and was supremely -powerful to control fools. - -Daily the stream of sympathising friends rolled through the dainty -drawing-room, and bore Lady Jim away from comedy grief to more -pleasant shores, where gossip of he and she and the "tertium quid," -interspersed with millinery discussions and shrewd female handling of -current society events, made things more tolerable. Lady Richardson -babbled herself in, with a box of chocolate from Sir Billy--a -consolation not unpalatable to Leah, who liked Billy and loved sweets. -"Both being acquired tastes," said Lady Jim, but not to the little -mother. - -"So thoughtful of him, isn't it?" chattered Lady Richardson, who was -coloured in subdued tints, with a gown to match, for the visit. "The -dear boy! He said to me that we must prevent you from breaking your -heart." - -"And prescribes eating," said Leah, humorously. "I never knew Sir -Billy was so young. Thank him for me, Fanny, and tell him that when I -think of taking a second I'll give him a look in." - -"Oh, Billy has thought of that already--such a boy as he is. You're -sure to have a badly spelt proposal from him, dear. But seriously -speaking, will you,--oh, of course you will." - -"Why should I?--you have not." - -"My heart is buried in the grave of Billy's father," murmured Lady -Richardson, pensively. - -"Dig it up again." - -"Well, there's Reggy Lake, of course; but he's so poor." - -"All the more reason that he should propose. You have a good -jointure." - -"Settled entirely on myself," said the little woman, shrewdly; then -added romantically, "I must be loved for myself alone." - -"Oh!" Lady Jim shrugged. "If you expect miracles!" - -"Really, Leah!" Her visitor became pinker than her rouge. - -"I mean that men are selfish, dear. They always have their eye on the -cash-box, you know." - -"I hope that won't be your fate, darling," was the spiteful reply, for -Lady Richardson always scratched back. - -"Oh, my face is my fortune, Fanny. Jim, poor dear spendthrift, has -left me with only a few thousands, which won't last long." - -"I should think not, in your hands, dear. But there is Mr. Askew and -Dr. Demetrius--both admire you." - -"Admiration does not necessarily mean marriage. And at present I think -more of my loss than of a second husband." - -"So sweet of you, and so proper. But you might take a look at the -market. Mr. Trent, now, the South African. He's a millionaire." - -"So I should think, from his manners." - -"Lord Canvey!" - -"Would give me a grandmother-in-law of the worst." - -"Sir Jacob Machpelah!" - -"The man who has taken his name from Abraham's cemetery? I suppose he -thought it sounded Scotch. No, thanks. My name is Hebrew, but my -tastes are Gentile." - -"Johnny Danesbury!" - -"A penny doll with a squeak. I want a man." - -"Colonel Harrington!" - -"He's a brute, without instinct. I begin to think you keep a -matrimonial agency, Fanny." - -"It wouldn't pay, were you my only client," retorted Lady Richardson, -still remembering the miracle dig. "No one seems to satisfy you. I -believe you mean to marry Askew, after all. What of him?" - -"He's a nice footman, and doesn't ask wages. Aren't these suggestions -rather premature? My heart, like yours, may be in my husband's grave." - -"I didn't know he was buried yet," said the little woman, crossly. -"How impossible you are, darling!" - -"Always, when people get on my nerves, dear." - -"I believe you want some other woman's husband?" - -"Oh dear no! I never covet my neighbour's ass." - -Shot and shell were flying rather thickly, and seeing no chance of -planting her flag on Leah's bulwarks, Lady Richardson beat a discreet -retreat, with Judas kisses and Parthian shots. "So glad if I have -cheered you up, dear [kiss]! Bear up and don't break your heart [kiss, -kiss]! So sweet your sorrow, and so genuine [kiss, kiss, kiss]!" And -having given several Rowlands for one Oliver, Lady Richardson -departed. - -"Cat!" said Lady Jim to the closed door, and settled to munch Billy's -chocolates over Marcel Prévost's _Lettres d'une Femme_. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - -The supposed remains of Jim Kaimes duly arrived on British ground in -charge of an extraordinarily anxious medical attendant, and Lord -Frith arranged for their transfer to Firmingham. There, Leah was -already established as Niobe, studiously dismal in the jet-trimmed, -crape-flounced equivalent of sackcloth. With the Marchioness, a few -decayed cousins, and many hired mourners, connected closely or -distantly with the family, she assisted the Duke to lament his -Absalom. Therefore, behind lowered blinds, in the twilight atmosphere -of the great house, did officially grief-stricken relations move -warily on tiptoe, speaking in hushed voices, with downcast eyes, of -the deceased and his post-mortem virtues. The apotheosis of the -prodigal son, who had thus quietly come home, made the place about as -cheerful as a mausoleum. - -Limiting the solemnity strictly to the family, Lionel was requested to -inter Jim's body, with the rites in which Jim's soul had never -believed. Then, for the first time, did he behold Leah in her new -character, as hitherto a sympathetic letter had excused a personal -interview. Now, face to face, Kaimes considered the advisability, as -clergyman, relative, and friend, to administer presumably needed -consolation. This last straw broke the widow's overladen back. She had -wept with Pentland, mourned with kith and kin, enduring also, for -three dreary weeks, twaddling platitudes, written and spoken, by -meddlesome well-wishers. These exasperating necessities would have -been unendurable, even had Jim been where he deserved to be; but that -she should suffer them, when Jim was rejoicing as Mr. Berring and -expecting his share of the money she thus laboriously earned, nearly -drove her beyond the bounds of decorum. She could have thrown the -novel she was reading at Lionel's head, and barely escaped doing so, -when he appeared in her sitting-room, almost aggressively sympathetic. -But, reflecting that with the funeral would come a cessation of these -aggravations, and mindful that the money was almost in her purse, she -asked him to be seated and prepared to stomach aphorisms. - -"How good of you to come!" she sighed conventionally; then added, to -avert, if possible, protracted boredom, "I'm dull company." - -"Naturally, Lady James; but I rejoice to see that you are resigned." - -"I'm not tearing my hair and gnashing my teeth, if that is what you -mean. I will, if you think Jim worthy of such excesses." - -"Hush, hush! He is dead." - -"I see evidences of that on all sides of me," replied Leah, tartly. -"Shouldn't you say that he is not lost but gone before? I believe that -is one of the stock phrases of your profession." - -Lionel moved uneasily. It was difficult to whitewash Jim, and he could -not invent non-existing virtues on the spur of the moment. "He was -your husband, remember," was his effort to parry this thrust. - -"Oh, Lord, don't I know it? Would I put up with all this, else? Did -you come to tell me that Queen Anne is dead?" - -"I came to cheer you." - -"Go on, then. Tell me a funny story." - -The curate looked and felt shocked. "Lady James----" - -"Lionel, if you preach I shall scream," cried Leah, developing -whirlwind passion, and rising a veritable Bellona; "or else -I'll--I'll--oh!" she ripped her handkerchief viciously, while sweeping -tempestuously up and down. "I don't know what I'll do, if you play -Job's comforter." - -Her cheeks flamed, her eyes sparkled, and her voice leaped an octave -as she flung the last words at him. Lionel started up, surprised at -this sudden anger, and wondered if grief was bringing on hysteria. - -"Won't you sit down?" said obtuse man, giving the worst possible -advice to overstrung woman. "A little sal volatile----" - -"I'm sick of sitting down, and lying down, and sal volatile, and -listening to humbug, and wearing black, and being bothered. I've -had more trouble over Jim in his death than I ever allowed him to -give me in his life. You say the same silly things every one else -says--you--you parrot! Can't you be original?" - -"Death is such an old-established institution that it is difficult to -be original," said Lionel, resuming his chair with a shrug. - -"Then I shall talk myself. Yes; I wish to speak plainly, and to you I -intend to speak plainly, since you are the only man I respect." - -"Thank you!" - -"I daresay you are priggish," went on Lady Jim, finding it a -marvellous relief to speak loudly and without reserve; "but you are -honest in spite of it, and you don't gossip, though you _are_ a -parson. In trouble I shall always come to you, padre." - -"You are in trouble now," hinted Kaimes, smiling at her frankness. - -"Eh! What? Yes, of course, Jim's dead." She choked over the lie, and -returned to laugh at ease in her chair. "Where has he gone, Lionel?" - -"Don't, Lady James! I admit that he had his faults." - -"Be honest. He had nothing else but faults." - -"No, no! We all have our good points." - -"Give me a list of Jim's," she suggested derisively. - -"For the moment, I can't think----" - -"No; nor you wouldn't if you thought for a century. Jim is as bad as -they make 'em." - -"_Was_--if you will abuse him." - -"Oh yes, I forgot. Well, then, Jim _was_ bad; and I don't know if you -call telling the truth abuse." - -"Of the most virulent sort, on occasions. Are we not all sinners?" - -"Speak for yourself, Mr. Humility." - -Lionel, amazed by this self-canonisation, became less Aaron the priest -and more Adam the natural man. "You don't call yourself immaculate, -surely," he observed sarcastically. - -"Did I?" - -"By inference; and if no sinner, you must be saint." - -"Ah! I see. Lamp-black or snow-white; grey does not exist. Parsons see -the horizon, the doorstep, but no middle distance. Woman is Lucrece -or Jezebel, with you. I am neither; but a simple woman, as God made -me." - -"And as the devil has marred." - -"Foh! In this very room, when we spoke last, I scouted that bogie's -existence." - -"If you don't believe in evil existing, you can't in good. No devil, -no God, Lady James." - -"I never knew that the Deity depended upon Satan for his being," said -Leah, dryly; "and theology doesn't amuse me--it's cobwebs and -spindrift. Talk sense, if you must talk." - -Lionel, hoping to lead her by a side-path to further consideration of -her spiritual needs, consented to diverge for the moment. "I'll talk -money, if you call that sense." - -"Of course I do; uncommon sense, as there is so little of it. Money?" -She looked at him questioningly. - -"The insurance on your late husband's life." - -"Oh! Well?" She wondered what he was about to say. - -"The Duke asked me to interview the lawyers." - -"Very unnecessary. I know all about the twenty thousand pounds. Jim -left it to me, by will." - -"You underestimate by ten thousand." - -"What! Thirty thousand pounds?" Then, in answer to a nod, "Oh, -you--you must be--be mistaken." Leah was truthfully agitated. Had the -golden goose laid two eggs instead of one? - -"No; your husband's life was insured, when he was a child, for twenty -thousand pounds with profits, at an annual premium. Mr. Jarvey Peel -and his executors paid the money to keep the insurance in force----" - -"Yes, yes; and the principal was payable to Jim at sixty, or -to any one he might leave it to at death, I, as the widow, take -all--all--all"; she repeated the word three times, in the purring -voice of a cat over cream. - -"Exactly," assented the curate, thinking she betrayed over-plainly -horse-leech parentage; "and the extra ten thousand is the accumulation -of an annual bonus of fifteen pounds on every thousand." - -"That's three hundred a year," calculated Lady Jim, feverishly. - -"Quite so. Jim was thirty-five when he died. So three hundred a year -for thirty-four years comes to ten thousand." - -"Two hundred," supplemented Lady Jim, correcting his arithmetic. "Oh, -Lord! Thirty thousand two hundred pounds, and Jim never knew that he -was worth his weight in this gold." - -"He never inquired, since the money would not come to him till he -attained the age of sixty." - -"It would have been almost double then," commented the lady, -pensively. "What a pity Jim did not live till---- But no; we should -have both been old then, and there would have been no fun. I am -content with thirty thousand--really I am, Lionel. It doesn't do to be -greedy." - -"You are not," said the curate, ironically, "else you would have again -mentioned the odd hundreds." - -Leah made a ball out of the torn handkerchief and tossed it gaily in -the air. "That will do for lawyers' costs," said she, airily, "though -I hope the bill won't be so extortionate. Thirty thousand pounds!" She -sprang up, with dithyrambic utterance, scarcely refraining from a -war-dance. "Thirty thousand golden sovereigns! Six thousand lovely, -lovely Bank of England notes! Oh, Vanderbilt! Oh----" The sight of her -relative's disgusted face curbed her ecstasy: "You think that my -exultation over this money is vulgar." - -"Heartless, at least, since it is the price of your husband's death. -To you, apparently, Jim is more valuable dead than alive." - -"I entirely agree with you," confessed Leah, candidly; then added with -impatient anger, "Do you expect me to tell you lies?" - -"You might show some grief." - -"Heavens! What else have I been doing for the past three weeks?" - -"Assuming a virtue which you have not." - -"That remark is too clever to be original, my dear man. How impossible -you are! I wear mourning and cry at the right time, and say things I -don't believe about Jim to his father and the rest of them; while to -you, who blame me for behaving decently outside, I speak as I feel, -only to be condemned. What do you expect?" - -"To see you exhibit some real grief," said Lionel, who was really -angered by her callous behaviour. "You show more genuine emotion over -this miserable money than over poor Jim." - -"Poor Jim," she mocked scornfully; "are you going to cry up his -virtues?" - -"He was not so bad as you make him out to be," retorted Lionel, -doggedly. - -"Then he must have revealed a side of his nature to you which he never -showed to me," snapped Leah, sharply. "Foh! what's the use of acting -to empty benches? Go downstairs if you want an audience. We are behind -the scenes here." - -"Very allegorical and needless. Can't you be more womanly?" - -"If I were, the sal volatile yon recommend would be needed, I can tell -you. Being a parson you will not understand; being a man, you cannot. -Womanly! womanly!--does that imply cant and shams? Am I to mourn with -spurious lamentations that selfish profligate, who would have broken -my heart had he ever possessed it? To be womanly is to excuse a man's -faults, to lie down and be trodden upon, to condone unfaithfulness, -and to be grateful for the shreds and patches of an egotistic life. -Never! never!" Her lips twisted scornfully, her nostrils dilated, and -she clenched her hands to restrain an outburst of that wrath which had -consumed her during five years of holy matrimony. Lionel, astonished -by her sudden transition from gay to grave, forbore interruption, and -she declaimed her marital wrongs in a Boadicean vein. "I have read in -that Bible of yours of the casting of pearls before swine. Jim was a -Gadarene pig, who would have rent me had I loved him, as I admit a -wife should love her husband. My coldness, and what you consider my -selfishness, was my sole safeguard against ruin and sorrow and -outrage. You know that I speak the truth--I defy you to say otherwise. -Jim! oh, Jim," she laughed unpleasantly; "Jim--that rag doll of his -family, who is placed on a pedestal and worshipped, as though he were -the golden idol he never was and never could be! I respect the Duke -much more than I ever respected my husband, for he is genuinely blind -to Jim's faults and mourns honestly. But you--you, who knew the man, -and rebuked the man--oh, it would be amusing were it not so shameful." - -Her bosom heaved as she hurled this speech at him, with gibe and jeer -and ironic laughter. "I thank God that the man is out of my life," was -her passionate cry. "Yes--I thank God." - -"Did you believe in God you would not say that." - -"Bah! Theology again." - -"And truth." - -"Which is not theology and never will be." - -"That depends upon belief. The science which treats of God, and of -man's duty to God, cannot be understood by you, who have neither hope -nor faith." - -"At least I have charity, the greatest of the three, which you lack." - -"Give me an example." - -"I credit you with honesty, while you cry me down as a bad woman." - -"Pardon me. I do not say that you are bad. Misguided, rather." - -"And why--according to your lights? Because I do not put up Jim as a -pig-idol, to worship with crocodile tears?" - -She silenced Kaimes for the moment, as there was much truth in her -overstated contention. No decent woman could have loved or honoured -the dead man; and this outspoken condemnation, provable in the main, -was assuredly more honest than pretended laudation and sham sorrow -would have been. Yet the merciless indictment jarred on Lionel's sense -of propriety, righteous as he knew it to be. - -"The man is dead," said he, testily; "leave him to God." - -Leah held her peace. It annoyed the ordinarily self-possessed woman, -that for one fierce moment emotion should have overleaped judgment. -Reining in her passions, she relapsed into the sober jog-trot -necessary on the rutted road of conventionality. But Lionel's final -speech provoked a laugh. Would his laudation of the dead, she -wondered, change to criticism of the living, did he learn the truth? -Feminine desire for the last word would have blurted out this final -argument, but that an innate masculine discretion recommended silence. -Therefore did she compromise with the laugh, which Lionel, -misunderstanding, resented with the warmth of a generous nature. - -"That is positively cruel," said he, indignantly. - -"Very human, I think," said Lady Jim, yawning away the reaction. - -Following his own line of thought, the curate did not traverse this -statement. "A woman can make of a man what she pleases." - -"Possibly; but I had a beast to deal with." - -"Can't you think more kindly of him, now that he is gone?" - -"No," said Leah, decisively. "I would not say so to every one, but I -do to you, out of respect for your character." - -"I am both flattered and grieved. Be lenient, Lady James. Are you so -good yourself, that you can refuse charity to the dead?" - -Leah shrugged her shoulders and crossed her feet. "That's a trifle -personal, isn't it?" she asked good-humouredly; "like the rest of this -futile conversation. Well, for the first time and the last, I shall -pay you the compliment of defending myself. To begin with, my friend, -your definition of good and bad depends upon dogma, so we disagree at -the outset." - -"Let us take the primary instincts of being, and----" - -"Oh, I fear we have not the time to begin with Genesis. What is left -of poor Jim arrives in charge of M. Demetrius within two hours, and I -must prepare myself for the scene there is bound to be. To be brief in -my defence, I can safely say that I am better than most women. I never -gave Jim the chances he gave me of appearing in the divorce court. I -keep my temper, even when most provoked. I don t say nasty things -about those who run me down, and always help those I like. I avoid the -use of slang and of excessively strong drink. I neither smoke, nor -indulge in morphine. I invariably go to church, with half a crown for -the plate; and--and--I think that includes all my virtues. What more -would you have?" - -"Unselfishness," responded Lionel, gravely; "egotism is your sin." - -"And the world's. I might inquire with the Apostles, and I do inquire, -with all curiosity, 'Who then can be saved?'" - -"Those whose merits do not spring from the ego, as do yours. To you, -Lady James, Satan comes in his favourite guise, as an angel of light, -and only the Ithuriel spear of the Holy Spirit can unmask him. -Virtuous! I grant you are--because you pamper self too much to -sacrifice your position and comforts to a love that is willing to lose -the world for love alone. Good-tempered!--why not, with a healthy body -and an equable nature? That you do not gossip is certainly a point in -your favour, although I suspect that this abstinence is again the ego, -which does not permit you to be sufficiently interested in others to -discuss their affairs. You help those you like--feed them, as it were, -with the over-abundant crumbs from your table; in the words of our -Lord I can say, 'Do not even the publicans so?' But would you help -those you hate, and at a sacrifice?" - -"Certainly not. Why should I? They would not be even grateful." - -"Quite so. You expect a reward for your good deeds." - -"In this world. You look for yours in the next." - -"No; though I admit that the temptation is strong. I try to serve God -out of love and gratitude." - -"Ridiculous, even if true. Such self-abnegation is beyond me." - -"Yes, that is what I call being really and truly good." - -"I see--that is, I don't see. You are always so impossible." - -"Nothing is impossible with God's help, as without it nothing is -possible. Listen, Lady James"; and with his soul on fire to raise her -from the material to the spiritual, Lionel attempted reasonable -argument. For over half an hour did he preach, expound, warn, -demonstrate, quote, deduce, persuade; but at the end of thirty-five -rapid minutes he found her and himself again at the starting point. - -Leah listened critically, and even with interest. Hindered by her -limitations from seeing a satisfactory conclusion, she declined the -tournament, and retired to watch her opponent tilt at giants which she -mistook for windmills. Said the inversely deceived Donna Quixota: "How -well you talk, Lionel! Why don't you leave the Church and go in for -Parliament?" - -The curate shook the cold water of this douche out of his ears, and -rose, markedly discouraged. "I cannot make you understand," he said -sadly; "only the Holy Spirit can convince you of your need." - -"My need of what?" - -"Of salvation." - -"That would be adding sugar to honey, and I feel very contented with -my honey. Good health, plenty of money, a tolerable position, -and----" - -"And you have yet to reckon with God. All these things come from Him, -and all He can take away." - -"I don't agree with you." - -"Nor will you, until your pride is broken." - -"That it never will be," said Leah, superbly. - -"So you think in your insolence of beauty and health. But when you -come to die?" - -"Well, then, I shall die, and that's all about it." - -"What is the glory of the rainbow to the colour-blind?" Lionel asked -himself, and walked to the door. There he paused to deliver himself of -a final warning: "Though you triumph in your own strength, and be at -ease in the palace of sin, yet will the reckoning come. The Most High -God--IS," and he departed. - -"Word! words! words!" That was Lady Jim's summing up of the interview. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - -In that chilly hour preceding dawn, under the searching grey eye of -earliest morning, the coffin was opened in the presence of Pentland -and his family. The likeness between the lawful son and the unlawful, -even more apparent in death than in life, startled the woman best -prepared to countenance a gross deception. Leah could almost have -imagined this waxen, awful face to be that of Jim; and an emotion of -genuine fear shook her to the soul she had so deliberately burdened. -Moreover, and not without reason, that haunting thought of an -_assisted_ death became appallingly obtrusive before these medicated -remains. Was Demetrius--was she--guilty of----? Her will fought -desperately against the suggested word, and this mental struggle still -further compelled the revelation of elemental feelings. Streaming -tears, trembling hands, furtive glances, testified to truthful -terrors, breaking through calculated pretence. It needed a scornful -look from Frith the sceptic, and an amazed stare on the part of -Demetrius, to assure her that she beheld a corpse of no importance, -save as a substitute for a living double. And even then this ironic -inspection of the false seemed but a gruesome masquerade of Jim's -lying in state, when his turn really came. - -The actuality of her feelings afforded a welcome escape from further -harrowings; and she left the room, clinging to the arm of Demetrius, -careless whither he led her. The picture gallery was his goal, since -its seclusion invited no eavesdroppers, and here he experimented with -personally manufactured salts, pungent and rousing. These, it soon -appeared, were scarcely needed. Lady Jim, released from the necessity -of playing a grim comedy, recovered speedily, and with recuperation -came the disposition to flick away the disagreeable. - -"What a fool I am!" said Leah, enraged to discover she was but mortal. - -"A woman, a woman," murmured Demetrius, cynically complacent. - -"But no heroine. Ugh!" she shivered, and huddled in her chair. "I -shall dream of that thing for the next year. It was so like Jim. Ugh! -ugh! Horrible! horrible!" - -"Why should the sight of an empty house so startle you, madame?" - -"I am in no mood for metaphors. Go away; you will be needed to shut -that thing up." - -"My successor the undertaker will do that. I have done my share." - -"I only hope you have not overdone it," muttered the woman. - -"And the meaning of that remark, madame?" - -Leah wanting to know, yet, fearing to know, evaded an answer and -shirked a question. "Leave me for a time," she entreated. - -"No--if you will pardon my rudeness. We have much to talk about." - -"Cannot you wait till after the funeral?" she said crossly. "It will -look so strange, your remaining here with me." - -"Ah, but no, madame. To those who might speak I am but your doctor, -who has brought you here to recover yourself." - -"I am perfectly recovered--perfectly." - -"In that case we can talk," he insisted. - -She yielded, not being yet her old fighting self after the -soul-shaking. It was dangerous to enter upon a contest with flawed -armour, so she temporised. It would be best, she decided, to hear his -story, without committing herself to comments. Later, when her nerves -were steady, she could answer more cautiously the question he was -about to ask at an inopportune moment. Her wary nature declined a -consideration of marriage arrangements, to the extent of fixing a date -for a ceremony in which she did not intend to take part. Still, he -could plead, and she could, and would, procrastinate; therefore would -the victory be with her when this unprepared interview ended. - -"Talk on," she said languidly; then added, with a spite created by -shattered nerves, "though I think it very disagreeable of you, to make -me look on that horrid dead thing." - -Demetrius was tolerant of feminine irrelevance. "Madame, to avert -possible suspicion, it was necessary." - -"Undoubtedly it was necessary," admitted self-contradicting woman. -"But--what a risk!" - -"Ah, pardon; in the dark, all cats are grey." - -"I know nothing about cats, but the faces of the dead certainly vary, -M. Demetrius. And dangers cannot be explained away by proverbs." - -"In this case the danger has explained itself. We are now safe." - -The plural struck disagreeably on Leah's ear, and reminded her -somewhat pointedly of the readjusted relations between herself and the -doctor. "_We_ are now safe," she echoed, with reproving emphasis. - -"Assuredly," responded Demetrius, wilfully blind. "Monseigneur has -been completely deceived; also M. le Marquis and Madame his wife; -while your tears, my dear friend, have washed away any possible doubts -which, for my part, I do not believe existed." - -Again she was faced by positive circumstances, for the Russian's last -words hinted a sarcasm which annoyed her. It might be that, with still -quivering nerves, she looked too anxiously for causes of offence, but -the familiar ease of his manner was unpalatable. A second implied -rebuke would avail as little as had the first, and Leah, mindful of -her dignity, abstained from indicating in words the Rubicon he was not -to cross. Demetrius knew overmuch for her to speak authoritatively, so -it was necessary to permit him the odious intimacy of an accomplice. -But he should pay hereafter for his usurpation of such a position: -that she vowed inwardly, even while smiling on his success. Smiling -was possible now, as the prospect of an inevitable verbal duel braced -her to abnormal self-control. - -"Sit down," she commanded abruptly. "I have yet to learn details of -your scheme." - -"_Our_ scheme," he reminded her. - -"You flatter me, M. Demetrius, since I cannot take credit for your -clever inventions." - -"We are all in the same boat, madame." - -"You, I, and----?" she glanced at him inquiringly. - -"Your husband." - -"Can you not grasp the fact that I am a widow? When I have a husband," -she smiled meaningly, "do you think he will sanction Mr. Berring -rowing in the boat you mention?" - -Suspicious people are the easiest to gull, and the smile, rather than -the words, changed the gloomy doubter into a confiding child. Her -enforced diplomacy was gaining her ground already. "My angel! you -mean----" - -Leah cleverly shortened a possible rhapsody. "Of course I do. Ah!" -with a sentimental sigh; "what have I done to be so doubted?" - -"Never by me, I swear. Believe me, soul of my soul----" - -"Hush!" she raised an admonitory finger to check dithyrambic wooings -at an untoward moment. "We are yet in the wood." - -"Out of it, while here--yes, here, where you so sweetly promised we -should become one"; his voice sank tenderly. - -"After certain preliminaries had been observed, M. Demetrius." - -"Say, Constantine." - -"As you will, Constantine. I can deny you few things, after what you -have done." - -"Yet what you deny is what I desire." - -Lady Jim displayed impatience at this headlong haste. "We are not in -Verona, nor will your age permit you to play Romeo to a Juliet of my -temperament. When my husband's body is buried"--she laughed -consciously--"and my months of mourning are ended, then--well, -then--ah, be patient, Constantine." - -"Am I not to touch your finger-tips meanwhile?" - -"If it is any satisfaction"; and she gave him her hand to mumble, -ruminating meanwhile on this shrinking of giant to dwarf. The -unendurable lasted half a minute; then, "Be sensible, M. Demetrius." - -"Ah!" the child sighed for his lost rattle; "you descend from poetry -to prose." - -She nodded. "Would you versify explanations?" - -"Explanations?" - -"Necessary ones. How did you transfer Garth's body to Jamaica?" - -The doctor looked piteous. "To think of wasting this golden hour," he -murmured. - -"Oh!" The ejaculation was careless, but the instinct was to box a -dullard's ears. "Business before pleasure, M. Demetrius." - -"At least, Constantine." - -"M. Demetrius," she repeated inflexibly. "We are to marry, well and -good; but beforehand, I must understand my position as a Russian -princess." - -The pessimism of the Slav asserted itself in renewed doubts. "I am a -simple doctor, madame." - -"Very simple, if you imagine--but that can be discussed later. Come," -cajolingly to a hesitating and sullen being, "an account of your -adventures must prove amusing. Cheer me up for the funeral." - -This extraordinary conclusion staggered a man not easily moved to -amazement. "Mon Dieu!" Then in English: "You were weeping some minutes -ago, madame." - -"And I may be weeping some minutes later," she retorted, suppressing -rising irritation. "I ask explanations rather than give them. Tell me -how you managed." - -Shrugging away a question relative to female weathercocks, Demetrius -reluctantly obeyed. He desired love-talk, and she hard facts; but -naturally her subject forced his subject out of sight. Man being -romantic, and woman practical, the latter invariably clips the -former's wings, lest he should soar beyond the necessities of her -hour. Moreover, his pinions rendered useless, Demetrius could not -dispute common-sense views. Thus, dexterously managed, did he yield to -a puppet, Fate, the strings of which were pulled by obstinacy and -selfishness, blended into what Leah called firmness. She was an adept -at ticketing her vices virtues. - -"That poor Garth"--the doctor mentioned his late patient thus -endearingly throughout the narrative--"died of consumption." - -"Of consumption?" Leah put the question she had been shirking for so -long with nervous emphasis, and with short, indrawn breaths. - -"Assuredly, and earlier than I expected. There was no need to----" - -"I know--I know! Do not put it into words," she fiddled with her -handkerchief, looking up, down, everywhere except at her companion. -"Did he suffer much?" was her inquiring whisper. - -"Not at all; he died in his sleep. Pray do not alarm yourself, madame; -the release was a happy and an easy one." - -"I am so glad--so relieved," murmured Lady Jim, seeing the spectre -which had long haunted her pillow dissolve into thin air. "You see, I -thought--that is, I fancied----" she hesitated, and passed her tongue -over dry lips. - -"The need did not arise," explained the doctor, answering somewhat -contemptuously her unspoken fears; "although I was prepared to---- No, -do not shudder; there is no blood on my hands, nor on yours. We can -marry in peace." - -The doubly false prophecy of the last sentence provoked her into -ignoring the entire speech. "Go on--please go on. Garth died a natural -death at Funchal. Well?" - -"I did not say that, madame." - -"Absurd! Why, your explanation----" - -"Is yet to come, if you will accord me a hearing"; whereupon, -accepting an impatient permission, Demetrius slipped into the -undramatic--literally so, for he avoided oratorical snares, the high -colouring of superlatives, and the temptation to dilate on obviously -sensational moments. He might have been reciting the alphabet, so dry -was his deliver of an advisedly barren tale. - -One Richard Strange, mariner--so commenced the sober _Odyssey_--owned -and captained a sea-gipsy, prowling on ocean highways and in harbour -byways for the picking up of chance cargoes. As an instinctive -buccaneer, ostensibly law-abiding, he lent himself and his -tramp-steamer to whatever nefarious proposals promised the acquisition -of money at slight risks. Thus fitted for the Russian's requirements, -secret instructions brought him to anchor in Funchal Bay. With him -sailed, for possible restoration to health, a consumptive nephew, -Herne by name, also a factor in an admirably conceived scheme. - -"The dead was necessary for the living, and the dead for the dead," -said Demetrius, paradoxically. - -"What do you mean by that?" questioned Lady Jim, very naturally. - -"The body of that poor Garth had to be buried in Madeira, madame; yet, -being wanted here, to pass as the corpse of your husband, it was -necessary to arrange for a substitute." - -"I understand. Herne was to pass as Garth, and Garth as Jim." - -Demetrius assented and proceeded. With his two patients the doctor -lodged at a second-rate hotel, not a stone's-throw from the shore. In -due time Herne died, and Demetrius, at once transferring the body to -Garth's bedroom, induced the surviving consumptive to board the -_Stormy Petrel_--so the sea-gipsy was named--for the purpose of -informing its skipper of his relative's death. Strange, previously -advised, detained the young man, and Demetrius proceeded to bury Herne -under the prisoner's name. - -"An easier task than you would think, madame," he explained; "for the -Portuguese landlord confused the names of my patients, owing to his -ignorance of their language." - -"But scarcely of their appearance, I should think," observed Lady Jim, -shrewdly. - -Demetrius shrugged away the objection. "I cannot say that the landlord -had studied Lavater. To his uninformed eye, two fair young Englishmen -were much alike; and consumption, madame, begets a family likeness in -those it afflicts. I assure you that this Portuguese was as satisfied -that my poor Garth had died, as is Monseigneur convinced that his son -lies in the coffin we inspected." - -Leah shuddered for the twentieth time at the mental picture evoked. -"Ugh! What then?" - -The doctor informed her placidly. As Garth, under a tombstone suitably -inscribed, the skipper's nephew was buried--the very fact that he had -existed thus being blotted out by a chiselled lie. Then did the -sea-tramp loaf--the word is appropriate--over-seas to Jamaica at a -slow ten knots an hour; with bad luck it would seem to one passenger, -at least. - -"He died on board," exclaimed the listener. - -"That poor Garth--ah yes; as a child did he fall asleep, to -waken----" Demetrius spread his hands, at a loss to supply further -information. His ideas of a future state were vague. - -With an admirably embalmed body on board, the disreputable craft of -Captain Strange slipped her anchors in Kingston Harbour; but no -half-masted ensign intimated her lugubrious cargo. Lord James Kaimes, -forewarned by a cypher letter, rowed out to inspect an eidolon of -himself, as he would one day appear. His nerves being shaken by -enforced invalidism, he did not appreciate the sight. Also, the -medicines of Demetrius, given to induce counterfeit consumption and -lean, sallow looks, made him fear lest this rascally comedy should -deepen into a real tragedy for himself. Those in Kingston with whom he -had made acquaintance were not surprised when Demetrius took him -eastward to the famous Blue Mountains, in the hope that the healing -air would mend his lungs; nor did any one manifest astonishment when, -after a discreet period, news came of his death. Perhaps, if these -sympathisers had seen one James Berring sneak on board the _Stormy -Petrel_, and had beheld that ship rolling south to Buenos Ayres, they -would have expended less pity on his untimely decease. As it was, -while Jim foregathered with the skipper--a man after his own -buccaneering heart--former acquaintances, Government officials, and -local doctors were complimenting Demetrius on the clever way in which -he had embalmed the late James Kaimes' body, with such few scientific -appliances as could be at hand in the Blue Mountains. - -"They had no suspicion--these people?" questioned Leah, abruptly. - -"I assure you, no, madame. My mummy, you saw it, yourself." - -Leah rose, lest her mind's eye should conceive too vivid a picture. "I -shall always see it," she murmured, with loathing. "Ugh! What a fool I -am--what a fool!" - -"A woman, a woman. And so, madame, we recommence our conversation." - -"It has already lasted too long," she rejoined. "Lord Frith----" Here -she stopped, too discreet to repeat club gossip, which might -strengthen still more the already strong position of Demetrius. - -"You were about to observe, madame?" - -"Nothing! It is of no moment. You are sure all is safe--sure?" - -"As sure as I am that we, you and I, shall be happy." - -"Sentiment and business mix about as well as snow and fire," snapped -Leah, yet ridden by a nightmare memory of that dead face; "but this -sailor whose nephew you borrowed?" - -"Captain Strange? He will say what I will." - -"At a price, no doubt." - -"Of the smallest, madame. One thousand pounds." - -"Ridiculous! Extortionate!" - -"One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs," said Demetrius, -in dry tones; "it would be well not to vex my friend Strange." - -"Who wants to vex him? He shall have his money. Anything else?" - -"This letter from your late husband"; and Demetrius handed over an -envelope directed in Jim's sprawling hand, and sealed with Jim's -ancestral coat of arms. - -"Fool!" was Leah's comment on this carelessness. "Doesn't he know he -is dead, and is about to be buried?" She thrust the letter hastily -into her pocket and was about to hurry away, when she caught a glimpse -of the Russian's darkening face. She paused wisely, to dismiss him -with a compliment. "You have managed splendidly, M. Demetrius." - -"Do I not deserve to be called Constantine, now?" - -"Yes--no--that is--oh, don't bother"; Lady Jim snatched away the hand -he had captured. "You foreigners never learn sense." - -"Are you teaching it to me now?" he asked in a metallic voice. - -"I am--if you are clever enough to learn the lesson. See as little of -me as possible, and don't speak to me at all. When Jim--that is, when -Garth--is buried, we shall see." - -"But, madame----" - -"Quite so. Consider your objections answered." - -"They will be answered," said Demetrius, very distinctly, "before the -altar of any church you may select." - -A remembrance of his capacity for being dangerous, and an anxious -survey of his narrowing eyes, made her deceptive. She diplomatically -employed feminine strategy, against which no man living can -man[oe]uvre. "You doubt me, Constantine," whispered the she-Judas, -with trembling tenderness; "will not this----?" She bent forward to -drop a butterfly kiss on his forehead, and left him dazed, in the -seventh and most exalted Paradise of Fools. - -"Faugh!" said Lady Jim, when shut up in her own room. There she read -the communication from her legally deceased husband. It narrated a -story similar to that detailed by Demetrius, but scarcely so -concisely. Mr. Berring showed a disposition to ramble, and his -excursions ended on every occasion in a command to send half the -insurance money at once--the last two words being aggressively -underlined. He was in the best of health, on his way to Buenos Ayres; -thence would travel to Rosario--"where that woman lives," commented -Leah, tearing off the address and carefully burning Jim's maunderings. -"Half the money--eh? Fifteen thousand pounds! I think not, Mr. -Berring. That captain, too, with his absurd charge, and after all my -trouble! I wonder Demetrius does not claim his share, also." - -It would have been cheaper had he done so, since she possessed the -money and he intended to possess her. But he would refuse a cheque and -claim her hand, as she reflected with impotent rage. What a pity she -could not pay him off, and, along with Jim and Strange, dismiss him -into Limbo! She did not exactly know what Limbo was, or where it was, -save that once there these people could not bother her. But with all -the will in the world she could not get out of the apparent cul-de-sac -she had walked into. - -"Demetrius wants _me_, and these other beasts my money," she raged -inwardly. "What a mean advantage they all take! Pigs! As though I -worked for nothing. What is to be done? What--what?" - -This question was difficult to answer. Jim she could bamboozle with a -small sum, since he could not well betray her without laying himself -open to a charge of conspiracy. But the Russian and the skipper, both -adventurers of the most reckless type, would assuredly demand their -wages. "I shall have to pay that captain," she decided regretfully; -"but Demetrius--insolent little creature!--he shall go to Siberia, -even if I have to kiss him again. Faugh!" - -Then she descended to tell the Duke how the sight of poor dear Jim's -face had broken her up entirely. Yet people said that Leah Kaimes had -no sense of humour. