CHAPTER XXVI--FACE TO FACE
Mimi was greatly distressed when she saw her cousin lying prone. She hada few times in her life seen Lilla on the verge of fainting, but neversenseless; and now she was frightened. She threw herself on her kneesbeside Lilla, and tried, by rubbing her hands and other measures commonlyknown, to restore her. But all her efforts were unavailing. Lilla stilllay white and senseless. In fact, each moment she looked worse; herbreast, that had been heaving with the stress, became still, and thepallor of her face grew like marble.
At these succeeding changes Mimi's fright grew, till it altogethermastered her. She succeeded in controlling herself only to the extentthat she did not scream.
Lady Arabella had followed Caswall, when he had recovered sufficiently toget up and walk--though stumblingly--in the direction of Castra Regis.When Mimi was quite alone with Lilla and the need for effort had ceased,she felt weak and trembled. In her own mind, she attributed it to asudden change in the weather--it was momentarily becoming apparent that astorm was coming on.
She raised Lilla's head and laid it on her warm young breast, but all invain. The cold of the white features thrilled through her, and sheutterly collapsed when it was borne in on her that Lilla had passed away.
The dusk gradually deepened and the shades of evening closed in, but Mimidid not seem to notice or to care. She sat on the floor with her armsround the body of the girl whom she loved. Darker and blacker grew thesky as the coming storm and the closing night joined forces. Still shesat on--alone--tearless--unable to think. Mimi did not know how long shesat there. Though it seemed to her that ages had passed, it could nothave been more than half-an-hour. She suddenly came to herself, and wassurprised to find that her grandfather had not returned. For a while shelay quiet, thinking of the immediate past. Lilla's hand was still inhers, and to her surprise it was still warm. Somehow this helped herconsciousness, and without any special act of will she stood up. She lita lamp and looked at her cousin. There was no doubt that Lilla was dead;but when the lamp-light fell on her eyes, they seemed to look at Mimiwith intent--with meaning. In this state of dark isolation a newresolution came to her, and grew and grew until it became a fixeddefinite purpose. She would face Caswall and call him to account for hismurder of Lilla--that was what she called it to herself. She would alsotake steps--she knew not what or how--to avenge the part taken by LadyArabella.
In this frame of mind she lit all the lamps in the room, got water andlinen from her room, and set about the decent ordering of Lilla's body.This took some time; but when it was finished, she put on her hat andcloak, put out the lights, and set out quietly for Castra Regis.
As Mimi drew near the Castle, she saw no lights except those in andaround the tower room. The lights showed her that Mr. Caswall was there,so she entered by the hall door, which as usual was open, and felt herway in the darkness up the staircase to the lobby of the room. The doorwas ajar, and the light from within showed brilliantly through theopening. She saw Edgar Caswall walking restlessly to and fro in theroom, with his hands clasped behind his back. She opened the doorwithout knocking, and walked right into the room. As she entered, heceased walking, and stared at her in surprise. She made no remark, nocomment, but continued the fixed look which he had seen on her entrance.
For a time silence reigned, and the two stood looking fixedly at eachother. Mimi was the first to speak.
"You murderer! Lilla is dead!"
"Dead! Good God! When did she die?"
"She died this afternoon, just after you left her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes--and so are you--or you ought to be. You killed her!"
"I killed her! Be careful what you say!"
"As God sees us, it is true; and you know it. You came to Mercy Farm onpurpose to break her--if you could. And the accomplice of your guilt,Lady Arabella March, came for the same purpose."
"Be careful, woman," he said hotly. "Do not use such names in that way,or you shall suffer for it."
"I am suffering for it--have suffered for it--shall suffer for it. Notfor speaking the truth as I have done, but because you two, with devilishmalignity, did my darling to death. It is you and your accomplice whohave to dread punishment, not I."
"Take care!" he said again.
"Oh, I am not afraid of you or your accomplice," she answered spiritedly."I am content to stand by every word I have said, every act I have done.Moreover, I believe in God's justice. I fear not the grinding of Hismills; if necessary I shall set the wheels in motion myself. But youdon't care for God, or believe in Him. Your god is your great kite,which cows the birds of a whole district. But be sure that His hand,when it rises, always falls at the appointed time. It may be that yourname is being called even at this very moment at the Great Assize. Repentwhile there is still time. Happy you, if you may be allowed to enterthose mighty halls in the company of the pure-souled angel whose voicehas only to whisper one word of justice, and you disappear for ever intoeverlasting torment."
