CHAPTER XLVI
The departure of the Bellamys left Arthur in very low spirits. Hissensations were similar to those which one can well imagine an ancientGreek might have experienced who, having sent to consult the Delphicoracle, had got for his pains a very unsatisfactory reply,foreshadowing evils but not actually defining them. Lady Bellamy wasin some way connected with the idea of an oracle in his mind. Shelooked oracular. Her dark face and inscrutable eyes, the stamp ofpower upon her brow, all suggested that she was a mistress of theblack arts. Her words, too, were mysterious, and fraught with bitterwisdom and a deep knowledge distilled from the poisonous weeds oflife.
Arthur felt with something like a shudder that, if Lady Bellamyprophesied evil, evil was following hard upon her words. And inwarning him not to place his whole heart's happiness upon one venture,lest it should meet with shipwreck, he was sure that she wasprophesying with a knowledge of the future denied to ordinary mortals.How earnestly, too, she had cautioned him against putting absolutefaith in Angela--so earnestly, indeed, that her talk had left aflavour of distrust in his mind. Yet how could he mistrust Angela?
Nor was he comforted by a remark that fell from Mildred Carr theafternoon following the departure of the mail. Raising her eyes, sheglanced at his hand.
"What are you looking at?" he said.
"Was not that queer emerald you wore your engagement ring?"
"Yes."
"What have you done with it?"
"I gave it to Lady Bellamy to give to Angela."
"What for?"
"To show her that I am alive and well. I may not write, you know."
"You are very confiding."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. At least, I mean that I don't think that I should care tohand over my engagement ring so easily. It might be misapplied, youknow."
This view of the matter helped to fill up the cup of Arthur's nervousanxiety, and he vainly plied Mildred with questions to get her toelucidate her meaning, and state her causes of suspicion, if she hadany; but she would say nothing more on the subject, which thendropped, and was not alluded to again between them.
After the Bellamys' departure, the time wore on at Madeira withoutbringing about any appreciable change in the situation. But Mildredsaw that their visit had robbed her of any advantages she had gainedover Arthur, for they had, as it were, brought Angela's atmospherewith them, and, faint though it was, it sufficed to overpower herinfluence. He made no move forward, and seemed to have entirelyforgotten the episode on the hills when he had gone so very neardisaster. On the contrary, he appeared to her to grow increasinglypreoccupied as time went on, and to look upon her more and more in thelight of a sister, till at length her patience wore thin.
As for her passion, it grew almost unrestrainable in its confinement.Now she drifted like a rudderless vessel on a sea which ragedcontinuously and knew no space of calm. And so little oil was pouredupon the troubled waters, there were so few breaks in the storm-wallsthat rose black between her and the desired haven of her rest. Indeed,she began to doubt if even her poor power of charming him, as at firstshe had been able to do, with the sparkle of her wit and the half-unconscious display of her natural grace, was not on the wane, and ifshe was not near to losing her precarious foothold in his esteem andaffection. The thought that he might be tiring of her struck her likea freezing wind, and for a moment turned her heart to ice.
Poor Mildred! higher than ever above her head bloomed that "blue rose"she longed to pluck. Would she ever reach it after all her striving,even to gather one poor leaf, one withered petal? The path which ledto it was very hard to climb, and below the breakers boiled. Would it,after all, be her fate to fall, down into that gulf of which thesorrowful waters could bring neither death nor forgetfulness?
And so Christmas came and went.
One day, when they were all sitting in the drawing-room, some eightweeks after the Bellamys had left, and Mildred was letting her mindrun on such thoughts as these, Arthur, who had been reading a novel,got up and opened the folding-doors at the end of the room whichseparated it from the second drawing-room, and also the further doorsbetween that room and the dining-room. Then he returned, and, standingat the top of the big drawing-room, took a bird's-eye view of thewhole suite.
"What _are_ you doing, Arthur?"
"I am reflecting, Mildred, that, with such a suite of apartments atyour command, it is a sin and a shame not to give a ball."
"I will give a ball, if you like, Arthur. Will you dance with me if Ido?"
"How many times?" he said, laughing.
"Well, I will be moderate--three times. Let me see--the first waltz,the waltz before supper, and the last galop."
"You will dance me off my head. It is dangerous to waltz with any oneso pretty," he said, in that bantering tone he often took with her,and which aggravated her intensely.