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - - -A sociable undertaker, lacking the indispensable humour of his -brethren, bitterly complained that he rarely inquired after a friend's -health without being suspected of business motives. Ex-lieutenant -Harry Askew found himself in a similar predicament, since his desire -to marry a widow precluded him from offering sympathy. That he should -personally, or by letter, deplore the necessity of crape caps, would -suggest waning affection; while a congratulatory address laid him open -to the charge--which this especial widow would certainly make--of -unseemly dancing on a newly-made grave. With laboured wisdom Askew -dropped between the horns of this dilemma. Paying no visit, writing no -letter, he compromised by leaving a card. In this dexterous avoidance -of impalement Lady Jim read the untold story of his perplexity, and -smiled at the diplomatic evasion. - -There being an exception to every rule, the absence which should have -made the Askew heart grow fonder produced an opposite effect. Debarred -from the temple of his goddess, he began to ask himself why he -worshipped, and thereby dug the grave of illicit passion. That such -was now permissible, and even praiseworthy, considering its -consolatory results, only made him a more ardent sexton. The votaries -of Eros can begarland themselves with roses, but Hymen's celebrants -wear chains of approved legal pattern. Was the cultus of the -matrimonial god worth such encumbrances? Thus Askew inquired of his -own pampered self, and, not knowing exactly what his selfishness -desired, obtained but a doubtful response. What else could he expect? -Two-faced Janus is the true god of oracles. - -Lady Jim was witty, beautiful, chaste and brilliant--admirable -qualities in a woman, but in a wife, unless informed with love, rather -unattractive. Askew doubted if a composite mate of this glittering, -unwarmed sort would satisfy his somewhat exacting requirements. -Accepting too readily the world's definition, what he and it called -love was actually selfishness, masquerading. He fancied, and with much -reason, that Leah, openly devoted to herself, would not show devotion -to him: that is, she being selfish, and he ditto, genuine happiness -would not and could not spring from this union of like and like. -Moreover, he ignorantly loved--in the world's sense--through his eyes, -and with his lower nature; so it was probable that the legal -possession of irresponsive beauty would pall. To limit a butterfly to -one rose would bore the butterfly, and if the rose were sentient, she -also might feel weary. In this way, and from surface feelings, argued -Askew; but natural limitations prevented comprehension of the true -reason which disinclined him to prosecute his now legal and therefore -uninteresting wooing. - -He was a better man than he knew, and this he would have known, had he -paid heed to the intimations of his higher self, when it occasionally -overcame the lower. When the god within overtopped the brute, he had -beheld not so clearly the body as the soul of Lola Fajardo, and had, -for one swift moment, recognised that conjunction with the spirit -would best promote his happiness. A genuine marriage must be -spiritual, and it is the souls, whom God hath joined, which man is -forbidden to put asunder. Askew's introspective self knew that his -allotted wife on this physical plane was Lola, and that to her alone -should love be given. But the lust of the eye demanded Leah Kaimes' -beauty, and feigned a spurious passion to gain possession. Absence -from Lady Jim made him aware that he did not actually love her, and a -feeble struggle of the soul bound in chains of selfishness revealed -that he would do well to seek Lola once more. Hence came the war -between light and darkness, wherein the light so far triumphed that -the young man sought Curzon Street with more self-control than was -desirable in an admitted lover--one, be it known, of the worldly, -material type only. And may all such, for the well-being of the race, -be anathema maranatha! - -"I took you to be more original," said Leah, when he entered. - -"Original?" - -"To the extent of defying conventionality by calling before the -funeral." - -"Your grief----" - -"Needed consolation. You declined to console." - -"I come now." - -"At the eleventh and less necessary hour. Besides----" She looked -meaningly towards the window-seat, where a flushed and smiling Katinka -adored with timid conversation and eloquent eyes a rather sour -Demetrius. "Will you have a cup of tea?" - -"Thank you," and they moved towards the bamboo table, whence she had -risen to whisper her greeting at the door. - -Advisedly it would seem, since she cast a rapid and satisfied glance -at the doctor's lowering face. The set mouth, the narrowing eyes, hard -as jade, betokened jealous rebuke of Leah's condescending to meet the -newcomer as royalty should be met. Reading this index of a mind ill -at ease, Lady Jim resumed her seat, tacitly pleased. She had an end to -gain, and this over-attention to Askew meant the beginning of plots. - -It was over a month since the supposed Jim Kaimes had been packed away -in the family vault, and his widow enjoyed the fruits of her labours. -Dr. Demetrius, looking upon the thirty thousand pounds as purchase -money, wished to possess the woman he had thus bought, and objected to -other customers eying his bargain. Hence his jealousy discerned a -rival in Askew, and Lady Jim--aware of this clear-sightedness--was -content that he should so discern. She could neither cajole nor reason -Demetrius into trusting himself in Paris: but the desired result might -be brought about by utilising green-eyed jealousy. The unexpected -meeting of the rivals afforded her an eagerly seized chance of putting -fire to powder. The possible explosion, she hoped, would blow -Demetrius into Siberian wilds. Thus, playing with amorous fire, she -hastened to heap on lavish fuel. - -"I am seeing a few friends now," said Lady Jim, ministering to her -visitors' five-o'clock wants. "Mademoiselle Aksakoff and Dr. -Demetrius--you know both, I believe. Lady Richardson may look in -later; also----" Here she checked her tongue. Aksakoff was due in half -an hour; but it would not do to advise Demetrius of that. The chances -were that Katinka, aware of the intended visit, would carry off the -doctor early. Lady Jim devoutly wished that she would. Her -drawing-room was no stage for melodrama. - -"Also?" queried the newly arrived. - -"Also her son, Sir Billy. Have you met him? Of course! Monte Carlo! I -remember. Isn't he charming--a D'Orsay of the cradle, Brummel in -embryo? I have a mind to marry him, as a pocket-husband." - -"Am I to wish you joy?" - -Leah looked at him suddenly and understood. This man had risen from -his knees, and the chances were--going by experience--that he would -stroll away. She did not intend to permit that, since he was necessary -to her schemes. Until Demetrius was safely bestowed in Siberia he -would have to be flattered and coerced and ensnared into remaining. -Then he could go and welcome. With freedom and money she wanted no -encumbrances. And it vexes a woman to have a man more earnest than -herself hanging round her skirts. However, this was not the time for -plain speaking, and she answered in this Thalian vein. - -"Of course you must wish me joy--in a whisper." - -The smiles of Leah, the attitude of Askew, the sibilant indistinct -voices of both, goaded Demetrius. He all but interrupted the tea-table -conference. But since Lady Jim wished to be a princess--she had -conveyed that idea clearly--and as Katinka's aid was necessary to the -recovering of his birthright, he dared not to offend the girl. Jealous -himself, Demetrius knew how easy it would be to arouse the doubts of -another--especially of a woman. He therefore remained seated and -waited developments, while Katinka chatted earnestly. - -"I really wish you would be reconciled with my father," said she. - -"M. Aksakoff is less willing for such a consummation than I, -mademoiselle." - -She disagreed, hurriedly. "You are wrong. My father is willing, but -your enemies are not." - -"And my enemies are his enemies?" he inquired dryly. - -"Assuredly. But one enemy--Paul Petrovitch--is my friend." - -"Your cousin." - -Katinka nodded and proceeded with explanations. "He has, as you know, -much influence with the Czar." - -That would be used on your behalf, if----" She paused, coloured, and -cast down her eyes. - -"If what?" - -"If I agreed to marry him." - -Thin ice indeed, but Demetrius skated extremely well. "Mademoiselle," -said he, gravely, "I cut myself off from my princely family, and -surrendered wealth that I might work in the cause of humanity. To -assist a brother worker did I risk exile, with the result you behold. -Why, then, should I demand a sacrifice on your part, to restore that -which I personally do not regret?" - -"Believe me, my friend, it would mean no sacrifice. You hinted when -last we met that you were prepared to consider the proposition of -resuming your rank." - -"I did--contingent on certain events happening," replied Demetrius, -thinking that if Lady Jim insisted upon being a princess of the -drawing-rooms, he would be forced to yield; "but we can talk of this -in a--well, in a few months. There is no hurry!" recalling the -necessary period of mourning. "No, there is no hurry!" He paused, then -questioned suddenly, "You love Paul Petrovitch?" - -"No, no! Ah, no!" - -"It would, then, certainly be a sacrifice for you to marry him." - -"I would never do that." - -"How, then, could you persuade him to use his influence?" - -"It is a case of diamond cut diamond," explained Katinka, with the -indifference of a woman to all other honour, save that of the man she -loves. "Paul Petrovitch wishes to marry me. If I agree, he will induce -the Czar to reinstate you in your possessions. When you have made your -peace at St. Petersburg, I could refuse to---- Oh!" she broke off with -a confused laugh, "do not look shocked, M. Demetrius. I but trick him, -as he is prepared to trick me." - -"I am far from being shocked," denied the liberal-minded doctor; "to -prevent being bitten, we must bite. But the possible sacrifice----" - -"Lies in lending myself to such a trick. I make it for you--for you; -yes, do you not understand?" - -Only that stupid animal, a sheep, could have refused comprehension. - -"I am not worthy," shuffled Demetrius, hurriedly. - -"_I_ think you are," she breathed tenderly. "Will you not permit me to -prove my belief?" - -"I shall be honoured, if--in a few months--the time is scarcely ripe -for me to move; and you will understand. In short, when things are -different--your noble offer--we can discuss it later. Believe me"--he -thrilled her with a light touch--"I comprehend the nobility of your -nature. Ah, my friend, do not press me to take advantage of so -glorious a sacrifice." - -So stammered Demetrius, his confusion being worse confounded, and -wrapping up refusal in evasive words, meaningless if sugared. Katinka -sighed. Always she pressed her mediatory offer, and always she -declined acceptance. Angry that the proffered gift should be flung -back in her face, she suddenly felt a sense of outrage at his -persistent quibbling. This man must see that she loved him; yet he -trifled with her too obvious passion. There was Lady Jim, of course, -in spite of Lady Jim's readjustment of the situation at Monte Carlo. -Yet, could he, could any man, love this chilly, self-centered -Englishwoman? No! As she knew, Demetrius demanded love for love, -and he certainly would not give all to Lady Jim without receiving -back in kind. Therefore he did not love the woman; therefore he was -heart-whole; and being so, why should he not yield to one who was -ready to suffer all for his sake? She could not understand; but -this she knew--that her self-respect rebelled. - -And at the moment, that feeling, swallowing up all others, impelled -her to walk away, without even a backward glance. But she remained -where she was, since her adoration for this unresponsive god -amounted to monomania. She hated to cringe, to cast down her womanly -dignity; but she was forced to do so. Passion proved stronger than -self-respect, than natural shame, than maiden pride. Enthralled by -Venus, as had been Helen of Troy, she was forced to grovel at the feet -of this--as she suspected--ignoble Paris. Would he never smile? Would -he never unbend? She could not say; she did not know. All she felt was -pure unhappiness, and she could have cursed the power which trammelled -her in these nets of undesired love. The gods were sporting, and -Olympus shook with laughter at her mortal sorrow. - -"Come--when you need me," said she, and rose. - -Demetrius was self-seeking, yet possessed human feelings, and of these -shame was uppermost. The vein of divinity which streaked his clay made -him acknowledge that he was using hardly this flouted worshipper. -Outwardly at least, and with an impetuosity alien to his calculating -character, he wished to make amends. - -"Let me come also." - -"There is no need," she replied coldly, and crossed to the tea-table. -"You will excuse my departure, Lady James. I have an engagement, Mr. -Askew!" She bowed, and then went silently out of the room. - -"Do you follow, doctor?" asked Lady Jim, stepping with him to the -scarcely closed door. - -He did not reply directly, but glanced across her shoulder towards the -yawning lieutenant. "Remember," he breathed significantly, and in his -turn departed. - -Leah wondered that the feelings which had evoked the word should not -have kept him watchful of her pretty play, and confessed herself -puzzled by his abrupt following of Katinka's trail. But having, as she -knew, aroused his jealousy, there was no need to consider meanings -which would not affect her schemes. Aksakoff was due, and before he -appeared it was necessary to teach Askew the rôle of cat's-paw. He was -to decoy Demetrius to Paris, but of course, she did not mean him to be -aware of his ignoble duties. She returned to rebuke him for yawning -and to propose a remedy. - -"What you need is change of scene, if not of society. Now there is -Paris, which you probably know well." - -"I do not know it at all," he confessed. - -"What a neglected education! I must teach you Paris. Will you be ready -for your first lesson early next week?" - -"I do not quite understand." - -Lady Jim nodded laughingly. "Which proves that 'our future' is now -split into 'your future' and 'my future.'" - -"I am more in the dark than ever," said the amazed listener. - -Lady Jim curled her lip contemptuously. "You men need so much -explanation," said she; then, meaningly, "I can still retain you as a -friend, I hope." - -"What do you--that is--on what grounds----? You do not comprehend!" He -stuttered, grew red, and writhed over the fire on which she was -grilling him, with much enjoyment to herself. - -"Ah, but I do comprehend--very clearly, too. When did the change -come?" - -"The--change?" - -"Of heart, if you wish me to enter into details." - -"There is no change in me," he denied, still red and flurried. - -"And no truth either, when you make such a statement!" With a light -laugh she recalled his fierce wooing: "you would not attempt to break -my wrists now." - -"I am very, very sorry, that I was rough with yon." - -"Quite so, and cannot you see that such sorrow explains everything?" - -"Not to me," said Askew, desperately fervent. - -Leah clapped her hands gaily. "How very badly you do it! Do not go on -the stage, I beg of you. Well!" she kissed her hand to him, "adieu! I -hope she will be happy." - -"Who will be happy?" - -"The other woman." - -"There is no----" He caught her derisive eyes, and broke down with an -uneasy laugh. "I suppose we have made a mistake." - -"_You_ have," she replied, promptly emphasising the pronoun. - -"Ah!" His pride was wounded by the implied indifference. "Then you -knew it would come to this?" - -"Of course, because I did not choose that it should end otherwise. If -I had chosen, you would still have been----" She glanced smilingly at -her slim feet, then handled the teapot with ostentatious liveliness. -"You can have some cold tea, if you like." - -As Askew had intended to drop her, the idea that she was dropping -him--and very readily, too--was wounding to his vanity. "You never -loved me," he declared. - -"Did I ever say that I did?" - -"Well, no; all the same----" - -She clasped her hands over her knee, and smiled indulgently at his -mortified face. "All the same, you are unwise to explain, so we will -change the subject, Mr. Askew." - -"Ah! Not even Harry?" - -"Not even Leah," she mocked. "Still, you can call me Lady Jim." - -"Till you change the name." - -"Certainly not for that of Askew. Señorita Fajardo may think -differently, when you propose." - -"How do you know I shall?" he asked sulkily, for every word she -uttered fretted his uneasy vanity. - -"Because you are a shuttle-cock between two battledores. She sent you -flying to me; I shall speed you back to her." - -The young man was almost too mortified to speak. "What a light, vain -fool you make me out to be!" - -"No. You are merely a man in the hands of two women--clay in the hands -of accomplished potters. Now," she laid a caressing hand on his arm, -"promise me to go back to Rosario at once." - -"No!" snapped Askew, wincing at the touch, and so gave her the very -answer she required. - -Her motive in pelting him with hard sentences had been to arouse his -vanity to assert itself in aggressive contradiction; and for three -reasons. Firstly, she did not wish him to make an inconvenient third -in Mr. Berring's wooing of the Spanish lady, lest he should learn much -that it was undesirable for him to know. Secondly, she required him as -her Parisian decoy-duck. And thirdly, it was out of the question that -he should dare to end the flirtation without her leave. A reflection -of these things led her to play skilfully on manly conceit, with the -aforesaid result. She was satisfied when he replied in the negative. -Askew also, since thereby, in his own estimation, he had vindicated -virility, and lacked the insight to see himself her puppet. Having -gained her end, Lady Jim apparently yielded to the lord-of-creation -fiat. - -"Well, then, come to Paris with me and Joan Tallentire. We go on -Monday to the Hotel Henri Trois, Champs Élysées. You can come on -Wednesday." - -"But I don't think----" - -"I am quite sure you don't. Perhaps Thursday will suit you better." - -"If you insist." - -"I do not, unless on common sense, of which you possess so little." - -"How you bully me!" he cried, much vexed by this badgering. - -"Of course; we always bully those we love--as friends, that is. Ah, -here is M. Aksakoff. What a surprise!" She rose gracefully and sailed -forward with outstretched hand, "So kind of you to come! You know Mr. -Askew, I think." - -The diplomatist bowed, and seated himself near the table, whereat -Askew, devoured by a desire for further confidences, fumed, with -depressed eyebrows and twisted mouth. Lady Jim rang for fresh tea, -listening meanwhile to Aksakoff discussing the safe subject of the -weather. Occasionally she glanced with amusement at her victim, who by -this time did not know his own mind, and certainly was incapable of -analysing his very complicated feelings. She bewildered him; he was -not master of himself in her presence, and alternately quailed and -rebelled under her spells. Flight from Circe was his wisest plan. - -"Must you?" inquired Lady Jim, winningly, at the first movement. - -"Must what, please," he asked sulkily, settling down again. - -"Must you go? I see you must. So sorry. Good-bye." - -"I do not want to----" - -"To be bored. Naturally; a widow is but dull company. Please do not -leave us in the dark. The button is on the right-hand side of the -door. No; that is wrong!" She rose and switched on the light herself. -"That is better! Don't you think it is? So good of you to come and -cheer me!" Then, dropping her voice, "Paris?" - -"I shall cross on Wednesday," he murmured; "then we can resume our -conversation." - -"What pleasure you promise me!" she retorted; and, closing the door, -came back to the waiting diplomatist, yawning daintily. "Excuse me, M. -Aksakoff: I have just ended a bad quarter of an hour." - -"That young man, madame?" - -"The same. He wants to marry me. Shocking, isn't it, seeing that I -scarcely know how to pose as a widow?" - -"But natural on his part, surely." - -"How nicely you pay compliments! By the way," sliding away from the -subject, "your daughter was here. She has gone off somewhere with your -friend, M. Demetrius." - -Aksakoff frowned. "It is kind of you to enlarge my circle of -acquaintance, madame. I presume you desire to speak of this -gentleman?" - -Leah raised her eyebrows. "No; why should I?" - -"Our conversation at Monte Carlo----" - -"Did we converse? So we did! Something about a sunset, wasn't it?" - -The diplomatist became unworthy of the name, through sheer irritation. -"Can we not drop our masks, madame?" - -"I never knew that we wore such things," said Lady Jim, lightly. "I am -sure I do not. Why should I?" - -"But you sent for me." - -Leah placed her elbows on the table, and the tips of her fingers -together. "I did, to ask you for some letters to nice people in -Paris." - -"Ah!" His face lighted up. "You go to Paris?" - -"My good friend, have I not said so? And the letters?" - -"I shall be delighted"; Aksakoff was now beginning to understand the -necessity of reading between the remarks. "But are letters necessary? -I hope to be in Paris myself next week." - -"How delightful! You will be able to amuse me. Do not look shocked. I -assure you I only wish to drown my grief." - -"Of course," assented Aksakoff, dryly; then added, with a significance -she ignored: "Do you go alone to Paris?" - -"Oh, dear me, no. Miss Tallentire goes with me. A charming girl who is -engaged to my cousin, the Rev. Lionel Kaimes. We stay for a week at -the Hotel Henri Trois, Champs Élysées. Very quietly, you know, as I am -still mourning." - -"As you are still in mourning," corrected her visitor, politely. - -"Certainly. You would not have me flaunting colours with poor dear Jim -just dead. I want to be cheered up, and I ask you and Mr. Askew to -cheer me." - -"Oh! ah!" Aksakoff wrinkled his brow. "Mr. Askew goes to Paris, also?" - -"He said something about it. Such a nuisance, seeing that he -thinks--well, I told you." - -"Madame, his thoughts are excusable. But M. Demetrius will be -angered." - -"What do you mean?" demanded Lady Jim, imperiously. - -Aksakoff's patience was almost exhausted. "We spoke at Monte Carlo," -he reminded her. "Surely we understand one another." - -"Possibly you may. I am quite in the dark. Why should you couple my -name with that of M. Demetrius?" - -"Report says that he loves you." - -"Oh--report!" She laughed, frankly amused. "If you believe -reports----" Here a shrug and a contemptuous laugh. "Why, reports -leave no one a shred of character. I quite expect that my -enemies--Mrs. Penworthy, for one--will say that Mr. Askew followed me -to Paris, for the purpose of marrying me at the British Embassy." - -Aksakoff admired her profoundly. Without committing herself in any way -or for a single instance, she was placing in his hands the thread of -the intrigue. Tacitly acknowledging a diplomatic superior, he followed -her lead. "I trust that Mrs. Penworthy, whom I have the honour to -know, will not spread such a report," he said gravely. - -"Oh, but she will. A horrid woman, and scarcely respectable. She has -called in Dr. Demetrius as her medical attendant, and if--as you -say--he admires me, she is sure to make mischief." - -"Well," said Aksakoff, reflectively, "I am perfectly sure that if M. -Demetrius heard such gossip, he would----" - -"Forbid the banns," finished Leah, hastily and derisively. "Pah! Do -you think, knowing his danger, he would trust himself in Paris? You -are entirely wrong, M. Aksakoff. Our mutual friend left me this very -afternoon to follow your daughter. Let him marry her--now do." - -"No," said Aksakoff, setting down his cup. "Until he surrenders -Katinka he is safer in England." - -"In that case, please do not let Mrs. Penworthy gossip him into -crossing the Channel." - -"For your sake, I will not," said Aksakoff, dryly, and with every -intention of aiding and abetting Mrs. Penworthy. "Will you give me -another cup of tea?" - -She supplied him, and their conversation embraced a variety of -subjects. No further mention was made of Demetrius, or of Katinka, or -of Askew, or even of Paris. They quite understood one another, did -these two clever people. When the diplomatist departed he kissed Lady -Jim's hand with courtly warmth. - -"You are a charming woman, madame--a truly admirable woman; but"--he -straightened himself, and looked into her eyes--"I should not like to -have you for an enemy." - -"What do you mean by that?" asked Lady Jim, artlessly. - -"A compliment, madame--believe me, a very high compliment." - - - -++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -CHAPTER XXIII - - -"Oh, it's lovely, lovely, lovely!" sang Joan Tallentire, clapping her -hands, and whirling dervish-fashion around the room. - -A radiant day or so in Paris had acted on her as sunshine acts on a -flower, when the petals expand, the colour deepens, and the perfume -exhales. What observer, casual or close, would have recognised in this -eager-eyed and sparkling girl the timid companion of Lady Canvey? For -weeks she had associated with the octogenarian; many months had she -superintended the well-being of pauper hags in Lambeth slums; and in -the nursing of an ailing mother many precious years had been expended. -No wonder the fire of being burnt low; no marvel that for long the -eyes had lacked lustre and the cheeks colour. It was truly a case of -the old eating the young--stealing by contact, as it were, the -vitality of youth to reanimate waning life. - -Now Lady Jim, playing fairy-godmother, had transformed this -Cinderella, and the grub of Lambeth soared a splendid dragon-fly. The -spring, long delayed in its coming, sang in her veins. With -stimulating company, amidst novel surroundings, and with tempting food -for satisfying physical and moral appetites, came the renascent -period. Joan felt the burden of artificial years slip from her -shoulders; her quick blood, responding to its environments, rose to -fever heat. One cloud alone necked the sunshine of pleasure's dawn. - -"I wish Lionel was here," she sighed. - -"A Pagan in the temple, a Jew in the church," said Lady Jim, -shrugging. "My dear, Paris was invented for clergymen to rail at, not -to enjoy." - -"Lionel is not narrow-minded, Lady James. He approves of innocent -amusements." - -"Magic-lanterns and penny readings. I fear Paris cannot supply those -dissipations. You can enjoy them under the honeymoon. Meanwhile Mr. -Askew is less exacting and more amusing." - -"There is no one like Lionel--no one." - -"I grant that, else would the world be innocent and dull." - -Joan pursed up her pretty lips and wrinkled a smooth brow. "I don't -understand that," said she, meditatively. - -"No," assented Leah, with a slow and somewhat envious look; "you never -will." - -"Why not?" - -"I could give you fifty reasons, but three will do. You are good and -kind and healthy-minded to excess--an angel, whose white wings flutter -above the mire in which we bipeds grovel. Quite the wife for our -unsophisticated padre. St. Sebastian and St. Cecilia--surely a -marriage arranged in heaven." - -Miss Tallentire could not quite follow Leah's flights--not an -infrequent occurrence. Nevertheless, her intuition espied a -compliment. - -"Do you really mean that?" - -"As I rarely mean anything. Let me be candid for once, since we -converse in the nursery, and say that I respect Lionel and I respect -you." - -"I would rather have love," suggested the girl, timidly. - -Leah touched her breast with eight finger-tips. "From----" Then in -response to an answering blush: "My dear, I love no one but myself." - -"I can't believe that, or you would not have bothered to bring me to -Paris." - -"Merely the desire for a new sensation. I assure you, as Lionel -assured me, that all my virtues spring from the Ego." - -"What is the Ego?" - -"Leah Kaimes in this instance." - -"I don't think you are selfish," persisted Joan; "if you really and -truly were, you would not say so." - -"Oh, but I should; that is my refined form of self-love. When I cry -aloud my imperfections, I receive some such compliment as you have -paid. Then little god Ego, sitting within my breast, sniffs up the -incense." - -"In that case I am selfish, too. I like to be told nice things." - -"And to be given nice things, such as---- Well, I expect Lionel, in -spite of clerical propriety, can explain better than I, and," added -Lady Jim, mischievously, "in dumb show. My dear, your Ego is shaped -like a good young padre; you are merged in Lionel--swallowed up, as -some one's rod swallowed up some one else's. I suppose now"--Leah -nursed her knees with clasped hands--"I suppose when you marry St. -Sebastian, you will be wildly happy in a dull country rectory, wearing -twice-turned gowns and last year's hats, and fussing after old women -and grubby village urchins, with your husband's sermons for relaxation -when penny readings pall." - -"Quite happy," assented Joan, laughing at the over-coloured -picture--"with Lionel, of course." - -"As I say: your Ego is his Ego. Dear!" and Lady Jim dropped two -impulsive kisses on her companion's cheeks. Joan wondered at this -uninvited display of affection, and wondered still more when Leah -turned away with a somewhat bitter laugh. Perhaps, had she guessed the -truth, her sympathy would have extended to this woman, whom self-love -isolated from humanity. - -It pleased Leah to pose as this simple maid's providence, and on the -whole she sustained her deity excellently. Many a time did she check -her free-spoken and sharp tongue, lest Joan should feel hurt, or -become precociously enlightened about those sins which are dubbed -idiosyncrasies in society. The amusements provided were primitive and -commonplace, as befitted the retirement of a newly made widow and -uncultured <i>débutante</i> tastes. Drives in the Bois; visits to the -Louvre, to Versailles, to Notre Dame--on the tail of Hugo's -romance--to Père Lachaise; many inspections of many delightful shops, -one concert at least, and the exploration of places which had to do -with the picturesque history of France filtered through Baedeker and -Murray. Leah, unused to bread and milk, thought the majority of these -outings insipid; but Joan enjoyed them immensely, and wondered at -Continental dissipation. Her ignorance credited Leah with loving, and -invariably leading, this Cook's-tourist life when abroad; and that -lady laughed frequently, in the seclusion of her bedroom, at the idea -of being limited to nursery geography. Nevertheless, she did not -undeceive her <i>ingénue</i>; the bloom, if she could prevent it, should -not be brushed too early from this peach. Which reticence and -determination showed that Lady Jim had in her some soul of that -goodness which lives in things evil. - -Askew duly arrived forty-eight hours later, so that his meeting with -Leah might appear unexpected. He called daily at the Hotel Henri -Trois, and on a hint from Lady Jim devoted attention to Joan the maid. -Leah herself philandered in a business-like way with M. Aksakoff, who, -strange to say, followed Askew's trail on important business. Lady Jim -enjoyed many interesting conversations with him, dealing with a quiet -obliteration of Demetrius, if he should by any chance walk into the -trap. Joan and her cavalier, good surface readers, did not guess at -the elements working below, and so danced unsuspectingly on a volcano. -The fickle sailor was now lukewarm in his affections, and, as Leah -purposed dropping him gradually as soon as Demetrius was on his way to -Siberia, she was not ill pleased to watch red-hot passion cool to -ashen-grey friendship. Certainly it still remained to withhold him -from seeking a foreign wife over-seas, but she postponed schemes of -prevention pending the disposal of immediate troubles. Sometimes it -occurred to her that Askew, a man of tow like all sailors, might catch -fire from contact with Joan; but, player as she was with the hearts -and brains of men, she cherished sufficient friendship for Lionel to -forgo a possible spoiling of his sober romance. There was little -danger that Miss Tallentire would exchange Church for Navy, but that -the juxtaposition of an artless maid and an inflammable bachelor might -not breed fickleness, Lady Jim wrote a letter. "Why not come over and -escort us back to town?" ran this epistle. "Also, in Paris you will -assuredly find material for a sermon on the wickedness of that great -city Nineveh,--I believe you parsons give Western towns Eastern names, -when you wish to abuse them--to avoid libel actions, maybe." Then -followed the mention of the rope to drag this clerical lover across -Channel. "Do come, if only to see how Joan enjoys the society of Mr. -Askew." - -The expected happened on the fifth day of Lady Jim's sojourn in Paris, -when, shortly after noon, Demetrius, obviously disordered in dress and -mind, presented himself in the character of a bolt from the blue. -Luckily, Askew was translating to Joan the Luxor hieroglyphics in the -vicinity of the Place de la Concorde Obelisk, so that she had an hour -to explain away the rumours which had undoubtedly brought him over. -When the sitting-room door clicked behind him--he facing her with -black looks--she drew a deep breath to brace for the fight, and heard, -what he did not, the snick of prison bolts shot home. So far, lured by -the will-o'-the-wisp, jealousy, he had followed recklessly the -dangerous path; now it remained for her to conduct him to the -precipice, over which she and Aksakoff intended he should be thrown. A -trifle of acting was necessary to reassure the venturesome and perhaps -suspicious traveller. - -"M. Demetrius! Are you mad?" - -"Not Constantine, then." He panted like a spent runner, and his face -twisted in a wry smile. - -"What do you mean?" - -Demetrius dropped heavily into the nearest chair, and sent angry, -inquiring glances into every corner. "Where is he?" - -"Where is who?" - -"Oh, madame"--he became sarcastic here--"you know very well, I think." - -"I know nothing, save that you are foolish to venture into Paris, -where there is a price on your head. M. Aksakoff is here, too; if he -knew--if he guessed." - -"Well, what matter? I have run greater risks for lesser reasons." - -"Yet they must be strong ones in the present instance, to make you -enter the bear's den." - -"I have one reason for my venture, madame--you; and another--Mr. -Askew; not to speak of a third--this marriage at your Embassy." - -"I can understand the first; the second may be explained by wholly -unnecessary jealousy; but the final one--this marriage you speak of?" - -"Between yourself and Mr. Askew." - -Lady Jim stared, then laughed good-humouredly. "My dear Constantine, -the idea is too ridiculous." - -"I have the news on good authority." - -"Which is the last authority you should believe. Mr. Askew is -certainly here; but not, I believe, in the character of a bridegroom." - -"Mrs. Penworthy----" - -"Oh!" Leah's scorn was worthy of the great Sarah. "Mrs.--Penworthy?" - -"She told me that you came here; that Mr. Askew followed----" - -"Forty-eight hours later. Quite correct." - -"And that you intended to marry him at the British Embassy." - -"Really! I never knew that Mrs. Penworthy was imaginative." - -"It is not true!" His eye probed her. - -She did not flinch. "You must be mad to think so." - -"It is not true?" he persisted. - -"You yourself have denied the truth of it twice. Mr. Askew at this -moment dances round Miss Tallentire's skirts. Would I permit that, -if----? Oh, ridiculous! You men swallow camels." - -Her dupe rose to pace the room, and to pour out the anger of many -brooding hours. "It is not true--ah, if I could only be sure of that. -This woman--this Mrs. Penworthy--she swore--swore--that you--that -you----" He choked, flung himself headlong to where she smiled -contemptuous, and seized her hands vehemently. "Swear that it is -false!" He dropped on his knees, almost tearful. - -"I do swear," rejoined Leah, disengaging her wrists. "You can take Mr. -Askew back to London if you like. He is engaged to marry a lady in -South America. There is nothing between us--nothing. A flirtation, -yes; banter and pretty smiles, idle nothings and surface -conversations." She smoothed back his hair and smiled playfully. "Am I -marrying Othello?" - -"You are so beautiful," he muttered, wavering. - -"In your eyes, no doubt. Mr. Askew prefers brunettes south of the -Equator. But!"--she rose suddenly, as though she spurned him--but "I -prefer trust. I am angry--yes, very angry. Oh, that you should doubt -me--doubt me!" Her tragic assertion was admirable. - -"I do not--I do not"; and he still grovelled, catching at her dress. - -"Your presence here proves otherwise. Mr. Askew, indeed--a general -lover, a volatile sailor with a wife in every port for all I know. Can -you not credit me with more exclusive tastes?" - -"He is handsome," muttered the still suspicious doctor, and rose, -brushing his knees mechanically. - -"Is he? So you think I am to be won by looks, like a schoolmiss in her -teens"; she looked at his sharp white face, and laughed cruelly. "That -I am engaged to you should prove differently." - -He scarcely heeded her. "Swear! Swear!" and his eyes flamed. - -Leah, calculating the effect, lost her temper. "I shall in a moment," -she cried angrily. "The most patient of women--of whom I am not -one--have their limits. Why do you allow jealousy to overrule common -sense, when the position is so plain? You fixed your price and -fulfilled your part of the bargain. Am I, I ask you, free to play you -this trick of a hasty marriage, when you can expose me as privy to a -fraud? You see that I do not mince matters; I speak plainly, do I not? -You have all the winning cards, and can compel me to become your wife, -even if I dissented. Why, then, do you come here on a fool's errand?" - -"But I love you so," he protested piteously. - -"And love, being blind, makes you stumble into danger. I think you had -better return to England by the night train." - -"Am I to leave you with Mr. Askew?" - -"Oh, take him with you; I gave you permission before. And pray don't -make scenes--I dislike them." - -"Then I am wrong?" - -"Faugh! If you doubt my word, perhaps you will take Mr. Askew's. He -will be here soon with Miss Tallentire. I decline to defend a position -which requires no defence." - -A shrug ended this speech, and this, in conjunction with the anger -brightening her hard blue eyes, reduced him to profuse apologies. - -"But indeed, my soul, you should not be enraged; that I should risk -what I do risk surely proves my love for you." - -"You have proved it before by getting me the insurance money," she -replied impatiently; "pray return at once. I can see you in Curzon -Street when I return on Tuesday." - -"Then you promise to marry me." - -"Yes!" Leah heaved a sigh of exhaustion. "How often do you wish me to -say so? Even if you remain Dr. Demetrius I am bound to become your -wife, seeing that you hold my reputation in your hands. Though of -course," she added sweetly, "I expect to be Princess Constantine -Demetrius." - -"I am willing--believe me, I am willing," he stuttered, now quite -positive that Mrs. Penworthy was a liar of the worst. "Aksakoff----" - -"What of him?" - -"Did you not say that he would aid me to regain my position, if I gave -up Katinka?" - -"He said something like that," she rejoined carelessly, and wondering -why at this moment he recalled the proposition. "But I rather fancy -his offer was merely to leave you alone." - -Demetrius looked silently at the carpet. Leah watched him with a -doubtful look, on her guard against complications. He looked up -suddenly, and with rather a shamed face. "Certainly I could secure the -services of Mademoiselle Aksakoff," he murmured; "but it seems cruel -to use her influence and then to leave her. She loves me. Ah, yes, she -loves me very truly, and I--I treat her most badly." - -"If you think so, why not make amends and marry her?" - -"Because I love you, and at great risk I have bought you." He glared -at her savagely. "I refuse to let you go; you are mine--mine." - -"I never denied that," said Lady Jim, dryly; "but I really cannot -accompany you to Siberia, and if you remain here----" - -"Wait!" He flung up an imperative hand. "I shall see Aksakoff." - -This sounded almost too good to be true, and Leah doubted. "No!" - -"Yes. Ah, my adored, I know how you feel for my safety"; his voice -took on a caressing tone. "But--it is nothing"; he brushed away -imaginary danger with a rapid gesture. "I shall see him. I shall -plainly surrender Katinka, and then--then, when he knows that we--you -and I--are to marry, he will interest himself with the Czar, on -our--you mark me, my angel--on our behalf." - -"It's a mad idea, impracticable. You dare not trust Aksakoff." - -"Ah, bah! He will not arrest me publicly--he cannot. The scandal--the -diplomatic storm--the newspapers. No, no!--it is too absurd. -Besides"--he shrugged--"this tender father will repay me if I give his -daughter to understand that we can never marry. He desires her to be -the Countess Paul Petrovitch." - -"Hum!" said Lady Jim, rejoicing that the prisoner should thus lock -himself in and pitch the key out of the window. "M. Aksakoff hinted -something of this to me at Monte Carlo." - -"Then you can see--then you must understand," Demetrius gesticulated -excitedly. "Should I surrender Mademoiselle--if I write a letter stating -that I do not love, that there can by no means be marriage--Aksakoff will -help me, help you, help us both." - -"As Prince and Princess Demetrius. Yes, I see. And yet--the risk." - -"There is no risk, publicly. And to snare me in secret--no. I am -wary--oh, most wary; no one can trap me. I swear to you, no one." - -"Demetrius," said Leah, as gravely as her delight would let her, "you have -done me a service, which I repay with my hand in marriage. I do not love -you as I ought to, but love may come with the honeymoon. Still, even -now, I have sufficient affection for you to wish for your safety. -Supposing"--she laid an anxious hand on his arm--"supposing M. Aksakoff -played you false, and you were trapped into taking this Siberian -journey--what would I do? Ah, no, my friend; believe me, it is best to -treat with this diplomatist in London. There you are safe; here----"She -shook her head warningly. - -She could not have made a speech, as she very well knew, more likely -to provoke Demetrius into remaining in his enemy's camp. He had accepted -her disavowal of Mrs. Penworthy's gossip, and yet, now that she asked -him to go, urged him to depart, even in Askew's company, his incurable -suspicion made him hesitate. "I shall stay here, and see Aksakoff," he -announced doggedly. - -"Very good," assented Lady Jim, accepting the fiat. "He is coming to -luncheon; you can speak to him then." - -"Why to luncheon?" asked the doctor, sharply. -"Why not?" demanded Leah, up in arms on the instant. "When we are -married, your enemies shall be my enemies; until then, my friends--of -whom M. Aksakoff is one--shall be my own." She became less imperative -in her speech and looks, dropping to a conversational tone. "If you -must know, Katinka asked her father to call while he was in Paris. I -could not do less than ask him to luncheon, could I?" - -A less clever woman would have made a less frivolous excuse, and, -despite his cleverness, Demetrius was gulled into accepting the false -as genuinely true. - -"You will permit that I go to brush my clothes--to remove the dust of -travel," he asked politely. "I return soon to meet M. Aksakoff." - -"Half-past two is the time," said Leah, with a careless glance at the -gimcrack clock on the mantelpiece; "and perhaps it will be safer for you -to meet him in my presence at my table. He can scarcely arrest you there. -One moment," as Demetrius turned to go with a hasty bow. "Mention our -engagement to him privately. I do not wish Miss Tallentire to know, as -she would probably tell Lionel Kaimes, and then the family--very rightly -too--would be shocked." - -"You can always depend upon my discretion, madame," murmured the doctor, -bowing over her hand, and brusquely departed with the air of a -conqueror. - -Lady Jim rubbed the kiss from her hand with vehemence, and flew to the -window, where she watched as eagerly as Sister Anne on Bluebeard's -castle-top. The dapper little figure emerged from the grand portal, and -strutted victoriously down the street. Leah nodded complacently. He was -now in the toils, and, moreover, was voluntarily binding himself in -bonds. All the better; there could be no compunction on her part in -betraying such a heedless fool. If he would insist upon letting his -jealous heart govern his usually wise head, it was impolitic to prevent -him. With sudden thankfulness Lady Jim fished out of her pocket a ruffled -peacock's feather. - -"My luck holds--it holds," said she, kissing the fetish; "you always -bring me luck--dear--dear," and she kissed again. - -This religious ceremony ended, the fortunate lady looked again at the -clock. It was five minutes past one. Sitting down at a side-table she -wrote a note, sealed it, and delivered it to an obsequious waiter, with -directions for its delivery at the Russian Embassy. "And lay two extra -places at luncheon," she ordered; "two gentlemen are coming." - -In this way M. Aksakoff had the unexpected pleasure of partaking of -Lady Jim's hospitality. - - - -++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -CHAPTER XXIV - - -Alone and punctual, hungry for mid-day victuals, and eager to impart -newly acquired knowledge, Miss Tallentire returned from studying the -Luxor Obelisk. Her coming upon the hour and solitary state were noted, -but a second-hand rendering of hieroglyphic lore could be dispensed -with by a lady entertaining a more modern-minded guest. Aksakoff, with -a notable sparkle in his eyes--begotten by confidential conversation -with his hostess--rose to welcome the fair interrupter. International -courtesies were exchanged, while Leah, glancing impatiently at the -clock, waited for their conclusion to slip in a question or so. - -"Where is Mr. Askew? Why did he not bring you back?" - -"He did, Lady James, as far as the lift. He is now writing a letter in -the smoking-room." - -"And so will forget that I asked him to luncheon. Please remind him, -dear; or, better, tell the waiter to bring him up. M. Demetrius is -coming also." - -"Dr. Demetrius!" Joan paused in her exit. "I did not know that he was -in Paris, Lady James." - -"Nor did I until an hour ago. Don't lose time, dear. Mr. Askew may go, -and I particularly wish him to stay." - -Lady Jim ushered the girl out hurriedly, judiciously saw to the - -Lady Jim ushered the girl out hurriedly, and judiciously saw to -the closing of the door, before turning to meet Aksakoff's inquiring -gaze. "You approve of a full table, madame?" - -"There is safety in numbers," she assured him. - -"For M. Demetrius?" - -Leah resumed her seat with raised eyebrows. "I fear you will think me -dull, M. Aksakoff, but I do not understand." - -The diplomatist bowed an apology. He had forgotten that even in -private her comedy was to be played by the book. The conversation of -the next few minutes he foresaw very plainly. She would play round the -reason for their meeting, without coming to grips, mysteriously -conveying her meaning in speeches which she did not mean. Only a -politician of Aksakoff's subtlety would have understood the unsaid -from what she now proceeded to say. - -"Besides"--she was continuing the speech interrupted by his bow--"you -promised that no harm should come to the doctor." - -"Madame, I renew that promise." - -"I hope so; otherwise, I shall regret having consented to this -meeting." - -"Yet I understood that M. Demetrius desired it." - -"That is no reason why I should consent." - -"Possibly not. Still, as a peacemaker----" - -"You put me into the Beatitudes, then?" - -"Why not, if you achieve your object in reconciling enemies?" - -"The signing of the treaty depends upon you, M. Aksakoff." - -"Consider it signed--on conditions." - -"Which means that it is not signed. H'm! M. Demetrius is anxious, even -willing, to renounce your daughter." - -A dull red stained Aksakoff's opaque skin. "How flattering to my -fatherly pride! There is, then"--the hint was delicate--"another?" - -Lady Jim retorted in kind. "So you said at Monte Carlo." - -"Mademoiselle Ninette? I believe I did. She lured him to Paris, then?" - -"How should I know? He has never mentioned the creature's name to me, -nor would he dare to. He came, so he declares, to see me." - -"On matters connected with your recent loss, no doubt." - -"It is more than probable." - -Her avoidance of the necessary topic exasperated him. Sharp words were -on the tip of his tongue, but wisdom withheld them. His accomplice was -not the woman to yield to dominance, and the merest hint of its -exercise might, probably would, engender wrath likely to jeopardise -the almost achieved plot. Money or no money--Aksakoff still ascribed -mercenary reasons--her pride would never bend to the yoke of advice. -To be silent was his second thought, and silent he became. This, it -would seem, was wise, since she began to explain, Aksakoff paying out -liberally the necessary rope that she might hang herself. - -"M. Demetrius is unwise to come here. I told him so; yes, I -confess--remember my warning--that I betrayed you. All the same--very -foolishly, I think--he insisted upon an immediate meeting, to recover -his birthright, he says. Can you arrange for the rehabilitation, of -this exiled Esau?" - -A faint smile played round the diplomatist's thin lips, "I can!" - -"And you will?" - -"Assuredly, if M. Demetrius disabuses Katinka of her infatuation." - -"That is his affair and yours. No doubt"--she spoke meaningly--"you -will wish to speak to him privately?" - -"There is no need, madame, seeing that you are in his confidence, and -in mine. Besides"--very slowly--"we can converse over our tea." - -Lady Jim's nerves jumped. "Over tea," she echoed equally slowly--"tea, -after luncheon?" - -"It is a Russian custom. M. Demetrius and I are Russians. Still, if -the suggestion appears presumptuous"--he waved his hand with assumed -deprecation--"I withdraw it and apologise." - -"No!" She passed her tongue over dry, white lips, and answered -faintly. "You shall have your--tea." Then, rising hurriedly, she made -for the near window on an obvious excuse. "I do not see him coming." - -As plainly as though Aksakoff had put it into words did Lady Jim know -that he intended to drug their victim. What would occur if this -plotter succeeded she did not know; what might occur she shivered to -think of, and the thought made her rash. "The police!" she murmured, -turning from the window. - -M. Aksakoff joined her, adjusting his pince-nez leisurely, and -proceeded to look up and down the street, two stories below. "I do not -see the police, madame. But what a delightful day! I trust the night -will be equally mild, since I journey to Havre." - -"You go to Havre--to-night?" breathed Leah, not yet herself. - -"By a moderately late train. My cousin, Count Petrovitch, is there -with his yacht. We have to talk about his possible marriage with my -daughter, before he leaves to-morrow for Kronstadt." - -"Oh!" sighed Lady Jim, very white. "How--how--amusing!" and after -misusing the word, she went back to her chair with geographical -thoughts. Paris--Havre--Kronstadt--Siberia; and Demetrius. "Oh!" -sighed she again, with a trembling hand shielding her eyes. - -"You are ailing, madame," cried Aksakoff, hastening to her politely. - -"Starving!" replied Leah, with a wry smile. "Hush!" - -The warning hissed through the chatter of Joan and Askew, who entered, -almost riotously happy. Their exuberant manners and frank speech -brought a wholesome breeze of cleansing honesty into the atmosphere of -stale rascality. The bracing wind blew Lady Jim out of dark chambers -into the day-lit spaces of the commonplace. With the protean -capability of women she flashed as a sun from passing storm-clouds, to -shine on the honest and hungry. - -"Thanks awfully for your invitation to luncheon," said Askew. - -"Which you forgot." - -"Did I ever receive it?" he asked doubtfully. - -"Did not my last remark imply the invitation. Remarkable!" - -So irrelevant sounded the last word that Aksakoff queried its reason. - -"Not that a man should forget an invitation," she explained; "but that -a single meal should escape his greedy memory." - -"You make me out to be a gourmet," hinted the invited guest. - -"Why not a gourmand? One speaks French in Paris." - -"Not invariably, since we now converse in English," said Askew, dryly; -and she approved of the retort. Clearly he was rapidly recovering from -the green-sickness of crude passion. - -Meantime Joan instructed Aksakoff in ancient history. "The -hieroglyphics on the Place de la Concorde Obelisk describe the -triumphs of Rameses II., who reigned over Egypt in the fourteenth -century before Christ. Mr. Askew knows him." - -"Indeed?" smiled Lady Jim. "Is he stopping in Paris?" - -"Miss Tallentire means to say that I know 'of him.'" - -"Well, I said so. But my English _is_ faulty." - -"Mr. Askew will surely improve it. His knowledge of hieroglyphics----" - -"The guide-book's knowledge, Lady James," corrected Askew. - -"Hum! Information while you wait--Murray and Baedeker's extract of -history--archeological tabloids." - -"What felicitous phrases!" - -"Sarcasm! That surely means--convalescence." - -"You have been ill then, monsieur"; Aksakoff addressed the colouring -young gentleman. - -"Heart-disease," flashed Lady Jim, gaily--"Ah, M. Demetrius!"