The sudden death of Lilla caused consternation among Mimi's friends andwell-wishers. Such a tragedy was totally unexpected, as Adam and SirNathaniel had been expecting the White Worm's vengeance to fall uponthemselves.
Adam, leaving his wife free to follow her own desires with regard toLilla and her grandfather, busied himself with filling the well-hole withthe fine sand prepared for the purpose, taking care to have lowered atstated intervals quantities of the store of dynamite, so as to be readyfor the final explosion. He had under his immediate supervision a corpsof workmen, and was assisted by Sir Nathaniel, who had come over for thepurpose, and all were now staying at Lesser Hill.
Mr. Salton, too, showed much interest in the job, and was constantlycoming in and out, nothing escaping his observation.
Since her marriage to Adam and their coming to stay at Doom Tower, Mimihad been fettered by fear of the horrible monster at Diana's Grove. Butnow she dreaded it no longer. She accepted the fact of its assuming atwill the form of Lady Arabella. She had still to tax and upbraid her forher part in the unhappiness which had been wrought on Lilla, and for hershare in causing her death.
One evening, when Mimi entered her own room, she went to the window andthrew an eager look round the whole circle of sight. A single glancesatisfied her that the White Worm in _propria persona_ was not visible.So she sat down in the window-seat and enjoyed the pleasure of a fullview, from which she had been so long cut off. The maid who waited onher had told her that Mr. Salton had not yet returned home, so she feltfree to enjoy the luxury of peace and quiet.
As she looked out of the window, she saw something thin and white movealong the avenue. She thought she recognised the figure of LadyArabella, and instinctively drew back behind the curtain. When she hadascertained, by peeping out several times, that the lady had not seenher, she watched more carefully, all her instinctive hatred flooding backat the sight of her. Lady Arabella was moving swiftly and stealthily,looking back and around her at intervals, as if she feared to befollowed. This gave Mimi an idea that she was up to no good, so shedetermined to seize the occasion for watching her in more detail.
Hastily putting on a dark cloak and hat, she ran downstairs and out intothe avenue. Lady Arabella had moved, but the sheen of her white dresswas still to be seen among the young oaks around the gateway. Keeping inshadow, Mimi followed, taking care not to come so close as to awake theother's suspicion, and watched her quarry pass along the road in thedirection of Castra Regis.
She followed on steadily through the gloom of the trees, depending on theglint of the white dress to keep her right. The wood began to thicken,and presently, when the road widened and the trees grew farther back, shelost sight of any indication of her whereabouts. Under the presentconditions it was impossible for her to do any more, so, after waitingfor a while, still hidden in the shadow to see if she could catch anotherglimpse of the white frock, she determined to go on slowly towards CastraRegis, and trust to the chapt
er of accidents to pick up the trail again.She went on slowly, taking advantage of every obstacle and shadow to keepherself concealed.
At last she entered on the grounds of the Castle, at a spot from whichthe windows of the turret were dimly visible, without having seen againany sign of Lady Arabella.
Meanwhile, during most of the time that Mimi Salton had been movingwarily along in the gloom, she was in reality being followed by LadyArabella, who had caught sight of her leaving the house and had neveragain lost touch with her. It was a case of the hunter being hunted. Fora time Mimi's many turnings, with the natural obstacles that wereperpetually intervening, caused Lady Arabella some trouble; but when shewas close to Castra Regis, there was no more possibility of concealment,and the strange double following went swiftly on.
When she saw Mimi close to the hall door of Castra Regis and ascendingthe steps, she followed. When Mimi entered the dark hall and felt herway up the staircase, still, as she believed, following Lady Arabella,the latter kept on her way. When they reached the lobby of the turret-rooms, Mimi believed that the object of her search was ahead of her.
Edgar Caswall sat in the gloom of the great room, occasionally stirred tocuriosity when the drifting clouds allowed a little light to fall fromthe storm-swept sky. But nothing really interested him now. Since hehad heard of Lilla's death, the gloom of his remorse, emphasised byMimi's upbraiding, had made more hopeless his cruel, selfish, saturninenature. He heard no sound, for his normal faculties seemed benumbed.
Mimi, when she came to the door, which stood ajar, gave a light tap. Solight was it that it did not reach Caswall's ears. Then, taking hercourage in both hands, she boldly pushed the door and entered. As shedid so, her heart sank, for now she was face to face with a difficultywhich had not, in her state of mental perturbation, occurred to her.