CHAPTER XIII--OOLANGA'S HALLUCINATIONS
During the last few days Lady Arabella had been getting exceedinglyimpatient. Her debts, always pressing, were growing to an embarrassingamount. The only hope she had of comfort in life was a good marriage;but the good marriage on which she had fixed her eye did not seem to movequickly enough--indeed, it did not seem to move at all--in the rightdirection. Edgar Caswall was not an ardent wooer. From the very firsthe seemed _difficile_, but he had been keeping to his own room ever sincehis struggle with Mimi Watford. On that occasion Lady Arabella had shownhim in an unmistakable way what her feelings were; indeed, she had madeit known to him, in a more overt way than pride should allow, that shewished to help and support him. The moment when she had gone across theroom to stand beside him in his mesmeric struggle, had been the verylimit of her voluntary action. It was quite bitter enough, she felt,that he did not come to her, but now that she had made that advance, shefelt that any withdrawal on his part would, to a woman of her class, benothing less than a flaming insult. Had she not classed herself with hisnigger servant, an unreformed savage? Had she not shown her preferencefor him at the festival of his home-coming? Had she not . . . LadyArabella was cold-blooded, and she was prepared to go through all thatmight be necessary of indifference, and even insult, to become chatelaineof Castra Regis. In the meantime, she would show no hurry--she mustwait. She might, in an unostentatious way, come to him again. She knewhim now, and could make a keen guess at his desires with regard to LillaWatford. With that secret in her possession, she could bring pressure tobear on Caswall which would make it no easy matter for him to evade her.The great difficulty was how to get near him. He was shut up within hisCastle, and guarded by a defence of convention which she could not passwithout danger of ill repute to herself. Over this question she thoughtand thought for days and nights. At last she decided that the only waywould be to go to him openly at Castra Regis. Her rank and positionwould make such a thing possible, if carefully done. She could explainmatters afterwards if necessary. Then when they were alone, she woulduse her arts and her experience to make him commit himself. After all,he was only a man, with a man's dislike of difficult or awkwardsituations. She felt quite sufficient confidence in her own womanhood tocarry her through any difficulty which might arise.
From Diana's Grove she heard each day the luncheon-gong from Castra Regissound, and knew the hour when the servants would be in the back of thehouse. She would enter the house at that hour, and, pretending that shecould not make anyone hear her, would seek him in his own rooms. Thetower was, she knew, away from all the usual sounds of the house, andmoreover she knew that the servants had strict orders not to interrupthim when he was in the turret chamber. She had found out, partly by theaid of an opera-glass and partly by judicious questioning, that severaltimes lately a heavy chest had been carried to and from his room, andthat it rested in the room each night. She was, therefore, confidentthat he had some important work on hand which would keep him busy forlong spells.
Meanwhile, another member of the household at Castra Regis had schemeswhich he thought were working to fruition. A man in the position of aservant has plenty of opportunity of watching his betters and formingopinions regarding them. Oolanga was in his way a clever, unscrupulousrogue, and he felt that with things moving round him in this greathousehold there should be opportunities of self-advancement. Beingunscrupulous and stealthy--and a savage--he looked to dishonest means. Hesaw plainly enough that Lady Arabella was making a dead set at hismaster, and he was watchful of the slightest sign of anything which mightenhance this knowledge. Like the other men in the house, he knew of thecarrying to and fro of the great chest, and had got it into his head thatthe care exercised in its porterage indicated that it was full oftreasure. He was for ever lurking around the turret-rooms on the chanceof making some useful discovery. But he was as cautious as he wasstealthy, and took care that no one else watched him.
It was thus that the negro became aware of Lady Arabella's venture intothe house, as she thought, unseen. He took more care than ever, since hewas watching another, that the positions were not reversed. More thanever he kept his eyes and ears open and his mouth shut. Seeing LadyArabella gliding up the stairs towards his master's room, he took it forgranted that she was there for no good, and doubled his watchingintentness and caution.
Oolanga was disappointed, but he dared not exhibit any feeling lest itshould betray that he was hiding. Therefore he slunk downstairs againnoiselessly, and waited for a more favourable opportunity of furtheringhis plans. It must be borne in mind that he thought that the heavy trunkwas full of valuables, and that he believed that Lady Arabella had cometo try to steal it. His purpose of using for his own advantage thecombination of these two ideas was seen later in the day. Oolangasecretly followed her home. He was an expert at this game, and succeededadmirably on this occasion. He watched her enter the private gate ofDiana's Grove, and then, taking a roundabout course and keeping out ofher sight, he at last overtook her in a thick part of the Grove where noone could see the meeting.
Lady Arabella was much surprised. She had not seen the negro for severaldays, and had almost forgotten his existence. Oolanga would have beenstartled had he known and been capable of understanding the real valueplaced on him, his beauty, his worthiness, by other persons, and comparedit with the value in these matters in which he held himself. DoubtlessOolanga had his dreams like other men. In such cases he saw himself as ayoung sun-god, as beautiful as the eye of dusky or even white womanhoodhad ever dwelt upon. He would have been filled with all noble andcaptivating qualities--or those regarded as such in West Africa. Womenwould have loved him, and would have told him so in the overt and fervidmanner usual in affairs of the heart in the shadowy depths of the forestof the Gold Coast.
Oolanga came close behind Lady Arabella, and in a hushed voice, suitableto the importance of his task, and in deference to the respect he had forher and the place, began to unfold the story of his love. Lady Arabellawas not usually a humorous person, but no man or woman of the white racecould have checked the laughter which rose spontaneously to her lips. Thecircumstances were too grotesque, the contrast too violent, for subduedmirth. The man a debased specimen of one of the most primitive races ofthe earth, and of an ugliness which was simply devilish; the woman ofhigh degree, beautiful, accomplished. She thought that her firstmoment's consideration of the outrage--it was nothing less in hereyes--had given her the full material for thought. But every instantafter threw new and varied lights on the affront. Her indignation wastoo great for passion; only irony or satire would meet the situation. Hercold, cruel nature helped, and she did not shrink to subject thisignorant savage to the merciless fire-lash of her scorn.
Oolanga was dimly conscious that he was being flouted; but his anger wasno less keen because of the measure of his ignorance. So he gave way toit, as does a tortured beast. He ground his great teeth together, raved,stamped, and swore in barbarous tongues and with barbarous imagery. EvenLady Arabella felt that it was well she was within reach of help, or hemight have offered her brutal violence--even have killed her.
"Am I to understand," she said with cold disdain, so much more effectiveto wound than hot passion, "that you are offering me your love?Your--love?"
For reply he nodded his head. The scorn of her voice, in a sort ofbaleful hiss, sounded--and felt--like the lash of a whip.
"And you dared! you--a savage--a slave--the basest thing in the world ofvermin! Take care! I don't value your worthless life more than I dothat of a rat or a spider. Don't let me ever see your hideous face hereagain, or I shall rid the earth of you."
As she was speaking, she had taken out her revolver and was pointing itat him. In the immediate presence of death his impudence forsook him,and he made a weak effort to justify himself. His speech was short,consisting of single words. To Lady Arabella it sounded mere gibberish,but it was in his own dialect, and meant love, marriage, wife.
From theintonation of the words, she guessed, with her woman's quick intuition,at their meaning; but she quite failed to follow, when, becoming morepressing, he continued to urge his suit in a mixture of the grossestanimal passion and ridiculous threats. He warned her that he knew shehad tried to steal his master's treasure, and that he had caught her inthe act. But if she would be his, he would share the treasure with her,and they could live in luxury in the African forests. But if sherefused, he would tell his master, who would flog and torture her andthen give her to the police, who would kill her.