--and so -did her ex-lover out of a retort. "You know Miss Tallentire--Mr. -Askew; they were at Firmingham, if you remember. And M. Aksakoff, who -will doubtless recall Dr. Demetrius." - -"Say Prince Constantine Demetrius, madame. - -"You place me too high," said the doctor, bowing stiffly. "Out of -Russia I am but a simple physician." - -"And a remarkably clever one, according to this lady." - -"Madame flatters. I failed, where I should have succeeded." - -Leah murmured a sharp aside, reproving the professional humility which -necessitated an allusion to her loss. A bowing waiter entered before -the doctor's apologetic shrug could be followed by words. - -"Madame is served," said the waiter, and the lift lowered five hungry -people to the dining-room. - -Says a disciple of Brillat-Savarin, with solemn truth and the -infallible judgment of experience, "Breakfast in Scotland, lunch in -America, and dine in Paris." Circumstances prevented Lady Jim from -dispensing Boston hospitality, but having supervised the ideas of the -Henri-Trois chef, she placed a very dainty and tempting repast before -a quartette almost too hungry to be critical. Nor was wanting wine, -chosen with masculine discretion, to loosen rusty tongues and release -fair thoughts embedded in slow brains. But this latter adjective must -be taken--very appropriately at table--with a grain of salt. None of -those who ate and drank were dull; three of them, indeed, were -much too clever, and the remaining two made up in sparkle what they -lacked in depth. Many good things were eaten and said during that -merry meal, and the corner near the large window bubbled with -laughter. Leah, watching stealthily the courtesy of Aksakoff and his -fellow-countryman, shivered internally at the irony of circumstances. -Paris--Havre--Kronstadt--Siberia: the four names repeated themselves -dolorously in her brain like a street cry. What wonder, then, that the -spectacle of this tragic comedy made her laugh and babble, and smile -and nod, and play to perfection the rôle of an attentive hostess. She -was quite glad that what would prove in all probability to be her -victim's last civilised meal was appetising. Aksakoff professed -himself charmed with her esprit. Here, thought he, were the makings -of an ideal conspirator, and he regretted her nationality. The -Anglo-Saxon nature is so alien to working mole-fashion. Yet, had he -only known the truth, Lady Jim had already proved her willingness to -conspire, if not against a throne, at least for the cheating of a -limited company. - -The luncheon was thus pleasant, and not less so the digestive hour, -when the repleted guests assembled in the sitting-room. Anxious to -afford the diplomatist every assistance, Lady Jim gathered the young -people under her wing near the piano at the far end of the apartment. -Joan, who had more of a soul than a memory for music, played scraps, -chatting to right and left while her nimble fingers ran from Mozart to -Chopin and attempted what their owner remembered of Wagner's -creations. Thus the Muscovites, smoking by special permission, were -enabled to exchange views in comparative privacy. To assure complete -secrecy, and with the hole-and-corner instinct of the Slav, they -talked Russian with a bluntness strangely opposed to Lady Jim's -elusive suggestiveness. The situation--to Demetrius, at least--did not -admit of sugared phrases or ambiguous explanations. - -"Madame yonder"--he nodded towards Leah--"told you why I desired this -interview." - -"Yes!"--Aksakoff handled his cigarette daintily--"but an explanation -from you is necessary." - -Demetrius nodded brusquely. "I must mention the name of your -daughter." - -"Without doubt, since her welfare is the main object of our meeting." - -"Mademoiselle Aksakoff," said Demetrius, coldly, "has done me the -honour to admire me. But that my affections are already engaged, I -should certainly reciprocate." - -"You allude to Mademoiselle Ninette?" - -A look of surprise flitted across the other's face. "The actress? Why -should you think so?" - -"Rumour credits you with being her lover." - -"And, as usual, rumour is wrong. Mademoiselle Ninette was assuredly my -patient, but I received my fees in gold, not in kisses. As poor Dr. -Demetrius I I cannot live on love, Ivan Aksakoff." - -"Prince Constantine will be able to do so with the lady he mentions." - -"I mentioned no lady." - -"Ah, pardon!" Aksakoff was foiled. "You accept my apology?" - -"None is needed. I intended to tell you the name of the lady, Ivan -Aksakoff; it is madame yonder." - -With uplifted eyebrows the diplomatist glanced in the direction of -Leah. - -"I heard something in London clubs of your admiration for her, -Constantine Demetrius; even before her husband died it was said that -you had laid yourself at her feet. What a pity you cannot marry her! -An ideal match, my friend; quite ideal, and so useful in promoting a -social understanding between Holy Russia and these islanders." - -"We marry in a year," announced the doctor, calmly. - -"Ah, no; but pardon me, it is impossible!" Aksakoff, really and truly -startled, dropped his cigarette. That haughty Lady James Kaimes -should---- "It is quite impossible," said he, staring. - -"I refer you to the lady herself," insisted Demetrius. - -"A-a-a-h!" droned the other, picking up his cigarette to place it in -the ash-tray, and lighting another; "y-e-s!" He stared again at his -companion, then stole a glance at Leah. Apparently her desire to -assist Muscovite politics was not entirely a question of pounds, -shillings, and pence. She was less sordid and more subtle than he had -guessed. - -Demetrius, giving him no time to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion, -went on with his explanation. "You will, therefore, understand that my -marriage with your daughter is out of the question." - -"Of course," assented Aksakoff, absently, and wondering why Lady Jim -engaged herself to this exile. "Of course," he added more briskly, "I -trust you will permit me to announce this engagement to my daughter." - -"Certainly. It will show her that----" - -"That you are unworthy of her hand," ended Aksakoff, sharply, for here -the father overleaped the diplomatist. - -"Quite so, Ivan Aksakoff, and I hope soon to congratulate the Countess -Petrovitch." - -"You are too good, Constantine Demetrius." -"In return for thus arranging your domestic affairs," continued the -doctor, unmoved by the sarcasm, "will you gain my pardon from the -Czar? Can you gain it?" he asked with emphasis. - -"I can and will." - -"My title, my money----" - -"Both shall be restored. And of course," added Aksakoff, with a keen -glance, "you will no longer work in what you term the sacred cause of -humanity." - -Demetrius waved his hand gloomily. "Dreams of youth--desires for the -impossible. I am aware," he added bitterly, "that individuality in a -bureaucratic administration is looked upon as a crime." - -"Can you wonder at it? If one wheel refuses to fit in with another, -the machine will not work. We are all parts of a mighty engine----" - -"Which crushes the poor and the weak." - -"What matter, since you, Constantine Demetrius, are neither poor nor -weak?" - -"My sympathy----" - -"A most dangerous word, current only in that Utopia you dreamed of. It -is not in the Russian dictionary." - -Demetrius turned on the scoffer a glittering eye. "It will be, some -day," said he, slowly. - -"My friend"--Aksakoff shook the ash from his cigarette--"if you -propose to edit dictionaries you must remain Dr. Demetrius--in exile." - -"I gladly would," rejoined the other, heartily; "only----" His voice -died away, as he looked towards Lady Jim. - -The diplomatist laughed. "There is always a woman. Ah, these dear -ladies, how practical they are! In their hands we are wax, which they -mould after the honey is squeezed out"; he laughed again, then -resumed, business-like: "You will write to my daughter and place the -truth of this engagement beyond question." - -"To-morrow, Ivan Aksakoff, when I am in London. And needless to say, I -shall always profoundly respect Mademoiselle your daughter." - -"You mean the Countess Petrovitch." - -"If you can so far bend her to your ambition," retorted Demetrius. -"You promise, then, to right me with the Czar?" - -Aksakoff nodded and laughed cynically. "You are already Prince -Constantine Demetrius, rich, honoured, and--unsympathetic." -The doctor winced at the last word, but shook hands on the agreement. -Lady Jim glanced across the room with Judas and his kiss in her mind. -That the cap fitted her, also, she did not consider for the moment. - -"Coffee! Coffee!" cried the pianist, rising. "Just what I want." - -"It is tea on this occasion," replied Leah, and went over to take -charge of the tray brought in by a smiling waiter. - -"Tea?" Joan echoed the word in an amazed voice, and tripped like a -fairy towards a comfortable low chair. "Who ever heard of tea in the -middle of the day?" - -"Australian colonists in the back blocks," explained Askew, sauntering -to assist in arranging a harlequin set of cups. "They drink tea at all -hours." - -"In Russia, also," remarked Lady Jim, jingling the saucers. "This is a -concession to the prejudices of our foreign guests"; and she laughed -amiably at the Muscovites. - -Demetrius bowed and smiled, twisting his waxed moustache with admiring -glances at Leah's red hair. He was far from suspecting a snare, and -that Aksakoff should have a finger and thumb in his waistcoat-pocket -did not seem remarkable. But Lady Jim--nervously on the alert--guessed -that the diplomatist was fiddling with something of a narcotic nature. -Also, his significant glance at her, at the teacups, at Demetrius, -hinted at her duty. She fulfilled it with a spasm of fear, well masked -by frivolity. - -"Joan, I have dropped my handkerchief--near the piano, I think. Will -you please look for it?" - -Miss Tallentire rose, to be anticipated, as Leah guessed she would be, -by two attentive gentlemen. "Allow me!" "Permit me, mademoiselle!" and -with Askew, Demetrius crossed for the search, while Lady Jim ran on -lightly: - -"It might be on the floor near you, Joan. What a nuisance! How stupid -of me!" - -Then Joan looked on the carpet--Leah also, the latter straining her -ears to hear the almost inaudible. The faint tinkle of a pellet -dropped into a cup sounded to her guilty soul like a clap of thunder. - -"Here it is," cried Joan, fishing under the table, and picking up what -Lady Jim had purposely dropped. - -"Thanks awfully, dear. Mr. Askew, M. Demetrius, do not trouble. -Give me the teapot, Joan. Ah!" she babbled on, while filling the -cups--"What a pity we have not glasses, so that you could drink the -tea in your own fashion, M. Demetrius. M. Aksakoff, we did so enjoy -the novelty at your Monte Carlo villa. Still, here is a lemon; slice -it, Joan, dear. Do sit down, doctor. M. Aksakoff, you can be waiter." - -"Allow me," cried Askew, half rising. - -"Sit where you are," said Leah, sharply; "you'll upset the table. M. -Aksakoff!" - -"With pleasure, madame"; and he obliged her with stiff cordiality. - -Leah wiped her lips, which were dry, and stole a stealthy glance at -the cup which he handed to the doctor. It was of a deep blue colour. -"Augh!" she breathed, as he set it to his lips. - -"You are wearied with your duties, madame," conjectured Aksakoff, -sipping with gusto; "and I, alas, can relieve you only by acting as -waiter." - -"You are a guest now," she rejoined, with a nervous laugh; "is the tea -to your liking?" - -"Most delightful tea," said Demetrius, courteously. - -"You compliment the decoction too highly. Tea on the Continent is like -rain in the Sahara. I except Russia, of course," she ended, smiling. - -"You will find us English in many ways, when you visit Moscow, -madame." - -Leah looked inquisitively at Aksakoff, who spoke, guessing that he was -in possession of the truth, and wondering what he thought of the -engagement. The man's face betrayed nothing, however, and her gaze -travelled to Demetrius. He was sitting perfectly still, and his eyes -looked dull, as though the fire of life was dwindling within. Meeting -her smile, he roused himself with a jerk and an apology. - -"I feel sleepy--the heat, no doubt," he murmured. - -"I can't say that I feel scorching," said Askew, glancing through the -window at a grey sky. - -"You are used to the tropics; M. Demetrius is not," observed Aksakoff. - -Joan laughed. "You remind me of a horrid story my brother told me. An -old Anglo-Indian was being cremated at Woking, and said that it was -the first time he had felt warm in England." - -"A horrid story indeed," murmured Lady Jim, with her eyes on the -expressionless face of Demetrius. "You shouldn't tell it, dear." Then -she rose hurriedly: "Are you quite well, M. Demetrius?" - -"Oh yes--quite"; the doctor's voice droned into an inarticulate mumble -and his head fell forward. - -"Oh! Mr. Askew--M. Aksakoff--what it the matter? His eyes are closed; -his breathing--just listen!" - -"Kind of fit, perhaps," said Askew, rising to shake Demetrius, and so -extorted a cry from the kind-hearted hostess. - -"Don't--the man is ill! Oh, how dreadful! Loosen his collar--open the -window. I wonder if he needs a doctor," and she stepped to the -electric button of the bell. - -"There might be one in the hotel," said Aksakoff, as Joan and Askew -obeyed her directions. And from the tone of his voice she knew that -there was one in the hotel. "It really seems to be a kind of fit," -said Aksakoff, looking at the now unconscious man. "Yet he appeared to -be quite well a few minutes ago." - -Leah did not hear. She was already at the door issuing hurried -instructions to a waiter, whose smile had vanished. When she came back -the two men had placed Demetrius on the sofa, where he lay breathing -heavily, his face white and his lips purple; not a pleasant sight by -any means, as Askew thought. - -"Had not you ladies better retire?" he suggested. - -"No, no!" they cried in one breath. "We must help." - -"Only the doctor can do that--if there is one," said Aksakoff, -observing his handiwork on the sofa with a critical eye. - -Then, at the tail of a triple rap, entered the fat proprietor of the -Henri Trois, scared in looks and importantly fussy in manner. Behind -him glided a spick-and-span man, not unlike Demetrius, and -unmistakably Tartar. - -"Dr. Helfmann happened to be luncheoning," explained M. Gravier, -"fortunately. What is the matter, madame?" - -Helfmann soon explained that. He felt the pulse of the patient, laid a -gentle hand on a weakly-beating heart, and turned up the purple -eyelids. Askew and Aksakoff stood aside with the proprietor. Lady Jim -and Joan bent forward with pale faces and clasped hands, anxious for -the verdict. - -"A kind of fit," explained the doctor; "he will be insensible for -two--three hours." - -"In my hotel? Ach!--the scandal!" cried Gravier, spreading his fat -hands in dismay. - -"Is it really a fit?" asked Lady Jim, paying no attention. - -"Madame"--the doctor faced her coldly--"to speak technically would not -enlighten you. I can bring this gentleman back to his senses; but I -think--with your permission," added he, bowing, "that if you will -permit me to take him in a cab to a chemist's shop where I can procure -the drug I require, it will save time. And in this case"--he glanced -calmly at the unconscious man--"time means life." - -"Ugh!" said Askew. "Take him away at once." - -"If you think it is better," murmured Lady Jim, not daring to meet the -victorious eye of the diplomatist. - -"Of course," rejoined Askew, brusquely. "You and Miss Tallentire can -do nothing, and the sight is not a pleasant one." - -"Joan"; Lady Jim drew the girl away, and passed with her into the -bedroom adjoining. There behind a closed door they listened to the -sound of a body being removed. The scraping of feet, the heavy -breathing of ladened men, the bumping and humping of something soft -(horrible suggestion)--they could hear these intimations of removal -very plainly. Leah sat on the bed with tightly clasped hands between -slack knees. "Augh!" said Leah. - -"It is all right, Lady James," said Joan, petting her. "Poor M. -Demetrius will soon be all right. I wonder what made him ill?" - -"I wonder," echoed Lady Jim, and wondered very truly. She could not -understand what drug Aksakoff had used to reduce Demetrius so rapidly -to unconsciousness. And not another word was spoken for ten minutes. - -"They have driven away in a fiacre," announced Miss Tallentire, from -the window. - -"Who have driven?" - -"That doctor and M. Demetrius." - -"Not M. Aksakoff?" - -Before her question could be answered a sharp knock came to the door, -and Aksakoff presented himself when it was opened. - -"All is well, dear ladies," said he, blandly. "Dr. Helfmann has gone -with our sick friend. Mr. Askew follows to see that all is well." - -"Askew follows?" said Lady Jim, with a sharp glance; "but why----?" - -The diplomatist still smiled. "He has a kind heart, that young Mr. -Askew, and so----" he shrugged, then bowed to Joan. "I compliment you, -mademoiselle, on your courage. You also, madame. And now, all being -well, I must take my leave"; he kissed Lady Jim's hand. "I shall see -you again in London, as to-night I journey to Havre." - -He went out, and Leah again heard four names as though a ghostly -porter was calling them at a ghostly junction. - -"Paris, Havre, Kronstadt, Siberia," said the ghostly porter. - -"Ugh!" said Lady Jim. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - - -Joan was less surprised than a better informed lady when no word of -the sick man's progress came to hand. Aksakoff was presumably at -Havre, and Askew, having missed the fiacre, and called uselessly at a -chemist's shop indicated by Helfmann, clamoured for information. -Unacquainted with the address of Demetrius, no information could be -given by Lady Jim; but she proffered a suggestion to keep the budding -philanthropist quiet. - -"He might be in an hospital." - -"He might! Ill go the round." - -"Do!" she assented cordially, and quite easy in her mind about this -needle-in-a-haystack search. - -So Askew, wisely acting immediately on an impulse that could not last, -set forth on his quest, only to drift across the path of an old -shipmate. The meeting led to cocktails at the American Bar, and the -consumption of these involved the calling-up of a past, which made -the ex-navy man long to nose the out-trail once more. That his friend -who did business in great waters should know of a clean-built -schooner-yacht for sale at a ridiculously low price was natural. And -equally natural was Askew's determination to cross the Channel that -very day, lest the desirable vessel should be snapped up. Thus it came -about that he presented himself to Leah, prior to an immediate -departure, without recurring to the quest. Lady Jim, however, could -not forbear a taunt. - -"And your philanthropic search?" she inquired. - -Askew coloured, laughed, and shrugged. - -"Demetrius is no kith or kin of mine," was his excuse, "and wouldn't -do as much for me, I doubt. 'Sides, he's probably on his legs by now, -and will come skipping along to see you." - -"If he does I shall advise him of your charity." - -"No, don't," urged the youth, coolly. "He'll be giving me a -testimonial." - -Leah laughed good-humouredly. "Well, good-bye," and she shook hands. -"Thanks for your company. Joan has enjoyed it immensely." - -"And you?" - -"Ah!" with a sigh and a twinkle, "think what I have lost." - -"Meaning me?" - -"Meaning you, man of lightning moods. Philanthropy, love--ten minutes -of each. Shall I see you in London?" - -"Oh--er--yes. But if I can annex this schooner at a fair price, I'm -thinking of a cruise." - -"In Pacific waters?" - -He grew red and uneasy, shifting from one foot to the other. "I -might." - -"That means, you will. H'm! The first case I ever knew of a man being -off with the new love and on with the old. But"--she held up a -finger--"I claim a visit before you go." - -Askew seized her hand. "I promise!" Then, coaxingly: "We are friends!" - -"Parting friends, and I have already shaken hands with you twice. _Au -revoir_, till Curzon Street," and nodding him God-speed, she retired -to consider possibilities of preventing a speedy departure. Poor -woman! No sooner had she cleared away one obstacle than another bulked -in the path. And these, unfortunately, she could not leap over or go -round. They had to be removed by toilsome pick-and-shovel work. - -"What a mercy Demetrius is disposed of!" said Lady Jim, to her mirror. -"Two new wrinkles. I shan't give that silly boy the chance of adding a -third." - -On the morning of departure from Paris Leah received a letter from -Demetrius, which she showed to Joan, almost as soon as the train -steamed out of the Gard du Nord. A week of talk in Paris, and five -years' study in England, had instructed Miss Tallentire insufficiently -in the French tongue; therefore did she wilt away at the sight of the -epistle. Lady Jim translated. - -"He is still ill in some hotel"--she was careful not to give the -address--"but better, much better. Later he proposes to go to Russia." - -"I thought he was an exile," said Joan, doubtfully. - -"He is. I think the folly of risking his liberty in St. Petersburg is -apparent. But he hopes to cajole the Czar into granting his pardon. -M'm!" Leah packed away the letter in her dressing-bag. "I daresay we -shall hear of him next in Siberia." - -Joan opened a pair of horrified eyes. "Lady James!" - -"Oh, it's a charming place, they say, and not at all so disagreeable -as people make out. The climate is much more delightful than our own, -dear, and the society really intellectual. The Russians send all their -clever people there, you know. I am sure Dr. Demetrius will be very -comfortable." - -"Exile to Siberia! It sounds horrible." - -"Yes--sounds, but isn't. You have been reading Tolstoy and seeing -melodramas, my dear." - -"I thought Dr. Demetrius loved you," said Joan, suddenly. - -"Oh, he did; the man was a perfect nuisance. But, you see, I did not -love him." - -"No, no! Of course you would not. I never meant that. As poor dear -Lord James's wife you could not." - -"And as poor dear Lord James's widow, I can, only I don't." - -Miss Tallentire was still confused. "You must think me dreadfully -rude--oh, dreadfully," she murmured, regretting an unintentional -insinuation. - -"I think you dreadfully innocent, and dreadfully sweet," said Leah, -kissing the flushed face. "I'm talking like that horrid Mulrady girl. -Where do these Americans pick up their adjectives?" - -Even while chatting, and while the train tore through a bleak -landscape almost blotted out with rain, Leah wondered who had written -the letter. Not Demetrius, certainly, although the calligraphy would -have caused an expert to commit perjury. Aksakoff was more clever with -tongue than pen, so Leah fell back on Helfmann as a possible forger. -Assuredly she did not believe that he was a medical man, and his -fortunate presence at the needed hour argued a carefully laid plot. -The fiacre probably drove to St. Lazare, and thence Helfmann had no -doubt personally conducted his patient to Havre to be shipped on board -the Petrovitch yacht. Now the boat was kicking her way through the -grey northern seas, and Demetrius, in possession of his senses, was -looking forward to a forced passage across the Urals. An unpleasant -journey at this time of the year, but needful for men who wanted more -than was good for them. And, thank God, this particular man was out of -her life for ever. While offering up the hasty prayer Lady Jim touched -the peacock's feather, tucked away in her pocket, and felt that life -really was worth living, when one knew how to dispose of disagreeable -people. - -Perhaps the prayer addressed to a Deity other than the fetish made the -domestic god sulky, but he, or it, certainly did not expedite Leah's -journey to Curzon Street. For two weary days wind and rain, stormy -waves and over-cautious officials, detained the travellers in Calais. -A hurricane that would have done credit to the South Seas made the -Channel impassible, and the waves that Britannia is supposed to rule -rebelled furiously against her white cliffs. Leah, inconceivably -bored, watched the gusty hours through streaming panes, and wondered -if the gale extended to the Mediterranean. If so, the ducal yacht with -Frith and his father on board must be having a pitch-and-toss time -of the worst. The Duke was no hardened mariner, and uncomfortable -motions prolonged to excess might make a man of his age so ill that he -would---- Here Leah's vivid imagination produced a shudder. She did -not wish the kindly old Duke to die of exhaustion; not that she cared -overmuch for him, but Frith succeeding to unlimited money-bags would -be less easy to manage in the important matter of occasional cheques. -The insurance money would not last for ever with one of her tastes, -and after all--since this greedy Captain Strange would insist upon his -dues--she had only twenty-nine thousand pounds. Then Jim would want -ready money, and his demands--she knew him of old--would probably be -shameless. Of course, seeing that, on the face of it, he was involved -deeper than she was in a shady conspiracy, he could be told to mind -his own business and marry Señorita Fajardo, if desirous of being kept -like a gentleman. But to avoid unnecessary trouble it was probable -that she would have to send him a trifle. How dreadful it was to think -that a single shilling of that hardly-earned money should slip through -her fingers; but the harpies had to be appeased or driven away. She -could not achieve the last, therefore her purse-strings would have to -be unloosened. Already the pockets of Strange gaped hungrily, and it -was her hard fate to fill them. - -"So absurd!" grumbled Lady Jim, as the wind whimpered and the rain -lashed the glass, "in the middle ages one could have hired a nice -bravo to put him out of the way, and there would not have been even -funeral expenses. I must pay, I suppose, but I'll see if the beast -will not take the money by instalments. There is always the chance -that he might be drowned between payments--and I hope he will be," she -ended devoutly. - -In this amiable frame of mind she arrived at Curzon Street, after -sending Joan, brimful of Continental experiences, to the less -fashionable district of Lambeth. The house looked cosy, the servants -were attentive, the insurance money swelled her bank account, and, -best of all, Demetrius was posting towards Siberia. On the whole -things were tolerable--it was not Leah's custom to indulge in -superlatives--so she decided to remain for a week or two in London, -prior to being bored at Firmingham, where the Marchioness awaited the -home-coming of the yachting party. After her late efforts in the cause -of politics Lady Jim felt that she really could not stand Hilda's -artificial childishness without an intermezzo of amusement. - -But fun of any sort was hard to find, since her widowhood and the -emptiness of town precluded indulgence. Piccadilly and the Park, St. -James's Street and Pall Mall, were as barren of pleasure and a -fashionable population as that Siberia towards which Demetrius -unwillingly journeyed. Even Lady Canvey had moved out of the Early -Victorian room into more modern surroundings at Nice. Askew certainly -paid his promised visit, but he proved to be dull, thinking more of -the yacht than the woman. The technical terms he employed in -describing his purchase made Lady Jim yawn, and she decided that, like -all men, he was unutterably selfish. However, she was sufficiently -kind-hearted--and diplomatic--to show him the pseudo letter, and -translate it for his benefit. - -"Told you so," said he, when in possession of misleading facts: "the -beggar's all right--be on his legs in a jiffy." - -"Thanks to your care." - -"Don't rub it into a fellow, Lady Jim!" - -"Lady James!" - -"Lady James it is, though it seems to me that we are to be merely -acquaintances." - -"Most of my friends are acquaintances." - -"But I want this acquaintance to be a friend." - -"What an exacting nature! Well"--with a sigh--"I suppose as you have -loved and I have lost, we can be friends till you marry." - -"Why not after?" - -"Dear Mr. Askew, a bachelor selects his own friends, a wife chooses -those of her husband. Meantime, you are a nice boy, if somewhat -fickle, and I like you sufficiently to let you go. When does this ship -of yours go south?" - -"Schooner, Lady Jim--schooner-yacht; two hundred tons Lloyd's -measurement and----" - -"You explained that before." - -"Did I? Yes, of course. Well, she is a beauty." - -"Ah! The same term was applied to me once and by a man who said that -he would love me for ever." - -"I don't believe I was ever so crude," retorted Askew, bluntly; "you -don't tell a lady that she is a beauty, though you might say it to a -shopgirl." - -"Really! I don't know any people of that class. You do, apparently." - -The young man grew red and wriggled like a speared eel, thinking how -very like a woman she was. She did not want him, and she did want him; -she told him to go, and wished him to stop; she pardoned his -fickleness, yet kept it in mind. "Ah, you bundle of contradictions!" - -"Why not say a woman? One word explains your three." - -"I like to be verbose," said Askew, sulkily. - -"You always are--first about me, and then about this ship thing. I -suppose the Fajardo woman will be the next." - -"Don't speak of her like that." - -"Why not? She is my rival. I should be more than mortal if I forgave -her, and less than a woman if I did not say nasty things about her." - -"Say them about me, then." - -"I have been doing my best, and really, you take a ragging very well. -There, poor boy"--she patted his cheek--"I shan't tease you any more. -When do you sail?" - -"In three weeks." - -"For Buenos Ayres?" - -"Of course." - -"Oh true and eager lover! Dine with me next Thursday, and we can talk -about her." - -"You'll be nasty." - -"About the ship? Oh, no!" - -"I thought you meant Lola." - -"Perhaps I did; both ship and woman are 'hers,' you know. Next -Thursday?" - -"I shall be delighted." - -"You look it. Do try and conceal your emotions better." - -Askew laughed, and took up his hat. She was more like a mosquito than -a human being, and he made for the door, weary of being stung. "I -would rather be your friend than your husband, Lady Jim," he said -coolly. - -"What a compliment, seeing what husbands are! I ought to know." - -"Oh, pardon me--I forgot," he stuttered, much confused. - -She shook her head at him gravely. "What a child in arms you are!" - -To this last piece of impertinence Askew would have replied rather -sharply, thereby proving the truth of her remark, but that the door -was blocked by a tall lean man. - -"M. Aksakoff!" announced the footman, behind the newcomer. - -"Good-day, Lady James. Good-day, M. Aksakoff, and good-bye." - -Leah, when alone with the diplomatist, felt her heart leap at the -solemnity of his looks. She fancied that he might have come to tell -her of the doctor's escape. In reality, Aksakoff was wondering how he -could pay her two thousand pounds without turning the arranged comedy -into a drama. Feeling his way, he allowed her the first word. - -"You will stop to luncheon," said Lady Jim, amiably. - -"I trespass too much on your hospitality, dear madame. You must have -had enough of me at our last luncheon in Paris." - -"Oh, I have forgotten all about Paris"; and she gave him a look which -intimated that he also should feign forgetfulness. - -"Ah, no; but pardon me, I came to inquire about M. Demetrius." - -"Why from me? I know nothing. Wait--I do know something. He wrote me a -letter saying he was better and intended to go to Russia." - -"Probably to see Petrovitch about his pardon. I wish I had seen him -before he left Paris"; and the diplomatist smiled when the letter was -mentioned. - -"Did you not see him?" - -Aksakoff raised his eyebrows. "But it was impossible, madame," he -explained, without even a wink. "Dr. Helfmann took him away in the -fiacre and I departed for Havre. I did not return to Paris." - -"I see; your business at Havre detained you." - -"Longer than I expected," said the diplomatist, taking his cue. "You -see, madame, I was forced to repeat my conversation with M. Demetrius -to my cousin the Count. I expect that he wrote to Paris, and told M. -Demetrius to come to Havre for a conversation." - -"Without knowing his address? How clever!" - -Aksakoff laughed. "You have me there, madame." - -"I really don't know what you mean. How is Katinka?" - -"She is at Brussels. In good health, I believe." - -"Does she know that M. Demetrius has gone to St. Petersburg?" - -"Possibly. He had to write announcing his engagement to you." - -If he expected Lady Jim to be taken aback by this abrupt speech, he -was mistaken in the woman, whose aplomb he should have known. She -merely laughed and dropped out a ready lie with slow amusement. "Ah, -my dear M. Aksakoff, clever linguists as you Russians are, your -comprehension of the English language is limited--very, very limited. -M. Demetrius should have known, that in our tongue, one word may have -several meanings. See--a diocese. See--to perceive by the eye." - -"Your illustration is felicitous, madame. I understand, then, that M. -Demetrius translated 'No' as 'Yes'!" - -"Oh, he was by no means so stupid as that. The man bothered me with -attentions for months, and was quite a nuisance. I nearly spoke to -poor dear Jim about his smirking, grinning compliments. He talked of -me in clubs and followed everywhere, sighing like a furnace--if a -furnace ever does sigh. I speak on Shakespeare's authority. To -keep the creature quiet I said something which he apparently -misconstrued--a sop to Cerberus, a cake to a child. You understand." - -"I think so. There was no engagement." - -"None at all. How impertinent of him to suggest such a thing, when my -husband is scarcely cold in his grave! But I pardon him on account of -his ignorance of our language, which undoubtedly led him into error. -When I see him again I shall explain myself in a way which he will -probably find disagreeable." - -Aksakoff smiled imperceptibly. "M. Demetrius is much to blame, madame, -for not having given more attention to your English grammar. I go to -St. Petersburg myself in a week. Perhaps you will give me some message -to him." - -"No! The man is a fool, and I never wish to hear about him again." - -"Your command shall be obeyed. From this moment his name shall never -be mentioned by me"; and he mentally admired the clever way in which -she had wriggled out of an untenable situation. But the object of his -visit had still to be approached, and at this moment an inspiration -how to approach it came opportunely. The mention of poor dear Jim -suggested lines upon which he might proceed with safety. "I come on a -serious errand, madame," said he, softly. - -"Yes!" she did not know what he meant, and under the circumstances did -not intend to inquire. To advance under the guns of masked batteries -was never Leah's mode of campaigning. - -"Your husband--pardon, your late husband--played bridge," said the -diplomatist, so crudely as to render himself unworthy of the name. - -"I believe he did." - -"Assuredly; and with me on occasions. Twelve months ago we were a -party of five at Torquay." - -"I believe Jim did go there sometimes. Go on." - -"It is hard to go on, madame," said Aksakoff, with feigned -nervousness, "as I have a confession to make." - -"I grant you absolution beforehand." - -"You are too good. Then I can repay you by handing over the money." - -"What money?" - -"My losses at bridge. Yes; with your husband and others I played a -great deal--unfortunately for my pockets." - -She noticed the misused plural and smiled. "Most people made that -remark grammatically, when they played with Jim. So you lost?" - -"Two thousand pounds." - -The exact sum he had mentioned at Monte Carlo. At once she saw that he -wished to pay wages on a sufficiently plausible pretext. The money -would have been useful to pay Strange and Jim, so that she could keep -her thirty thousand pounds intact; but, strangely enough in so -unscrupulous a woman, she could not make up her mind to finger such -dirty gold. - -"Death pays all debts," she said quietly. - -"On the part of the corpse, assuredly. But those who live have to -reckon with the executors." - -"In that case you had better see the Marquis of Frith. He is poor -Jim's executor." - -"Ah, no, madame; be kind. I should have paid this money before, but my -salary did not permit. What would M. le Marquis say if I confessed -that I delayed so long to pay a debt of honour?" - -"What does it matter, so long as you do pay?" - -"It matters much amongst men," said Aksakoff, stiffly. "But you, a -woman, and a clever woman," he added with emphasis, "will understand. -I pray you, madame, to take my cheque for the full amount, and permit -my mind to be at rest." - -Lady Jim, priding herself on performing a hard penance for her late -rascality, shook her head. "No," said she, seriously; "I am quite sure -that Jim, who was often in a hole himself, would not have been hard on -you. Had he lived the money would have been a godsend to him--I admit -that; but I really cannot take payment of any gambling debts. It would -not be right," she finished virtuously. - -Aksakoff was less surprised than she anticipated. Her refusal of this -money assured him that the story of the engagement was true, and that -Leah had rid herself of an undesirable suitor, who had power to compel -completion of a forced contract. What power Demetrius had over her -Aksakoff could not guess, but the whole circumstances showed that her -desire had been for the obliteration of the man, and not to earn two -thousand pounds. But nothing of this appeared on his calm face. - -"Pray take the cheque, madame," he urged, and held it under her nose. - -"No, no!" She pushed back her chair from that too alluring bait. "I -cannot take it, and I shall say nothing about it. Stay"--she took the -fluttering paper from his hand and rose. "You have paid me on Jim's -behalf--is that not so?" - -"Yes"; Aksakoff watched her, wondering at this right-about-face. - -"Then"--she approached the fire and flung in the cheque--"the debt is -paid, and you are free." - -"Ah, but no." - -"I say, yes." Lady Jim approached him with outstretched hands, and a -smile which had won her many things. "You are my friend and not my -debtor. Is it not so?" - -He kissed those extended hands. "Madame, a hard-working and poor -official thanks you. My services now and ever are at your command." - -With the thought that Demetrius might return unexpectedly from -Siberia, she thanked him. "I may have to remind you of that some day." - -"When and where you will, madame!" His pale eyes lighted up with -enthusiastic fire. "Were you my wife, I should be an ambassador." - -"You may be some day. Madame Aksakoff has talents." - -"Madame Aksakoff is--Madame Aksakoff; and you, are----" - -"Well, what?" she demanded, smiling. - -"An angel." - -"How weak!" - -"All language is weak, when used to describe such a woman as you, -madame. I take my leave. Your servant!" - -"And my friend?" - -"To the death, madame!" - -He went out as stiff and solemn as ever, with the conviction that he -had parted from Jezebel's cousin-german. Nevertheless, he admired her -prodigiously, especially as he intended to put into his own pockets -the two thousand pounds she had so tactfully earned, and so foolishly -rejected. The bureaucracy would never hear of her folly, and it would -be a pity to return money which a poor official could bank against -evil days. Not that Aksakoff expected these. The capture of Demetrius, -without publicity, and so cleverly achieved, would gain him infinite -credit as an efficient servant of the Czar. "A charming and astute -woman," he thought gratefully, when ruminating on certain advancement. -"But dangerous," added Prudence. - -Leah went about for the next seven days with her head in the air, and -with a contempt for those people who found renunciation difficult. She -could renounce, with ease: had she not refused a large sum of money -because she felt that it was wrong to take it? What self-denial! She -felt aggressively virtuous, and but for the circumstances would have -liked to trumpet her perfections in the street. That she did not do so -was further self-denial and a flattering conscience, with which -Providence had nothing to do, assured her that she was a pearl amongst -women. Now that Demetrius was out of sight she calmly put him out of -mind, and began to think how she could prevent Askew from spoiling -Jim's nefarious courting of the Spanish lady. There was no way, so far -as she could see, since the sailor's love had grown cold, and she had -no bonds in which to bind him. But she trusted to that luck which the -fetish always sent her way, and sure enough the luck came, but some -weeks later. Beforehand the fetish, still annoyed by her prayer to -another god, sent her a reminder that it could be disagreeable. A bolt -from the blue came in the shape of a telegram from Firmingham. - -"Come to me at once," wired the Marchioness. "Yacht lost off Brest. -Duke and Frith and most of crew drowned. Come." - -"She might have spared the last word," said Leah, staring and stunned. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - -Lady Jim boarded a special train to Firmingham in a royal rage, the -more riotous for necessary suppression. After the shock of the -unexpected had passed, she gave a flitting thought of pity to her -drowned relatives, and reverted hastily to selfish considerations. -Solitude permitting the play of temper, she punished the fetish, by -flinging its outward and visible sign of a peacock's feather from the -compartment which witnessed the unmasking. That her Baal should have -played her such a trick was intolerable, and still more intolerable -the thought that circumstances muzzled her. For the first time in her -victorious life Leah Kaimes dealt with a fixed decree, against which -there was no appeal. - -What could she do? Nothing! To make chaos of a continent would not -have relieved her feelings, and there was nothing to wreck in the -limited space of the carriage. Unable to sit still, she threw herself -from seat to seat, feeling like a caged tiger, with the added savagery -of a trained intellect. Unlike the beast, she had the use of speech to -vent her wrath, but this she did not utilise from a conviction that no -words would do justice to the situation. A Texan mule-driver's -vocabulary would have fallen short of her requirements. Her impotent -anger was like that of a dog leaping and slavering against an -offending but unreachable moon. - -And the facts--the hard ironic facts, which she could not do away -with, scheme as she might! Those inflexible actualities buzzed in her -brain, until repetition took the rhythm of the droning wheels -underfoot. Pentland was dead, along with his son and heir; Hilda, a -widow with two girl babies, who did not count in the succession; Jim -was wiped out of social existence, and by her own act. Remained -Lionel, the curate, the prig, her one honest man--the Duke of -Pentland. Leah could have screamed in the face of this crushing truth. - -A title at the best, fifty thousand a year, three country seats, a -town house, spacious and crammed with beautiful things, and a Scotch -moor with an adorable shooting-box. This was the heritage of the new -peer! "Of a milk-and-water parson," raged Lady Jim, unjustly, "who -will waste everything in charity, and turn the houses into pigsties -for the unclean. Oh, Lord, to think that such a clerical ass should -get the inside runnings!" This latter phrase she had picked up from -Miss Mulrady, and at the moment it seemed expressive. - -The position would not bear thinking about; yet she had to think, -appealing betweenwhiles to the gods-of-things-as-they-are for reasons -to justify such shabby treatment. What had she done, that they should -be so disagreeable? It was enough to make a truly virtuous woman, as -she assuredly could call herself, dance a can-can in Piccadilly. Then -she desisted for a few moments from calling the Unseen bad names to -lament over her own short-sightedness. To think that she should have -sold Jim's birthright for thirty thousand pounds! It was not even one -year's income of the Pentland estates. She would have been a Duchess, -too; not that she personally cared for rank, but with a higher -position she could have trampled the more easily on her enemies. A -thought of these flashing into her mind made her clench her fists and -grit her teeth. How they would rejoice, the beasts, to think what she -had missed, and by how short a period she had missed it! If they had -only one neck, as Caligula desired for his enemies, how she would have -enjoyed a chop at it! - -"Oh!" cried Leah, banging the cushions and choking in the dust thus -raised--"if I could only bring Jim back!" - -It was a kindly wish, as she desired him to enjoy the good things that -had fallen into his sham grave. But there did not seem much chance of -achieving the impossible. Jim was dead and buried, and the interment -had been legally sanctified by her tears. If he came to life it would -be difficult to explain how a corpse in his name came to occupy a -niche in the Kaimes vault. Also, inquiry might lead to the production -of a Siberian exile. If Demetrius told the truth--which he assuredly -would do in the face of a betrayal he must guess was her work--there -would be no place for her in Society, and she would starve, a social -Peri at the gates of a forbidden Paradise. No! Think as she would--and -think she did till her brain ached--things had to remain as she had -foolishly arranged them. It was a galling thought to think that none -but she who suffered was responsible. She could not even lay the blame -on the stars; but she could and did on the fetish. It was something of -a relief to have thrown its peacock manifestation out of the window. - -Two hours in the railway carriage tamed her unruly nerves into some -sort of submission, and partially schooled her into accepting the -inevitable. To make the best of it, to rob the new Duke shamelessly of -money and the Curzon Street house, on the plea of disinheritance, were -the results at which she arrived. By the time Firmingham appeared -through the carriage windows she had ceased to kick against the -pricks. The mask was on her face when the train stopped, and it -was a quiet and demure lady who alighted at the station. Even the -sister-in-law who entered the great house to console the Marchioness -was as sympathetic as the most exacting could have required. - -She suppressed a groan when she passed through the doors of the lordly -mansion that was really and truly her own, but managed by a steady -exercise of her strong will to greet Colley with great calmness. The -butler intimated that Lady Frith wept incessantly in her boudoir, and -that the Duke---- - -"What?" queried Leah, sharply, adding more grammatically, "Who?" - -"His Grace the Duke, my lady. He is in the study." - -"Mr. Lionel Kaimes?" - -"As was, my lady. His Grace came down last night." - -"Augh! Why wasn't there an accident on the line?" muttered she, who -longed to announce herself as a genuine duchess and could not. - -"I beg pardon, my lady!" - -"Oh--er--I'll go to my room, Colley. Tell his Grace I shall see him in -an hour." - -When she had changed her dress for one heavier with crape, as a sign -of additional grief, and had lain for a miserable forty minutes -without closing an eye, and had swallowed a much-needed dose of sal -volatile, and had relieved her feelings by scolding an unoffending -maid, she went before the footlights to play her most difficult and -unpalatable part. The former nobody, seated at his predecessor's desk, -rose, looking pale and careworn. - -"A terrible thing," said the new Duke, giving his hand gravely. - -"Awful. I can scarcely believe it. Is it really true?" and she had a -passing hope that it might not be, seeing she could not benefit. - -"Only too true, unfortunately." - -"For those two, I suppose you mean. You're all right." - -"A square peg in a round hole, I fear," he sighed. "I would give much -that both had survived." - -"How unnatural!" commented Lady Jim, with a grimace. "But you always -were eccentric. People won't mind that, now you are a duke. But I am -sorry--really--for them, I mean. Such an awful thing to be cut off -before you've made your arrangements for an agreeable reception in the -next world. What a mercy they went together--for company, you know; -and they say drowning is really quite nice after the first choking is -over." - -Lionel looked at her sternly, but felt helpless. She played with the -solemn issues of life and death as a child with a bauble. Would -nothing touch her heart? Would nothing make her serious? The flippancy -jarred on his overstrung nerves. "Please do not talk like that," said -he, harshly and emphatically. "Please do not." - -"I am only trying to cheer you up," she answered, opening her eyes -wide, and with a faint smile softening her hard mouth. "I really -cried--you mustn't think me hard-hearted; really, I cried when I heard -of the accident. I suppose it was an accident?" - -"I should call it the act of God." - -"Oh!" Leah could find no very pertinent reply, and glided dexterously -into another subject, to prevent religious instruction. "I came down -to see poor Hilda, as she wanted me so badly. But I thought it best to -learn details from you first. We must spare the poor thing's feelings, -you know, Lionel," ended Lady Jim, thoughtfully. - -His face brightened. "I am glad you call me that," said he, earnestly, -"for I confess it is difficult for me to respond to my title." - -"You'll get used to it," she assured him. "I suppose you will drop the -parson now?" - -"Certainly not. I am still my Master's servant. He has merely raised -me to a higher and more responsible position in His household." - -"Raised your wages also," murmured Leah, shrugging. "I beg your -pardon, Lionel, I should not have said that." - -"You should not, indeed," was the pained response. - -"It's a kind of hysteria," apologised Lady Jim, almost at a loss for -an excuse, "like that man who botanised on his mother's grave, you -know. Besides, people