CHAPTER XX
ORDERS
Godfrey and his wife never went to Cornwall after all, for on ChristmasDay the weather turned so bad and travelling was so difficult that theydetermined to stop where they were for a few days.
As for them the roof of this London hotel had become synonymous withthat of the crystal dome of heaven, this did not matter in the least.There they sat in their hideous, over-gilded, private sitting-room, or,when the weather was clear enough, went for walks in the Park, and onceto the South Kensington Museum, where they enjoyed themselves verythoroughly.
It was on the fourth morning after their marriage that the blow fell.Godfrey had waked early, and lay watching his wife at his side. Thegrey light from the uncurtained window, which they had opened to airthe over-heated room, revealed her in outline but not in detail andmade her fine face mysterious, framed as it was in her yellow hair. Hewatched it with a kind of rapture, till at length she sighed andstirred, then began to murmur in her sleep.
"My darling," she whispered, "oh! my darling, how have I lived withoutyou? Well, that is over, since alive or dead we can never be partedmore, not really--not really!"
Then she opened her grey eyes and stretched out her arms to receivehim, and he was glad, for he seemed to be listening to that which hewas not meant to hear.
A little later there came a knocking at the door, and a page boy'ssqueaky voice without said:
"Telegram for you, Sir."
Godfrey called to him to put it down, but Isobel turned pale andshivered.
"What can it be?" she said, clasping him. "No one knows our address."
"Oh, yes, they do," he answered. "You forget you telephoned to the Hallyesterday afternoon about the hospital business you had forgotten andgave our number, which would be quite enough."
"So I did, like a fool," she exclaimed, looking as though she weregoing to cry.
"Don't be frightened, dear," he said. "I dare say it is nothing. Yousee we have no one to lose."
"No, no, I feel sure it is a great deal and--we have each other. Readit quickly and get the thing over."
So he rose and fetched the yellow envelope which reposed upon Isobel'sboots outside the door. A glance showed him that it was marked"official," and then his heart, too, began to sink. Returning to thebed, he switched on the electric light and opened the envelope.
"There's enough of it," he said, drawing out three closely writtensheets.
"Read, read it!" answered Isobel.
So he read. It was indeed a very long telegram, one of such as arecommonly sent at the expense of the country, and it came from the WarOffice. The gist of it was that attempts had been made to communicatewith him at an address he had given in Cornwall, but the messages hadbeen returned, and finally inquiry at Hawk's Hall had given a clue. Hewas directed to report himself "early to-morrow" (the telegram had beensent off on the previous night) to take up an appointment which wouldbe explained to him. There was, it added, no time to lose, as the shipwas due to sail within twenty-four hours.
"There!" said Isobel, "I knew it was something of the sort. This," sheadded with a flash of inspiration, "is the result of the meddling ofthat old General Cubitte. You see it must be a distant appointment, orthey would not talk about the ship being due to sail."
"I dare say," he answered as cheerfully as he could. "Such things areto be expected in these times, are they not?"
"Too bad!" she went on, "at any rate they might have let you have yourleave."
Then they rose because they must and made pretence to eat somebreakfast, after which they departed in one of Isobel's motors, whichhad been summoned by telephone from her London house, to the Departmentindicated in the telegram.
They need not have hurried, since the important person whom Godfreymust see did not arrive for a full hour, during all which time Isobelsat waiting in the motor. However, when he appeared he was verygracious.
"Oh! yes," he said, "you are Major Knight, and we have a mutual friendin old General Cubitte. In fact it was he who put an idea into ourheads, for which, as I understand you are just married--a pretty huntyou gave us, by the way--perhaps you won't altogether bless him, sinceotherwise, as you are only just recovered from your wounds, I have nodoubt we could have given you a month or two extra leave. However, Iknow you are very keen, for I've looked up your record, and privateaffairs must give way, mustn't they? Also, as it happens, Mrs. Knightneed not be anxious, as we are not going to send you into anyparticular danger; I dare say you won't see a shot fired.
"Look here, Major, you have been a Staff officer, haven't you, and itis reported of you that you always got on extremely well with natives,and especially in some semi-political billets which you have held whenyou had to negotiate with their chiefs. Well, to cut it short, a man ofthe kind is wanted in East Africa, coming out direct from home withmilitary authority. He will have to keep in touch with the big chiefsin our own territory and arrange for them to supply men for working orfighting, etc., and if possible, open negotiations with those in Germanterritory and win them over to us. Further, as you know, there are anenormous number of Indians settled in East Africa, with whom you wouldbe particularly qualified to deal. We should look to you to make themost of these in any way required. You see, the appointment is aspecial one, and if the work be well done, as I have no doubt it willbe, I am almost sure," he added significantly, "that the results to theofficer concerned will be special also.