"It is more likely that my own head will suffer, as I dance so rarely.Then, that is a bargain?"
"Certainly."
"Dear me, Mildred, how silly you are; you are like a schoolgirl!" saidMiss Terry.
"Agatha is put out because you do not offer to dance three times withher."
"Oh! but I will, though, if she likes; three quadrilles."
And so the matter passed off in mutual badinage; but Mildred did notforget her intention. On the contrary, "society" at Madeira was soonprofoundly agitated by the intelligence that the lady Croesus, Mrs.Carr, was about to give a magnificent ball, and so ill-natured--or,rather, so given to jumping to conclusions--is society, that it wasfreely said it was in order to celebrate her engagement to ArthurHeigham. Arthur heard nothing of this; one is always the last to hearthings about oneself. Mildred knew of it, however, but, whether fromindifference or from some hidden motive, she neither took any steps tocontradict it herself, nor would she allow Miss Terry to do so.
"Nonsense," she said; "let them talk. To contradict such things onlymakes people believe them the more. Mind now, Agatha, not a word ofthis to Mr. Heigham; it would put him out."
"Well, Mildred, I should have thought that you would be put out too."
"I!--oh, no! Worse things might happen," and she shrugged hershoulders.
At length the much-expected evening came, and the arriving guestsfound that the ball had been planned on a scale such as Madeira hadnever before beheld. The night was lovely and sufficiently still toadmit of the illumination of the gardens by means of Chinese lanternsthat glowed all around in hundreds, and were even hung like goldenfruit amongst the topmost leaves of the lofty cabbage palms, and fromthe tallest sprays of the bamboos. Within, the scene was equallybeautiful. The suite of three reception-rooms had been thrown intoone, two for dancing, and one for use as a sitting-room. They werequite full, for the Madeira season was at its height, and all theEnglish visitors who were "anybody" were there. There happened, too,to be a man-of-war in the harbour, every man-jack, or, rather, everyofficer-jack of which, with the exception of those on watch--and theywere to be relieved later on--was there, and prepared to enjoy himselfwith a gusto characteristic of the British sailor-man.
The rooms, too, were by no means devoid of beauty, but by far theloveliest woman in them was Mrs. Carr herself. She was simply dressedin a perfectly-fitting black satin gown, looped up with diamond starsthat showed off the exquisite fairness of her skin to greatperfection. Her ornaments were also diamonds, but such diamonds--notlittle flowers and birds constructed of tiny stones, but large singlegems, each the size of a hazel-nut. On her head she wore a tiara ofthese, eleven stones in all, five on each side, and surmounted overthe centre of the forehead by an enormous gem as large as a smallwalnut, which, standing by itself above the level of the others,flashed and blazed like a fairy star. Around her neck, wrists, andwaist were similar points of concentrated light, that, shining againstthe black satin as she moved, gave her a truly magnificent appearance.Never before had Mildred Carr looked so perfectly lovely, for her faceand form were well worthy of the gems an
d dress; indeed, most of themen there that night thought her eyes as beautiful as her diamonds.
The ball opened with a quadrille, but in this Mrs. Carr did not dance,being employed in the reception of her guests. Then followed a waltz,and, as its first strains struck up, several applicants came tocompete for the honour of her hand; but she declined them all, sayingthat she was already engaged; and presently Arthur, looking very talland quite the typical young Englishman in his dress-clothes, camehurrying up.
"You are late, Mr. Heigham," she said; "the music has begun."
"Yes; I am awfully sorry. I was dancing with Lady Florence, and couldnot find her old aunt."
"Indeed, to me Mrs. Velley is pretty conspicuous, with that greenthing on her head; but come along, we are wasting time."
Putting his arm round her waist, they sailed away together amidst ofthe murmurs of the disappointed applicants.
"Lucky dog," said one.
"Infernal puppy," muttered another.
Arthur enjoyed his waltz very much, for the rooms, though full, werenot crowded, and Mildred waltzed well. Still he was a little uneasy,for he felt that, in being chosen to dance the first waltz with thegiver of this splendid entertainment over the heads of so many of hissuperiors in rank and position, he was being put rather out of hisplace. He did not as a rule take any great degree of notice ofMildred's appearance, but to-night it struck him as unusuallycharming.