who really feel, laugh awfully when sorrow -comes. And Jim's death took most of my tears--poor dear Jim! I daresay -you think that I am unfeeling; but I'm not--really and truly, I'm not. -What with these dear things dying so unexpectedly, and my own feeling -of widowhood, and condolences from people who will say the wrong -thing, I feel broken-hearted." - -Lionel smiled grimly at this incoherent and wholly false explanation. - -"You have a strange way of showing grief, Lady James." - -"Don't be nasty, now that you are up in the world. I'll be quite -different with Hilda, poor soul, though I must be natural with you. It -is a compliment, if you only look at it in the right way, which of -course, with your priggishness, you won't. And you needn't use that -cheap title of mine, just to remind me how nearly I've missed being -called by a more expensive one. I suppose Joan will be your duchess. -Do you think she will fill the position!" - -"Admirably." - -"How curt! There is still a lot of the parson about you, Lionel." - -"And ever will be." - -"World without end, I suppose. Hysteria again, Duke, so don't look -shocked. Give me details." - -The young man looked again at this wonderful being. For many months he -had known the impossibility of altering Leah's view of things seen and -unseen. The most sacred subjects seemed to appeal to her sense of -humour, and no solemnity could banish the ever-ready smile from her -lips. In reality he was unjust in thinking thus. Lady Jim, considering -her losses and the ironic position she occupied, only kept herself -from shrieking out the truth by giving vent to ill-timed frivolities. -Her greatest relief would have been to tell this prig that he was a -supplanter. Hysteria, said she, was the excuse for unnatural -merriment, and truly hysteria it was, although she could not swear to -it. Unaware of all this turmoil in the mind of the mourner in motley, -Lionel positively thought that troubles had rendered her distraught, -and so passed over her incongruities. - -"The yacht was on her homeward way," he explained, in the eminently -laboured fashion of a landsman when dealing with ships. "During that -storm a week ago she went down off Brest--Cape Brest." - -"Struck on a reef?" - -"No; she sprang a leak, and the boats were stove in, so no one could -be saved in that way. By clinging to a spar the steward reached shore. -He alone survived"; and Lionel covered his face to indulge in a silent -prayer for those who had perished. - -Lady Jim was more practical according to her lights. "Why did you only -hear this week-old news yesterday?" - -"The steward, the survivor, was ill with fever: also he was wounded in -the head,--against the rock, I suppose. The yacht was seen to founder -far off shore, but no one at Brest knew her name. When the steward -came to himself the other day, he explained, and the news was -telegraphed to the Duke's lawyers, who sent for me. I expect we shall -not learn full details till this steward arrives. He is now on his way -to London." - -"And the Duke--Frith?" - -"Their bodies are in the depths with the ship and those who formed her -crew. Peace be to their souls!" - -"You needn't worry about that," said Leah, tartly, and paying her -tribute to the dead. "I am quite sure that the Duke and Frith have -gone to that heaven you're always talking about. It is awful," she -added pensively, and with a shudder; "but talking only makes it worse. -I'll go and see Hilda, poor dear." - -Lionel followed her to the door. "Lady James, let me beg of you to -keep the--er--hysteria in check." - -"Of course," she assured him, giving her hand frankly; "I always adapt -my mood to my company. It would be useless for one woman to waste -hysteria on another--both know too much about it. I'll be nice--oh, -you can be sure of that. I'm not a bad sort, my good man." - -"Sometimes I think you are a very decent sort, Lady James." - -"And on other occasions?" she questioned, unmoved. - -"Don't ask me." - -"I won't. You can't explain, and will only fib. Parsons can't keep -back an answer, whether they know anything of the matter in hand or -not. But I'll be good to that poor baby-woman--indeed I will." - -And indeed she was, swinging round to the opposite extreme, with the -protean adaptability of her nature. Besides, after the interview with -the new Duke she felt able to command her feelings better. It is only -possible to act perfectly when the emotions are under control, as Lady -Jim found; and if she said what she did not mean, and acted as she did -not feel, well, that was the fault of the circumstances into which her -treacherous fetish had thrown her. But at heart she really had some -pity for this useless doll of a woman, who sobbed in her arms. - -"Don't cry, dear," said Leah, ardently, beginning to console; "you -know how I feel for you. I also have lost a husband." Owing to -circumstances she rather choked over this lie, but it came out pretty -readily. - -"I shall never--never lift up my head again," sobbed the latest widow. - -"Oh, yes, you will, dear," replied the earlier one, cheerfully: "look -at me!" - -Hilda shook her head and declined to look. "Frith wasn't Jim," said -she. - -"And he wasn't my husband, either. You feel Frith's death and I feel -Jim's. We each have our own sorrow, and time alone will help us to -forget the dear departed." - -"Leah"--Hilda sobbed more violently than ever--"I shall never--never -forget. Never--never--never--never!" - -"I didn't mean forget exactly," murmured Leah, who had been more -candid than she intended; "but time will soothe us, and we shall all -meet on a happier shore." - -"I hope so--I hope so"; the Marchioness clasped her hands devoutly and -raised her eyes. "I can see our three dear ones meeting now." - -"I wish I could," said Lady Jim, truthfully, and she felt that the -meeting of the Kaimes family in heaven would be a sight worth -witnessing. Of course Jim was alive, but even if he were dead, she did -not think that Hilda's vision could possibly become fact. The Duke, -who had turned angel in his old age, and Frith, who was always pious, -had a chance certainly; but Jim, when his turn came, would probably -not be of the party. - -However, the business of consoling a sore heart had to be attended to, -and Leah dosed Hilda with all the platitudes which the Marchioness had -used during a similar and earlier event. And Lady Jim was so admirable -an actress that she really deceived herself into thinking that her -stage-play was real life. Her eloquence, her attentions, her hoverings -like a guardian angel over Hilda, her bringing in the children--that -was a master-stroke--and her general zeal in drying a mourner's tears, -were truly wonderful. By the time she left the Marchioness, sitting up -with "his children" on her lap, soothed and comforted, and grateful -for Leah's kindness, poor Lady Jim felt quite exhausted. - -"I do hope there will be a decent dinner," she soliloquised, in the -seclusion of her own room. "I can't stand much more of this without -food." - -Through the troubles of death and the joys of birth, the worry of weak -minds and the scheming of strong ones, ever moves the solid business -of life connected with eating and sleeping. Therefore the Firmingham -cook, being a hired servant, was sufficiently master of his emotions -to send up a really tempting repast. The new Duke and the disinherited -Duchess partook of this meal in a small room without attendance. -Wishing to talk family matters, they did not desire eavesdropping -footmen. Besides, Hilda remained in her own apartment, nourishing her -emotions with red lavender, and calling at intervals for "Bunny" to -come back. Lady Jim paid several visits to the poor little soul during -the evening, and each time was successful in cheering her up; but it -was trying work, as again and again she had to begin from the -beginning. No wonder she looked harassed when seated opposite to her -host. Lionel thanked her gratefully, and with reason, for Hilda had -eulogised Leah and her work of mercy. - -"I knew you would prove yourself a true woman," said he, pouring her -out a glass of champagne. - -"Oh, Lord!" said Lady Jim, sipping the wine, and wondered what he -would say could he see into her mind. "Give me some of that -vol-au-vent, Lionel. It is really very good." - -The man felt slightly disappointed. "You can eat?" - -"Do you require me to tell you that?" she asked lightly. "I have -enjoyed every course. Eat--I should think so. You don't want me to -faint, as Hilda has been doing." - -"But your feelings" - -"Oh, they are well under control, now. And after all"--Leah paused -with a fork half-way to her mouth--"it's best to be sensible even when -things smash. If I had come down to howl about the house, where would -you have been?" - -"I really cannot understand your nature." - -Lady Jim nodded. "Same here. I never know what I shall do under given -circumstances, save keep my poor wits about me. We're strange beasts, -Lionel--strange beasts." - -He disagreed, mindful of her Good Samaritan kindness. "You make -yourself out to be worse than you are, Lady James." - -"Don't you make any such mistake. I never seek cheap praise by crying -down my virtues. Were you my father-confessor--which you are not--and -I religious--which I have no inclination to be--I should shock you -into Hilda's state. Poor little thing, what an undisciplined mind she -has, and how she does work for those tyrants the emotions! I think you -had better send for Joan: she is used to women who run wild." - -"You put things unpleasantly," said he, uneasily. - -"And truthfully. Answer my question, please." - -"Joan arrives to-morrow with her mother." - -"I am glad," Leah assured him fervently. "Too many female cooks can -never spoil the funeral broth. The more women you have in a mourning -house the better. We like to weep in company and to talk obituary -notices. That is, other women do. I fancy I have a dash of the man in -me, and this sort of undertaker rejoicing gives me the creeps." - -Lionel secretly agreed with her, although he disapproved of the mode -of expression. Ostentatious grief he disliked, as most men do, and -discussing funeral emotions threadbare was not to his healthy liking. -Therefore did he talk business with Lady Jim. It was necessary to -distract his attention, she said, and so set about plundering the -heir. By the time coffee arrived Lionel had promised her the Curzon -Street house as a gift, and had agreed to pay all debts as the late -Duke had arranged. Also, untruthfully assured by Leah that her -temporal prosperity had suffered by the untimely demise of Jim, he -promised to pay a quarterly thousand a year for the rest of her life. - -"Yes," said Lionel, emphatically, "even if you marry, Lady James." - -"I have no intention of marrying yet," said Leah, who was busy with -Kümmel. She really felt that the consoling of a tearful widow required -Kümmel. - -"I thought that Mr. Askew admired you." - -"He admires a new schooner he has bought, and some woman in South -America. Oh, Mr. Askew has a catholic mind, I can tell you." - -"Dr. Demetrius!" - -"He has gone to Russia, I believe, on business connected with his -pardon. Didn't Joan tell you how he was taken ill in Paris?" - -"Yes; what a strange thing!" - -"Oh, I don't know. He once told me that he inherited fits--mother's -side. It was very rude of him to have one in my rooms, but some men -are so inconsiderate." - -"He loves you." - -"Or loved me--which?" - -"Present tense, I fancy. Will you marry him?" - -"Will I marry the Emperor of China, you mean. No, thanks; I have no -wish to live in a country of bounce and bombs. And I never could read -those novels written by men with unpronounceable names. Besides, I -can't bear dapper little men with waxed moustaches. I only tolerated -Dr. Demetrius because he was useful to Jim." - -"A great friend of your husband's, I believe." - -"Do you? Does one generally make a friend of one's doctor?" - -"The man was certainly credited with being your friend. And more, he -talked openly of his love for you." - -"What bad taste! I don't see how you can hold me responsible. He did -love me, I believe--at least, he pestered me with attentions. It's a -mercy he has gone to Si--I mean to Russia. I hope he'll stay there, -and be eaten up by white bears like those poor brats Elisha was so -spiteful to. As to marrying"--her eyes twinkled--"it won't be easy to -replace poor Jim. He was such a good husband." - -"You never said that when he was alive." - -"Of course not: he would have taken advantage of the compliment. But -Jim wasn't bad on the whole. He left me alone, at all events. Perhaps -his successor will bother me to show public affection: as if I -would--or could, for the matter of that." - -"Lady James, do you love any one but yourself?" - -"You and Joan--dear little innocent glass-case dolls that you are. -Yes; you may blush and smile, but I am really in earnest. You were -always so rude to me that I knew you to be genuine." - -"Oh!" Lionel exhibited shocked surprise. "I hope I was never rude." - -"Horribly, on all occasions. If you had not been, I never should have -believed that you were genuine. When people mean what they say, and -don't want anything from one, they are always rude; it's a kind of -trademark. I am sure Socrates was a man you could always trust and -would never have invited to dinner. You're something like him, only -you don't ask questions and are better-looking. I always consider you -the one honest man in a world of rogues, and if you were not engaged -to Joan, I should marry you." - -Lionel coloured still deeper and laughed in an embarrassed fashion. "I -might have something to say to that." - -"Not at all. Didn't you hear me say that I should have married you. -What could you or any man do against me?" and she laughed with an -insolent pride in her beauty and powers. "By the way," she added, "I -have to run up to town to-morrow on business. Do you mind?" - -"Not at all. Joan and her mother will be here. Do exactly what you -please, Lady James." - -"Call me Leah, now that you are the head of the family," she murmured, -and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. - -He threw back his head and met her eyes, with a boyish blush. "Leah!" -he breathed. "Very well, then--Leah." - -Lady Jim tapped his smooth cheek indulgently. "You foolish thing," she -said, kindly; "if it was worth my while, I could----" Leaving the -sentence unfinished and Lionel furious, she left the room. That -she--this hardened coquette of the world, should dare to think he -would forget the sweetest and best of girls. Let her sing the song of -the sirens as she might, he would never--no, never, prove false to -Joan. But honest as were these thoughts, Lionel was but a man, when -all was said and done, and the touch on his shoulder, the look in her -eyes, the cooing murmur of her voice, made him wince, and not -unpleasantly. Well was it for the young man that Leah did not choose -to try her wiles, else he might have been lured towards that pit the -edges of which are wreathed with roses. Had his future Duchess been -any other than Joan the simple, a perverse spirit might have led Lady -Jim to indulge in some perilous amusement; but she liked the girl, and -honestly respected Lionel. Therefore did the lover scoff at her magic -arts, strong only in escaping temptation. Had Leah put forth her -powers---- "Silly little donkey," she thought, climbing the stairs, -"as if I couldn't do what I liked. It would be a hard battle, but I -could--I could--I could,--only I shan't," she finished. "Joan is a -dear girl, and I am the most worried woman in the world." - -She made the latter part of this final remark again, when she conned a -brusque and somewhat imperative letter which had arrived by the -evening post. It came from one Richard Strange, and purported to be -written from a third-rate Strand hotel. This uncivilised communication -intimated that the aforesaid Strange would be obliged--this -underlined--if her ladyship would afford him an immediate interview. - -"M'm," commented Leah, glancing suspiciously at the underlined word, -"he isn't sure of his money, and means to be nasty if he doesn't get -it. Well"--she heaved a sigh--"he must be paid, I suppose, the -blackmailing beast. And the whole sum down, I expect. Time payments -won't be acceptable to a man who writes in this fashion." - -She wrote an artful letter, stating that Dr. Demetrius had spoken of -his travels with a Captain Strange, and, solely because she wished -to hear of poor Mr. Garth, who had been a protégé of her late -father-in-law, she made an appointment at 10, Curzon Street, for five -the next evening. This epistle, which did not recognise existing facts -and could be shown to the whole world without betraying anything -underhand, she sent off at once. If possible, she would have shirked -meeting a man she more than suspected of being a brute. But to -vanquish danger one must meet it, as she very well knew. - -"And if he wants more than his thousand," thought Lady Jim, again on -her way to the widowed Marchioness, "he'll find that I am quite equal -to deal with him, and with a dozen like him, if need be. A thousand -pounds! Oh, Lord! The greedy wretch!" - -Then she spread her wings as a ministering angel. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - -"No!" rasped the lean man, and his eyes hardened like those of a cat -with her claws out; "you figure it out, ma'am, in your own way very -prettily, I don't deny. But my Pisgah-sight's got to be took, you bet. -Guess we'll do th' view in a bunch, an' toss fur lots." - -Leah smiled vaguely, because she was not sure of her ground, and -required a translator badly. Jim had been abstruse on occasions, but -this seafaring person spoke the shibboleth of a shifting population to -excess. Never having met one of this breed before, she did not know -how to handle him. Captain Strange was not a Muscovite diplomatist, -who would call black white, or even grey, to please her; and, -moreover, he appeared to be extraordinarily unsympathetic in the -presence of lovely woman. The magic of sex had worked weakly hitherto, -and this brusque visitor gave her to understand that he was not to be -cajoled into make-believe conversation. He required, and declared -emphatically that he did require, an unvarnished statement of facts, -to be argued exhaustively, so that he might know--as he tersely put -it--where he dropped anchor. - -"You don't chuck orange-peel my way, ma'am," said the mariner, and -intended to clinch his assertion by spitting. But the sight of the -carpet pulled him back to civilisation. - -The friend of Demetrius, owner and captain of the _Stormy Petrel_, -presented himself as a tall, small-boned man, with no superfluous -flesh on his frame-work, and with a jaw as hard--from bullying -underlings--and as blue--from close shaving--as were his eyes. The -tint of these, added to the blackness of curling hair, combined with -the racy vernacular which he flung fairly in her face, inclined Lady -Jim to class him as an Irish-American. But from the discourteous way -in which he spoke--as they never would have spoken in dear dirty -Dublin--and from his habit of interjecting slang words chosen from the -domestic speech of the Five Nations, she was puzzled to fix his -nationality accurately. As a matter of private history, and this she -discovered later, he was entirely cosmopolitan, and, out of sheer -contrariety, owed allegiance to no particular flag. Not a bad-looking -freebooter, Leah decided, with his regular features, and well-shaped -head, and white teeth, and ruddy clean-shaven face; but dangerous, was -her second and wiser thought. She was right. The man of many lands was -also of many minds, but at the back of them all lay the unalterable -determination to ride rough-shod over any one who would submit. As -Lady Jim also held to the same theory of individualism, it was not -unlikely that a brisk encounter might ensue, and for this she was -quite prepared. Meantime, she decided that he was picturesque, and, in -his rough blue clothes, with a red neck-tie and barbaric gold rings in -his ears, and a general air of "you-be-damnedness," would have amused -her as a new figure from the underworld, but that the large issues of -the conversation induced seriousness. - -"I don't understand you, and I am sure you do not understand me," was -her observation, after digesting the orange-peel parable. - -"Let it go at that, ma'am. But I reckon I kin make m'self as clear as -any man, livin' or dead, when dollars are in th' pool. Now you"--he -shook a large brown finger--"you, ma'am, give me taffy." - -"What is taffy?" - -"What you might call sugar--best brand, an' no sand in it, anyhow. -I've struck heaps of the female in my time, and it's all taffy with -them, till they annex the outfit, an' then y' kin go hang, I guess"; -he fixed her with a true quarter-deck eye. "I surmise as you're tryin' -t' play Sally Waters low down. Not much--oh, no. I should smile -considerable to think as any gilded female got th' bulge on me. Go -slow, ma'am. Make no haste when the fat's afire, ses Isaiah. Beckon he -knew things, did thet prophet." - -Leah smiled again at this Wild West outburst. "You are a free child of -nature, Captain Strange." - -"Taffy agin. I'm a man, you bet, same along as your husband." - -"I should think you and he would get on together extremely well," said -Lady Jim, dryly. "But don't you think you could contrive to be a -little less rude?" - -"Why, bless y', this is civil fur me." - -"How your crew must love you!" - -"I'd boot 'em round the ship if they didn't," snapped Strange, very -ferociously. "They've got t' love me up t' the level of workin' their -insides out, else I'd lay out every man jack in his little wooden -overcoat." - -"What a sweet nature you have! Are you married?" - -"Got a wife o' sorts," said the mariner, indifferently, "an' two kids -of th' best." His eyes softened. "Now, ma'am, you could talk t' me fur -a millennium 'bout them little nippers." - -The last word was pure Whitechapel, and Leah wondered if that parish -could claim this buccaneer. But time was too valuable to go into his -private history, so she replied gently, quick to perceive that there -was a flaw in his armour, "On another occasion I shall be delighted to -talk nursery, Captain Strange; but the millennium has not yet arrived -in Curzon Street." - -"Y've got me there, I don't deny," cried Strange, hardening. "Now this -here racket, as I've sailed long-sides t' fix up----" - -"It will be fixed up, as you call it, at once," said Lady Jim, -sharply. "The matter is very simple." - -"Is it now? Lay on th' paint, ma'am." - -She passed over this insolence very wisely. "You were kind to that -poor Mr. Garth," she explained, calmly. "And, besides, took Dr. -Demetrius to my husband in Jamaica. For these services I am willing to -give you one thousand pounds--in gold, if you like"; she thought the -metal might tempt him into closing with the offer, but it did not. - -"Shucks, ma'am, shucks! You've bin talkin' paint an' putty fur th' -las' hour an' more. T'ain't no good nohow--not a bit, seein' as I'm -being paid fur cold-drawn kidnappin' of your husband, so as y might -loot a company of sorts." - -Leah winced at this rude blast of speech, which blew to shreds the -verbal draperies with which she was trying to clothe naked and -unpleasant facts. "I object to the word kidnap. Lord James went with -you of his own accord." - -"You kin lay to that, ma'am, an' mighty spry wos he in lightin' out of -these gilded halls int' the free an' wild. Kidnappin' it ain't, if y' -come t' th' bone, so I climb down slick. Oh, there ain't no meanness -'bout me, ma'am. Prove me wrong, an' I go pious right along." - -"As you are apparently pious now, Captain Strange, there may be a -chance of our arriving at an understanding." - -He nodded. "If as how you'll talk down t' th' bed-rock level of what -we've bin doin', ma'am." - -Leah winced again, not liking to run with this ruffian in iniquitous -harness. "You want a thousand pounds?" - -"Well," drawled the captain, "y' might say fairer than thet." - -"Which means that you intend to ask for what you won't get." - -"Huh! Guess thet'll be as right as pie, when I open out." - -"You can open out now," said Lady Jim, coolly. - -Her antagonist admired this bluffing to the extent of slapping his -thigh, and chuckling like a blackbird over a worm. "You're a dandy one -t' deal with, fur sure, an' a woman at that. My word"--this was -Australian--"if my missus hed bin your sort, ma'am, I'd ha' bin -walkin' a liner as a golden-barred skipper. You kin freeze on t' thet, -straight." - -Lady Jim laughed, not ill pleased. Aksakoff had paid her some such -compliment, and it was interesting to see the diverse ways in which -the same idea can be expressed. "Go on," said she, nodding her thanks. - -"Don't waste chin-music, neither," mused the captain. "Want's t' git -at my cards afore she shows her own." - -"You are in the right so far, Captain Strange" - -"Talks book English like print. If she ain't a queen of dimins an' -hearts I'm----" - -"I have no doubt you will be some day," interposed Leah, before he -could get the word out; "but until you are, suppose you--er--open -out." - -"Touchin' the passage money, as you might call it in a high-falutin' -way, ma'am?" - -"Passage money for my husband?" - -"An' fur a double of his, as negotiated the Noo Jerusalem on th' -v'yge," nodded the captain, extending his long legs. "Then there's th' -man we planted at Funchal." - -"Your nephew--buried in place of Mr. Garth." - -"Nephew! Oh, he wasn't any relative o' mine." - -"Dr. Demetrius informed me that he was." - -"Huh! Guess he wos filled up with thet idear by me. Yes, ma'am, I -reckoned t' make more dollars by supplyin' a nevy as a corp. But he -wos a pick-up, bless y', racketin' off chain, withouter friend, wife, -or kid, till I help plant him in Madeira." - -"Will inquiries be made about him?" she asked, carelessly. - -"Y' make me smile some, ma'am. Why, I picked up a stray dog o' -purpose." - -"H'm!" said Leah, lying back comfortably; "it would have been better -for your pocket had you withheld this information until you cashed my -cheque. It will make a difference." - -"Goin' t' cut int' th' thousand?" asked Strange, blandly. - -"He was not your nephew, remember," she retorted. The mariner stared -and chuckled. "Donner und Blitz!" - -"I know German, if you prefer to talk in that tongue." - -He recovered with another stare. "I reckon y've hed a board-school -eddication all along th' line. I swear in any lingo handy----" - -"So I hear," she informed him swiftly. - -"But I don't stock furrein chin-chin nowhow. An' now, ma'am"--he -expanded his chest and puffed out his cheeks--"I'll trouble y' t' han' -over ten thousand dollars." - -"What's that in English?" - -"Two thousand pounds." Evidently Strange had gone to considerable -trouble in calculating his blackmail. - -"And if you do not get it?" - -"Then I guess you'll be sent up." - -Leah laughed scornfully. "I understand: unless I submit to extortion -you will tell this story about your supposed nephew and Mr. Garth." - -"I'll rip out everything" the captain assured her without flinching; -"an' t' th' nearest copper"--the last word, she observed, was popular -cockney. - -"Be careful," she warned him; "our police make capital out of -rascality." - -The sailor choked and his eyes bulged. "Ras--ras--rascality?" - -"Blackmail, in plain English, Captain Strange." - -"Naow don't git me riz," Strange implored her. "I'm a holy terror -with m' hair off." - -"Oh, we can tame wild beasts in this country." - -"But if I tell----" - -"Tell what?" - -"Damn!" breathed the astonished man; then almost shrieked an -explanation: "Why, thet Dr. Demetrius brought Garth as a corp t' -Kingston, an' yanked your husband int' the Blue Mountains t' sham -death. Aye; he did, y' bet. An' thet Berrin'--Lord James, y' call him -in your cussed fine way--come aboard my barkey, while the corp as wos -called by his name lighted out fur th' old country, so thet y' might -run rings round a company of sorts." - -"How interesting! And what has it all to do with me?" - -"My stars!" Strange rose to stamp the more freely. - -"Sit down, please," said Lady Jim, sweetly. "I do not allow people of -your class to show their manners in my drawing-room." - -"It should be a prison with you in it," he raged. "What a brute you -are! Because you think that I am under your thumb, you not only attempt -blackmail, but add insult." - -"I'll make things hum, I kin tell y'. I'll bust up this conspiracy." - -"What conspiracy?" asked Leah, stubbornly. - -Strange made for the door with a nautical roll. "You kin arsk th' -nearest copper. I'll give him details, never fear." - -"Close the door after you, please," said Lady Jim, as he wrenched it -open fiercely. - -The captain immediately banged it again with a naughty word, and -turned to behold her opening a book. "Cold-drawn cheek of th' mos' -freezing style," murmured the almost stupefied man. "Oh, my country, -t'aint no wonder he took leg-bail. If I wos married t' her I'd larrup -her every day an' twice on Sundays." - -"Not gone yet?" inquired Leah, glancing over the top of her book. "Oh, -please do! I dislike hearing an illiterate person muttering." - -"Lord keep me fro' murder," gasped Strange, piously. "Say, ma'am, -ain't you afeared?" - -"Awfully! And as there are several policemen within call----" - -"Bring 'em up--bring 'em all up, right along." - -"I will, if you do not go away"; and she reached for the bell. - -"Snakes! Y' mus' hev a card up your sleeve." - -"Perhaps I have." - -"Or y' may be bluffin'." - -"Perhaps I am. Don't you think it would be better if you sat down and -talked pleasantly?" - -"If I'd a wife like you," commenced the captain, obeying, "I'd----" - -"I am quite sure you would. Bullies like you always enjoy -wife-beating." - -"I ain't a bully"; he wiped his face with a flaunting red bandana -handkerchief, breathing heavily. - -"Yes, you are, and a coward, who thought to frighten me. Now I am -about to frighten you." - -"Huh!" Strange laughed scornfully. "There ain't man, woman, or kid kin -make me sing small. Though I don't deny," he added gracefully, "as -you'd make Old Nick squirm." - -"Thanks, but I am rather tired of costermonger compliments. Come to -business. You accuse me of being mixed up in a conspiracy?" - -"Well, an' ain't it true?" - -"As gospel, between ourselves. To the world it is a lie." - -"I bet you can't prove 'tis so," sneered the sailor. - -"Proof is not required. Denial is." - -"Not when I'm in th' witness-box." - -"Not when you're in the dock, you mean, my good man." - -Her visitor grew purple. "Me--in th' dock!" he thundered. - -"Lower your voice, please, or I shall order my servants to turn you -out. Yes--in the dock, your natural place. This conspiracy of yours." - -"Engineered for your little game, mind," he gasped. - -"Not at all. I have nothing to do with it"; her hard eyes held him as -he blankly considered her astonishing impudence. "You tell me that Dr. -Demetrius buried a man at Funchal in place of Mr. Garth, and then, -when Mr. Garth died on board your ship, sent home his body as that of -my husband. As Mr. Garth and my husband resembled one another closely, -I can see how I and the family were mistaken when we beheld the -substituted corpse. But I do not understand why my husband should have -consented to this, no more than I understand how you dare accuse me of -conspiring." - -"But I do, you bet, ma'am. You played low down on a company." - -"Where is your proof?" - -"You've got the dollars." - -She played a bold stroke. "Ignorant that the money was paid under -false pretences. It shall be given back." - -Strange turned white and jumped up. "My share!" he cried. - -"I know nothing of your share. Apparently, Dr. Demetrius, who happened -to--to--er--admire me, kidnapped my husband in order that I might -think myself free to marry him,--a thing," said Lady Jim, with scorn, -"which could never--never have occurred. It seems that my husband was -taken away by you and Dr. Demetrius against his will. I shall -communicate with him, now that I know he is alive. Oh, I assure you, -search shall be made, Captain Strange, and the money--every -penny--shall be paid back to the defrauded insurance company. As for -you--blackmailing hound and bully and coward, the law shall punish -you"; and she, daring greatly, was again about to touch the bell. - -Several times during this clever explanation Strange had gasped and -sworn softly, almost helpless with rage. But by the time she ended his -anger had cooled, and he was regarding her with profound admiration. -Her astonishing boldness, her dexterous turning of facts into fiction -and fiction into facts, and the unbroken nerve which she displayed -when at bay, commanded his respect. Unknowingly he fell into line with -M. Aksakoff, and rendered homage to superior wickedness. - -"Don't shoot, colonel, I'll climb down," said he, collapsing. - -Lady Jim, knowing the old 'possum story, laughed and withdrew her -hand, secretly relieved that he had not dared her to press the button. -"Ah, now you talk reason, Captain Strange." - -"You bet I'm goin' to," he retorted bluntly. "Y've played your hand -fur all you're worth, an' mighty prettily bluffed it is. But I -guess"--he swung back in his chair largely--"I guess I hold the ace." - -"You do?" She eyed him uneasily, for he appeared to be much cooler -than she approved of. "And the ace?" - -"Your husband." - -"Jim!" Leah started forward, grasping the arms of her chair. - -"Huh!" grunted Strange. "I thought you gilded bummers were allays -lords an' ladies t' one another." - -"Jim!" she repeated blankly. "Jim!" - -"You bet. Kidnappin' wos th' word I used, an' kidnappin' it is. Thet -there Berrin', your husband, sailin' under false colours, come along -with me to Buenos Ayres--there's no denying thet. But"--here the -freebooter winked significantly--"he didn't git set ashore there. Oh -no, not much, you bet. I gummed on t' him as m' ace till I landed -stakes. He don't mind, bless y'--likes the life wonderful. We've bin -gavortin' round Pacific waters fur months, till the dollars ran low. -Then I brought the barkey nor'ard with him under hatches, and -naow"--he stretched out a huge paw--"y' kin pass along thet ten -thousand." - -Her brain was working so hard that she scarcely heard half the speech. -At the back of it she began to see possibilities. "My husband is in -England, then?" - -"Within reach, anyhow, and with my first mate hangin' on t' him. Maybe -the barkey anchors in a French port. Might be Spanish fur choice, if -y' like--there's no knowin'. But he's within hail, same as them -coppers of yours. The ace, ma'am, the ace. Y' might put in a day -arskin' me why I let him go at ten thousand dollars. Th' hull shoot is -worth heaps an' heaps more." - -Leah watched his face closely. "Worth five thousand pounds, perhaps?" - -"Well," he drawled, equally watchful; "I shouldn't mind goin' nap on -that, all things being on th' square. Naow if----" - -"Wait! Wait, I tell you!" She clasped her hands across her forehead -and paced the room with slow steps, which did not betray the nervous -hurry of her overwrought brain. - -Strange watched her, as a naturalist might watch an entirely new -animal. Clever and hard as he was in his bullying way, he felt -instinctively that he had little chance of getting the better of this -woman, unless--as he phrased it--he kept his tail up. "She's the -dandiest devil I ever sot eyes on," was his admiring verdict. "Golly, -wot a flyer! Huh!" - -Lady Jim, twisting her hands distressfully, strolled slowly up and -down, with bent head and thoughtful looks. At times she would halt and -reflect deeply; then her face would brighten as she resumed her -prowling. Sometimes she glanced at Strange, sitting like a graven -image in his chair, and occasionally she peered into any near mirror -as if to seek inspiration from her own wicked eyes. For ten minutes -amidst a petrifying silence she behaved thus; then, having solved part -of her problem--the solution of the other part depended upon Strange's -consent--she returned to face him. - -"Do you mind imprisonment?" she asked casually. - -The sailor jumped. "Goin' t' begin agin?" he demanded irritably. - -"Answer my question. Do you mind imprisonment?" - -"I do an' I don't, accordin' to th' dollars. Give it a name." - -"Five thousand pounds." - -"Twenty-five thousand, States currency," mused the captain. "Y wish me -t' sample one of your gaols fur thet." - -She nodded. "On charges of conspiracy and blackmail." - -Strange jumped again. "My gun! D'y' intend t' advertise th' circus?" - -"I intend to have my husband set free to enjoy his own. Since you have -kidnapped him, you shall confess and suffer--for five thousand -pounds." - -"Leavin' you out, ma'am?" - -"Oh, I had nothing to do with it, nor had my poor husband. You and Dr. -Demetrius are the rascals." - -"Huh! An' what'll y' pay the Doc.?" - -"Nothing," she said serenely: "the Russian Government is paying him." - -"Whew!" Strange whistled with a stare; "they've got him at las'." - -"If you mean the Russian authorities, yes." - -"Poor chap! He wasn't bad fur a foreiner. I kind o' froze on t' him -somehow. But this catchy-catchy biznai ain't none o' mine, so let him -slide." He shook his head vigorously. "Slide it is. An' this noo game -o' yours, ma'am?" - -Bending forward, until her mouth was almost at his right ear, she -explained a very pretty scheme, which would oust Lionel and restore -Jim's birthright, without inculpating her. - -Strange listened calmly, and nodded heavy approval at intervals. All -the time admiration deepened in his hard eyes, but this did not -prevent him bargaining. "Yes," said he, balancing his hat carefully. -"It kin be done. Six thousand, ain't it!" - -"Five thousand." - -"Six!" he insisted. - -So much was at stake that Leah yielded. She could afford to do so, -with fifty thousand a year in prospect. "Six, then--to be paid when -you leave prison." - -"Huh! An' when might that be?" - -"How should I know?" said Lady Jim, crossly, for the strain on her -nerves was great. "Ask some lawyer." - -"Blackmail an' conspiracy," murmured Strange, reflectively. "Sounds -like a few years of oakum-pickin', don't it? Not as I intend to give -my opinion on these British gaols. Sing-sing's good enough fur me." - -"What do you mean by that?" - -"Never you mind, ma'am. But if the dollars ain't planked down----" - -"They will be. Can't you trust me, man?" - -"I guess not. You're what I call a holy terror, an' no mistake. -Firmingham, y' said--Firmingham." He nodded. "I've nailed it." - -"When will you go down?" - -"Arter I've seen thet land-shark 'bout the kind of poppy-cock th' -bloomin' judge ull talk. Go slow, ma'am; y' git along with your share, -an' I'll do mine. So long!" - -Leah did not like to grasp the tarry hand extended, but out of -diplomacy she was forced to touch the pitch which was defiling her. "I -can depend upon you, Captain Strange." - -He nodded. "Y' kin let it go at thet. So long, agin. An' if I'd -married you," he added, with genuine emotion, "cuss me if I wouldn't -hev bin runnin' the U.S.A. in th' Presidential Chair." - -Leah digested this compliment at her leisure. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - -After that momentous interview Lady Jim realised the truth of -Strange's scriptural quotation, although he had translated it into his -own lax vernacular. Unfortunately, hearing it after the event, she -could not take Isaiah's advice, and had too hastily condemned the -fetish. She would have given much for the recovery of that precise -peacock's feather, for, having freely thrown it away, it was doubtful -to her superstitious mind if the luck would hold. Certainly she had -arranged judiciously for Jim's return to civilisation, and the -unscrupulous captain appeared willing to earn wages as a scapegoat; -but there was always the unforeseen to be reckoned with. A chance -word, a chance discovery, a too minute inquiry--these might wreck -the whole scheme, and she would reap a whirlwind, stormy enough -to sweep her out of a social paradise into the bleak desert of -Sinners-found-out. A most uncomfortable locality. - -She did what she could, poor woman, to propitiate her Baal. A new -peacock's feather was procured, and she apologised for her want of -faith. Also she experimented with the new symbol. Would a particular -costume arrive at a certain hour? Would some very doubtful stock which -she held turn honest? Would Captain Strange, after consulting a -lawyer, still hold to his nefarious bargain? The test proved -satisfactory, for her Baal, apparently amenable to apology, worked -excellently through the new semblance of his deity. The dress duly -arrived within the fixed time; the shares rose rapidly, and enabled -her to sell at a profit which she did not deserve; finally, a grubby -note from Strange assured her without detail that he was on his way to -Firmingham. It would seem that the prospect of picking oakum for a -livelihood appealed to him, at the agreed price. - -Pending the explosion of the mine to which Strange was about to apply -a match, Leah possessed her soul in patience. Three days did she wait, -and they were days of purgatory. For obvious reasons she did not -return to Firmingham, but wrote to Lionel stating that she had -received a terrible shock--nature not mentioned--and intended to -consult the family solicitors about the same. She thus made herself -safe about the sailor's visit, in case any one might wonder why he had -come to her in the first instance. And in the letter she told the -truth for once, since she paid a visit to Lincoln's Inn Fields. An -explanation of her errand startled the suave head of a justly -celebrated legal firm. On recovering from pardonable amazement he gave -his client the full value of her six-and-eightpence. - -"Kidnapping," explained Mr. Hall, to a tearful listener--for Lady Jim -thought that the circumstances demanded emotion--"is not in itself a -serious offence, and really applies only to persons under fourteen -years of age. In the case of an adult like Lord James this sailor -would be punished with--er--maybe two years' imprisonment. He might -even be let off with a heavy fine." - -Leah's face fell considerably. She would have to pay that fine, and -did not relish parting with more money. "How interesting!" she -murmured vaguely, and waited for further information. - -"Blackmail, however," pursued the lawyer, emphatically, "is a very -grave offence, and can be punished with five years' imprisonment, -involving penal servitude." - -"That would be better," agreed Lady Jim, thinking that Strange at hard -labour would earn one thousand a year and have an extra thousand over -when his term was ended. A profitable imprisonment for him, truly, she -reflected, and extremely costly for her. - -"Then again, Lady James, if the offence s committed by letter, -sentence for life can be passed." - -"Oh, he didn't write," she said hastily, and congratulated herself -that Strange had not done so, since, even for so many thousands, he -would not be inclined to remain a prisoner for ever; "but perhaps Mr. -Kaimes may receive a letter. The man hinted that he would try in that -quarter, seeing that I would not yield to his extortion." - -"You should have had him arrested." - -"I had not my wits about me. He would have shot me had I summoned the -servants." - -"Bless me, Lady James, had he a weapon?" - -"A revolver," she replied, unscrupulously; "so you can see how I--a -poor weak woman--was intimidated." - -"That will add to his sentence," said Mr. Hall, upon which she wished -she had checked her imagination. It would be foolish to push Strange -into a corner, for as yet she could not reckon the exact power of his -greed. However, she could not unsay what she had said, and nothing -remained but to pray to the fetish and hope for the best. - -"The Duke must be warned," went on Mr. Hall. - -"Who?" asked Leah, just as sharply as she had asked Colley. - -"The new Duke--I beg your pardon, for, of course, if this story is -true, Lord James is the Duke of Pentland." - -"You doubt the story, then?" - -Hall raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "I cannot give an opinion -until I have seen this man and sifted his statements." He paused and -looked at her inquiringly. "I presume, Lady James, that this man -closely resembles your husband?" - -"What man? Oh, Garth--yes. You may guess how closely, when the late -Duke, Lord Frith, and myself were all deceived. Certainly the likeness -was well known in Firmingham. There were reasons," she added with -hesitation--"family reasons." - -"Oh--er--quite so." Mr. Hall, who knew something of the Adamite side -of his late Grace, coughed away a laugh. "I can see how the mistake -arose, Lady James. Natural enough--oh, dear me--natural enough." - -"Why do you not give me my proper title?" she asked haughtily. - -"Pardon me, but the truth of this man's wild story has yet to be -proved. May I ask a few needful questions?" - -A wave of her hand signified that he might, and she submitted to a -tolerably stiff examination. Being prepared with artless answers to -every question, she emerged triumphantly from the ordeal, and when in -possession of _her_ facts, Mr. Hall subscribed to the wickedness of -Demetrius and Strange. "A pair of villains, my dear lady. The one -sinned for love and the other from avarice; astonishing whither those -passions lead us--astonishing. Well, well, we must hope. I trust, for -your ladyship's sake, that the story is true." - -"So do I," wept Leah, producing her handkerchief. "Not for the -sake of the title or the money, dear Mr. Hall, but because my poor -husband---- Oh----" here she skilfully broke down, for want of -something to say. - -"Pray calm yourself, Lady James. Let us hope that in a few days I -shall be able to address you as the Duchess of Pentland." - -"Give me back my husband--I ask no more," was her magnanimous reply. - -And while driving to Curzon Street she reflected how very magnanimous -it really was, seeing that she had no wish for Jim's company. To be -tied to that log again was scarcely worth the income. Besides, Jim, -who had no sense of decency, would assuredly laugh his loudest at the -thought of her unnecessary trouble. He would not even thank her for -giving him his rights, although he must know that it was sorely -against the grain for her to put up with his boring society. But in -spite of Jim's probable ingratitude, she would behave as his wife--as -the lenient woman she felt herself to be. Certainly her common sense -recognised that he was returning from his sham grave with gifts in his -hands, but of those she was the giver. And, seeing that she could -betray his share in the conspiracy without inculpating herself, Leah -foresaw the possession of limitless power to enforce obedience. That -power she resolved to utilise for the purpose of getting her own -unfettered way, and all the money she required for contemplated -extravagances. Also, she intended to stop Jim's illicit flirtations. -Now that he was a peer of the realm he would have "to purge and live -cleanly," after the fashion of one Sir John Falstaff, Knight. - -"We owe that much to society," thought Leah, virtuously, and -considered the rumoured doings of black sheep who would be cast out of -the Mayfair fold were their housetops removed. That the shifting of -the Curzon Street mansion tiles might also be attended with danger she -did not pause to consider. - -On the ensuing afternoon Askew arrived to say farewell; but, as -circumstances were too embarrassing to permit of her taking any -interest in other people's affairs, she declined to see him. -Nevertheless, he urged a personal interview, on the plea that he would -be absent for months. She yielded very unwillingly, as her nerves -clamoured for some outward sign of emotion, which by the rules of -society she would be obliged to suppress. - -"I know I shall be horribly rude," murmured Lady Jim, when the footman -left the room to introduce the visitor; "but he has brought it on -himself"--which excuse she considered ample for ensuing impoliteness. - -Askew, with mistaken consideration, entered the drawing-room almost on -tiptoe, and proceeded forthwith to condole with her in stage whispers. -She soon put a stop to this artificial sympathy. Further reference to -life beyond the grave she could not and would not stand, as she told -him crisply. - -"Don't talk funeral, unless you wish to see me wreck the room. I have -had months of crying and crape and condoling." - -"But the sad circumstances----" - -"Are such that I did not wish to see you," she retorted, finishing his -sentences for him as usual, after her old fashion. "I feel so scratchy -that I declined your visit out of sheer pity. But you would insist, so -don't blame me if I am disagreeable." - -"You can never be disagreeable," said Askew, soothingly. - -"Can't I? You wait ten minutes and see." - -"I think I had better go, Lady Jim." - -"For your own sake, I think you had. Good-bye." - -Askew still kept his seat. "I only wish to say that I am very--very -sorry for your terrible loss." - -"Lady Frith's terrible loss, you mean. Go and see