"Now, I don't ask you if you decline the appointment, because we arecertain in time of war you will not do so, and I think that's all,except that you will be accredited ostensibly to the staff of theGeneral in command in East Africa, and also receive privateinstructions, of which the General and the local Governments will havecopies. Now, do you understand everything, especially that your powerswill be very wide and that you will have to act largely on your owndiscretion?"
"I think so, Sir," said Godfrey, concealing the complete confusion ofhis mind as well as he was able. "At any rate, I shall pick things upas I go along."
"Yes, that's the right spirit--pick things up as you go on, as we areall doing in this war. I have to pick 'em up, I can tell you. And now Iwon't keep you any longer, for, you see, you'll have to hustle. Ibelieve a special boat for East Africa with stores, etc., sailsto-morrow morning, so you'll have to take the last train toSouthampton. An officer will meet you at Waterloo with yourinstructions, and if he misses you, will go on down to the boat. Also,you will have details of your pay and allowances, which will beliberal, though I am told you are not likely to want money in future.So good-bye and good luck to you. You must report officially throughthe General or the local Governors, but you will also be able to writeprivately to us. Indeed, please remember that we shall expect you to doso."
So Godfrey went, but as he neared the door the big man called after him:
"By the way, I forgot to congratulate you. No, no, I don't mean on yourmarriage, but on your promotion. You've been informed, haven't you?Well, it will be gazetted to-morrow or in a day or two, and letterswill be sent to you with the other papers."
"What promotion?" asked Godfrey.
"Oh! to be a colonel, of course. You did very well out there in France,you know, and it is thought advisable that the officer undertaking thisspecial work should have a colonel's rank, just to begin with.Good-bye."
So Godfrey went, and said vaguely to the waiting Isobel:
"I'm afraid, dear, that I shall have to ask you to help me to do someshopping. I think there are some stores near here. We had better driveto them."
"Tell me everything," said Isobel.
So he told her, and when he had finished she said slowly:
"It is bad enough, but I suppose it might be worse. Will they let me gowith you to Southampton?"
"I expect so," he answered. "At any rate, we will try it on. I think itis an ordinary train, and you have a right to take a ticket."
Then they shopped, all day they shopped, with the result, since moneycan do much, that when the
y reached Waterloo his baggage containingeverything needful, or at least nearly everything, was already waitingfor him. So was the messenger with the promised papers, including aformal communication notifying to him that he was now alieutenant-colonel.
"And to think that they have painted 'Major' on those tin cases!" saidIsobel regretfully, for no objection had been raised to heraccompanying Godfrey, with whom she was seated in a reserved carriage.
They reached Southampton about midnight, and on Godfrey presentinghimself and asking when the boat sailed he was informed that this wasuncertain, but probably within the next week. Then remembering all hehad gone through that day, he swore as a man will, but Isobel rejoicedinwardly, oh! how she rejoiced, though all she said was that it wouldgive him time to complete his shopping.
Save for the advancing shadow of separation and a constant stream oftelegrams and telephone messages to and from his chiefs in London,which occupied many of the hours, these were very happy days,especially as in the end they spread themselves out to the originallimit of his leave.
"At least we have not been cheated," said Isobel when at last theystood together on the deck of the ship, waiting for the second bell toring, "and others are worse off. I believe those two poor people," andshe pointed to a young officer and his child-like bride, "were onlymarried yesterday."
The scene on the ship was dreary, for many were going in her to thevarious theatres of war, Egypt, Africa, and other places, and sad, oh!sad were the good-byes upon that bitter winter afternoon. Some of thewomen cried, especially those of the humbler class. But Isobel wouldnot cry. She remained quite calm to the last, arranging a few flowersand unpacking a travelling bag in Godfrey's cabin, for as a colonel hehad one to himself.
Then the second bell rang, and to the ears upon which its stridentclamour fell the trump of doom could not have been more awful.
"Good-bye, my darling," she said, "good-bye, and remember what I havetold you, that near or far, living or dead, we can never really beapart again, for ours is the Love Eternal given to us in the Beginning."
"Yes," he answered briefly, "I know that it is so and--enduring forever! God bless us both as He sees best."
The ship cast off, and Isobel stood in the evening light watching fromthe quay till Godfrey vanished and the vessel which bore him wasswallowed up in the shadows. Then she went back to the hotel and,throwing herself upon that widowed bed, kissed the place where his headhad lain, and wept, ah! how she wept, for her joy-days were done andher heart was breaking in her.
After this Isobel took a night train back to town and, returning toHawk's Hall, threw herself with the energy that was remarkable in her,into the management of her hospital and many another work and charityconnected with the war. For it was only in work that she could forgetherself and her aching loneliness.