"You look very beautiful to-night, Mildred," he said, when they haltedfor breath; "and what splendid diamonds you have on!"
She flushed with pleasure at his compliment.
"You must not laugh at my diamonds. I know that I am too insignificantto wear such jewels. I had two minds about putting them on."
"Laugh at them, indeed. I should as soon think of laughing at the Bankof England. They are splendid."
"Yes," she said, bitterly; "they would be splendid on your Angela.They want a splendid woman to carry them off."
Oddly enough, he was thinking the same thing: so, having nothing tosay, he went on dancing. Presently the waltz came to an end, andMildred was obliged to hurry off to receive the Portuguese Governor,who had just put in an appearance. Arthur looked at his card, andfound that he was down for the next galop with Lady FlorenceClaverley.
"Our dance again, Lady Florence."
"Really, Mr. Heigham, this is quite shocking. If everybody did notknow that you belonged body and soul to the lovely widow, I should beaccused of flirting with you."
"Who was it made me promise to dance five times?"
"I did. I want to make Mrs. Carr angry."
"Why should my dancing five or fifty dances with you make Mrs. Carrangry?"
Lady Florence shrugged her pretty shoulders.
"Are you blind?" she said.
Arthur felt uncomfortable.
In due course, however, the last waltz before supper came round, andhe, as agreed upon, danced it with his hostess. As the strains of themusic died away, the doors of the supper-room and tent were thrownopen.
"Now, Arthur," said Mildred, "take me in to supper."
He hesitated.
"The Portuguese Governor----" he began.
She stamped her little foot, and her eyes gave an ominous flash.
"Must I ask you twice?" she said.
Then he yielded, though the fact of being for the second time thatnight placed in an unnecessarily prominent position made him feel moreuncomfortable than ever, for they were seated at the head of the toptable. Mildred Carr was in the exact centre, with himself on her rightand the Portuguese Governor on the left. To Arthur's left was LadyFlorence, who took an opportunity to assure him solemnly that hereally "bore his blushing honours, very nicely," and to ask him "howhe liked the high places at feasts?"
The supper passed off as brilliantly as most successful suppers do.Mrs. Carr looked charming, and her conversation sparkled like her ownchampagne; but it seemed to him that, as in the case of the wine,there was too much sting in it. The wine was a little too dry, and hertalk a little too full of suppressed sarcasm, though he could notquite tell what it was aimed at, any more than he could trace thesource of the champagne bubbles.
Supper done, he led her back to the ball-room. The second extra wasjust beginning, and she stood as though she were expecting him to askher to dance it.
"I am sorry, Mildred, but I must go now. I am engaged this dance."
"Indeed--who to?" This was very coldly said.
"Lady Florence," he answered, confusedly, though there really was noreason why he should be ashamed.
She looked at him steadily.
"Oh! I forgot, for to-night you are her monopoly. Good-bye."
A little while after this, Arthur thought that he had had about enoughdancing for awhile, and went and sat by himself in a secluded spotunder the shadow of a tree-fern in a temporary conservatory put upoutside a bow-window. The Chinese lantern that hung upon the fern hadgone out, leaving his chair in total darkness. Presently a couple,whom he did not recognize, for he only saw their backs, strayed in,and placed themselves on a bench before him in such a way as toentirely cut off his retreat. He was making up his mind to disturbthem, when they began a conversation, in which the squeezing of handsand mild terms of endearment played a part. Fearing to interrupt, lesthe should disturb their equanimity, he judged it best to stop where hewas. Presently, however, their talk took a turn that proved intenselyinteresting to him. It was something as follows:--
_She_. "Have you seen the hero of the evening?"
_He_. "Who? Do you mean the Portuguese Governor in his war-paint?"
_She_. "No, of course not. You don't call him a hero, do you? I meanour hostess's _fiance_, the nice-looking young fellow who took her into supper."
_He_. "Oh, yes. I did not think much of him. Lucky dog! but he must berather mean. They say that he is engaged to a girl in England, and hasthrown her over for the widow."
_She_. "Ah, you're jealous! I know that you would like to be in hisshoes. Come, confess."
_He_. "You are very unkind. Why should I be jealous when----"
_She_. "Well, you need not hurt my hand, and will you _never_ rememberthat black shows against white!"
_He_. "It's awfully hot here; let's go into the garden." [_Exuent_.]