her, if you want to -play the hired mourner." - -"Ah, poor Lady Frith----" - -"Now don't begin about her," snapped Leah, viciously. - -"But you must be sorry----" - -"I am--for myself. I have been dosed with the post-mortem virtues -of those three Kaimes men until I feel that only wicked people are -truly agreeable. I regret the Duke, who was a nice old sinner turned -saint, and I lament Lord Frith for his goodness and sweetness of -disposition--there." - -"I never heard that Lord Frith had a sweet disposition." - -"He hadn't; but I'm only saying the kind of things you expect me to -say." - -"Oh!" Askew looked shocked. "Have the--er--bodies been found?" - -"I don't think so; but you can ask the executors who look after these -things. Any more questions?" - -"No; only I am sorry----" - -"You said that before. You are sorry, I am sorry, we are sorry. I -think that conjugation exhausts the subject. Let us talk of your -yacht, Mr. Askew." - -"She's all right," he murmured, confused. It was difficult to -comprehend this woman, who so lightly dropped a family sorrow to take -on a subject which he knew interested her but little. - -"And when do you sail?" - -"To-morrow or next day. I came to say good-bye." - -"Oh!" said Leah, carelessly. "I fancied you came to sympathise. -Well"--she rose and extended her hand--"good-bye." - -Askew clasped her hand coldly, wondering how he ever came to love so -heartless a woman. As Jim was returning in glory and had not seen -Señorita Fajardo since his reported death, Leah felt that she could -safely dismiss this boy, to go where he would. Besides, she was -beginning to find him a bore. He took things much too seriously, and -was by no means so good-looking as she had imagined. All the same, -after the manner of woman, who wants to have her pie and eat it, she -by no means approved of his readiness to depart. - -"You don't seem to care much," she said reproachfully, and felt quite -ill-used. - -Askew coloured boyishly. "I am not broken-hearted, certainly." - -"I do not believe that you have a heart." - -"You are right--it is at Rosario." - -"Then I advise you to go after it, lest it should get mixed up with -other men's hearts." - -"Lola is no flirt," cried Askew, loyally. - -"Then she must be altogether too good for this world. Good-bye! Bring -Mrs. Askew to see me when you return." - -"I fear you would be bored with her," said he, sore and sarcastic. - -"Probably. Married women are not interesting, except to people like -you and Jim, who persistently break the tenth commandment." - -"I know one married woman who----" - -"Who has just said good-bye to you, and repeats it," snapped Lady Jim, -seeing he was about to be rude. - -"Oh, very well, then, good-bye," said Askew, going out in a rage with -her and with himself. And so they parted. - -Leah returned smiling to her seat, delighted that she made him lose -his temper, as by doing so she had recovered her own. It was so -satisfactory to a deserted woman to think that a man whose love had -cooled should go away uncomfortable. "And what a mercy he is gone," -said Lady Jim, settling to read fashions. "I hope he'll stop in -America with that Lola creature for the rest of his silly life. I -suppose he won't turn over this page of his book of life, but tear it -out." And in this she was perfectly right. He did. - -Towards five o'clock Lionel arrived. Although she had no intimation of -his coming, she quite expected to see him, and was prepared to make -any necessary scene. The young clergyman looked white and excited, -entering the room so rapidly that the footman had hardly time to -announce the title that he was losing. - -Lady Jim, recognising a crisis, came forward rapidly with studied -emotion. "You know all--all," she said in a choking voice, and caught -his hands. - -He was taken aback. "Yes, if you mean that your husband lives." - -"It is true, then--it is true"; she tottered to the sofa, and cast -herself down with passionate emotion. "Say that it is true!" - -"I think so. But how do you know?" - -Leah sat up with a puzzled look. "Did you not get my letter saying -that I had had a shock, and intended to consult Mr. Hall?" - -"Yes; but you did not explain." - -"I could not, seeing the position it places you in." - -"Never mind me. If Jim is alive, he takes the title. So this man came -to you." - -"He did, and tried to extort money. Because I refused he hinted that -he would buy your silence. I never thought that he would dare to go to -Firmingham; but when you entered, a look told me all. But can you -believe this story--it seems incredible?" - -"The police do not think so," said Lionel, grimly. - -Lady Jim dropped on to the sofa again. "The police!" - -"Of course. This scoundrel came to Firmingham, and said that if I gave -him three thousand pounds he would keep Jim away from England so that -I could enjoy the title. I learned the truth about this conspiracy of -Dr. Demetrius, and then had Captain Strange arrested. To-day a -policeman brought him to London. He is in prison." - -"Serve him right, the brute. Did he not tell you how he threatened -me?" - -"No; I never guessed that he had come to you." - -"But he did, and said that if I gave him two thousand pounds he would -bring Jim back. Failing me, he tried you at a higher price. I should -have had him arrested, Mr. Hall says, but I could not. I was -bewildered--quite bewildered. It seems incredible. Oh, Lionel,"--she -laid her hand imploringly on his sleeve--"surely Demetrius did not -behave so vilely!" - -"I fear that he did. The man, as every one in London knows, was madly -in love with you." - -"I never encouraged him--really I didn't." - -"No," said Lionel, bluntly. "I do not think he was rich enough for you -to encourage." - -"How can you think so badly of me?" - -"Because you are all self--you admitted that long ago. To do you -justice, I think you were a good wife to Jim." - -"I _am_ a good wife. Don't make me out to be the widow I am not. Of -course, this story must be false," she ended, helplessly. - -"I think not--it is too circumstantial. And moreover, this man, who -appears to be illiterate, could not invent such a tale. Plainly the -Russian, who seemed to be clever, conspired to get rid of Jim, so that -you might be induced to marry him." - -"As though I would ever do such a thing! I told you at Firmingham that -I had no intention of marrying. I daresay Jim and I will come together -again, and be very happy." - -"I hope so--I trust so," said Lionel, with solemn emphasis. "Remember, -God is giving you another chance." - -"I made very good use of the last one," she retorted sullenly. "Jim -was always to blame, and not I. I suppose this insurance money will -have to be given back." - -"Certainly. You can hardly complain of that, seeing the income you -will now receive." - -"Jim will, you mean. I expect he'll turn out a screw now that he is -rich. Your spendthrifts are always old misers. And I don't see why you -should be nasty. I'm sure I have had a miserable time." - -"You will have a happy one now," he said, relenting. - -"With Jim?" she cried derisively. "How optimistic you are!" - -"Surely I have a right to be, when God is so good to you." - -"God," she echoed, vaguely, and thinking of the obliging fetish. "Oh -yes, of course. I'm awfully thankful. The insurance money would not -have lasted for ever, and I might not have found so manageable a -husband as Jim. Things will be jolly now." - -Lionel groaned. "Is that as high as you can rise?" he asked, -rebukingly. - -"Oh, Lord, what do you want me to say?" cried Leah, with the -causeless anger of the overwrought. "I can't think of pious proverbs -when I am like this. What with supposed deaths and real deaths, and -nothing but funerals to amuse one, I don't know if I am on my head or -my heels. There, that's vulgar, and you needn't look disgusted if it -is. I feel vulgar. I could run out and howl up and down Curzon -Street like a Whitechapel woman in a tantrum. And if you preach,--if -you--you---- Oh, what fools men are!" - -She choked, rolled in her chair, ripped a handkerchief, and kicked -away a foot-stool. - -The curate--as he was once more--saw how she tried to fight down the -hysteria, and wisely refrained from speech. A single word might cause -the primitive emotions to burst with volcanic force through the -imposed customs of civilisation. Considering the joyful news of Jim -Kaimes' resurrection and the trouble of the attempted blackmail, it -was natural that she should suddenly betray feminine weakness. She was -but a woman when all was said and done. Leah would have repudiated -this conclusion with scorn, as she had small regard for her sex; but a -woman she was at the moment, unstrung, foolish, wild with dread that -the unforeseen might happen. Lionel moved silently to the door. In a -moment she was at his side, reaching him with the bound of a -pantheress. - -"Don't be angry," she panted, laying her hand on his arm; "but you do -worry me so, and if you knew--if you really knew----" She gasped and -bit her lip, to prevent an unguarded tongue blurting out the whole. - -"There, there!" He patted her hand, and she could have slapped him for -the caress, which revealed his knowledge of her weakness. "It's all -right--all right. Be calm! There, there!" - -"Oh, Lord, what tact!" and so disgusted was she with the stupidity of -the man that her nerves relaxed "I say, Lionel," with an artificial -laugh, "aren't you sorry for yourself?" - -"Not in the least," he replied promptly. "I am no Jacob to usurp the -heritage of Esau. High or low, we can all serve God in our degrees. -Ask Jim to make me vicar of Firmingham." - -"I will, if you promise not to preach." - -"How would you have me earn my salary, then?" he asked humorously, and -glad that she appeared more composed. "Now I advise you to lie down." - -"Yes," she assented submissively; "I will lie down. And you?" - -"I go at once to see Mr. Hall, about getting Jim set free. Good-bye, -Duchess"; and in a moment he was gone, anxious to escape further -irresponsible speech. - -"Duchess!" echoed Leah, staring at the closed door. "Duchess!" - -It was all right then, so far as Lionel was concerned, seeing that he -gave her the title which Mr. Hall withheld. He at least believed in -the wonderful story of Strange. With Lionel on her side things would -be bound to come out all right. Still, although the trees were -thinning, she was not yet out of the wood. The green light of safety -had not yet been substituted for the red danger signal. - -"I am aching all over," said Leah, addressing her reflection in the -mirror; "there's a twist of nerves between my eyes, and I could scream -the house down. But I shan't!" She flung away from the glass, gripping -her courage with both hands. "I'll be calm, and easy in my mind, till -Jim comes back. When the worst is over, I shall collapse--I know I -shall. Till then--till then--Oh, God"--the weakness she declined to -recognise broke forth in prayer--"give me grit and pluck to fight -through to the end." - -So she prayed, but not to the fetish. In this uplifted moment Leah -felt that Lionel's Deity was not a myth, but a terrible reality. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - - -Then did "Rumour, painted full of tongues," enter into Lady Jim's -strictly private life and depart with half-truths for the bewildering -of gossips. In some marvellous way the news leaked out, as news will, -despite careful caulking of the human vessels containing it. Lord -James Kaimes, ran the babble, had been kidnapped by his medical -attendant, who, substituting an illegal corpse for that of the husband -he wished to supplant, had plotted to secure the wife. This was the -tune, correct enough; then came its variations. The hurdy-gurdy of -society ground out wonderful twiddles and twists of false notes, -distorting the original theme into a melody Leah herself would not -have recognised. Not that she heard any of the _fiortura_. Prudence -counselled a retreat to Firmingham pending the home-coming of Jim, and -thither, very wisely, she went. At this crisis of her fortunes Lady -Jim felt that she required the countenance of all truly respectable -people, however dull, and therefore sheltered like a maltreated chick -under Hilda Frith's wing. To console the widowed and orphaned was her -obvious excuse,--so obvious, indeed, that she declined to make it. -Thus did she escape questions about the one engrossing topic of -drawing-room, club, and public-house bar. - -Every one, from the lowest to the highest, talked exhaustively, and -the newspapers, cheap and costly, printed scandal with alluring -recklessness. Out of London E.C. issued halfpenny journals with lurid -headings over incomplete histories of the plot, invented on unsound -premises. These transparent fictions began with the Russian's -snake-in-the-grass intrusion into the happy home of an attached -couple, and ended with a political cry for the exclusion of such -immoral aliens from the Island of the Blest, which is England. The -more expensive small-beer chronicles refused to believe that so -fantastic an occurrence could have happened in these enlightened -days of police-courts and publicity; but, nevertheless, supplied -middle-class breakfast-tables with equally doubtful data, out of which -to weave romances of the minor peerage. "The triangle of Dumas the -younger," cried one scribe, with a fine disregard for meaning and -metaphor, "must never be sounded in our dear Motherland!" A sufficient -sample this of the stuff supplied. But, since the silly season -prevailed when reporters, one and all, were credited with March-hare -madness, such incongruities were pardoned, and the public gaped to -swallow full-sized camels. - -The clubs buzzed like hives at swarming time, for their members -wondered at Jim's adventure; wondered, also, how "so knowing a -Johnny"--so they put it--"could allow himself to be diddled by a -measly little foreign beast." All were agog for the hero's appearance, -and curious friends thirsted for a first-hand account of the enforced -Odyssey. Many speculated as to the probability of Jim being sobered by -untoward experience into becoming a truly respectable Duke, and a few -made original observations anent a much-quoted leopard and his -unchangeable spots. In this way was the statement that men are not -born gossips contradicted, for the Eveless Edens of St. James's -Street, Pall Mall, and Piccadilly resembled a village sewing-class in -mid-career. - -The drawing-rooms, as was natural, interested themselves chiefly in -Leah, and chafed that she should become an unexpected Duchess. -Hitherto Lady Jim's skilful man[oe]uvring had saved her reputation, -but, as animals fall upon the wounded of their kind, so did the pack -of hounds she had never hunted with fling itself forward, full-voiced -and open-mouthed. Rejoicing women cried her sins on the housetop with -surprising details. She must have encouraged Dr. Demetrius shamefully, -else he never would have gone to such lengths, though why he should do -so for such a woman it was impossible to understand. They had never -admired her, said the pure-minded, and had always suspected her of -being no better than she should be. Poor Mr. Askew, too: had she not -put an end to a family matrimonial arrangement by her arts; had she -not inveigled him to Paris in the hope that he would marry her in -haste to repent at leisure? Certainly, aware of her character before -it was too late, he had sailed to the South Pole or the North Pole, or -to somewhere she could not follow, as she was certainly dying to do. -Her vanity was insatiable. She had flirted quite indecently with Sir -Billy Richardson, though he was but an infant lately breeched. Julia -Hengist had only snatched her lord from the claws of this harpy by the -merest, the very merest, chance. And the money she wasted! Oh! Why, -the bailiffs had twice and thrice been in the Curzon Street house. -Also, she was so lucky at bridge that she assuredly must cheat, and it -showed what a blackleg she was, that no one had ever caught her -cheating. Then her dresses were ridiculous for a woman with her poor -husband's income. She had ruined him completely--that was why he ran -away, in a dying condition. And the money had not gone to discharge -lawful debts; she never paid anything, therefore she must have spent -the cash on some secret vice, which she certainly must have, since she -always posed as being so very correct. She ought to be cut; she ought -to be in gaol; whipping was too good for her; put her in a pillory and -throw stones at her. And let such a creature be anathema maranatha for -ever and ever and ever, Amen. - -But for all this throwing of stones by ladies who were without sin, -Leah had her supporters in some, who must have been wicked, since they -declined to condemn her wholesale on hearsay evidence. These pointed -out that she had behaved admirably, when Jim's supposed death had been -reported. The late Marquis of Frith was himself deceived by the -likeness of the corpse to his brother, though of course there were -family reasons for such a likeness. Also, the old Duke had paid the -Curzon Street debts, which so good a man would not have done had they -been of a questionable character. And the very respectable Hengists, -kind things, spoke highly of Lady Jim's patience under trying domestic -difficulties caused by an unfaithful husband. Besides, Leah--poor, -dear, persecuted woman--was now the Duchess of Pentland, and could do -no wrong. She was a misunderstood angel. Hilda Frith doted on her, and -every one knew how very, very particular Hilda Frith was. To decry -a woman who had suffered so much, and who had so nobly borne -suffering, was a crime--worse, was a blunder, seeing that the latest -Duchess would assuredly sway society, to bless or damn at her good -pleasure. The peerage--the immaculate peerage of Great Britain and -Ireland--would stand or fall by Leah Pentland, as a perfect example of -what a titled woman should be. - -In this way raged the war of tongues, while Lionel, in Mr. Hall's -company, and with the assistance of Scotland Yard officials, sought -for the missing prodigal. Strange, playing the game with -characteristic stubbornness, refused to indicate the whereabouts of -his victim's floating prison, and, as the _Stormy Petrel_ under a new -coat of paint, with readjusted rigging and bearing a prettier but -unknown name, could not be found in any shipping list, there appeared -little prospect of finding the kidnapped. The telegraph wires sizzled -in the air and under the sea, with messages to home and foreign ports; -bills with Jim's portrait and a most flattering description were -scattered broadcast; a reward large enough to tempt Mammon himself was -offered in every journal, and in many languages; and the journals -themselves denounced the police authorities--who were merely mortal, -poor scapegoats--for not producing a mislaid nobleman in five minutes. -It was an enjoyable time for armchair critics, who, on insufficient -evidence, knew exactly what should be done, and blamed the police, -confronted with hard facts, for not doing it. - -As to the culprit, he might have been Nero, Judas Iscariot, and -Captain Dreyfus rolled into one, from the obliquity which was heaped -upon him. Since he refused to produce his prisoner, inquisitive people -were frantic with annoyance. One enthusiast even suggested that -torture should be used to make him speak; another considered that so -recalcitrant a brute should be starved into submission; a third that -he should be offered a free pardon on condition that he sent back a -regretted Duke to his lonely wife. But Strange, chuckling over the -storm he had raised, hugged his secret close. Hall, the ducal lawyer, -knew what his terms were, and if Hall did not choose to accede he -would have to remain without an aristocratic client. - -Hall, however, had no notion of losing the money with which the -accession of Lord James Kaimes to a wealthy title would probably fill -his pockets. Still, Strange's terms were too preposterous to consider -for one moment. He had to consider them for a fortnight, all the same, -and finding that they did not vary, he came down to consult Lady Jim, -after a lengthy interview with the Rev. Lionel Kaimes at Lambeth. - -Even though Jim had risen from the dead, Leah had not laid aside her -mourning. Indeed, she added fresh crape to show her grief for the -recent deaths, and greeted the lawyer with the air of one to whom life -is a burden. And so it was to her, at the moment. The funereal -atmosphere of the great house, the delicacy of her position until Jim -returned to tell her that all was safe, and the constant boredom of -listening to Hilda's wordy lamentations--these things wore her out, -and Mr. Hall noted that she looked fatigued. - -"Natural, very natural," thought Mr. Hall, unfortunately aloud. - -"What is natural?" asked Leah, seeing his eyes on her. - -The man's parchment cheeks reddened. "I beg your pardon, Duchess. I -did not intend to speak aloud; a trick of mine, when I am interested. -Bad habit--bad habit. I was thinking that you looked weary--natural, -very natural." - -"Weary!" Leah placed her elbows on the table which stood between them. -"I tell you what, Mr. Hall: unless you bring my husband back soon, I -shall take to drink." - -"My--dear--Duchess." - -"Well, and don't men take to drink when they are worried? What better -can a poor woman do than imitate the lords of creation? You are so -inconsistent. What about my particular lord? Has that beast spoken -out?" - -"No. He refuses to speak save on his own terms, which are, I may say, -preposterous--extremely so." - -Leah thought of the price to be paid for the imprisonment Strange was -now undergoing, and smiled dryly. "He is the kind of man who would ask -for the sun--and get it," she added, as an afterthought. - -"Whether he gets it is for you to determine, Duchess." - -"Oh!" She looked at him sharply. "Am I to arbitrate?" - -"Quite so--quite so. A very well-chosen word--arbitrate." He chuckled -heartily, and adjusted his pince-nez. - -"And the joke, Mr. Hall?" - -"It might almost be one, Duchess, so preposterous is the demand of -this man. He refuses to reveal the whereabouts of his Grace, -unless--prepare yourself for a surprise--unless he is set free. Now -then, Duchess"--Mr. Hall threw himself back in his chair, and flung -open his frock-coat--"is that not pre--pos--ter--ous?" - -"I can't see it myself," replied Leah, coolly. "He seems to be a very -sensible man." - -"But--but--he ought to be punished." - -"I fear he would not agree with you there. Is this what you have come -to see me about?" - -"Yes. All attempts to find the Duke have been made in vain: the -resources of civilisation are exhausted. Only one thing remains--to -accede to the prisoner's terms. I saw the Reverend Lionel Kaimes, and -he agrees not to prosecute. Now I come to you----" - -"To ask me not to prosecute?" - -"Exactly--exactly. The man attempted to blackmail you and the Reverend -Mr. Kaimes. If neither one of you will prosecute, the magistrate will -be obliged to dismiss the case for want of evidence. And then----" - -"Then Captain Strange--that is his name, isn't it?--will send Jim -back." - -"I question it--I question it. Once free, he may again attempt to -blackmail--that is, he may refuse to surrender his prisoner without -money being paid." - -"I do not agree with you," said Leah, mendaciously. "The man has had a -fright, and will not trust himself again into the lion's mouth. -Besides, even if he did try to blackmail, we could refuse, and he -can't keep my husband for ever on board his dirty little boat. A -prisoner who cannot be ransomed would be expensive to keep. Jim has an -enormous appetite." - -Hall smiled at the aristocratic jest. "True--true; you put the case -concisely--very concisely, I may say. The question is, whether it is -right to set the man free, and trust to an honour which I fear he does -not possess." - -Leah thought for a few minutes, playing her part to perfection. "It -appears that Captain Strange, very wisely, will not open his mouth so -long as he is shut up. If set free he promises to be amenable to -reason. Of two evils I choose the least, as Mr. Kaimes has done." - -"That means you will not prosecute?" - -"Yes. Let the man go, and probably my husband will arrive within the -week. How can it be done?" - -"Very easily. To-morrow, or the next day, Strange can be brought -before the magistrate; but as neither you nor Mr. Kaimes will appear, -the charge will be dismissed." - -"And then?" - -"Then, my dear Duchess, he will vanish into the world, and we shall -have to trust to the honour of an admitted blackmailer. It is really a -terrible dilemma," cried the lawyer, dismally, "and forms such an evil -precedent--oh, a most deadly blow at justice, I assure you." - -"Not at all," contradicted Leah, coolly; "we can say that Captain -Strange turned King's evidence." - -"But, my dear Duchess" - -"What's the use of talking?" she snapped impolitely. "I have told you -what to do. Go and do it." - -"Really----" - -"Pardon me if I am rude, but I am not fit to talk"; and she hurried -out of the room, glad that she had settled the matter thus. Hall -departed to London, reflecting that the rudeness of the Duchess was -quite explicable under the circumstances, but resenting it all the -same. To punish her he had a great mind to delay the return of the -Duke, until his good sense, or his avarice, told him that this would -be a costly price to pay for a petty revenge. - -In this way Captain Strange triumphed, as most people can, by simply -holding his tongue. As no evidence was forthcoming, when he presented -himself before the magistrate, he could not be committed for trial, -and after a few formalities walked out of the dingy court a free man. -Hall followed him as quickly as was consistent with the dignity of a -Lincoln's Inn Fields solicitor, but stepped into the open air to find -his bird had flown. Nor did inquiries at the third-rate Strand hotel -result in an interview. The buccaneer, warned of possible danger, -never reappeared to claim the carpet-bag which held a few shirts and -oddments. He disappeared, apparently into the air, as did Macbeth's -fortune-tellers. Hall was vexed, as he had intended Strange should be -shadowed by detectives. Of this the astute sailor might have been -aware, as he gave no chance to the bloodhounds of the law. "And we -have to depend upon his honour about restoring the Duke," thought -Hall, with anguish. It might have eased his mind had he known that the -dependence was really to be placed on six thousand pounds being paid -within a stated period. But of that he was ignorant, and Leah did not -think it necessary to comfort her legal adviser in any way. - -Indeed, she needed comfort herself sorely, for when a week passed and -Jim did not reappear, she began to think that Strange was contriving -some new villainy. Perhaps he was about to put up his price, and Leah -was determined not to ransom Jim at any greater sum than that she had -already agreed to. The newspapers were filled with astonished -paragraphs about the inexplicable conduct of the authorities in -connection with Strange's acquittal, and some kind friend sent the -most spiteful of these to the waiting wife. Leah did not read the -opinions of cranks set forth in inferior English and was much more -taken up with a letter from Katinka Aksakoff. It was not easy to -answer such a letter, yet she would be compelled to reply. - -Mademoiselle Aksakoff wrote indignantly, saying that she did not -believe the statements of the papers concerning the conspiracy of -Constantine Demetrius. She denied that such a noble man would act in -so base a way, and reminded Leah of their conversation on the terrace -at Monte Carlo. "You then said that you did not love him," complained -the letter, "and insisted that he did not love you. But if he -kidnapped your husband, so that you might be free to marry him, he -must love you and you have lied. But I cannot believe that you would -break my heart in this way, nor can I credit so honourable a man with -such conduct." Katinka then went on to say that Demetrius had not been -seen since he crossed to Paris. Where was he? Did Lady Jim know? If -so, let her tell the writer, or else--then the epistle ended with a -vague threat about hunting out Demetrius and learning the truth. "And -when I do," ran the final line, "your conscience will tell you if we -are to be friends or foes." This challenge--as it truly was--came from -Paris, where Katinka was stopping at the Russian Embassy. It had been -registered, to ensure delivery. - -A most unpleasant letter. Leah felt inclined to tear it up, but some -instinct told her that Katinka Aksakoff was a persistent girl, with -much obstinacy in her character. If no reply came she would probably -hasten to Firmingham for an interview, and Lady Jim did not care about -having the second honeymoon of herself and her restored husband spoilt -by the scene which would surely take place. After destroying several -sheets of note-paper she produced a concise reply, saying as little as -ever she could. Nevertheless, she was forced to say much she would -have preferred left unsaid. Captain Strange, said Lady Jim's reply, -declared that Demetrius had so conspired. But he had been set free and -had disappeared. What he said might be true, or might not. Nothing -could be known for certain unless Lord James returned, and up to the -date of the letter he had not put in an appearance. Demetrius -certainly had come to Paris--not to see the writer, but to interview -M. Aksakoff about a possible pardon. At the Henri Trois Hotel the -doctor had been seized with a fit, and a Dr. Helfmann had taken charge -of him. "Since then," wrote Lady Jim, "I have not seen him. However, I -enclose a letter which he sent me on the day I left Paris. It would -seem that he has gone to Russia." - -"And I hope Katinka will follow him there," said Leah, after adding -a few Judas words of endearment. "Aksakoff might keep her on his -Volga estate. She'll only make mischief if she comes to England. I'll -warn her father of that"; and she did, for M. Aksakoff received a -letter, which hinted that his daughter might prove to be a possible -fire-brand. And so the matter, for the time being, ended. - -But Jim had not yet arrived. Seven days passed, and the eighth night -since the buccaneer's release closed in. Leah felt the strain -terribly, and hardly ate or slept. Hilda did what she could to cheer -her up, but, not knowing the whole truth, could do very little. Lady -Jim declined to take drugs, as her last experience of these had shown -her how they aged people, though that might have been her fancy. All -she could do, and did do, was to keep a tight rein on her emotions, -and beyond looking pale, and a trifle haggard, no one could have told -that she was in any way disturbed. Joan was a great comfort to her in -those days of strain, and so was Lionel, with his prophecies that all -would yet be well. But Leah had no one to whom she could tell the -whole shocking truth, and it was desperately trying to a woman, whose -nervous system was almost wrecked, to hold her tongue. These still -waters were running very deep. - -She found a certain relief in motion, and while Hilda wept and wailed -that the bodies of her dear husband and his father had never been cast -ashore for Christian burial, Leah's motor-car tore round the country -through storm and sunshine. She would not even take a chauffeur, but -engineered the machine herself. Providence, or the fetish that stood -to her in place of it, watched over her escapades. She met with no -accident, not even the most trivial, although in her reckless driving -she did her best to reduce the car to match-wood. Like a witch on a -broomstick she flew round the country, frantic and insistent, as -though she sought the enjoyment of some wizard Sabbath. The motor -flung mile after mile behind, with a buzz and a hum, and the speed of -a destroyer buffeting a rough sea. Leah, with her hand on the levers, -swooped down narrow lanes, spun furiously along the King's highway, -crashed through scared villages, and raced the setting sun to the -verge of the astonished lands. It was the extreme danger of these -flights which delighted and strengthened her; and if she had a large -bill to pay for breaking every known law in the county policemen's -note-books, it was easy for the Duchess of Pentland to pay for such -frolics. The thrill, the dash, the knowledge of power, the governance -of a flying bomb-shell--these things were worth double, treble, -quadruple the money. She was inebriated with danger, exalted by the -constant nearness of death, and, like a she-Satan, defiantly -self-sufficient, scorned both God and man. Of woman, needless to say, -she took no account whatsoever. - -Then came one memorable night, riotously wild with wind and rain. With -gleaming lamps, at top speed, facing the wrath of conflicting elements -battling under a stormy sky, she drove her machine roaring up the -avenue. A quick turn of the hand and she stayed it, fuming and -whirring like a live thing, before the porch. Contrary to custom, the -door was open. Against the light she saw Lionel, and in a moment -guessed the inevitable. Leaving the chauffeur to attend to the -monster, this Mrs. Frankenstein sprang up the steps and dragged Lionel -under the glare of the electric lamp. A look into his face redoubled -the beat of her heart. There, sure enough, she saw what she expected -to see. - -"Take me to him," she breathed, still retaining her grip on his arm. - -"But are you quite prepared? He is in the library, and----" - -Leah flung the curate away so forcibly that he staggered against the -wall. She was out of the hall, she was at the library door, she was in -the library itself, and all in two quick-drawn breaths. - -"Hulloa, Leah," said a well-known voice, in a well-known manner. - -She did not answer, but stared with a bloodless face, possessed -entirely by the devil of hysteria. Then she dropped, without a cry or -a word. Like a blood-mare, she had held out to the winning-post, and -thus paid the price of victory. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - - -There are periods in the growth of a tree when the sap, unable to -circulate freely, coagulates into knots and protuberances. Leah had -heard some empirical dabbler in science say as much, and recognised it -as a truthful symbol of her existence for the twelve months following -Jim's return. There was certainly a knot in her life, for somehow, in -an unaccountable way, things seemed to be at a standstill. Before -intermeddling with criminal matters she had indulged her senses in -every possible way, and now that she had receded within the legal -limits of action, she was prepared to indulge them again. To her -surprise, they did not respond, and she discovered that the nursery -stage of enjoyment had been passed. That intermezzo of fierce -endeavour, of scheming and fighting, of dancing on the edge of a -precipice, and of wandering in perilous ways, had ruined her for -untroubled days and comfortable nights. While battling with desperate -fortunes she had detested the storm and necessary stress of the -encounter; now she longed to set her forces in array once more and -dare the worst. The salt had lost its savour, and her vitiated palate -demanded pepper--red pepper, hot and biting--to flavour the good -things ready for her eating at life's banquet. - -But Leah found, as many had done before her, that desire is better -than success, that there is more zest in striving than in attaining. -She had longed for ample funds, and since she possessed full control -of the Pentland income this longing was almost, but not quite, -satisfied. Nevertheless, her soul was hungry still. She bought -everything she fancied, and scarcely cast a look on her most costly -and attractive purchases. She travelled with the luxurious -surroundings of a queen, and only felt bored; she stopped at home, and -yawned incessantly twice round the clock. She would have willingly -remunerated the inventor of a new pleasure, but like Xerxes, she could -not find so imaginative a man. It was truly lamentable to think that -she should possess the moon she had cried for, only to find it was but -a used-up world. - -Jim, on the contrary, flourished healthily under his strawberry -leaves, and this best-of-all-possible-world satisfaction added to his -wife's exasperation. Daily he grew stouter and more plethoric, daily -he made the same stupid observations, and daily he indulged in the -gross material pleasures dear to his infinitesimal soul, which was -being smothered in superabundant flesh. - -"You are like a pig removed into a new sty," his wife scornfully -informed him. - -"Not a bad sty," answered the Duke, looking round the room. - -"Good enough for middle-class people, but not for us, Jim. We are -desperately poor as Duke and Duchess." - -"That's so, Leah; but you spend most of the income." - -"I have a right to. Don't forget what I have done for you." - -"You give me no chance," said her husband, bitterly. "Every time we -have a row you mention things that needn't be mentioned. And after -all, Leah, you got me back for your own convenience." - -"I am not so sure of that. I wish now that I had kept the thirty -thousand which we had to pay back, and had let you remain where you -were." - -"On board Strange's odd-job steamer? It wasn't so bad, though I was -chained by the leg. I learnt a lot about engines there; used to watch -'em when she was bumping through hurricanes. They were triple -expansion, too. It was fun to watch the old Scotch engineer with his -hand on the throttle-valve, and hear him curse when the screw leaped -sky-high to race like a motor. I've had worse times--much worse." - -He spoke with more animation than usual, and Leah sympathised with his -enthusiasm. She also would have enjoyed herself on a rotten hulk with -doubtful engines and an hourly chance of going down into the great -green seas; the excitement would have been intense, and the death a -clean one. Perhaps Jim had forgotten the softer emotions of man when -the tramp stormed north with every rivet in her hull straining for -dispersion. She wondered. "I suppose you missed Señorita Fajardo -then?" - -"No; curiously enough, I didn't. There was too much fun in thinkin' -what would come next to bother about her. I'm a bit of a philosopher, -Leah, an' when I can't get cake I chew bread. Now I've got the cake -I'm enjoyin' it." - -"And eating too much of it. Look how stout yon are getting." - -"Respectable men always get stout when they grow old." - -"You are not old." - -"I'm a bit elderly. Somehow I don't enjoy larks so much as I used to," -mused Jim, thoughtfully--"sign of age, I suppose. But I daresay I'll -get some sort of fun out of life, an' maybe will need old Jarvey -Peel's money at sixty. It'll be more than thirty thousand by then." - -"Less the six thousand you paid Strange," said his Duchess, cruelly. - -Jim winced. "Bit of a pull, that--hey! Nice fancy price I've had to -pay for your fun, Leah." - -"It was to bring you back." - -"To make you a Duchess, you mean." - -"One would think you were middle class to hear you talk of titles in -that respectful way. Who bothers about such things nowadays? I have -been bored to death since Strange's blackmail turned you into a pauper -Duke." - -Her husband made a grimace at this very plain speaking. "I wish you -wouldn't talk like that, Leah. Hang it, I thought you really loved me -when you fainted on my return." - -"All acting, my good man," she assured him, annoyed by his recalling -that twelve-month-old weakness. "I had to impress the family somehow." - -"Then you don't love me?" said Jim, slowly. - -"What a question to ask after nearly seven years of married life." - -"But I'm respectable now," urged Jim, setting forth the contents of -the new page he had turned over. "I don't race or bet overmuch, an' -never look at a pretty woman. I go to church, an' sit in the Lords, -an' take the chair at charity dinners, an'----" - -"You do that last because you love eating. All the charity funds are -spent on the victuals, and the poor get about a penny in the collected -pounds. Oh, you are quite a model, Jim, and so dull." - -This is but a sample of the few conversations the ducal pair allowed -themselves, for they did not foregather with any enthusiasm. For -propriety's sake the Duke and Duchess of Pentland were seen together -at the few functions they could attend during the months of mourning; -their home life was outwardly harmonious, and the crying down of a -grass-widow which had been heard during those weeks of suspense -following Strange's arrest had changed to crying up, when it was seen -how very correctly the new Duchess behaved. Therefore they saw one -another only officially, save on rare occasions. Leah found Jim dull, -as she had frankly told him, and he winced always at his wife's -tongue, which had lost none of its cutting power. Even his stupid -brain grasped the fact that she was changed, though in what way he -could not exactly say. She was certainly restless, and his bovine -contentment with things-as-they-are could not understand this phase. -Also she was dissatisfied, although she had secured all she had wanted -by almost a miracle. - -"Rum creatures, women," soliloquised the philosopher, sauntering to -his club. "If you gave 'em the solar system to play with they'd howl -for the universe," which was a high flight for Jim to take in the way -of metaphor. - -Leah sometimes thought that the long period of mourning might have -darkened her outlook on life. She and Jim were forced by a -ridiculously particular world to live quietly, and she could not -indulge herself to the full. A constant succession of black dresses -palled on one fond of colours, and custom forbade her filling the -various ducal residences with amusing people, who in any case were -almost impossible to find. Then, as Leah stated, they were really -poor, considering the title. What with regiments of servants and the -stately mansions which housed them, the horses and carriages, and -motors, and rents and taxes, and unnecessary personal expenditure, and -equally unnecessary charities, it was truly difficult to make two -aristocratic ends meet. The Duchess of Pentland had to contrive and -arrange almost as much as had Lady Jim. From two thousand a year to -twenty-five times that amount seems a large jump, but the title -nullified the value of the estates. Leah ardently prayed that the -fetish would increase the incoming and decrease the outgoing, but her -Baal seemed to think that it had done enough, even for so devout a -woman. "Am I never going to have a good time?" wailed Leah. Later she -found that the wail was unnecessary, for the fetish pitied his -worshipper and granted her prayer. Coal of the best quality was found -on a Welsh property of the Kaimes family, and Hall prophesied that in -a year or two the ducal income would be doubled. Leah took heart at -this sign of grace, as one really could manage pretty well on one -hundred thousand a year. But a pound a minute was Leah's idea of a -moderate income, and then she would have grumbled that each hour only -brought her in sixty sovereigns. However, she decided to spend what -she had and what was coming along from the coal to the last farthing, -and arranged when the year of sorrow was ended--as it now was--to take -her place in the very gayest of society. She would be presented again -this season according to custom, and then would see about exhausting -the most advanced pleasures of a civilisation that could not do enough -for one of her greedy appetite. This she told to Lady Canvey. - -"That is a mistake," rejoined the sagacious octogenarian, who was a -year older in body and a year younger in brain. "If you exhaust -everything in this world, nothing will be left for you but to try the -next. And I don't think you are quite prepared for that, my dear." - -"Perhaps not. I never set up for being a saint." - -"No. That is a pleasure you have not yet exhausted. Why not try it?" - -"Because I am no hypocrite. What is the use of pretending to be -goody-goody, when you are not?" - -"Saints are holy, not goody-goody." - -"It's the same thing." - -"It might be with you, certainly. But you are not the sort to be -canonised." - -"Well, I don't know. A sinner is the raw material out of which a saint -is manufactured. You can't be really good, unless you have been really -very bad." - -"That is useful information," said Lady Canvey, dryly; "and very -encouraging to people like yourself. You might make an attempt at -being Saint Leah or Saint Jezebel." - -"Lady Canvey!" - -"Oh," the old dame chuckled, "then you do know something of -Scripture." - -"Yes, but I don't quote it to annoy other people." - -"Your tongue is quite clever enough to do without such aid, my dear. -And don't lose your temper--I am only talking for your good." - -"Disagreeable conversations are always prefaced by that remark. Yes?" - -"I was thinking you might begin on your saintly career by endowing a -church with this coal money. They build churches very cheap nowadays. -You can have one of red brick, and----" - -"There are too many churches, and too few worshippers," interrupted -the Duchess, with a shrug; "besides, I propose to endow myself with -the coal money. I daresay I shall give fifty pounds or so to Lionel -for his paupers." - -"You must not ruin yourself, my dear," said Lady Canvey, with -affectionate spite. "I thought that Lionel, as a married man, and the -Vicar of Firmingham, had nothing to do with paupers. There are none in -the parish there--at least, there were none in Pentland's time," she -ended with emphasis. - -"I suppose you mean to hint that Jim is stopping his charities and -putting on the screw. Don't distress yourself, godmother; everything -is as it was, save that our tenants and villagers are more gorged and -much more impudent. Lionel doesn't appreciate the godliness of his -heritage, because his parishioners pay their rents regularly and come -to church without the whip. They are so pious that his occupation is -gone." - -"That would not suit an energetic Christian like Lionel." - -"It doesn't. He and Joan take pleasure trips into the Lambeth slums -and ask seedy ruffians to stay with them in the country. What with -converted burglars and wives who assure you they haven't been beaten -for weeks, the place is quite a Whitechapel Paradise. Lionel preaches -to the ruffians, and Joan listens to the wives with whole skins. I -believe they join forces to wash the children. Oh, they have -rollicking times at Firmingham Vicarage, I assure you." - -"Very meritorious times," said Lady Canvey, reprovingly--"quite like -the primitive Christian Church." - -"Less clean, I fancy, and more ungrammatical," murmured Leah. - -"Don't mock, my dear. Lionel is a noble man." - -"I quite agree with you, and without mockery. Jim is also a noble man, -in a different sense, if you will forgive the pun." - -"It is unworthy of your wit." - -"I cannot always be pyrotechnical. You need flint and steel to strike -fire, and I find no flints amongst the idiots I have to entertain. Do -you know, godmother,"--Leah stared into the fire--"I often wish that -Lionel had remained the Duke." - -"And your husband had been really a corpse? How like you!" - -"Well," said the Duchess, cheerfully. "Jim might have been of some use -if his,--what do you call those things?--oh, yes,--if his vortices had -combined with other elements to grow into plants and sheep and cows, -and generally do the sort of things which vortices are supposed to do. -But as a Duke he is a failure." - -"I don't exactly know what you mean by your heathen talk of vortices," -snapped Lady Canvey. "Dust we are, and unto dust shall we return." - -"Not Jim," protested Leah: "he would return to mud. He just looks as -though he were made of sticky, clayey, stodgy mud." - -"It is not original to abuse your husband." - -"I know that; but you are too old-fashioned to admire originality." - -Lady Canvey thumped with her stick vigorously. "Do not be so -desperately sharp, Leah; you make my head ache. By the way, I have -news for you about that nice boy you treated so badly." - -"I have treated so many nice boys badly. Billy Richardson, Algy -Turner, Harry Askew----" - -"The last. He is to be married." - -"I knew that a year ago. He left before Jim came home to make some -Spanish creature his wife." - -"Miss Mamie Mulrady does not sound like a Spanish name." - -"That girl! You don't say so?" Leah looked genuinely surprised. "I -suppose Señorita Fajardo would not have him. Perhaps she is waiting -for Mr. Berring." - -"Who is he?" - -"Oh--er--a friend of mine"; she put up her muff to hide a smile. - -"I know that U.S.A. heiress--a nice girl if she did not affect the -Wild West of which she knows absolutely nothing. No doubt she thinks -it chic to let Europeans hear the American eagle scream in the -vernacular. Fancy!--and to Askew! A good match for him. I suppose he -will call pounds, shillings and pence collectively dollars now that he -is brother to George Washington." - -"I don't think so. Mrs. Askew will probably be more English than the -English." - -"She might easily be that, since the English are mostly aliens -nowadays. Well, I must go. Good-bye. I have enjoyed my hour. I always -do with you, godmother. Such a clever tongue!" - -"I am not leaving you any money, my dear." - -"Please don't. Your grandson is finding that opera-dancer expensive. -Give Canvey your savings, and his lady-love will dance professionally -on your grave." - -"I am glad cats don't talk," said the old woman, addressing no one in -particular. "One is quite enough." - -"Ah, they do talk then," laughed Leah, and having got the last word -slipped away before Lady Canvey could rally her forces. - -The Duchess, well wrapped up in expensive furs, stepped into the -crisp air, thinking of Askew and his triple dip into the matrimonial -lucky-bag. Lola Fajardo, Marjory the fixture, and Mamie Mulrady, not -to speak of herself, whom he would have married had she cared to call -herself by his unpretentious name. Certainly he was a man unfettered -by prejudices in love affairs. Dark or fair, tall or short, and of any -nationality, he adored them all in an entirely respectable fashion -which included a ring and a parson. - -"Though I don't believe the silly boy knows what love is," thought -Leah, passing into Piccadilly--she was walking for exercise towards -the Park; "but people of that ignorant sort always seem to land on -their feet, like the cats Lady Canvey spoke of. I have landed very -comfortably myself. I wonder why I can't love any one. How is it that -no man can stir me into experience of the grand passion?" - -Lately Leah had taken to analysing herself with fatal results. It -seemed to her that she was shallow, since nothing in the world made -any difference to her, or could make her feel. If Jim had dropped dead -of the apoplectic fit which was waiting for him, she would merely have -shrugged her shoulders; had the old Duke come back to claim the title, -she would have had small regret in surrendering it. Everything seemed -trivial and dull and vulgar. A remark made by Lionel occurred vividly -to her at this moment. "You will never be truly happy," he had said, -"until you are truly sorrowful." It was an unintentional epigram on -the vicar's part, as he was dense, like all the Kaimes family; but it -was clever enough to be true. Only--and here was the hopelessness of -her life--she saw no chance of becoming sorrowful in any degree, since -her indifference nullified deep feelings of any sort. - -"I suppose I shall have to run in this society circus till I die," she -thought drearily. "What a clown's destiny!" - -The mention of one lover naturally recalled the name of another, and -by the time she passed Apsley House thoughts of Demetrius were running -in her head. Not a word had she heard of him since his enforced -journey to Siberia, via Paris, Havre, and Kronstadt. Katinka Aksakoff -might have supplied information, only that Katinka, for reasons which -Leah guessed rather than knew, had disappeared some nine months ago. -According to M. Aksakoff, she was ruralising on his Volga estates, and -her health forbade an exciting life. The Duchess did not quite believe -this smooth explanation; and yet, at times, she fancied that the -diplomatist might have taken her advice regarding the shepherding of -an infatuated child. - -It was, then, by one of those curious coincidences perfectly -explicable to the psychological mind, that the man himself glided to -her side. He looked as tall and lean as ever, but his eyes were less -direct in their gaze, and he did not seem to exercise his former -self-control. Leah and he had met but rarely during the past year, -owing to her retirement consequent on mourning observances, and when -they did meet each had avoided mention of that memorable afternoon in -Paris. But when he crossed Leah's path thus unexpectedly, and when her -head was filled with Demetrius and with the woman Demetrius did _not_ -love, she resolved to learn the worst or the best. After greeting, she -began to speak with unconventional abruptness. - -"Where is your daughter, M. Aksakoff?" - -"On my Volga estate," he replied nervously; and from his averted eyes -she made sure he was lying badly. - -"In Siberia, you mean." - -He turned with a start. "How do you know that?" - -"I am right, then?" - -Aksakoff clasped and unclasped two restless hands over the knob of -his cane. "I really cannot say. I do not know why you should make that -observation, after I have informed you of my daughter's whereabouts." - -"I make it because I am a woman, and being such, I know that Katinka's -love for that waxed-moustache creature will lead her--perhaps has led -her--even into Siberian wilds." - -Aksakoff stopped under the Achilles Statue and probed her mind with -his eyes. "Do you really think so?" - -"I do. Does my thought confirm facts?" - -He resumed his walk with a troubled face. "I will be frank with you, -madame, since we both know that Constantine Demetrius left Paris on -that afternoon _en route_ to Siberia." - -"I know nothing of the sort," contradicted Leah, sharply. - -"Yet you have just admitted that the man is in Siberia." - -The Duchess laughed carelessly. "All Russians go as naturally to -Siberia as cockneys to Margate. It's a kind of Bank Holiday with them, -I suppose. Why not be frank with me?" - -"Madame, I rather think that I should ask you that question." -"I never answer questions," said Leah, coolly; "it saves a lot of -trouble. But I make statements, and one is that Demetrius and the -woman who loves him are in Siberia." - -"Do you really think so?" said the diplomatist, repeating himself. - -"I _do_ think so; but surely you know?" - -Aksakoff shook his head. "Katinka refused to marry her cousin -Petrovitch, after the disappearance of Demetrius. She questioned me -continually about him, and showed me the letter and enclosure which -you had sent. A very diplomatic letter, if I may say so. I, of course, -denied that I knew anything. She appeared to be satisfied; yet nine -months ago she left my house--left this country----" - -"To rusticate on your Volga estates." - -"That was my excuse for her disappearance, and I beg of you, madame, -to accept that excuse in society, for the sake of her good name and -mine." She nodded, and he went on gravely: "I confess to you, madame, -that I do not know where she is. You suggest Siberia; it is possible." - -"I fancy so, seeing she is infatuated with the man. But how could she -possibly learn that he was there?" Leah asked this question a trifle -nervously, for there seemed to be something menacing in this strange -behaviour of Katinka. - -"Very easily. You sent her the letter supposed to have been written by -Constantine Demetrius in Paris." - -"What letter is that?" she asked obstinately. - -The Russian's eyes flashed. "You must know, madame, and you do know, -that the letter was forged for your safety." - -The Duchess stopped abruptly, and became as ice in manner and speech. -"You talk very strangely M. Aksakoff. My safety was never in danger, -so far as I know. Your anxiety makes you indiscreet, and thinking so, -I pardon the indiscretion." - -Aksakoff, knowing that she would continue to feign ignorance, even in -the face of aggressive facts, apologised with a bow, since it mattered -very little. "In that forged letter"--he was determined to stick to -the word--"was the name of Helfmann." - -"Dr. Helfmann," she corrected. - -"I gave him that degree, madame," said Aksakoff, dryly. "Helfmann is -one of our secret police." - -"Then you had no business to introduce such a creature into my rooms," -said Leah, angrily. - -"Pardon, the crime is twelve months old. To proceed. Katinka knew the -real business of this man, and may have learned the truth, or enough -of it, to make her journey to Siberia. Tomsk--yes, Tomsk!" He leaned -his stick on the ground, his hands on the stick, and stared vaguely at -the leafless trees. "Assuredly Tomsk." - -"Is Dr. Demetrius there?" - -Aksakoff nodded vaguely. "I wish you a good day, madame," said he, and -turned away abruptly without raising his hat. The omission of a usual -courtesy either betrayed his absence of mind, or showed what he truly -thought of the Duchess of Pentland. - -Leah, having a tender conscience, chose to assign the latter reason, -and resolved to cut the man if he should dare to speak to her again. -"But what can you expect from the Russian bear?" she said, resuming -her walk. - -It ended in Curzon Street. She and Jim rented the ducal residence to a -wealthy American, and retained the smaller mansion, on the plea that -their happiest days had been spent there. This excuse was, of course, -a lie, but every one believed it, and said how touching it was to see -that a Duke and a Duchess could be so human. And, after all, Leah -really did like the cot of her humble days. It was pleasant to think -that she had been "Lady Jim of Curzon Street," and had taken her title -in that way, just like a peer in his own right. Sometimes she -regretted that she was simply a Duchess, and not Lady Jim as of old. -Then she had enjoyed life; now she found it excruciatingly dull. And -it was all the fault of Demetrius, who had taught her more exciting -methods of passing time than by killing it. - -When in the drawing-room she recalled the conversation with Aksakoff, -and began to think that there were troublesome days ahead. If Katinka -had learned the truth through Helfmann, she was assuredly hovering -round Tomsk in the hope of aiding Demetrius to escape. Should she be -successful, as so determined girl might easily be, the man would -return to this Island of Refuge breathing out vengeance of the direst. -Leah had often contemplated a possible escape, followed by a certain -return, and the contemplation invariably produced a shudder. Now that -there seemed to be some ground that the man who knew all and would -tell all might come to England, she was conscious of rising spirits. -The feeling puzzled her. - -"I ought to be shaking in my shoes," she reflected, "but I feel rather -pleased than otherwise. I am spoilt for a life of cotton-wool and -policemen at every corner. Danger is the sole thing which amuses me. -That must be the explanation of my feeling jolly. I expect the heroes -and heroines of cheap novels feel the same when they settle to a dull -marriage after pages of hair-breadth escapes." - -She was perfectly right. Leah Pentland was a bad woman mainly because -she had been looked after too carefully. It required upheavals to -bring the possible best out of her. She had behaved unscrupulously and -basely in dealing with the insurance fraud, because that was the sole -adventure which had come her way. But had the adventure been heroic -and noble, she would have enjoyed it quite as much and would have -struggled quite as bravely. The reckless way in which she pulled the -whiskers of Death, when throned on her motor-car, was characteristic -of the woman. Given danger, and she blossomed into a heroine, good or -bad as circumstances served. At heart she was no vapid society woman, -and her fiery pursuit of aimless pleasures merely showed her restless -and masculine temperament. Danger braced her. At times, during her -first taste of it, she had certainly given way from overstrained -nerves; but now she was steeled to the worst that could happen, -blooded to the open trail, baptised in unholy fire. If Katinka and -Demetrius returned to London to give battle she was certain, -absolutely certain, that she could beat them single-handed. Katinka -she felt was the more dangerous of the two. Well, let her come, let -him come, and victory be to the self-confident. Leah was so sure of -her triumph that she did not even cast a thought to her hard-worked -fetish. All the same, she kept the peacock's feather constantly in her -pocket. - -"Jim," said the Duchess that night, after a _tête-à-tête_ dinner, when -the pair reached the coffee stage, "let us sell up, drop our rank, and -go to Canada." - -The Duke stared, as well he might. "Good Lord!" - -"Pooh! Why do you not say damn, as I feel inclined to do?" - -Jim still stared with infantile blue eyes. "You say such queer -things," he objected, fishing for a cigar. - -"I should like to do them. Oh, why wasn't I born a real live man. I -should have lived--lived--lived." - -"Well," said Jim, stolidly clipping his weed, "you live now, don't -you?" - -"In a satin-lined, rose-wood jewel-box, if you call that living." - -"I see what you mean," confessed the Duke, lighting up. "Same here. I -was ever so much jollier aboard that dirty tramp. I slugged one -of the crew--a Finn, he was--a hulking Finn, who thought I was a -world-crawler, an' no man. They carried him away in bits," finished -Jim, with the battle-light in his blue eyes. - -Leah looked at him curiously. "Jim, I really believe that we might -understand one another. You and I are meant to be pals, and not a -conventional man and wife. If you were only a backwoodsman I should -adore you." - -"An' do the washin', an' the scrubbing and the cookin'? I fancy I see -you puttin' your back into that sort of work, Leah. Honey-pots are -more in your line." - -"I am as sick of honey-pots as you are. All this dressing and -undressing, and court functions, and paltry pigeon-shooting, and -skating at Prince's on sham ice, and yachting at Cowes in a floating -hotel--oh, Lord, how it bores me!" - -"You're always bored," grunted her husband, unsympathetically. -"Can you wonder at it, when I have to go round and round and round in -a decorated ring like a trick-pony? If I were a woman it would be -satisfactory, no doubt." - -"Well," said Jim, obtusely, "ain't you a woman?" - -Leah sprang from her chair and flung out her arms with a deep chest -breath. "I am a man," she announced, in resonant contralto tones. "I -feel like one, anyhow. Didn't some one say there was no sense in this -grown-up business. Well, I am like that. Up to the time you went after -Lola Fajardo I did enjoy things all round, but somehow I feel as -though the bottom had dropped out of creation." - -"Drop Lola Fajardo also, then," growled the Duke, colouring. "I never -went near her." - -"Because you couldn't. The serpent in the bamboo--eh, Jim?" - -"I don't care anything for her now." - -Leah looked at him steadily. "I am glad of that, because you belong to -me--to me." - -"And much you think of me!" - -"I think you are extremely selfish, and desperately weak with even -ugly women, and quite a brute when you don't get your own pretty way, -and--in short, you are a man, a glorious lord of creation." -"Oh, drop rottin'." - -"I am not rotting, as you delicately put it. Like myself, this sugary -civilisation has spoiled you. If you had to earn your bread I should -respect you, Jim. I might even love you. Yes"--she considered for a -moment--"I daresay it might come to that." - -Jim was growing bewildered. "What does all this mean?" was his very -natural interrogation. - -His wife bewildered him still more by acting in a way which made him -gasp. She walked round the table, and, standing at his back, placed -her arms round his neck. "I'll tell you, Jim. I have just found out by -my very own self that you and I are cave-people pitchforked into the -wrong century. We live ten thousand years too late--just think of -it--ten thousand years of life and death. Let us go back to the mud, -Jim, and take up the life where we left it when you were killed, -spearing that mammoth." - -"Leah!" His head was thrown back, and his eyes stared upward in alarm. - -"I know what you think, but I am as sane as you are, and ten times -cleverer. No"; she loosened her arms from his neck and locked them -behind her. "Look at me, Jim. Am I a doll?" - -The startled Duke wheeled his chair and stared at her brilliant eyes, -no longer hard and cold, at her stately figure, her splendid red hair, -her clearly cut face flushed and animated. "You're a rippin' fine -woman," said he, his sluggish pulses stirred. - -"So you think--so the world thinks. Yet I have to live in a wadded box -like a wax doll. I want to get out of that box--it stifles me, chokes -me. I am sick of the tents of Shem, and wish to house under those of -Esau. You and I will take the privilege of rank and be eccentric. As -pals we'll get on much better than as a Mayfair man and wife of the -wrong sort, beyond the borders of this horrid civilisation that is. -Buy a yacht, Jim--a tramp hulk with those triple expansion engines you -told me about, and let us make for the South Seas. There's a clear -path down Channel. Let us explore, let us venture into the Naked Lands -and exploit the fringes of the empire. I want to live--to live, you -understand. Oh," she cried almost fiercely, "can't you understand?" - -"No," said Jim, truthfully, and as stolid as ever; "you have your rank -to think of, and my name." - -The fire died out of Leah's eyes, the colour from her face, the ring -from her voice; even her figure seemed to dwindle from that of a -tragedy queen into a conventional Belgravian wife. Then she laughed -shortly, and in a way which Jim did not approve of in his Duchess. - -"I beg your pardon, Pentland," said Leah, using his title to mark the -far recoil. "I took you for a man: you are nothing but a society -gramophone." - -Jim would have resented this contemptuous description, but that she -gave him no time to formulate an idea in his slow-thinking brain. With -swift steps she left the room and ascended to her boudoir; there, -after locking the door, with a strength which disordered the lock, she -flung herself face downward on the sofa, and cried quietly, -passionately, with that suppressed anger and grief and rage which -rends the body and brain so terribly. Jim could not, would not -understand. He was what he always had been--the sole Gadarene pig into -which a devilkin had not entered. - -"Can I never put fire into that clay?" sobbed Leah, savagely. - -Only God could have done that, and she did not believe in God. But the -fetish was in her pocket. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - - - -Leah made no farther attempt to decivilise Jim. He was too engrossed -in Egyptian flesh-pots to set out for the Promised Land of splendid -adventure and Elizabethan enterprise. In his clay there did lurk a -spark of that Promethean fire which, melting meaner aims into one -passionate purpose to explore the world and exploit the world, has -made England great. Unfortunately, it could not be fanned into -anything resembling a flame. The cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, and -the garlic of civilisation appealed to him insistently, and even if he -did betake himself to roaming unfenced wastes, he certainly would not -number a wife amongst his luggage. Moreover--and this she knew by -instinct--his basic qualities were markedly those of the homing kind. -This being so, a few months of tent and road would be used by him as a -relish to increased appreciation of the cedar chambers and painted -halls wherein his cradle had been rocked. It was clearly impossible to -make a silken purse out of this particular sow's ear, so Jim drowsed -very contentedly beside the fire, while his wife, out of sheer ennui, -chased Piccadilly butterflies, or sat in her ducal niche to be bored -with social adoration. - -But one thing rendered life endurable to Leah Pentland at this -juncture, and that was her coming opportunity to exhaust the -enjoyable. Now that the days of compulsory sorrow were ended she had -plenty to do, and ample funds for the doing. At Firmingham the new -king and queen celebrated Christmas, new style, with celebrants who -were but doubtfully informed as to the why and wherefore of the -festival. Certainly, Jim and his Comus-rout invaded church on the -holy-day, and yawned impatiently through liturgy and sermon; but this -was a concession to county prejudices. Leah would tolerate no Santa -Claus tree, no Druidical decorations, and no modernised mumming of the -Middle Ages. These out-of-date enjoyments were replaced by political -and poetical tableaux, by amateur renderings of smart French and -dismal Russian plays, and by the kitchen lancers when riotous -cake-walks palled. Imported musicians, in an incorrect foreign -uniform, played Greig's melodies, Tschaikowsky's weird sound-poems, -and that nerve-exhausting music of the present by Herr Wagner which -has now arrived at its future. For the uncouth carol of innocent -Victorian days was substituted Sousa's clanging marches, comic songs, -clean but inane, and catchy airs from the newest vaudeville, miscalled -musical-comedy. Out-of-door sports included skating on artificial -ice--since it was a green Christmas--motor-car races, attempts at golf -and polo-playing, riding, driving, and sauntering flirtations, while -bridge circulated the guests' money at odd moments. It was truly -wonderful to see how completely these nominal Christians had -substituted a heathen festival of some sort for the orthodox pleasures -of tradition. The participants in the orgie were all smart and all -_blasés_, perfectly dressed and triumphantly selfish. With that -careful avoidance of spoken appreciation which marks the modern -trifler, they took leave of the Duchess with the remark that her -notion of what Yule-tide should be was not half bad. A week of dull -Sundays, so to speak, had been got through capitally. - -"Nothing frumpish about the thing," pronounced Mrs. Penworthy, who had -been asked to gratify Jim, and who had been found woefully wanting in -snap. "Every one was quite up to scratch. Leah Pentland did simply -ripping off her own." - -The little woman was not talking an unknown language, for the latest -successor to Algy understood her excellently well. She spoke the -gibberish of those in a hurry, which she had taken some pains to -acquire. The very few words in the dictionary used by the fashionable -were dropped into the melting-pot, and came out in ungrammatical lumps -of misused adjectives and verbs with a paucity of pronouns and -prepositions. Mrs. Penworthy, whose sense of humour was strong, had -proposed that Lionel should translate the Bible into this time-saving -vernacular, so that its spiritual meaning could be arrived at by those -who thought the verse of Milton and the prose of Bacon starchy. - -"Wouldn't hear of it," said she, to Algy's latest successor, while -munching American sweets in the up-going train. "Told him it would be -spiffing to fetch the psalms up to mark, but he didn't catch on -somehow. Wonder the Duchess can stand him, with his horrid -correctness. She's fond of doing herself well." - -"Thought the Duchess had rather a shoppin' face," replied the man, -meaning that his hostess had looked worried. - -"Don't knew why she should. Got heaps of cake to chew. Might be she -missed Demetrius." - -"Wheresey hang out?" - -"Don't know. Went prancing off on his own. Got a puff?" - -The inheritor of Algy's shoes provided the lady with a cigarette. -"Fancied she cottoned to th' Askew chap," he remarked, striking a -match. - -"Sure she did--oh, rather! Aksakoff let on to me 'bout the boy jumping -Paris to get fixed--British Embassy fixings, you know. Leah Pentland -didn't bring it off somehow. Lucky for her, seeing Jim wasn't a goner. -We really could not have received her," ended Mrs. Penworthy; then, -aware that she had lapsed into decent English, corrected her mistake: -"Mean we couldn't have let her chip into our game." - -"Like th' Duchess?" inquired her companion, languidly. - -"Don't know, quite. Saucy and swagger and all that. Freezes a -bit--what? Talks like a book, you know. Awfully expensive rattle." - -The man nodded. "Thought she wasn't up to dick. Daresay she'll spin -along on her own freely, when the hump's off." - -"Hump? She hasn't got the hump, or the needle either." - -"Very saucy hump," insisted the male linguist--"quite birdish. Sorry -the old Duke an' Frith hopped, maybe." - -"How very unnatural!" sighed Mrs. Penworthy, reverting to English in -her disgust. "Quite too awf'l to think how luck hooks on to her. -Really makes one wish to be a bad woman, to see how she lands the -salmon," she finished more creditably. - -Algy's latest successor was right, for once in his life of mistakes. -Leah was not entirely her own brilliant self, notwithstanding that -successful inauguration of the new era. The early excitement -consequent on the conversation with Aksakoff had died away, and again -she felt the old haunting fear of the possible. But this absurd mood, -she hoped, would pass away when the test came. Facing her enemies, -male and female, she would doubtless fight like a cornered rat, and -would conquer from sheer determination not to be beaten. Nevertheless, -this period of suspense was trying to one who had no listener, and who -could not talk herself into heroics by mere monologues. A confidant -was necessary only to the weaker part of her character, since her -deepest feelings advised her that pure strength must needs be -solitary. She was an oak, not an ivy, and unknowingly agreed with -Emerson as to the vitiating effects of comfortable circumstances. -"Cast the bantling on the rocks," sang the Seer of Concord, and Leah -indubitably squirmed thereon, as Jim had informed her in his simple -way in a conversation now--apparently--some centuries old. - -"Every month's a year now," sighed Leah, wearily. - -However, pending a possible fight for her social throne, the Duchess -made the very best of the passing hour. After the pagan entertainment -of the winter solstice, she endured the gorging Christianity of a few -belated country-houses, whose inhabitants were still eating in honour -of a Birth which had taken place some two thousand years ago, as a -Book they seldom read assured them. She went alone to these Vitellian -feasts, as Jim was off the chain until such time as he would be needed -to play Duke during the season. The aristocratic prodigal's -reformation was but skin-deep, and the late whitewash soon wore off to -show the unchanged black fleece, since he began with the zeal of a -newly uniformed subaltern to poach on various matrimonial manors. Mrs. -Penworthy he had naturally grown tired of, as she preferred syndicates -to partnerships, so he placed his tried affections on Lady Sandal, who -was horsey and doggy and tremendously expensive on account of her -betting craze. She and Jim talked kennels and stables, discussing -their very unplatonic loves between times, and found each other -kindred guttersnipes of the earthly, sensual kind. Leah, speedily -informed by a feminine sidewind of this new amusement of Jim's -four-and-twenty leisure hours, did not object, or even hint her -knowledge of his backsliding. It kept him out of her way, and Lord -Sandal, a Nero with limitations, who dwelt in a superlative glass -house, was not likely to submit his wife's latest sin to the fierce -light which beats upon the divorce court witness-box. Nothing could be -more satisfactory to a woman who wanted complete freedom, and Leah -again thanked the agreeable fetish for making straight her very -crooked paths. - -But all this time the sword dangled over Leah's head, and its menace -became so insupportable that she wished the single hair would give -way, to decide brusquely for hit or miss. Her desire was gratified on -the very night when she made her curtsey to the Sovereigns. Having -created an immense impression, the Duchess, with eyes as radiant as -the family diamonds crowning her imperial head, returned at midnight -to her home in the company of a purring husband. Jim really felt that -Leah had upheld the family name with her insolent beauty, and -moreover, was quite the grandest-looking woman in London, or out of -it. When they arrived in their own drawing-room, and she had emerged a -royal court butterfly from the chrysalis of her cloak, he turned -abruptly and took her in his arms with the hug of a bear. - -"Leah," he murmured hoarsely--"oh, Leah!" and kissed her fair on the -mouth with the kiss of Pan. - -But only once did he exercise that connubial privilege, for she -released herself roughly with a sense of intolerable outrage. "Isn't -it rather late in the day?" she asked, scornful and angry. - -"'Pon my word, Leah, I'd be a good husband to you if you would only -let me." - -"Oh, as an over-married Turk I am sure you would be admirable. I know -you disapprove of monogamy." - -"What the deuce is that?" - -"Something that the Church encourages and society shirks. The Sandal -woman can explain the objection." - -Jim winced at her knowledge of his latest love. "You said that I -belonged to you," he reminded her sulkily. - -"Officially. May I ask the reason for this sudden devotion?" - -"You look so rippin'." - -"Thanks for the belated compliment. I am aware that your love is -dependent upon the eye." - -"An' what else should it be dependent upon?" - -"The heart may have something to do with it, you know--or rather, you -do not know. Since our conversation when I asked you to buy a yacht I -have given up trying to educate you in the affections." - -"I'll buy a yacht now--a dozen yachts, to please you." - -"Oh," said the Duchess, with a cold smile; "so that Epsom-Newmarket -woman has been nasty." - -Jim uttered a bad word under his breath, and flung out of the room in -a pet. "I'll play at the club till all's blue," he called out while -banging the door, and a minute later she heard the butler whistle for -a hansom. - -The deserted wife was perfectly aware that Jim's sudden admiration -arose from pride of proprietorship, and objected to be cajoled into -righteous matrimonial principles on such terms. As it was scarcely one -o'clock she seated herself to consider if it would be worth while to -lift her uxorious pig out of the mire he loved. A footman with a -salver interrupted these creditable meditations. - -"A lady called twice to see your Grace this evening," said the man, -presenting a visiting-card, "and has now called again." - -The Duchess lifted her eyebrows as she lifted the card. "At this -hour?" - -"The lady says her business is important, your Grace." - -"What business----?" here her eyes fell on the card, and a swift -alteration of expression changed her into a different and harder -woman. "Ask Mademoiselle Aksakoff to join me here," she ordered -abruptly. - -The sword had not yet dropped, but the hair could not suspend it much -longer. Katinka was in England, in London, in her house. And -Demetrius? What of him? Why had he not come also? Leah asked herself -these questions with brutal directness, resolved to shirk nothing of -the imminent danger. After the first dash of dismay her nerves braced -themselves for the ordeal, and she advanced to greet Mademoiselle -Aksakoff with a conventional smile, meaning nothing and yet -everything. This gave place to an amazed look when she beheld the -haggard antagonist with whom she had to cross swords. - -"My--dear--girl! What have you been doing with yourself?" - -She might well ask. Katinka was no longer the demure nun, but a -fierce, goaded creature of the feline tribe. Dressed quietly in -unrelieved black, hatted, cloaked, and gloved, she presented the -appearance of one sorely tried in the fiery furnace of affliction, and -less lucky than Daniel's brethren. That thin worn face, those hollow -eyes, the wry mouth, the dark hair plentifully bestreaked with -grey--she was demoralised, uncanny, and aggressively cruel. In a flash -the Duchess knew that this untimely visitor knew the truth, and was -prepared to do battle. No quarter would be given by Katinka Aksakoff, -and Leah, with a deep breath, braced herself for an Armageddon duel. -The contrast between the dowdy Russian girl and the magnificently -arrayed woman lay entirely in the garb; otherwise they were cats of -the wildest. Their faces took on a marked resemblance; a stealthy, -cunning, sly, guarded expression effaced their ordinary looks. If -Katinka's eyes gleamed dangerously, so did those of Leah; if Leah held -herself like a pantheress about to spring, so did Katinka. In that -splendid room two pre-historic creatures were about to fight over the -male. Here indeed was woman, the female of man. Civilisation was -nowhere. - -"You know why I have come?" asked Katinka, in a voice as hard as her -eyes, and those might have been fashioned of granite. - -Leah, with flattened ears, so to speak, professed ignorance. She did -not intend to criticise until fully aware of facts. A shake of her -head conveyed the denial and brought forth one bitter word. - -"Liar!" - -The Duchess glanced towards the door, remembering that the servants -had not yet retired and might be within earshot. - -"Would you mind speaking in a lower tone?" she suggested between her -teeth, for the insult struck home. - -"Sit down," ordered Katinka, imperiously. - -"I prefer to stand," retorted her antagonist, fighting for the inch. - -Mademoiselle Aksakoff advanced one step and her eyes probed those of -the Duchess. Without words the situation was adjusted, and in Leah's -favour, for the Russian suddenly sat down with a quick, indrawn -breath. By that action the woman who had done the wrong knew that she -was the stronger of the two, and a tyrannical instinct to bully the -weak rose hotly in her breast. - -"What do you mean by coming at this late hour and misbehaving?" she -demanded harshly. - -"You know well what I mean." - -"Pardon me, I never profess to understand the vagaries of a madwoman." - -At this brutal speech Katinka's hand shot into her pocket, but Leah -did not move. - -"A weapon?" she asked sneeringly; "that would be quite in keeping with -your blatant nationality. Foreigners are so fond of the melodramatic." - -The girl withdrew her hand quietly. "You are too poor a creature to -kill, Lady James." - -Leah smiled at the old title, and passed the remark with a -contemptuous shrug. - -"Later on, perhaps--who knows?" - -"Who indeed? It is impossible to foresee what an hysterical lunatic -will do. Do you propose to shoot or stab me, or to blow me up? I -understand that bombs are favoured in your happy country." - -The crude hostility of the speech was plainly intended to infuriate -the Slav-woman, but it missed the mark aimed at. Katinka looked at the -mocker gravely. - -"How afraid you are!" - -Leah shrugged again; the remark was too futile to be commented upon. - -"Yes, you are," went on the other, a trifle roused; "else you would -have me turned out by your servants." - -"Later on, perhaps--who knows?" repeated the Duchess, using the girl's -own words; then continued soothingly, "No; I shall not call the -servants and make a scandal, since your father is my friend." - -"Your accomplice, Lady James." - -"What an unpleasant word, and how very unsuitable!" - -"For what you did in Paris." - -"I did nothing in Paris to deserve such a word. Perhaps you mean -something else. You foreigners know the grammar of English, but rarely -the meaning of words. I remarked the same defect in your father." - -"I have no father." - -"Indeed, I have not yet heard of his death." - -"Your misunderstanding of my meaning is pretence." - -"Ignorance, I assure you. And as it grows late and I am tired, may I -ask you to explain your business?" - -"I can do so in one word--Demetrius." Katinka rose to give full force -of expression to the name, and her voice rose with the utterance. - -Leah remained perfectly calm, and indulged in badinage. "Demetrius? Oh -yes, that horrid little man with the waxed moustache: a doctor or a -chemist, wasn't he?" - -"Your lover!" - -"Oh no. I have no use for that sort of person; if I had I should -certainly not pick one out of the gutter. Demetrius? Yes," she went on -musingly, but watchful of her enemy, "I had almost forgotten him. He -went to St. Petersburg, didn't he? And you loved him, I remember. A -queer choice I thought at the time. Well, have you married him?" - -"It grows late and you are tired," mocked Katinka, successfully -keeping her temper, and thereby disappointing the Duchess; "we had -better not waste time." - -Leah yawned. "It seems to me that we have been doing nothing else -since you came in." - -"Demetrius is in England." - -"Really! How very interesting! As doctor or Prince?" - -"As an escaped Siberian felon." - -"No!" Leah's face assumed a skilful expression of mingled pity and -horror. "Poor little man! He was mad to go to Russia. I thought so -when I read his letter, which I sent you." - -"The forged letter." - -"Don't be silly; one would think you were on the stage." - -Katinka bit her lip to prevent furious speech, and locked her arms -behind her as though she feared lest temper should engender violence. -Leah noted her expression, however, and retreated towards the bell. - -"You are talking nonsense," she said coldly, "and much as I respect -your father, I shall certainly summon, the servants to put you out -unless you go at once." - -"I shall not go, and you shall not order your servants to put me out," -cried Katinka, fiercely. "I defy you to press the button of the bell." - -With a feeling that the girl had scored on this occasion Leah withdrew -her hand, making the usual excuse: "For your father's sake I spare you -the indignity." - -"I repeat that I have no father." - -"And I repeat that I am tired. What do you want?" - -"You must arrange with me to see Constantine." - -"Who is Constantine?" - -"You know." - -"I do not." - -"You do." - -Their eyes met, and this time Leah won the victory over a woman -obviously worn out. - -"Constantine is Demetrius," explained the Russian, in a fatigued voice -and closing her eyes. "Oh, my God!" She dropped into her seat with a -low wail and covered her face. - -Leah heard the clock strike the half-hour through the sobs of her -visitor. She was absolutely sure that Katinka was at her mercy, and -wished to dismiss her, beaten and crushed. But first it was necessary -to learn why Demetrius had not come also. Leah moved swiftly towards -the broken creature, and laid a firm hand on her heaving shoulder. - -"My dear----" - -She got no further. With the elusive spring of a wild animal Katinka -flung off the hand, reared, and struck out. The blow fell fairly on -Leah's mouth, and she found herself mopping up the blood of a -deeply-cut lip before she had any clear idea of what had taken place. - -"Oh, you liar, you beast, you devil!" cried the Russian, with the -savagery of a Kalmuck tent-woman. "I could kill you--kill you." - -"Mad," mumbled Leah, with the lace handkerchief to her lips. - -"I am sane," retorted the other, swiftly. "I know all. You lured -Constantine to Paris; you sold him to my father to hide your -iniquity. I saw Helfmann the spy; do you hear--the spy! I bribed him; -it took months to bribe him, but in the end I bought the truth. My -father--shame to my father--drugged Constantine at your table, and -Helfmann as a sham doctor took him to Havre, to Kronstadt, to Moscow. -The Grand Duke Sergius"--here she spat when mentioning the hated -name--"yes, he, that beast of beasts, sent him to Siberia for life; -ar-r-r--for life! do you hear, Judas, Jezebel, animal that you are! I -followed there; I followed the man I loved----" - -"And who did not love you," muttered the Duchess, rocking with the -pain of her swollen and bleeding lips. She had seated herself by this -time, and did not seek to stem the torrents of insults. - -"And why?" Katinka flung back her head and her nostrils dilated. -"Because you stole his heart that he might do your evil bidding. But -he loves me now--with all his heart and soul he loves me now. I went -to Tomsk to aid his escape; I followed to Sakhalin. I waited and -waited, eating my heart out. Oh, my heart!" she laid her hand on her -breast; "oh, my breaking heart! We escaped--he did--I did; we escaped. -Do you hear, you who sold him? There were months of terror and sorrow -and cruel cold. But God was good; He was kinder than man, more -merciful than you, who damned a soul to that frozen hell. God--the -good God, whom I adore and worship," she fell on her knees, striking -her hands together--"He aided us to reach the waiting ship of Strange, -and----" - -"Strange!" Leah rose, shaken and sick. "Strange!" - -Katinka leaped up to face her. "The man you bribed with six thousand -pounds to take your sin on his soul. I know all about your wickedness; -Strange knows; Constantine knows. We will tell the world what we know; -and you, shamed, disgraced, beaten, hounded out of your world--ah, -down will you fall--fall--unless----" - -"Unless?" Leah, gripping a chair and swaying, looked up. "Unless?" - -"You come to Southend to see Constantine." - -"I refuse." - -"Then I tell everything. I go to your husband." Leah, in spite of her -pain, laughed at the idea. "I go to your police. I tell----" - -"Stop, I shall come, since you insist upon it." - -"I do--Constantine likewise. He is ill--very ill; his eyes are blinded -by the glare of the snows whither you sent him; he is--oh, my poor -angel, my patient saint!--he is----" Stopping abruptly, she looked -with an evil eye at the woman she had so shamefully marked. "I will -leave you to see the wreck you have made of him. You will come?" - -The Duchess nodded. "But I can explain all," she mumbled. - -"Explain it, then, to Constantine," said her enemy, contemptuously. "I -go now. Meet me to-morrow at Liverpool Street Station--at the barrier. -We can go to Southend by the five o'clock train. Constantine is on -board Strange's ship, which lies off Southend." - -"Ah! Then you mean to----" - -"Carry you away? No; you are not worth it." - -Leah's indomitable courage, quelled for the moment, blazed up -fiercely. She forgot her pain, her disfigured mouth, and faced Katinka -in a blind rage. "You--you----" she clenched her hands, and panted -like a spent runner. "You have said all; I agree to all." - -The Russian looked at the wounded mouth with a cruel, calm smile, then -sauntered deliberately to the door. There she smiled still more -serenely, pointed a mocking finger at her enemy's wry mouth, and -slipped away without a word, and almost without a sound. - -Leah sprang to the mirror. Had this woman marred her beauty? The mouth -was swollen, the lips still bleeding; there were wounds within and -without, and a rather loose tooth. Leah could have howled aloud at the -shame, the humiliation of her defeat. That she should be struck, -beaten, mastered--she of all women; she--she! "Ar-r-r! Augh!" she -cried, but softly, mindful of danger. Then the thought came to her -that she would have to account for her damaged mouth, and with the -thought came enlightenment. Passing quickly out of the room, she -ascended the stairs rapidly to her room. Half-way up she stumbled and -fell. The footman, hearing the fall, ran up and lifted her. He saw -that her mouth was bleeding. Natural enough--oh, perfectly natural! -"It's them beastly long trains," explained the footman in the servants' -hall. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - - -"Never knew you to tumble before, Leah," grumbled the Duke, next -morning, when admitted into his wife's bedroom. - -"Accidents will happen," murmured the Duchess, rather lamely, and too -much shaken to be original. "I can't talk, Jim--my mouth is still -sore." - -"What can you expect if you go a mucker? An' th' season's startin', -too. You'll not be able to show with that swellin'." - -"A week at Firmingham will put me right. Katinka Aksakoff is coming -down also." - -"Heard she looked in last night. What made her call at so late an -hour?" - -"She's worried about her father," lied Leah, prepared for the -question. - -"Had an almighty row with him over that bounder doctor, I expect." - -Leah nodded languidly. "M. Aksakoff has gone to Southend. I take his -daughter with me there, to make peace." - -"Southend? There's a hole! What's he doin' in that roost?" - -"How should I know? I'll reconcile the two if I can, and Katinka can -be my companion at Firmingham." - -"Dull company," confessed Jim, candidly; "she never could flirt." - -"That will be no drawback," said his wife, dryly. "Go away, please." - -"What lie am I to tell 'bout your sickness?" - -"Tell the truth, by way of a novelty; or if you prefer a lie, say that -I have appendicitis. One must be fashionable, even in diseases." - -"All right," said Jim, too obtuse to note the irony. "Sorry you're so -ill. You've made an awf'l mess of yourself: women will wear such -confounded trains. Goo'bye at present. I'll look in at Firmingham -durin' your week of penance"; and, talking himself out of the room, -Jim went about his ordinary nefarious occupations, feeling that he had -behaved as a husband should. - -The Duchess turned wearily on her pillows and winced. Not with pain, -for her mouth, though still swollen, was much less tender. It was the -prospect before her that hurt. In the evening a difficult interview -had to be got through somehow, and her brain began to forecast the -probable result. If Katinka could be believed it would scarcely prove -to be a pleasant one. Demetrius apparently intended to punish her by -blackening an unsoiled character. "Such a nasty, revengeful spirit," -thought Leah, feeling ill-used and depressed. - -But, after all, what could the man say likely to incriminate her, -seeing that she had moved amongst the pitfalls of the plot as -delicately as Agag? Demetrius had conceived and executed the entire -scheme, and what he could say would only fit in neatly with Strange's -confession, which the public already knew and condemned. Her hand -could not be traced either in his Parisian journey or in the drugging -of the tea. How was she to know that Helfmann was a police spy, or -that the letter assuring her of the doctor's intended return to Russia -had been deftly forged? Her surface behaviour, at least, was perfectly -honest, and would bear even the scrutiny of an interviewer. She could, -taking a broad view of unpleasant circumstances, defy the creature; -but nevertheless felt instinctively that it would be unwise to dare -him to do his worst. Such a plotting, narrow-minded, sneaking beast -would ruin himself to ruin her, and mud, if thrown persistently, was -apt to stick even to the whitest robe. What a shame that this animal -should so persecute her! How hard on a kind-hearted woman, whose sin, -as he called it, was merely an error of judgment. By the time Leah -finished her reflections her frame of mind was one of much-injured -innocence. - -Later in the day, when driving to Liverpool Street Station to keep her -hated appointment, Leah half decided to call on Aksakoff. But second -thoughts assured her that his intervention was quite out of the -question. Were Demetrius to be arrested in British waters the Radical -press would howl, and nasty meddling politicians would ask unnecessary -questions in the Commons. It would be wiser, after all, to fight alone -and to the bitter end. If Demetrius thought she would give in, -Demetrius was entirely mistaken. He had yet to learn that she could be -as nasty as hitherto she had been nice. But he was horridly -ungrateful, as all men were. In this way did the arch-plotter salve -her conscience and compose her mind. - -It was darkish when the brougham arrived at the station, and Leah, -glancing about under the electric lamps, saw Katinka waiting at the -ticket-barrier. For the benefit of an inquisitive maid and an -observant groom she addressed her gaily, though it was not easy to -speak with still aching lips. - -"You _are_ punctual," said the Duchess, pressing an unwilling hand -with ostentatious warmth. "Excuse my speaking much. I fell on the -stairs last night after you left and hurt my mouth." - -"I commiserate with you, madame," replied Katinka, sarcastically. - -"So good of you. I hope M. Aksakoff will not expect me to chatter." - -"My father?" echoed the girl, staring. - -"He's at Southend, isn't he?" said Leah, impatiently; "at least, you -told me so last night. I have instructed my maid to go on to -Firmingham, while we travel straight to Southend. Such a cockney -place, isn't it? Then we can get back--oh, about what time?" - -"Say eleven o'clock," returned the Russian, grimly. She now saw -through the clever comedy which was being played. - -"You understand, Marie," said Leah, turning to her maid, who was all -ears and eyes; "see that the brougham is sent in time. Come with me, -dear--there's a reserved compartment--at least, I ordered one. Curl, -go and look." - -Thus prattling to deceive her domestics, Leah adjusted a very thick -veil, which hid from the public a face whose expression was quite at -variance with her sweet nothings. When the two entered the carriage -and the train was moving slowly out of the station, Katinka burst into -a harsh laugh. - -"I congratulate you, Lady James; you should have been a conspirator." - -"So your dear father told me. Compliments run in your family, -apparently. Surely you do not blame me for putting things right with -my servants. They might think it queer, otherwise, and one cannot be -too careful with such creatures." - -"I fail to see what good your exceedingly clever explanations will do. -Constantine intends to speak out." - -"What about?" asked Leah, chafing, and throwing up her veil to manage -the girl more easily with her dominating eyes. - -Katinka, always fiery, and with slack nerves after her Siberian -experiences, almost lost what temper she had left. "Need we keep on -your comedy, madame?" - -"I'm sure I do not know what you mean. One would think that I wished -to deceive people, the way you talk. And after what I have done for -you, too--it's most ungrateful." - -"And pray what have you done, Lady James?" - -"Don't call me Lady James; your stupid mistakes get on my nerves. -Done? Why, I pretended to fall on the stair to excuse the state of my -mouth. Had I been a nasty, spiteful creature such as you are, I should -have given you in charge for assault." - -"Give me in charge now," sneered the girl. - -"I might. Don't drive me into a corner." - -"You are inconsistent. If you have done nothing wrong, how can I -drive you into the corner you speak of?" - -"Because you are a monomaniac," retorted the Duchess, angrily; "you -seem to think that I am the cause of the doctor's exile. I, of all -people, who would not hurt a fly." - -"You would hurt a dozen flies if anything was to be gained," snapped -the other, irritably. "You betrayed my Constantine." - -"I did nothing of the sort, as he will understand when he hears what I -have to say." - -"Hearing and believing are two different things, Lady James." - -Leah shrugged away the speech. "Of course, you are prejudiced, because -Demetrius loves me." - -Mademoiselle Aksakoff fetched a long, deep breath. "Do not try me too -far." - -"Do you intend to assault me again?" - -"No; I even apologise for the blow. I told Constantine this morning of -my interview, and he said that I was wrong. It is for him to deal you -justice and punishment." - -"Punishment! Justice!" Leah laughed aloud in sheer rage at her -inability to parry these insults. "And for what, pray?" - -"Constantine will tell you." - -"In that case I do not wish a second-hand judgment from you." - -The two glared at one another, venomous and defiant. As usual, the -younger woman's eyes fell first, and she retreated to the furthermost -corner of the carriage, while Leah, pulling down her veil, tried to -face this most disagreeable situation. Not another word did they -exchange until the ducal servants branched off at Shenfield Junction, -and they had to be publicly amiable. Then, again, silence reigned -until their destination was reached. By that time Leah was more her -old insolent self, and disposed to be unpleasant. - -"Will yon drive or walk?" asked Katinka, coldly, when they alighted on -the Southend platform. - -"Walk, of course. I do not mind at all being recognised, since I have -come to see your father on board this yacht." - -"Captain Strange would be flattered by your description." - -The Duchess laughed contemptuously as they stepped into the street. "I -am scarcely responsible for M. Aksakoff's notion of a yacht. -Foreigners are so ignorant." - -"They are not so clever as Englishmen--or Englishwomen." - -"Except in trickery and blackmail, where they surpass them," retorted -Leah, her petty rage insisting on having the last word. - -Katinka permitted her the gratification, and they walked the whole -length of the High Street in grim silence. - -At a rude quay jutting from the beach of the lower town they boarded a -disreputable boat, rowed by two pirates and steered by a third. The -night was starry but moonless, comparatively calm, and noticeably -chilly. Leah shivered as the boat made for a vivid green riding-light, -which shone, an emerald star, no great distance from the shore. But -her shiver might have been an admission of dread. Katinka took it to -be so, and smiled in a gratified way as her enemy climbed the side of -the steamer, which was a veritable gypsy of the sea, untidy, dirty, -and decidedly questionable in honest eyes. Strange did the honours, -loud-tongued and raucous. - -"Guess it do my eyes good to see your Grace," was his welcome. - -"Hold your tongue, and don't use my title," she replied furiously. - -Strange's milk of human kindness turned sour on the instant. "I ain't -high-falutin' enough, I s'pose. Pity I ain't a dandy skipper of sorts, -all hair-oil an' giddy gold tags." - -Leah turned her back without deigning a reply, and looked inquiringly -at Katinka. The girl, with an enigmatic smile on her wan face, led the -way down some greasy stairs, into a stuffy state-room, and opened the -narrow door of a side-cabin. Leah entered and heard the lock click -behind her. Evidently Mademoiselle Aksakoff did not think it judicious -to remain. - -"But I daresay her ear is at the key-hole," thought the Duchess, -contemptuously. She was trying to preserve her self-respect by heaping -obloquy on her rival, but scarcely succeeded as well as she desired. -Then she said "Ugh!" twice and with emphasis. - -The interjections were not meant for the girl's possible -eavesdropping, but to show Leah's disgust at the close atmosphere of -the cabin. It was a nauseous, musky, sickly odour, which reminded her -only too vividly of the monkey-house at the Zoo. Neither light nor air -entered the den, save through the round port-hole over the bunk, which -was unscrewed. But even the briny sea-breeze blowing softly could not -do away with that thick, tainted atmosphere which had provoked the -visitor's exclamations. With her handkerchief to her mouth Leah's eyes -strove to become accustomed to the faint light. She saw dimly a heap -of blankets, but no form was visible beneath, and no face was to be -seen. Possible trickery occurred to her, until a voice came heavily -through the fetid gloom. Then, in spite of its odd, strangled sound, -she felt instinctively that Demetrius was buried somewhere under the -clothes. - -"You will excuse the absence of a lamp, madame. My eyes are half -blinded with the snow-glare, and very tender." - -"How strangely you speak!" remarked Leah, involuntarily. - -"A sore throat," was the hoarse reply. "Siberia, as madame must be -aware, is not a summer climate." The wheezy sound ended in a kind of -piping whistle. - -"I am sorry you have suffered," said the Duchess, at a loss what to -say. "Ugh, the smell!" she thought, seating herself on a locker, and -feeling almost too sick to control her faculties. - -"Madame is too good." - -A dangerous pause ensued, while Leah wondered what was about to -happen. The man assuredly was Demetrius, and Demetrius was assuredly -extremely ill. It was within the bounds of possibility that he might -spring up and kill her. The thought did not trouble her overmuch. So -dangerous a business had to be faced undauntedly, and she kept down -her womanly weakness with masculine strength. During those slow -minutes she could hear the lapping of the waters, on which the vessel -rocked; hear also the laboured breathing of the sick man. This stopped -for a moment, and then did she hear her own easy breaths. Demetrius -evidently heard them also, and had paused to listen. He laughed -weakly, softly, clucking like a fowl. - -"Madame is very brave." - -"I'm frightened to death," she assured him, to excite his pity. - -"Your breathing tells me otherwise. I am certain, madame, that your -pulse beats regularly, and that your nerves are entirely in order." - -"Is this a consultation?" she asked coolly. - -"It is the farewell of two who loved," murmured the hard, thick voice, -muffled by the blankets. "That is, madame, of one who loved and of one -who did not; and therein, as M. Heine truly remarks, lies the tragedy -of existence." - -"Demetrius--Constantine." Leah felt that she must come to the point -and get rapidly through the interview, if only to escape from the -sickening atmosphere. "Katinka accuses me of betraying you." - -"Well, madame?" - -"I did not. I swear I did not." - -"Indeed? Mademoiselle Aksakoff is doubtless mistaken." - -"In a way. She wishes to save her father from blame." - -"As a good daughter should. Will you explain further, madame?" - -"Certainly. I came, of my own free will, to explain. Katinka told me -how ill you were, and I could not bear to think you should die -believing me to be dishonourable." - -"Madame speaks hopefully of my dying. It would please her, perhaps?" - -"No. What do you take me for? I never loved you as you wished to be -loved; but if M. Aksakoff had not interfered, and we had married, I -should have come to love you." - -"You speak of what might have been." - -"I suppose so. Circumstances are altered. Marriage is out of the -question." - -"Assuredly, and I am scarcely fit for a bridegroom." - -"What is the matter with you?" asked Leah, anxiously. - -Demetrius passed over the question. "Besides, Captain Strange informed -me that your husband has returned. Madame was doubtless pleased at -that marvellous resurrection, so cleverly managed." - -"No," said Leah, honestly enough. "I was not; but circumstances made -it imperative that Jim should return." - -"And for me to travel in Siberia?" - -"Blame M. Aksakoff, blame M. Aksakoff," she insisted. "I am innocent." - -"Be pleased to observe, madame, that as yet I have brought no -accusation against you." - -"Katinka acted as your mouthpiece." - -"You have not my authority to say that." - -"Then I gather that you do not blame me for your exile?" - -"How can I with any truth, madame, seeing that yon accuse M. -Aksakoff?" - -"I do," said Leah, resolutely. - -"In that case I regret that Mademoiselle struck the wrong person." - -"You know that she struck me?" - -"I was informed of it this morning, and express my regret that she -acted so foolishly. Did the blow hurt you?" - -"It was most painful. I feel it still." - -"Your lip is cut, then?" - -"Both lips--inside, luckily, so there will be no visible scars. But -even now a very little would make them bleed." - -Such was the profound egotism of her nature that she expected further -sympathy from the man she had reduced to such a condition. But the -doctor's stock of polite phrases appeared to be exhausted. In place of -a compliment came a hoarse chuckle, like the cry of an early starling. -"You appear to approve," said Leah, ironically. - -"Pardon; I mentioned before that Mademoiselle, in my humble opinion, -was wrong." - -"She was very wrong. I am not accustomed to deal with wild beasts." - -"Spare me, madame; I owe her so much." - -"I owe her nothing except revenge for striking me. But I excuse that -because she is ignorant of the truth." - -"I am also ignorant, madame." - -"You shall hear it now--yes, the absolute truth." - -Again came the raucous sound, which might have been a laugh or a -groan--Leah could not tell which. - -"The truth," murmured the sick man; adding, after a significant pause, -"I am waiting, madame." - -"I went to Paris with Miss Tallentire," explained the Duchess, -beginning anywhere in her hurry, "and Mr. Askew followed." - -"Followed you?" - -"Certainly not. I always detested the boy--so conceited. He admired -Miss Tallentire, and his liking for me was the passing fancy of a -shallow nature. To arouse your jealousy, M. Aksakoff put it about that -Mr. Askew intended to marry me in Paris. The gossip--and it was merely -gossip--came to Mrs. Penworthy's ears. That woman hated me then, and -hates me now. To make mischief she told you. You came over to Paris. -There, you remember what took place." - -"Not at our final meeting. My last memory of your face is seeing it -across the tea-table." - -"You had a fit of some kind, and M. Aksakoff called up a Dr. Helfmann, -who took you away in a cab to be cured. Then I received a letter from -you, stating that you were going to Russia. As I fancied you might -have settled with M. Aksakoff about your pardon, of course I quite -believed it, and--and--I think that is all." - -"Did you not know that the letter was forged?" - -"No!" - -"That the so-called Dr. Helfmann was a spy?" - -"No!" - -"That the coffee--or rather, that the tea was drugged?" - -"No. How could I possibly know that M. Aksakoff was using me as his -tool? If the tea--it _was_ tea--well, if he put anything into the -tea, I did not see him do it. It was M. Aksakoff who gave you into Dr. -Helfmann's charge, when you were insensible. Now, am I to blame?" - -"Your explanation is eminently satisfactory, madame." - -"And you believe me?" - -"It would be impolite to doubt a lady." - -Leah was nonplussed. She was manufacturing conversation, and his -comments were trivial, if not ironical, as she shrewdly suspected. She -could not quite arrive at his real meaning. He avoided answering -leading questions, and would neither accept not decline her -asseverations. - -"I have no more to say," she remarked, with an air of one washing her -hands of the whole affair. - -Again a deadly silence ensued; again she heard the heavy breathing of -the creature hidden under the heaped blankets; again sounded the -drowsy lapping of the water and the faint sigh of the wind. This time -she resolved to make him speak, so that she might learn precisely what -he thought. But the moments passed and no speech came. Finally it did -come, in the unemotional voice of one who speaks in his sleep. He -discoursed on a subject about which she had no desire to hear. - -"Paris--Havre--Kronstadt!" said the slow, drawling, monotonous tone, -"and then the weary journey across the Urals. Oh, the cold and the -snows and the bitter storms of Siberia! Chains and hunger, dirt and -rags; and always--always--the hopeless future. None loved me; none -lifted me up; none spoke words of kindness. Loneliness and sorrow and -the constant torment of painful memories." - -The voice died away in a sob. Leah, desperately anxious to defend -herself still further, would have spoken. But her mouth was dry; her -lips ached; tremors thrilled her body as the nerves twittered, jumped, -and quivered. Over the low bunk she could see the rocking stars as the -vessel swung to her anchor. What glimmer of light there was revealed -faintly the piled blankets, and nothing more. The face was veiled by -almost material shadows. And again, drearily and heavily, rose the -thick, muddy voice, without variance in its tones, without the music -of feeling. It might have been, and probably was, a voice from the -tomb, as it surged sluggishly through the fetid gloom. - -"St. Petersburg," announced the toneless voice, "Moscow, and the -farce of a trial. The waving of a white-gloved hand, and a courtly -bow, to dismiss me into pain and darkness and to a living grave. -Nijni-Novgorod, and Mother Volga, who takes us convicts to her -breast." - -Here came the dry chanting of a weird song which made the listener's -flesh creep, and her guilty soul quail. Then again, slowly, wearily, -Demetrius began to name the stations of his cross on the way to the -calvary of a final prison. "Kazan, Pianybor, Perm, the bleak Urals, -that prison wall of the exile; Ekaterinburg, Tiumen, the doorstep to -the barren cell. Borka, Dobrouna, Oshalka"--the rough Russian names -grated on Leah's ears;--"Yevlevoi and the slow-flowing river, the -prison barge, the black bread, the bitter, biting, burning cold; -Tobolsk, with its deathly mists and clammy darkness of Egypt; the -Charity Song--the weary, weary Miloserdnaya!" He sang another line or -two in a cracked voice, and broke out more humanly: "Then the warm -sunshine like the smile of the good God, and days of those gentle -winds we shall never breathe more. The flowers and the winds, the -sunshine and the laughing children. Samarof, Sourgout, Narym"; he -paused to gather strength for the crying of a name which issued with a -sob of heartfelt agony: "Tomsk--oh, Tomsk! Those long, long days of -waiting for what was to be; the horrible mercies of the unjust. Kyrie -eleison! Christe eleison! Kyrie eleison!" She saw the convulsive -movements of the blankets, and knew that he was making the sign of the -cross. After the crying to God and His Son came the protest against -the cruelty of man. "The weary prison of Tomsk; the road--the long, -horrible road to the ice-bound coast. Sakhalin, the island of pain, -the hell of the innocent, and a human soul lost. Christe eleison! A -loving, sinning soul for which Thou didst die, lost--lost--lost!" - -Leah's nerves ached and shook and shuddered as the account of the vile -journey welled forth smoothly like thick oil. With fixed eyes and -fascinated ears she took in the terrible Odyssey. After another -sobbing pause--the broken creature was crying bitterly--the voice -recommenced, droning on one note until Leah felt that she could have -screamed if only to vary the sound. - -Demetrius spoke of the barren wastes of Sakhalin in the Gulf of -Ochotsk, where the freezing straits of Neviski run between mainland -and island. He told of obdurate Cossacks, of cruel gaolers, of the -treacherous Gilyak natives, who prevent the escape of the mortal -damned. A note of emotion crept into the voice, and in its level tones -she discerned a faint hope. A smuggled letter, and the assurance that -help was at hand; a corrupted warder, a bribed soldier, a black -starless night, and a desperate escape over deserts of snow. Then came -heart-rending relations of a drifting boat, of suffering and -starvation and cold which burnt to the bone. Leah heard of a brave -woman--"my love--my love," said the voice tenderly--toiling with a -bought Japanese fisherman to bring the tiny shallop to a haven beyond -the grip of the merciless Muscovite. The weird tale took her through -La Perouse Straits, northward amongst the Kurile Islands, and into the -naked lands of Kamchatka. Here again, as she gathered, the fugitives -were in danger of recapture; but they fled still further north through -the bitter cold, and under a bleak sunless sky, to herd with the -Koriaks. The tormented voice droned ever on about these filthy -savages, fish-eaters, and hunters of the unclean; it shuddered through -accounts of loathsome diseases, and of smoky defiled huts like the -hells of Swedenborg. And the man wailed always, ever and again, of the -danger of being retaken, of terrible suspense, of shattered nerves, -and of the eternal strength of a pure woman's love. The tale ended -with painful outbursts of joy at the sight of Strange's tramp standing -towards the inhospitable Siberian coast. - -"Peace, plenty, warmth, food, safety, kindness, hope, love!" chanted -the voice, broken up into almost musical gratitude. Then a pause of -infinite meaning, ended by a dry clucking chuckle. "And I lived that I -might see you," breathed the man she had cast into the hell he had -described. Leah's hair bristled at the roots. The speech was so -terribly significant. But her soul still fought against the inevitable -punishment, whatever that might be. - -"Not my fault," she panted eagerly; "horrible, horrible--but not my -fault! Oh, believe--believe me, Constantine." - -"You have asserted your innocence before," murmured the sick man, -ironically; "and now----" - -"Now?" her heart almost stood still, so intensely did she listen. - -"We must part for ever." - -"But you--you----" - -"I devote what remains of my life to the woman who has saved me--to -the angel who drew me out of the frozen deeps of hell." - -"And--and you--you will say--nothing?" - -"This boat leaves here to-night for a place which need not be -mentioned. I go out of your life for ever, and silent." - -"Oh, thank you--thank you!" - -"For what, madame, since you assure me of your innocence?" - -Leah felt awkward. She had said too much. "Katinka is so prejudiced -that I thought--I thought----" - -Her voice died away. The lie would not come forth in the presence of -this dying wretch. - -"You thought she would be jealous. Ah, no, madame." Demetrius paused -and clucked again like a brooding hen. "She permits you to kiss me -with a last kiss." - -"No!" Leah half rose, and fell again, recoiling with a cry of terror -at the prospect of setting the final seal on her treachery, as did -Judas in the Garden. - -"I beg of you, my first love. One kiss to dismiss me into the -silence--to close my mouth for ever and ever." - -So he did doubt her; he did not believe. All her lies were discounted; -all his conversation was merely ironical and make-believe. He held her -in a vice, and release would come only when she submitted to a -revolting caress. - -"I will not--I dare not," she stammered, shrinking against the wall in -an agony of physical fear from an object which a guilty imagination -revealed as loathsome to sight and touch; "you--you have no right -to----" - -"The right of love," said the weary voice. - -"You have no proof." - -"The cypher letters"; and a lean hand held out a packet, drawn from -under the discoloured blankets. - -"For one kiss, madame--for one kiss." - -"Ugh!" groaned Leah, and snatched eagerly. - -Packet and hand disappeared swiftly, and the voice whistled in a -jeering manner. "One kiss, madame, one kiss." - -She still fought. "My mouth is sore. I am----" - -"One kiss--one kiss--the last and the best; or--or----" - -Leah, writhing against the wall, gasped soundlessly. In that last word -there was the sound of a terrible threat. It was the knell of -respectability, of ease and luxury, and of all that makes life worth -living. A single caress would buy the evidence; a touch of her mouth, -and she would be free for ever and ever and ever. - -"One kiss, then," she muttered; and with all her soul crying -strenuously against the horror, she tottered forward. "One"; her lips -sought the place where a mouth might be supposed to be waiting. Two -arms flew up and gripped her. - -She could not scream, for the arms dragged her down, belted her like -iron bands. Her mouth was on his, his lips were on hers. She writhed, -silent and agonised, in the horrible caress, in the abominable -embrace, trying to free herself in vain. Demetrius placed his lean -hand on the back of her head and absolutely ground her mouth against -his own. She could feel the wounds break and bleed, sanctifying the -kiss of Judas. - -His arms relaxed, she flung backward, and the long-withheld scream -broke forth shrill and vehement. As if in answer to that terrible -summons, Katinka tore open the door and entered with a smoky paraffin -lamp. With one hand the girl thrust the shaking, sobbing woman -forward, with the other held the lamp towards the face peering out of -the blankets. - -"Oh, my God!" shrieked Leah, and sprang from the cabin, pursued by the -cackling of broken laughter. - -She made for the deck--for the side--for anywhere, to be out of the -sight of that face; that face which would haunt her till she died. -Strange, in silence, handed her, sobbing and whimpering, down the -black side, where the boat received her. She dropped in a heap, and -beside her dropped from Katinka's hand a packet of letters. Above from -an open port-hole came clucking, cackling, chuckling laughter, -insanely gleeful, and the silent stars of God shone over land and sea. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - - -So Leah won after all. She went out with a definite purpose, and -returned with that purpose achieved; yet not fully, since what -she desired had been flung to her as a bone to a dog. In the -panic-stricken flight from the field she carried with her the spoils -of victory and something less desirable. The price of her good name, -the security of her position, the entire triumph--these, as she well -knew, had been gained by shameful self-surrender. Indeed, it could -scarcely be called a victory, seeing that she had succumbed to the -masterful brutality of her enemy. Nevertheless--and she derived -comfort from the thought--it could not be termed a defeat. Her social -glory yet flamed unextinguished; her character could not be smirched, -and she could yet hold up her head to flout the found-out of her sex. -But something bitter spoiled the flavour of these sweets. She had lost -her belief in the fetish; its spell of good luck was broken; her nerve -was gone, and with it self-respect. All she desired was to hide -herself amongst familiar surroundings, that their very familiarity -might fence in her quailing soul from impossible danger. And that the -danger could be so described by her intellect revealed a demoralised -will. - -The cypher letters attesting her share in the conspiracy she destroyed -by fire. They were genuinely those she had written, and the number was -correct, so, when their ashes floated up the chimney, Leah drew the -long, deep, relieved breath of one whose chains have been struck off. -Yet, even at the moment of release, she shuddered to the core of her -being. The ghost of a futile crime was laid, but the ghost might -return. Demetrius had truly parted with all tangible evidence, and his -unsubstantiated story would be whiffed away as too romantic for -belief. Moreover, M. Aksakoff, for the sake of his own good name, and -that of his Government, would swear to her innocence of this gross -intrigue. She was safe--absolutely, entirely, and wholly safe. The -world would never know how she had capered on the verge of an abyss, -or how nearly she had missed her footing. But something--her -conscience probably--told her that an unseen Judge was summing up her -delinquencies; that she was being weighed in the balance and would be -found wanting, even though her kingdom did not pass from her. This -Judge, impartial, terribly quiet, severely righteous, might have been -God; and He was God, although she refused recognition. Her tormented -soul inspired her with the dread of an all-seeing and condemning eye; -but she resolutely declined to admit the Maker, the Judge, or the -Unseen in any way. Shadows should not frighten her, for these were not -of the eating, drinking, merry-making world. All the same, shadows, -elusive and unexpected, did strike terror to her guilty heart, and she -reluctantly knew herself to be a broken woman. In those earlier hours -of safety this knowledge was very insistent. - -The week of her retirement passed pleasantly enough. She doctored her -bruised lips, mended their torn skin, and argued occasionally with her -shameful soul. The quiet life of silent hours in the midst of -civilised balms partially restored her courage, but not as entirely as -she could wish. Piecing her broken nerves together as best she could, -she strove to remount the pinnacle of supreme and self-sufficient -egotism whence she had fallen. But Humpty-Dumpty could not be set up -again, try as she might to replace him. During those brooding hours -Leah recovered much, but not all. The week's end found her cured of -the skin-deep blow, and outwardly the same insolent, radiant beauty of -an adoring world. But she knew herself to be a changed being; the -pantheress had become a hare, although less innocent. The sword of her -tongue was still sharp, but the shield of self-righteousness was -broken, and a keen-eyed antagonist sufficiently assertive could have -reduced her to the same moral pulp that the interview with Demetrius -had left her. Woe to the vanquished indeed! What remained but that she -should receive the wooden foil of retirement from Destiny and leave -the arena for ever. Her soul protested against this tame submission, -so with indomitable courage she braced herself to further battle. With -the world, that is, not with Demetrius. His abominable kiss had sapped -her forces. She could face social enemies, she could defy the Eternal, -she could encounter the fiends of hell, but not the man who had flung -her into the dust--who had trailed her, and was still trailing her, at -his chariot wheels. Certainly he had steamed into the unknown, and she -would never behold him more. But his black influence remained and made -itself felt at untoward moments. - -Jim paid his promised visit almost at the end of her seclusion, and -was disposed to be disagreeable on the plea that his wife had lied -unnecessarily. Being truthful himself, when there was nothing to be -gained by swerving from the path of rectitude, Jim abhorred a wasted -fib, and proceeded to condemn Leah for shooting an aimless arrow from -her mental quiver. It was the most pensive hour of the summer twilight -when Jim began his sermon, and he preached in his wife's sitting-room. -Darby sat beside Joan, who lay languidly on a sofa. What a perfect and -touching picture of connubial felicity! If only a reporter of -backstair gossip had been present to describe this middle-class -domesticity of these great leaders of fashion, Brixton might have -learned an edifying lesson from Belgravia. - -"Now I do call it hard on a fellow," complained the Duke--"jolly -hard--that you can't talk straight, Leah." - -"If I did you would scarcely feel flattered. What is it now?" - -"Aksakoff! Says he was never near Southend. Swore till all was blue -that he'd never set eyes on that girl for months an' months." - -"A sad deprivation for so affectionate a father." - -"Well, then, he wants to know where she is." - -"How should I know?" replied the Duchess, indifferently. "She chose to -remain at Southend, and I returned here alone." - -"What were you doin' at Southend?" - -"That is my business, Jim!" - -"Mine also. You said something that wasn't true." - -"Really? The Accuser of the Brethren in the pulpit with a vengeance!" - -The Duke stared. "I don't know what you mean." - -"I am quite sure you don't. Stop talking, please. I am too ill to be -worried." - -"Rats," said Jim, elegantly; "you look like a picture.* - -"Then permit me the privilege of one, and do not ask for replies." - -The Duke strolled to the window in a huff, and surveyed his property -with sulky looks. Leah sat up on her sofa and pondered as to how much -she should say and how much leave unsaid. Jim had always been under -the impression that Demetrius had done his dirty work for money, and -the truth would not probably strike him as amusing. Leah could easily -have conceived and told a pretty fairy tale, as she was always -resourceful in the way of fiction; but the sight of his pink, fatuous -face filled her with rage. Why should he be a beast with women, and -she a vestal with men? Was not sauce for the gander sauce for the -goose also? She determined to tell him the whole brutal affair, with -certain reservations concerning the betrayal of Demetrius. Jim had few -moral scruples, but what he had would be averse to the betrayal of an -accomplice, however dangerous. Yes; she would tell him enough to annoy -him, and shake him out of his aggravating complacency. Also she wanted -some one in whom to confide. But how to bring up the subject again -without pandering to her husband's desire to be master? - -He gave her the chance immediately. Like a bulldog, Jim never let go -of anything he had once gripped. Into his thick head had crept some -idea of a mystery, connected with Southend and with his wife's visit -thereto. Therefore he stared out of the window until he thought she -was more amenable to reason, and then came back to his seat with the -old question. - -"Why did you go to Southend?" he asked, doggedly. - -Leah, not yet ready, fenced. "I told you why I went." - -"No, you didn't. Aksakoff says----" - -"Of course he does. Did you ever know a diplomatist who told the -truth?" - -"Huh! That comes well from you, considering." - -"I never knew that white lies were political privileges. Besides, -Aksakoff is too ashamed of Katinka to tell the truth." - -"What's she been doin'?" asked the Duke, alertly. He had the soul of a -knitter in the sun for gossip. - -"Rescuing Demetrius," answered Leah, curtly. - -"What!!!" Jim turned white and purple and red and green like a -rainbow, and spluttered at the mouth. His wife, eyeing him coldly, did -not think this exhibition of genuine fear a pretty sight. "He'll--why, -he'll--tell," gasped Jim, gulping down an extremely serviceable word, -which better fitted his feelings than surroundings. - -"Of course." - -"It's a question of money, I suppose." - -"No, it isn't." - -"But you told me----" - -"What I chose to tell you. I always do." - -Was there ever such a trying woman? Jim gulped down another -out-of-place oath, and strode noisily up and down the room. He halted -at intervals to tell his wife precisely what he thought of her. As the -room was isolated, and there was no danger of eavesdropping servants, -he indulged in a raised voice and a flow of language which revealed -his very limited vocabulary. Leah, with her chin on her knuckles and a -round elbow on the sofa cushion, listened unmoved, and looked as -though she were having her photograph taken. Jim might have been -executing his dance before a graven image for all the emotion she -showed. - -"I've had enough of this," shouted his Grace, maddened by a disdainful -silence. "Just you explain, or I'll--why, hang it, I'll forget that I -am a gentleman." - -"It seems to me that you have forgotten." - -"Oh! You would drive a saint mad." - -"Lionel is perfectly sane, and he is the sole saint I have met." - -"Ain't you afraid of my striking you?" demanded Jim's bulldog nature. - -"Horribly afraid. Can't you see how I tremble?" - -Poor Jim. He was quite at the end of his resources. Mrs. Penworthy -always quailed, when he was in his tantrums; Lady Sandal fought fairly -and squarely, slang for slang: but this calm, smiling she-fiend only -sat like a dummy, waiting for him to do what she very well knew he -would never dare to do. - -"I wonder if you're a woman," groaned the Duke, returning beaten and -baffled and completely exhausted to his chair. - -"I wonder, too, seeing what you have made me put up with." - -"Come, now, I've always treated you well." - -"And other women better." - -"What other women?" growled Jim, on his guard. - -"You know very well." - -"I don't. I know nothin', not even why you're bullyraggin' me. I -swear," cried Jim, pathetically, to the ceiling, "that it's -uncommonly hard for a cheery chap like me to be tied to a woman -who--who--who----" Here words failed him, and he gasped. - -"Go on. I admire your descriptions of my personality. They are so -extraordinarily vivid and true." - -"Who ain't what she ought to be." - -Leah's opportunity to break the ice had come, and locking her hands -together, she gazed pensively at the Duke, who wriggled uneasily on -his seat. "How did you guess, Jim?" - -"Guess what?" demanded the tormented man. - -"That I am not what I ought to be." - -The Duke stared aghast. "Then you ain't t" he shouted. - -"Dr. Demetrius might say so." - -"Leah!" He sprang up with clenched fists and his face took on a -direfully black expression, which rejoiced her heart. - -"Jim, I believe--really, I believe that you have some love for me -after all." - -"Oh, hang your fine talk. Demetrius?" - -"I have kissed him." - -"He dared to kiss you?" - -"I dared to kiss him." - -"You devil!" He suddenly raised his fist. Leah never winced, although -he towered over her with his mouth working and his eyes animal in -their unconsidering passion. It was impossible to strike, although his -heart cried out that she ought to die. With an oath--it came out -savagely this time--the fist dropped. "I'll have a divorce," muttered -Jim, and plunged for the door. - -"Because I kissed a man. Nonsense." - -"Kissin' doesn't stop at kissin'." - -"Not with you, perhaps." - -"Leah!" he turned and reclosed the door, which his rage had wrenched -open. "I know you've got a beastly tongue, and all that; but I could -have sworn that you were as pure as my mother." - -"Well, and so you can." - -"What? After you confessin' that you kissed Demetrius?" - -"Ugh!" Leah shuddered, as a picture after the style of Wiertz rose to -her mind's eye. "I kissed a thing which was once Demetrius." - -"Is he dead, then?" - -"Better if he were. Ugh! That kiss was the most horrible thing I ever -had to do in my life." - -"Why did you do it, then?" - -"I was forced to," she said faintly, and nausea made her place a -handkerchief suddenly to her lips. - -The Duke returned for the third time to his seat and looked into her -changing face with round inquiring eyes. "There's somethin' in this I -don't catch on to," he muttered; then, with gruff tenderness, and a -timid caress from which Leah did not shrink, "What is it, old girl?" - -The Duchess laughed. It was amusing to find her husband playing the -spring bachelor. "I believe you love me," said she, recovering her -colour. - -"You know I do, only you keep me at arm's length." - -"Have I not cause?" - -"You wouldn't have, if you behaved as a fellow's wife should," said -the Duke, bluntly. "Drop skirtin' round the bush and plunge in." - -Leah admired and respected him in this peremptory mood, and for once -showed no disposition to use her sharp tongue. Instinct told her that -she had at length reached the end of Jim's tether, and that her -easy-going bulldog was inclined to curl his lips. Therefore did she -relate picturesquely and half-truthfully all her doings since the -beginning of things in the gallery. For the time being her story broke -off with the return of his Grace. - -Jim listened with praiseworthy self-control. He certainly growled and -scowled at the relation of that early loss, which had bound Demetrius -to the service of the woman who betrayed him; but her artless -confession robbed the butterfly caress of half its iniquity. Sometimes -he grunted admiration of her pluck during the perils of his absence, -and grinned when she detailed the melodramatic interview with Strange. -Most of the time his eyes searched her face to make certain that she -was telling the truth. He believed she was, although she kept back the -precise way in which Demetrius had departed for Siberia. But she laid -enough of this particular blame on Aksakoff's back to make Jim swear. - -"The mean, dirty, foreign hound," cursed Jim, between his teeth. "I -don't pretend to be an angel, but if I'd dropped to that----" he shook -his fist with a scarlet face. "An' to think Aksakoff should dare to -make use of your room--the rotten cur. I'll tell him what I think." - -"Better not, Jim. Let sleeping dogs lie." - -"Sleepin' mongrels," muttered the Duke. "All right; but don't you ever -speak to him again. Do you hear?" - -He blared out the order in a regimental manner, and Leah nodded. - -"Yes, dear," she said meekly, "we must draw the line somewhere." - -Jim nodded and gloomed, and rumbled something about Aksakoff that -certainly was not a benediction. Then he harked back to his leading -question, which had not yet been answered. "Why did you go to -Southend?" - -"Katinka, who had rescued Demetrius from Sakhalin Island, made me go -to see him. I had to obey, else there might have been trouble. The man -was ill on board Strange's steamer." - -"Strange? Thought we paid the cad." - -"We did." Leah frowned at the recollection of the sum. "But he had -some liking for Demetrius, and helped him to escape, worse luck." - -"Come now, don't say that. Siberia----" Jim shuddered. "Beastly place, -Siberia." - -"Nonsense. The climate is quite decent if you make up your mind. I -don't believe those convict creatures suffer so much as they say." - -She told the lie without sign of emotion, but all the same felt an -inward qualm at the memory of the doctor's terrible narrative. - -The Duke chewed his moustache meditatively. "An' you saw Demetrius?" - -"Ugh!" Leah covered her face and rocked. "To live with that in my -thoughts, and to think that I kissed It." - -"Why did you?" demanded Jim, furiously. - -"To get the cypher letters connected with the insurance plot," she -replied, looking up; then detailed with necessary suppressions the -greater and least repulsive part of her nauseous visit to the tramp -steamer. The story sounded by no means pretty, and all her courage was -necessary to enable her to arrive at finis. - -When she did the Duke sprang up in a pelting rage. "My wife to be -treated like that!" - -"Oh, the treatment was not so bad," lied the Duchess, easily. "Of -course, my mouth was sore with the fall on the stairs, but I managed -to touch the lips of that--that---- Ugh! ugh!" - -"I'll go to Southend to-morrow," announced the Duke, frowning. "I -can't thrash Demetrius, poor devil, but I'll hammer the life out of -that second-hand skipper." - -"You won't find the boat there, Jim. I made inquiries, and learnt that -it left, as Demetrius said it would, shortly after my visit. And we -are quite safe. That kiss----" - -"Leave the kissin' alone," cried Jim, turning on her fiercely. "Of -course, I see you couldn't quite help it; but----" - -"No 'but' at all," contradicted Leah, sharply. "If I hadn't bought -back those cypher letters in that way the whole story might have come -out. And then, Jim--well, you know." - -"I do--I do." Jim groaned and dropped on the sofa beside her. "Oh, -what fools we were to go into that insurance business!" - -"It was my fault, dear. Don't worry. Demetrius will die soon, and -Strange has his blackmail. We are entirely safe." - -"Katinka?" - -"Oh," said the Duchess, with a flippancy she was far from feeling, "I -suppose shell sit by the grave of that man for the rest of her days." - -"You're sure he's dyin'?" - -"Yes!" She turned pale, and her voice quavered. "Such an object could -not possibly live. It would be a--a--sin." - -"What's his trouble?" - -"I don't know--I can't say. I don't want to say. It's--it's too -beastly for words. Ugh! He looked--looked--oh!" Leah's mouth worked -like a rebuked child, and she burst into tears--into real womanly -tears of shame and terror and outraged modesty. "That horrible -kiss--oh, that horrible kiss!" she wailed, pinching his shoulder in -her hysterical emotion. - -"Poor old girl," said Jim, softly, and put his arm round her. - -For once she appreciated marital sympathy, and learned that woman was -not made to live alone. Leaning her cheek thankfully against the rough -tweed of his coat, she sobbed vehemently, a frightened and crushed -creature. Jim felt that he was a married man after all, and -administered gruff consolation. It worried him to see this -high-spirited woman break down so utterly. "There, there," said he, -tenderly; "it's all right, old girl. You've got me." - -"Thank God," murmured the beaten atheist. - -Jim thought she must be going out of her mind. "What's that?" That she -should thank a God she did not believe in, and for a husband whom -hitherto she had always scorned, quite frightened him. - -"What's that, Leah?" he asked again. - -"Thank God for you," sobbed the Duchess, brokenly. - -"Oh, my aunt," muttered the startled husband; then proceeded to fresh -consolation: "Well, then, I'll break the head of any bounder who dares -to say a word against you." - -"Yes; but I'm afraid we're wicked, Jim." - -"Other people are as bad," said the Duke, stoutly, "though I don't -suppose we'd get a Sunday School prize. 'Course it ain't much good -racin' in blinkers. We're a bad lot, the pair of us. I've behaved like -a rotter, and worse, while you're like something I can't think of. -Seems to me, Leah, we've been runnin' awf'ly crooked. Let's make a -fresh start from scratch, and go straight for the future. Tandem, y' -know," suggested Jim; "I'll be wheeler, as usual." - -"We must make the best of things, I suppose," whimpered Leah, drying -her eyes, and still too much unstrung to realise her regeneration. - -"That's about it. We'll give sin a rest for a bit. I'll chuck that -woman, and be your husband. I swear, Leah, I'll be a Methodist parson -sort of husband." - -"No, don't," said the Duchess, alarmed. "It's a mistake to overdo -things." - -Jim laughed, and she laughed. - -"Well, I don't suppose I could keep on that game for long," said her -husband; "but I mean that I'll be awf'ly square, an' footle after you -round the town. It's th' sort of thing good husbands do, y' know. Give -us a kiss, old girl, an' we'll begin our married life all over again." - -Leah obeyed very contentedly, and nestled in Jim's strong arms like an -innocent schoolgirl. She felt worn-out and tired, and drowsy from -excess of emotion; felt also that here was a much-desired haven for a -worried woman. "Dear old Jim!" she sighed, and Jim kissed her again. - -The light was dying out of the sunset sky, and the room filled with -pale warm shadows. The reconciled pair sat silently on the sofa in the -gathering darkness, locked in a close embrace. The remorseful Jim felt -that they were prisoners in the same dock, and anxiously paved a -certain place with the very best intentions. Leah went to sleep, -thanks to a less tender conscience. - -To the world these two were the prosperous and happy Duke and Duchess -of Pentland; to themselves, a misguided couple driven to do wrong by -circumstances; but to God--what did they appear in God's sight? -Remorse is not repentance, and remorse was the sole feeling of which -they were capable. Leah's sleep was the slumber of the worn-out; Jim's -self-promised reformation the result of shame. Shallow beings, -miserable creatures, they could not plumb the depth of their -wrong-doing. To them, sins were faults, and they were governed less by -the Sermon on the Mount than by the laws of society. Indeed, it is -questionable if either one of them was aware that such a sermon had -been preached; but both knew to a hair how far they could go without -being ostracised. - -Jim was the better of the two, for the cold, brutal story told by his -wife made him hot with the public-school shame of having done things -which no fellow could do. The drastic codes of Eton and Harrow and -Rugby and Winchester came to his mind, and he saw how he had sinned -against the primitive laws of honour. Without oaths, he swore to lead -a better and cleaner life with Leah to help him. He would be -charitable and a good landlord, and take the chair at public -dinners, and speak in the Lords, and chuck Lady Sandal--who was too -expensive--and drop gambling to a certain extent, and not swear more -than necessary, and--and--do what a man in his high position ought to -do. - -It will thus be seen that poor Jim's ideas of reformation were crude. -He felt this himself, poor man, in his narrow brain; and like the -child he really was, looked down to ask his clever wife's advice. He -had no time to consider the irony of the thing, even if it had -occurred to him, for discovering that Leah was sound asleep, he -wondered hugely. From the placid expression of her face it was very -plain that her crimes had not followed her into Dreamland. Jim -whistled softly, marvelling that she could slumber so immediately -after what she had told him. Laying her gently back on the sofa, he -summoned her maid, and went about his own business. This was to begin -reformation without loss of time. - -"I must help Leah to be good," said the new broom. - -But first he had to reform himself, and set about the first step, or -what he conceived to be the first step, with the enthusiasm of the -very bad person made uncomfortable by remorse. The vicar of Firmingham -received a visit from his patron just as he was about to enjoy a -well-earned dinner. - -"Lionel," said the Duke, nervously, "I'm comin' to communion in a -month. Could you get me whitewashed in that time?" - -Lionel stared, and looked upward. Strange to say the heavens did not -fall. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - - -Were a purblind generation convinced of the invaluable blessings of -sorrow, trouble would be robbed of its sting. Ignorance and fear make -the unenlightened bemoan their burdens, or shirk bearing them, as they -should be borne, with the strength of hope. Chastening is the gift of -the eternal love, and those happy few who know this submit with joy to -the improving rod. But worrying is not submission, nor is grumbling a -recognition of curative effects. To be manful, to be daring, to be so -entirely wise from the learning of the lesson as to extract the sweet -from the bitter, thus do we prove ourselves worthy of that suffering -which God bestows in mercy and in pity. Troubles, if rightly -understood, deepen the most shallow character, purify the most soiled -soul. They begin in woe but they end in joy. When the lesson is -learned, then comes the holiday--or more precisely, the holy-day--of -peace and gladness. - -Jim, in his simple way, understood that out of apparent evil great -good had come to himself and Leah. Never before had they understood -each other so well; never before had they forgathered with less -friction. The Duke's reformation was as genuine as his embryonic soul -was capable of making it. He felt desperately ashamed of himself at -the communion table, and shame of self, provided the physical ego be -not considered, is the beginning of repentance, which leads to hope, -which brings pardon and solace to the uneasy, sinful heart. Jim did -not become a saint by any manner of means, but he tried by fits and -starts to be a better man, and so, with true though faltering zeal, -advanced towards the light. And it was much gained that so once -self-satisfied a man should acknowledge himself to be at all in need -of improvement. The recalled code of schoolboy honour helped him to -amend the less drastic rules of the society man. Could Jim have only -gone still farther back, and remembered helpful nursery prayers and -childish faith, he might have seen even more clearly how to utilise -his mistakes. But he was yet a spirit in embryo, and his receptive -powers were not great. - -Leah did not keep pace with her husband on the upward path. When the -danger was brought to naught, and her nerves became more normal, she -forgot everything with the alacrity of a hardened heart. The wind of -the Spirit had but troubled the surface of her nature; its depths -remained undisturbed. Within a fortnight her dear devil of egotism -returned, and she tore out of her book of life the disagreeable page, -which she declined to read for the second time. Certainly she retained -so much grace and memory as not to laugh at Jim's efforts to be good, -and she was less ready than of yore to see and comment upon his -obvious failings. But she secretly wondered that he should try to be -pious, when there was no worldly advantage to be gained by such -dullness. Besides, Jim, with the zeal of the newly converted, began to -preach in a stammering, shamefaced way about the duties they owed to -themselves in particular and to society at large. He even looked up -_Noblesse oblige_ at the tail-end of the dictionary, and quoted the -platitude to Leah. On that occasion she had laughed consumedly; but, -truth to say, Jim's sermons bored her immensely. She preferred those -of Lionel, who, as a professional guide to glory, knew his business, -whereas poor dear Jim was hopelessly muddled. - -Therefore, while the Duke laboriously tried to be good, and succeeded -but doubtfully, Leah was coquetting deliriously with the world, the -flesh, and the many agreeable devils of her acquaintance. She improved -her former extravagances into something worse, and revenged herself -for being agreeable to Jim by letting both friends and enemies have -the full benefit of her witty, cruel tongue. The few who did not come -under its lash were in ecstasies at her sparkling conversation, and -the many who did made themselves pronouncedly pleasant out of mortal -fear. Leah danced and sang through the season with the insolent glee -of a woman who knows her position to be unassailable. Jim wondered at -her short memory, and tried to refresh it; but that she would not -endure, and declined even to hear the name of Demetrius. Moreover, as -M. Aksakoff had been translated to Copenhagen, there was no need to -smooth matters over between him and the Duke. Everything was safe, -everything was ripping, and she felt that her latest _pas de seul_ was -being executed on firm ground. She had skipped in the very nick of -time from that dangerous old mount which had erupted so feebly. - -And no one could say but what she did her best to be amiable. Late in -the season she met and congratulated Mr. and Mrs. Askew; she told Lady -Richardson how she admired her courage--underlined--in marrying that -handsome pauper, Captain Lake; and forgivingly did she condole with -Mrs. Penworthy, when the unexpected death of Freddy, from overwork, -left that evergreen hack a widow whom no admirer wished to marry. Lady -Canvey was most tenderly considered, and Wallace, the globe-trotting -cynic, on Leah's introduction, amused the stay-at-home old lady by -special command. The sedate Hengists thought even more of the Duchess -than they had done of Lady Jim, and she was often asked to bore -herself in their protective company. She gave Sir Billy Richardson a -smiling time at one of the ducal seats, and invited Joan Kaimes to -Curzon Street for a week of shopping and frivolity. Also bazaars and -charity concerts, and meetings about the unemployed aristocracy, took -up her attention. The fashionable congregation of an exclusive church -beheld her regularly in its midst, and heard the audible admission -that she was a miserable sinner--a most touching confession for a -truly good Duchess to make. Then she befriended a bishop, who was not -too straight-laced, and induced him to preach a scientific sermon in -Lionel's church, of which Lionel, very nastily, did not approve. Oh, -it was a merry time, when the grapes were ripe and the first-fruits of -her ducal harvest were being gathered in. The Duchess of Pentland won -golden opinions even from the censorious. Things could not have been -better managed by the discarded fetish, and Leah admitted that in this -respectable orgy the birthday of her life had come. - -During this meteoric career it surprised every one that she should -choose to retire suddenly. Fashion clamoured at her closed doors; -society journals wondered and lamented; individual friends expressed -themselves puzzled; and in print and conversation the freak of a -Duchess who chose to disappear was freely discussed. It was as -though the noonday sun should set unexpectedly. Leah's radiant orb had -blazed triumphantly for a few months, paling the lesser stars of -society, and then--had vanished. The Duke, when applied to for an -explanation, stated that she had gone abroad, because her health -was--hum--hum--hum. She crossed the Channel alone, too, which looked -odd. People began to talk and to invent reasons to explain the -inexplicable. But not even the most daring hinted at a connubial -disagreement. Jim would have stopped any such rumour at once with high -words. Not that it could arise, seeing that he thanked God publicly -every Sunday for possessing a wife whose price was far above rubies. -But whatever had happened, whatever might be the reason, it was -indisputable that the beautiful and wealthy and clever and popular -Duchess of Pentland had retired from the world in her heyday of social -success. - -Lionel was the first to hear of her when she returned unexpectedly to -Firmingham, after a month's sojourn on the Continent. One day in the -chilly grey autumn weather he received a note asking him to call at -four o'clock, and went unthinkingly to pass through what he afterwards -remembered as the most painful hour of his life. He fancied, when -setting out, that Leah merely wished to see him about the Duke. It -might be that Jim, with the Old Adam leaven still working within, had -broken out again, and that Lionel was summoned to call the sinner a -second time to repentance. But the Duke, as he gathered from old -Colley, was vegetating at Hengist Castle. It was impossible that the -Old Adam could emerge from his penitential cell in so respectable and -moral a neighbourhood. - -Leah received her cousin in the sitting-room of her Lady Jim days, -where they had twice talked seriously. Later on it appeared that she -had a special reason for selecting an apartment sanctified by the -vicar's endeavour to improve her into a moderately presentable angel. -It was a charming and tastefully decorated room, and the Duchess was -as tastefully decorated and as charming as her surroundings. She sat -in a deep chair by a brisk fire, dressed with that perfect choice of -colour and material which always distinguished her. The delicate blue -of her frock, and a selection of certain filigree silver ornaments, -matched marvellously with her splendid red hair and sapphire eyes. -Lionel noted an unusual pallor, but thought that he had never seen, -her look more lovely. Apparently she had been reading, for she dropped -her handkerchief over an open book on the small table at her elbow -when she rose to shake hands. He mechanically wondered at the trivial -action, and learned its significance later. - -"So very kind of you to come, Lionel," said the Duchess, pressing his -hand cordially. "I know how busy you are with your parishioners." - -"You are one of them," smiled the clergyman. - -"At odd moments, certainly; but we globe-trot for our places of -worship nowadays. Sit down"; she indicated a convenient chair opposite -her own. "Now tell me the news of your small world. Is Joan quite -well?" - -"Could not be better, considering the circumstances." - -"I am so glad; when do you expect the happy event?" - -"In a month, please God." - -Leah looked pensively into the fire. "I hope it will be a boy." - -"I shall be more than content with a girl. Why a boy particularly?" - -"Why not, when an heir is so important? You succeed Jim, and a new -Marquis of Frith----" - -"My dear Duchess, you and the Duke are young. There is little chance -of my succeeding. I may be congratulating you some day." - -"No," cried Leah, almost fiercely; "such a thing can never be, thank -God." - -Lionel stared. "Why 'thank God'?" - -"Oh--er--I hardly know; of course, I should hate to be pestered with -children. The nursery is an obsolete institution here, and will remain -so, unless"--she hesitated--"unless Jim marries again." - -"Duchess!" - -"Why not Leah?" - -"If it will please you. But why talk of Jim's marrying again, when you -are in the best of health and spirits?" - -She shrugged indifferently. "One never knows, I might go first." - -"I sincerely trust not." - -"Does that imply that you wish me to be a real widow, after posing as -a sham one?" - -"Of course not; but you talk so strangely." - -"And so honestly. Remember, I have always paid you the compliment of -being plain even to rudeness." - -Lionel tried to read her face, but in vain, and could not arrive at -the meaning of her apparently aimless conversation. The slanting rays -of sunset made a radiant glory round her as she half sat, half -reclined in the chair, and her beauty could bear even that merciless -test. Youth, health, money, charm, loveliness--with these desirable -blessings at her command, what else could she want? - -"I do not quite understand," said the perplexed man. - -"Understand what?" she asked absently; then became more alive to his -question. "Oh, my chatter. You will, before we part. I am no sphinx to -propose riddles." - -"Every woman is a sphinx." - -"Without a secret; that is why you men find us so difficult to -comprehend." - -"I confess to the difficulty at this moment." - -"What a complex mind I must have! Yet I am a very ordinary butterfly -of fashion; something with wings, at all events, though not entirely -an angel." - -Her visitor laughed. "Am I to pay you a compliment, or rebuke you for -frivolity?" - -"You can do both or either; the sweet first will counterbalance the -bitter last. But I sicken of compliments." - -"Even when genuine?" - -"They never are. Men say things they don't mean to women out of -traditional reverence for the exploded idea of the weaker vessel. When -you meet a child your first thought is to give it sweets; when you -talk with us the same thought is translated into polite lies. And we -never believe you--never," Leah assured him. "Plain or beautiful, vain -or humble, we price the words directly. In no case have I found them -to be of value." - -"You make us out to be fools." - -"One must be truthful at times. Of course, I always except you, -Lionel, as you are more man than parson." - -"Cannot I be both?" - -"Oh, yes, when miracles occur. Lately I heard of a parson who laboured -solitary and freezing amongst the snows of Labrador for a poor eighty -pounds a year. He was emphatically a man." - -"And a parson," supplemented the vicar; "so, you see, miracles do -occur." - -A warm colour crept into Leah's cheeks, and she looked piercingly at -her companion. "Do they? Nowadays, I mean. I am not using a mere -phrase, believe me. Honestly now, could those Gospel miracles occur in -this twentieth century?" - -Lionel mused, and considered a careful reply. "Our Master was given -the Spirit without measure as a man because He was the Son of the Most -High; by that wisdom did He work His marvels. But the Apostles, in His -power, also prevailed over the apparently natural, showing signs and -wonders to the glory of the Risen Lord and His Father. 'With faith ye -can do all things,' said the blessed Jesus Himself. Yes, Leah, I -reverently believe that with purity, faith, and a humble trust in the -Father by the merits of the Son, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, -miracles could take place to-day." - -"Then why don't they?" she asked abruptly. - -The vicar, sighing, dropped into the high-pitched sing-song of the -pulpit. "A faithless and perverse generation----" - -"A scientific generation, you mean. I don't believe--I can't -believe--and I won't believe. Prove the power of your Master. You have -faith; you are good; you----" - -"No, no! You go too fast. I assuredly try to be good, but I am sadly -wanting in many ways. I have faith, but how weak, how faltering. Who -am I, to claim that the Lord should select me to reveal His strength -unto men? I can work no miracle, Leah. Would to God that I could, if -only to convince you!" - -"Would to God that you could!" she echoed with something like a groan, -and the faint flush disappeared, like the dying out of a hope. - -"Why do you, a sceptic, ask about these things?" - -Leah, possessed by the spirit of the perverse, laughed maliciously. -"Jim is trying to be good; why should not I try also, since a wife is -bound to follow her husband, according to St. Paul, who by the way was -a bachelor? But," her mood shifted, "Jim has a tin-pot sort of faith -which is better than nothing. I have not, and so, like your -unbelieving Jews, require a sign." - -Lionel became professionally interested, descrying intimations of a -changed heart. "I believe that you will yet find the Kingdom," he said -hopefully. - -"Don't you make any such mistake," she retorted. "I have not yet set -out to find it, and never will, unless I see some of those wonders -about which you talk so glibly." - -"But, believe me----" - -"I do, though not to the extent of Bible magic. You hypnotise yourself -into crediting the impossible. I wish you could hypnotise me. Oh, I -wish--I wish--I wish!" she ended passionately. - -"Faith is not hypnotism," argued Lionel; the word grated on his ear. - -"It is--it is--it is!" Leah was vehement in her denial. "Science can -explain everything. Why do you come here to prate of miracles, when -you know in your own heart that such things never were and never can -be?" - -"They were and they can be and they will be, while Christ reigneth," -asserted the vicar, firmly; "nothing is impossible to God." - -"Then call upon Him, and work your marvel." - -"I am not worthy." - -"You are not able, rather," and she taunted him as did Elijah the -priests of Baal, their god. - -Kaimes wondered at her restless moods, and wondered still more when -she abruptly left the serious subject they were discussing--and on her -own initiative--to talk most frivolously. - -"I have heard you preach," went on this weathercock, "and I am no more -to be persuaded than was Agrippa. You and your shadows"--she whiffed -these away. "Pouf! Let us talk of real things"; and a toss of her head -dismissed the spiritual for the purely temporal. "I had such a ripping -time this season," rattled on the nature set upon pomps and vanities. - -"Leah, Leah! How can you?" - -"Change so rapidly? Oh, my good man, I am a twirl-ma-gee woman, ever -seeking variety. Religious conversation is neither amusing nor -convincing. It's much more fun to talk of one's friends and abuse -their failings." - -"I decline to join in," said Lionel, dryly, and feeling nonplussed. - -"Because you have no sense of humour. What a dull time of it Joan must -have, poor child!" - -"She does not complain," he objected stiffly. - -"Oh, Lord, what is the use of complaining! I never whimper about Jim, -though his goodness is even duller than his badness. 'I have tried -George drunk, I have tried George sober'"--she was quoting an epigram -of Charles II.--"'and there is nothing in George.'" - -"You are unnecessarily personal," rebuked Kaimes, annoyed. - -"That's right. Tramp on your little corns and you howl." - -He intimated that he desired to leave. "My time is valuable." - -"Oh, I know yon are a millionaire of seconds and hours. How -disagreeable you are, when I want to be amused!" - -"You have just informed me that I am dull," he reminded her pointedly. - -"So you are; all honest men are dull. Why, I don't know, unless it is -that honesty and wit match as ill as beauty and brains. Now don't look -at your watch again. I have something to tell you that will make your -clerical hair stand on end." - -What could one do with such a whirlwind woman? The vicar replaced his -watch and shrugged resignedly. She was what she had always been, -freakish and uncertain; but on this occasion more so than usual. An -April lady, whimsical and irresponsible, decidedly rude, and -aggravatingly amusing. But Kaimes instinctively felt that at the back -of these volleying drifts of smalltalk lurked something serious, which -she feared to handle. Hoping that in time it might be manifested to -his intelligence, he waited patiently, while Leah scrambled on -verbosely in her gabble of nothings. - -"You need a London month to pull you together. Dull country, dull man; -dull man, awful bore. Get a parish in the West End; you'll have -howling larks converting Dives and Jezebel of the drawing-room." - -"I do not look upon conversion as a lark." - -"I do, especially with Jim. Oh, Lord, to think that he of all people -should turn goody-goody. You are pleased, of course; the sight of the -lost black sheep trotting home to fodder to the fold is----" - -"I really cannot listen to this talk," said Lionel, rising quickly. - -"Yes, you can. I'll shock you more before I've done." - -Kaimes resumed his seat blankly. "But your reason?" - -Leah jumped up as her visitor sat down, and addressed nothing in -particular. - -"He asks for reason, and from a woman," she exclaimed. "So like that -lame Lord Esbrook; he always asks what he should not and what he is -never likely to get." - -"Reason from women?" - -"And from men, who have still less to spare. But that's his way. Have -you met Lord Esbrook? Such a funny walk as he has. Dot and carry -one--wooden leg, you know; dot and carry one--just like this only much -worse"; and Leah limped the length of the room, mimicking an -extraordinary gait so cleverly that Lionel laughed openly. - -"Though you shouldn't mock at people's infirmities," he coughed. - -"Why not? Esbrook's a holy show, and with the spite of the cripple, he -spares no one's feelings. He's the cracked black pot snarling at the -kettles he can never hope to be, with his dot and carry one, dot and -carry one"; and back she came swinging and grunting with provoking -cleverness. - -In her gyrations--it seemed from her imitations that Lord Esbrook -gyrated--she overturned the table upon which rested the covered book. -Leah pounced to pick up the volume, as did Kaimes, out of courtesy. -When he had set the table on its legs he could scarcely refrain from -glancing casually at the book. It's exterior was familiar. - -"The Bible!" exclaimed an amazed man. - -Leah flung herself into the chair, laughing noisily. "Oh, what a -face!" she mocked, pointing a jeering finger. "Look at yourself, do." - -"Were--you--reading the Bible?" asked the vicar, too astonished to -note the poor attempt she made to force humour. - -"Why not?" said she, defiantly, but with flushes and quick breaths. - -"You only mock." - -"The opportunity is so alluring," was her reply. "There's such an -awful lot of rot in that history of the Jews. And hundreds of -impossibilities. Here!" She seized the Bible and rapidly swept the -pages. "What was I reading when you entered?" The thin leaves flew and -flickered beneath her fingers. "Oh yes! Something quite too absurd in -Matthew." - -"St. Matthew." - -"Mister St. Matthew, if you will. There"; she presented the book; "you -read so beautifully--really you do, without flattery." - -"I will not read for you to mock." - -Her face flashed into crude anger. "Read," she commanded harshly. - -The vicar would have declined again, but that his eye fell on the -verses she had indicated. A memory of their earlier conversation, -coupled with her unnecessary vehemence, made him obey without further -hesitation. It might be that here was the key to the problem of her -jerky speech. His mellow voice rose like the music of a solemn bell, -and the glorious words rolled majestically through the room. - -"_When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed -Him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, -if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, -and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his -leprosy was cleansed_." - -"And immediately his leprosy was cleansed," breathed the Duchess, -gripping the arms of her chair to lean forward. "Why not 'her' -leprosy?" - -Lionel laid down the sacred volume. "It was a man who came to ask -mercy of our Lord," said he, obtusely. - -Leah threw herself back in the chair with the pettish cry of a -misunderstood child. "Oh, you fool!" - -Something in her voice startled him; yet he was far from gathering her -meaning. "What is it?" he demanded, entirely bewildered. - -There was no light in her eyes now; from luminous sapphires they had -become pebbles, dull orbs of lapis-lazuli. When she spoke her voice -creaked and wheezed "If your Master lived to-day, I would go to -Palestine!" she said, looking very directly at him. - -"What on earth for?" he asked blankly. - -"Can you not understand?" - -Her look was that of Medusa, and flickering lights came and went in -her half-lifeless eyes. Their glare, rather than the toneless notes of -her voice, made him faintly understand. The chosen passage out of St. -Matthew, taken in conjunction with her earlier chatter of miracles, -and her late reference to Palestine, engendered in his brain a -horrible, a terrible, an impossible thought. And yet---- - -"What are you talking about?" he asked harshly. - -The cry of a soul on fire broke on his ears. "You brute, when I suffer -so! Does it need words?" - -"Does what need words?" - -She dashed her hand on the open page of the Bible. "This--this!" - -"Augh!" He rose and sat down, with cold hands and a white face. The -meaning of what she meant crashed like the blow of a bludgeon, and his -brain spun to the shock "Leah!" he heard himself say, in a far-away -voice like a telephone whisper. Then he stopped to stare at the quiet -woman who sat upright, with rigid features and tightly clasped hands. -"Leah," he muttered again, and some indefinable feeling made his hair -crisp at the roots. - -"Yes!" That was all she said, and her lips hardly moved in the saying. - -Kaimes looked aimlessly round the room, and noted the pattern of the -window-curtains. Only the whistling of the coals, spouting smoke and -jetting flame, broke the stillness. His eyes returned to her face, -fair and stainless. "Impos--s--sible!" he jerked, his voice entirely -beyond control. "Im----" then his nerves vibrated and his skin crept. - -"Three doctors in London, five doctors abroad, assured me that it is -not impossible--unfortunately." - -They were like two pale ghosts sitting in the shadows. Said one ghost -to the other: "But have you--are you a----?" His tongue refused to -form either terrible word. - -Leah unexpectedly flung up her arms with a scream, then brought two -shaking hands across her mouth to stifle that wild note of human pain. -Right and left, up and down, did she look, as though to be certain -that no one was within earshot but the vicar. "It will never do to let -the servants hear," said the rapid action. Lionel's benumbed brain -could not yet take in wholly the appalling truth--if truth it was. The -leper dropped her hands and looked at him heavily. - -"You lying devil," said Leah, slowly. - -"What? what? what?" babbled Kaimes, incoherently. - -She groaned and rocked with hands palm to palm between her knee. "I -will, be thou clean; I will, be thou clean." Over and over again did -she moan the words, till they bored into the listener's brain. - -"God have mercy!" murmured the man, trying to be a man. The creeping -paralysis of the horror almost struck him dumb. But he managed by a -violent effort to wet his lips with a stiff tongue, and made it form -certain words: "Are you sure of this?" - -"Three doctors," went on the Duchess, rocking and droning as Demetrius -did aforetime--"three doctors, five doctors, eight doctors in all. -They said the same thing--ugh!--such a beastly thing! It was the -truth, though. Doctors never lie like parsons. And that Book with its -falsehoods--that----" She lunged forward without rising, and grabbing -the Bible pitched it into the fire. Lionel snatched it from the -flames; Leah struck it from his hands; and then ensued a silent -struggle, uncanny, savage, in which some leaves were torn. All at once -she relaxed her grip and lay back crying quietly. "It's a shame, a -shame!" she wept softly; "just when everything was going on so well. -And it can't be cured; all the money in the world can't cure me. I -must die--in bits"; her voice soared shrilly, and she crouched, as -though being beaten. "Ugh! That kiss, that beastly kiss!" - -"Leah, how did you get this disease?" - -The woman took no notice, but sprang up, as though moved by springs, -flinging wide her arms, and looking upward in wild rebellion. "I -won't die--I won't. I refuse to give in--I refuse"; she tore up and -down the room, speaking in angry undertones, as one always mindful of -possible listeners. "I have always had my own way!" was her whispered -argument--"always--always; why can't I have it now? There can be -nothing up there; no, no--there can't be. If He does exist He would -not have let me go so long on my own. I am strong--I have never met -any one stronger. I must win--I have always won. I will win!" her -voice rose tyrannically. "I am myself; who can be stronger than -myself? And yet this thing"--a strong shudder shook her into -weakness--"this vile--vile---- Ugh! ugh! I believe there must be -Something. Can you tell me, you--you who assume to know the secrets of -the stars?" - -She lurched forward in a frenzy of deadly fear, cannoned against -Lionel, and dragged him down into his chair, clasping his knees, and -knocking her forehead against them. "Where is your Master?" she -whimpered. "Tell Him I'm sorry--really I am sorry. He may cure me -then, as He cured that man long ago. Gentle Jesus--the children call -Him so; He can't be cruel to me--to me. He can't be cruel to any one, -so they say--ah, they say, they say; but how do I know? It's not true, -it isn't true, and yet if it was--if it---- Lionel----" She broke off -with the squall of a terrified child, hiding her eyes pitifully. "I'll -be good--I'll be good, if only--only He will do this! It's a little -thing--oh, a very little thing. And you said that He could--that He, -your Master, I mean. Oh! oh! oh!" With sobbing breath she unwound her -arms and fell back beating the carpet with open palms. Murmurings went -rhythmically with the padding sound. "I want to be clean; I want to be -clean; I want to be clean." - -Kaimes tried to lift her. "Let me summon help." - -With a bound she was on her feet, pushing him back. "Do that and I -kill you," she panted, clenching her hands and facing him furiously. -"No one knows but these doctors--yes, and Katinka, and that fiend -Demetrius. Strange also. If I had Strange here"-- she hammered with -closed fists on the vicar's shoulders--"I would cut him into bits; I -would blind him somehow; I would--I would--oh, what would I not do? -Why couldn't he leave that infected beast to die in Siberia? Oh, -the--the--the----" She poured forth a torrent of words, which made the -listener grow hot and cold with shame. Then again she collapsed as the -chill of a deadly fear struck at her heart. "I don't want to die--I -don't want to die!" and against the wall she rocked with arms held -crosswise over her eyes, swinging, ever swinging. - -The scene was like a nightmare; but by this time Lionel had the grip -of his emotions. "Leah," he said firmly, and advancing close to the -writhing creature, "you must tell your husband; you must----" - -Out came her arms with a circular swing, and struck him fair across -the eyes. "Jim doesn't know; Jim must never know." - -He was almost blinded, but persisted. "Leah, something must be done." - -Her voice sank, and with it her rage. "Something must be done," said -she, faintly--"something shall be done, and--soon." - -"What do you mean?" he asked, half under his breath, and half catching -at her intention. - -She took no notice. "Sit down, please!" said Leah, quietly, and Kaimes -obeyed, since to summon assistance would only be to precipitate a -still more dreadful scene. The Duchess looked into the mirror and -arranged her hair; also she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, and -smoothed her wrist-cuffs. When she did speak it was in the smooth -voice of a society hostess asking a visitor if he took sugar in his -tea. "I have made a fool of myself, Lionel. But you must admit that I -am rather severely tried just now." - -"Oh, you poor soul!" His tone and look were pitiful. - -"Reserve your sympathy till you hear what I have to say. But first -tell me honestly, can Christ cure me?" - -"Yes--if it is His Will." - -"Then let Him." - -"You must have Faith." - -"Faith in what?" - -"In His power and Will to heal." - -"How can I believe, when I do not believe?" - -"He died for you on the Cross." - -"He did not. That was purely a political matter because the Jews -feared the Romans. I have read Strauss; I have read Renan; the four -Gospels also: you can't puzzle me. He was a good man, a very good -man--quite a saint, if you will. But--the Son of God?" She shook her -head with a hard frown of disbelief. - -Lionel was at his wit's end. "Then you cannot be cured?" - -"No"; she looked at him steadily, an awful smile curving the corners -of her mouth. "I thought you would fail me at the last." - -"But how can I----?" - -"You can't, so there's no more to be said." She sat down with a little -sigh. "Dear me, how very hot this room is! Would you mind opening the -window?" - -Kaimes did not move. "Leah, go to bed, and let me send for one of -those doctors you consulted." - -"Useless! useless!" She waved him aside calmly. "They have spoken. I -know the worst; I am prepared to face the worst. Are you? Hold your -tongue," she added peremptorily, as he opened his mouth. "Listen!" - -From beginning to end did she relate the whole fraud--the sham death, -the stolen money, the betrayal, and the punishment of the kiss. Her -voice was perfectly calm, her posture easy, and her self-control -admirable. The listener grew white and red, became nervous and angry, -quivered with disgust, recoiled with loathing, as she unfolded the -brutal tale of her sin and treachery. Leah spared him no detail, -however painful; she even made herself out to be worse than she really -was--if that were possible. From the buying of Demetrius by that -butterfly kiss in the picture-gallery, to the revenge of Demetrius in -that stuffy cabin, when she struggled in the arms of one who had been -what she now was, she related the whole without a blush, without a -tremor, in a quiet, level voice, unmoved, and utterly shameless. The -horror of her position seemed to remove her from the region of human -emotions and morals. It was the unveiling of original evil. - -Lionel did not interrupt, but closed his eyes with a sick feeling as -she drew to the end. - -"I first noticed that something was wrong when my hands burned as I -washed them. I thought nothing of it at the time; but the feeling -became so painful that I saw my doctor. He said--well, you can guess -what he said. I consulted another, and another: the same diagnosis. I -went abroad, but the doctors in Germany and France told me the same -thing. I knew it was true. I felt in my heart it was true. Ugh!" She -paused. "There is no cure--none, none." Then she finished, with a -nervous titter, "Pleasant for me, isn't it?" - -"Don't!" gasped the vicar, leaning his head on his hand, and much too -qualmish to speak. - -"Oh, you needn't look like that. I have to suffer, not you. I kept -wondering how I got the beastly thing, and although I fancied it might -be that kiss, I could not be quite sure. Katinka enlightened me--she -was always a good-natured girl. After the death of that little -reptile, she returned to England and watched me. Seeing that I went to -doctors--she must have watched very closely--and then abroad, she -wrote a letter--such a nasty, spiteful letter. But I always thought -Katinka was a cat. Would you like to----?" - -"No, no; I have heard enough." - -"And you call yourself a man--pooh! You must hear. I learned from the -letter that Demetrius contracted the--the--well, what he suffered -from, amongst the natives of Kamchatka. He intended first to show me -up; but when that horrid girl told him how she had hurt my mouth, he -knew that by a kiss he could--ahr-r-r! He was a doctor, you see, and -the skin being broken, it was easy for him, knowing what he did, to do -what he wanted--the brute! That was why he kissed so hard, and----" - -"Stop! stop!" - -"It is beastly, isn't it? That's all, I think." - -She was examining her finger-nails when next Lionel stole a glance at -her. He scarcely knew what to say. Her treachery and the result of her -treachery were both abominable. That a beautiful woman, gently born -and bred, should sin so vilely seemed incredible. For beautiful she -was, sitting there calmly under the uplifted sword of Azrael, the -Angel of Death; and vile she confessed herself to be. Yet he could -hardly accept either the physical degradation or the moral turpitude. - -"You may be mistaken, after all," he stammered vaguely. - -"Because I am not an object," she replied, with a shrug. "How like a -child you are to require proof! I don't intend to become an object, I -can tell you." - -"But if there is no cure----" - -"There is another way. Of course, it is disagreeable, but what is one -to do in such straits?" - -The vicar guessed her meaning, and violently threw off the weakness -with which her story had infected his manhood. "I forbid you to heap -crime upon crime," said he, firmly and insistently. - -"I shall do what I like. Do not dictate to me, if you please." - -"But God----" - -"I don't believe in God." - -"You do; you must. Does not this shameful punishment which has -overtaken you in the hour of triumph declare the anger of a great and -terrible God." - -"No!" Her expression was mulish. - -"Woman! woman! Kneel and ask for mercy." - -"I won't ask for mercy when I'm being treated so badly. Never! never! -Just when things were going so smoothly, too; the money coming in by -the bushel, and Demetrius out of the way. I call it a shame; it's -mean, spiteful, cruel. I intended to have such a jolly time, and -now--now----" Her voice faltered and broke. - -She swung with a groan to one side of the chair, hiding her face and -breathing heavily. That deadly fear of the inevitable would grip her, -do what she would. - -"Leah"--Kaimes' voice shook a trifle--"God is very good to you." - -Her eyes stared at him bleakly. "Very good?" - -"We are put into this world, not for the pampering of the flesh, but -that we may learn through trouble how to become more spiritual. Our -souls are of God, and to God they must return, rising through much -tribulation to His necessary perfection. Sorrows are sent for the -flesh to bear; not as punishments, but as lessons to be learned. Of -our vices, says St. Augustine, we can frame a ladder to ascend -heavenward, if we but tread them beneath our feet. This you have never -known." - -"And I do not know it now." - -"From your dreadful trouble will come the knowledge; in this way alone -can humility come. God, out of loving pity for your unbending pride, -which prevents the Holy Spirit from entering your heart, has beaten -you to your knees. On your knees, then, ask for mercy, for light, for -purification of your unclean soul. God's staff, which He gives to all -in life's pilgrimage, has changed into a rod. He gave you all things, -and you used His gifts to glorify the flesh. Now in His infinite love -has He sent trouble----" - -"I've brought that upon myself." - -"For your amendment it was permitted that you should do so. Out of -your pleasant vices have you made whips to lash yourself. The wages of -sin is death; you have sinned, and the wages--oh, Leah, Leah, bitterly -cruel as it may seem to you, I rejoice that the wages should be so -paid." - -"You are a Job's comforter, I must say," said the Duchess, sullenly. - -"Because I can see how this tribulation of the flesh can save your -soul alive. God might have struck you dead in your wickedness, and -with justice, for your wilful sin. Instead of doing so, He has given -you a lingering disease, that you should be brought to acknowledge His -power and also have time to repent." - -"There is nothing to repent of." - -"Shame! shame! Even from a worldly point of view you have sinned -grossly; how much blacker, then, are your deeds in God's sight! But -they can be made white; the past can be wiped out by sincere sorrow." - -Leah twisted her hands above her head with a cry of impotent rage. -"How can I repent, when I do not even feel sorry?" - -"You will not ask Christ to help you. Repentance is a gift, as is -Faith. He will give both, and His undying Love, if you will but -confess your sin." - -"I have done so--to you." - -"Who am powerless. Confess it to Christ; weep as did Mary at His -wounded feet. Hard as is your heart, He will melt it; soiled as is -your soul, He will cleanse it. Now--now, when human aid is vain, now -is the appointed time. Repent and be saved!" - -"If I try to, will He--will He cure met" - -"That question I cannot, dare not answer. His mercy is infinite." - -"You say that to me, knowing what I suffer." - -"I say it to you who suffer. In no other way could the Spirit have -brought you to the mercy-seat." - -"He has not brought me now," she persisted obstinately. - -Lionel fell on his knees and caught her restless hands. - -"Oh, your poor, sinful soul, for which Christ died!" he cried -passionately; "to whom can you go but to God? Doctors cannot cure you; -He can, if it be His will. He may even make your flesh clean." - -"Ah! And that question you declined to answer a minute or two back. -Besides, you denied that miracles could take place." - -"I did not. No one ever came in vain to our Blessed Lord, when He -walked the earth some two thousand years ago. As was His power then, -so is it now. He loved in those days, He loves now. Sitting on God's -right hand, He is ready to succour the vilest. His arm is not -shortened, His pity is not exhausted. In mercy He may even cure you of -this dreadful disease, as He cured the afflicted man we read of. Only -acknowledge that God is mightier than you are; only bow to the rod, -only admit your sin, only cry for pardon." - -"If He will cure me----" she began, wavering. - -"That you must leave to His love and wisdom. Cure you He may; permit -you to suffer, He may see fit. But save your soul, He can. That much I -can swear to." - -"I want this horrible thing cured," she cried passionately. - -"To continue in your sins? To soil your soul anew?" - -"No! no! If I repent----" - -"Repentance includes submission. God may not see fit to cure you; it -may be your punishment--and I think it is--to bear this woeful cross, -which if rightly borne may lead you to the light of lights. The flesh! -The flesh! You but think of the flesh, of the passing world, of the -vanities of life, of the enjoyment of the senses. From these things -God would lead you away to contemplate spiritual realities, and the -appointed path has been made known. Bear your cross--oh, my dear, bear -your cross, and endure to the end that you may be saved. Terrible as -it may seem, this evil, whence good will arise, has removed you from -temptation. If you live secluded----" - -"Dying piecemeal," she cried, in a frenzy of anger, and wrenched away -her hands. "No, no; I will not live. I will die--die. At least I can -do that." - -"As did Judas! Leah, if you cannot bear your punishment in the flesh, -how will you endure it in the spirit? Live for Christ, and what -matters the world?" - -"Everything! everything! I know what I am; I do not know what I may -be. Here--in this tangible world--we are safe--safe!" - -"From God? Can you say that, when His hand has struck you down? I tell -you, poor sinner, that thus does He show His mercy. As is your crime, -so must be your punishment. But Christ can pardon your iniquities, and -Christ will, if you only plead for mercy and for grace." - -Leah rose, crimson with rage. "You'll drive me mad. I don't want your -spiritual life, your next world of shadows and moonshine. Give me -life--life--life!" - -The cry of the flesh was so insistent, so futile, so blind in its -desire, that Lionel shuddered. Still on his knees, he began a fervent -prayer. The miserable woman walked rebelliously up and down the room, -fighting against the conviction now slowly being driven home to her -understanding, that He whom she had mocked and defied was indeed the -Most High God. But she still fought against a submission she knew well -would have to be made. Beg for mercy she would not: her heart could -not feel, her intelligence could not grasp. But, somehow, she knew. A -dreadful thing had reduced her to impotence, and the ego could not -battle against the Something it had hitherto flouted, but now -furiously admitted might exist. - -There remained but one thing to do, but one dark way to take. Do it -and take it she would. But Lionel more than suspected her intention. -Lionel would thwart her, and she would be compelled to live--live on, -an object of disgust and pity. "No! no!" was her inward cry, as the -imploring voice of the vicar rose and fell, and died away in a last -tremulous Amen. For the last time, therefore, did she set her wits to -plot for the ego. - -"Lionel," said she, hesitatingly, "will you send for Jim?" - -The vicar's face lighted up. He saw in this request what she meant him -to see, a sign of yielding. "You will let me tell him?" - -Leah nodded. "There is a doctor in Vienna," she whispered, inventing -recklessly with the cunning of one driven to bay; "he has found out a -cure, I hear. If Jim will take me over----" - -"I'll telegraph to Hengist Castle at once," cried Kaimes, making for -the door impetuously. - -"And come back to dinner," said she, following, "I can't pass the -evening alone." - -"I shall come." - -"But you won't frighten me any more with this religious talk?" - -Lionel pressed her hand sadly. "I have done what I could, Leah. Only -the Holy Spirit can bring home conviction to your heart. Try and -pray." - -"Yes," assented the Duchess, submissively; "it is all that is left." - -"Then the better part, which cannot be taken away, is left." - -He went away quite deceived, since she had suggested the Viennese -physician so calmly. He thought that she still hoped desperately, and -for all he knew the hope might be fulfilled, seeing the present-day -resources of science. Certainly he never dreamed how she had -hoodwinked him, and so sped on his errand of mercy, leaving behind him -a woman too broken to exult in the success of her final piece of -trickery. - -It was all over. Man could do nothing; God would do nothing. As -Demetrius had been smitten for the crime she had induced him to -commit, so was she being punished for the evil she had called into -being. Lionel had talked nonsense, of course; but he left behind him a -feeling in her mind that the God he worshipped did exist. How the -belief had come into her heart, she could not say; but it was -certainly there. Try as she might, with all the strength of her -brilliant intellect, she knew that never again could she be an -atheist. God existed to her comprehension at last. But the -newly-conceived Deity was not the Father of love and light. Rather did -He appear an omnipotent tyrant, who had driven her to bad courses by -giving her tastes she was unable to satisfy, and who now punished her -for acting as the nature He had given her dictated. She was like a -mouse in the claws of a cat, and could no more escape than could the -tormented little beast. Only to the height of acknowledging that -Something much stronger than herself existed could she rise; and her -submission was as that of Caliban to Prospero. Wrenched violently from -the egotistic wrappings of her soul, she--the true self, the immortal -spirit--stood naked and shamed, yet defiant. She submitted, because -only submission was left. But all her flesh shouted furiously against -its victor. - -Then, again, as the tormented soul strove to overcome the lower -material self, did she recall Lionel's words. God was love, he -declared, and in love had God broken her shield of self, snapped her -sword of desire. Certainly, now that this world could do nothing for -her, she would be forced to seek the other. There she might learn how -to rise from darkness into light. That the spiritual existed she was -now reluctantly convinced; that a study of its meaning would bring her -peace she could not be certain. Of course, it was early days yet. She -had gained a great step by the admission that God reigned, even though -He had proved it to her so cruelly. It might be that by endless -striving she would learn something of His love before Death ended her -intolerable sufferings. God ordered her to fly; was it worth while to -trust to Him for wings? - -The struggle of the soul wavering between hell and heaven might have -ended in the victory of the latter, and Leah might have consented with -bitter tears to bear the cross laid upon her shrinking shoulders. But -while wearily pacing the room a chance glance showed her in the mirror -that beauty of which she had been, and was, so proud. Leaning her arms -on the mantelpiece, she examined every detail lovingly and long. Could -she bear to see that gradually disappear? Could she accept life as a -Thing and not as a Being? Those blue eyes would grow dull and animal; -that glorious hair would drop off; that complexion of cream and roses -would--would---- Ugh! ugh! - -"No! no! no!" The rebellious cry of the flesh ascended to the stars. -"It must never be--never." - -All that she knew herself to be revolted against the slow wasting -agony that would most surely come, to reduce that splendour of her -beautiful body to the dust, dishonoured and shamed. To save herself -from such infamy it but needed an overdose of chloral. Then in the -pride of her loveliness she would pass away painlessly, without -disfigurement, triumphant in a minor degree, at least. With all the -indomitable strength of a will that had been only thwarted by Him who -had created that will, did she resolve to snatch this one poor -laurel-leaf from the Almighty Victor. Turning from the mirror, she -felt that her mind was steeled, that Self was not entirely defeated. -After all, her unconquerable will would win. - -"To-night," she whispered to her shivering soul, "when I go to bed. An -overdose of chloral, and then, when I awaken----" She stopped, with -the chills of death at her heart. "Oh," was her despairing admission; -"You are the stronger!" - -It was the cry of the flesh making sullen submission. In vain did the -soul piteously beg that its tabernacle might yet hold it a little -while, for the purging of its sin. The flesh would not hear. Beaten, -conquered, shamed, tormented, its petty triumph could yet be obtained -in this hour of defeat. And the terrified soul, sobbing unheeded, -waited for the rapidly approaching hour which would send it forth -disembodied--whither? - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - - -"We regret to announce to our readers the unexpected demise of the -Duchess of Pentland at Firmingham, Essex. According to the Rev. Lionel -Kaimes, who dined with her Grace on the evening of her death, she was -in the very best of health and spirits. The unfortunate lady retired -at a comparatively early hour, and was found dead in the morning by -her maid. A brief examination proved that death was due to an overdose -of chloral, which her Grace was in the habit of taking when suffering -from sleeplessness. The Duke of Pentland, who was expected at -Firmingham, arrived shortly after the painful discovery, to be greeted -by the disastrous intelligence. - -"The loss of this highly popular lady will be greatly felt in high -circles. Her beauty and wit were exceptional, and only to be surpassed -by her truly kind heart. It may be well said that she lived to make -others happy. To the unfortunate her purse was always open, and to the -afflicted her soothing presence was a welcome relief. Again and again -did she sacrifice herself in the cause of charity; and in many ways -unknown to the public did she do good by stealth. Her graceful -presence will be much missed at various great functions during the -coming winter season; but it is the poor and needy who will most -keenly feel the loss of one whose large heart was ever ready to aid -them in trouble. - -"Much commiseration is expressed for the Duke of Pentland, who was -most tenderly attached to his beautiful consort. A brilliant star has -disappeared from the social firmament; but what is more lamentable, a -noble, religious, charitable lady has gone, leaving a place which can -never be filled. The funeral, which will take place at Firmingham next -Tuesday, will doubtless be largely attended by those who loved her and -knew her worth. The world can ill spare such a one, who illustrated in -her conduct and qualities the highest attributes of womanhood. She was -a great lady, a true, tender woman, a sincere friend, and a model -wife. What words could better befit her untimely grave than that -eulogy on Dorcas set forth in the Acts: 'This woman was full of good -works and almsdeeds which she did'?" - - - -FINIS - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Lady Jim of Curzon Streeet, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LADY JIM OF CURZON STREEET *** - -***** This file should be named 55510-8.txt or 55510-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/5/1/55510/ - -Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by -Google Books (Harvard University) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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