VI.
A quick arrested expression in her two sapphirine eyes, accompanied bya little, a very little, blush which loitered long, was all theoutward disturbance that the sight of her lover caused. The habit ofself-repression at any new emotional impact was instinctive with heralways. Somerset could not say more than a word; he looked his intensesolicitude, and Paula spoke.
She declared that this was an unexpected pleasure. Had he arrangedto come on the tenth as she wished? How strange that they should meetthus!--and yet not strange--the world was so small.
Somerset said that he was coming on the very day she mentioned--that theappointment gave him infinite gratification, which was quite within thetruth.
'Come into this shop with me,' said Paula, with good-humouredauthoritativeness.
They entered the shop and talked on while she made a small purchase. Butnot a word did Paula say of her sudden errand to town.
'I am having an exciting morning,' she said. 'I am going from here tocatch the one-o'clock train to Markton.'
'It is important that you get there this afternoon, I suppose?'
'Yes. You know why?'
'Not at all.'
'The Hunt Ball. It was fixed for the sixth, and this is the sixth. Ithought they might have asked you.'
'No,' said Somerset, a trifle gloomily. 'No, I am not asked. But it is agreat task for you--a long journey and a ball all in one day.'
'Yes: Charlotte said that. But I don't mind it.'
'You are glad you are going. Are you glad?' he said softly.
Her air confessed more than her words. 'I am not so very glad that I amgoing to the Hunt Ball,' she replied confidentially.
'Thanks for that,' said he.
She lifted her eyes to his for a moment. Her manner had suddenly becomeso nearly the counterpart of that in the tea-house that to suspect anydeterioration of affection in her was no longer generous. It was only asif a thin layer of recent events had overlaid her memories of him, untilhis presence swept them away.
Somerset looked up, and finding the shopman to be still some way off,he added, 'When will you assure me of something in return for what Iassured you that evening in the rain?'
'Not before you have built the castle. My aunt does not know about ityet, nor anybody.'
'I ought to tell her.'
'No, not yet. I don't wish it.'
'Then everything stands as usual?'
She lightly nodded.
'That is, I may love you: but you still will not say you love me.'
She nodded again, and directing his attention to the advancing shopman,said, 'Please not a word more.'
Soon after this, they left the jeweller's, and parted, Paula drivingstraight off to the station and Somerset going on his way uncertainlyhappy. His re-impression after a few minutes was that a special journeyto town to fetch that magnificent necklace which she had not oncementioned to him, but which was plainly to be the medium of some proudpurpose with her this evening, was hardly in harmony with her assertionsof indifference to the attractions of the Hunt Ball.
He got into a cab and drove to his club, where he lunched, and mopinglyspent a great part of the afternoon in making calculations for thefoundations of the castle works. Later in the afternoon he returned tohis chambers, wishing that he could annihilate the three days remainingbefore the tenth, particularly this coming evening. On his table was aletter in a strange writing, and indifferently turning it over he foundfrom the superscription that it had been addressed to him days before atthe Lord-Quantock-Arms Hotel, Markton, where it had lain ever since, thelandlord probably expecting him to return. Opening the missive, he foundto his surprise that it was, after all, an invitation to the Hunt Ball.
'Too late!' said Somerset. 'To think I should be served this trick asecond time!'
After a moment's pause, however, he looked to see the time of day. Itwas five minutes past five--just about the hour when Paula would bedriving from Markton Station to Stancy Castle to rest and prepareherself for her evening triumph. There was a train at six o'clock, timedto reach Markton between eleven and twelve, which by great exertion hemight save even now, if it were worth while to undertake such a scramblefor the pleasure of dropping in to the ball at a late hour. A moment'svision of Paula moving to swift tunes on the arm of a person or personsunknown was enough to impart the impetus required. He jumped up, flunghis dress clothes into a portmanteau, sent down to call a cab, and in afew minutes was rattling off to the railway which had borne Paula awayfrom London just five hours earlier.
Once in the train, he began to consider where and how he couldmost conveniently dress for the dance. The train would certainlybe half-an-hour late; half-an-hour would be spent in getting to thetown-hall, and that was the utmost delay tolerable if he would securethe hand of Paula for one spin, or be more than a mere dummy behindthe earlier arrivals. He looked for an empty compartment at the nextstoppage, and finding the one next his own unoccupied, he entered it andchanged his raiment for that in his portmanteau during the ensuing runof twenty miles.
Thus prepared he awaited the Markton platform, which was reached asthe clock struck twelve. Somerset called a fly and drove at once to thetown-hall.
The borough natives had ascended to their upper floors, and were puttingout their candles one by one as he passed along the streets; butthe lively strains that proceeded from the central edifice revealeddistinctly enough what was going on among the temporary visitors fromthe neighbouring manors. The doors were opened for him, and enteringthe vestibule lined with flags, flowers, evergreens, and escutcheons, hestood looking into the furnace of gaiety beyond.
It was some time before he could gather his impressions of the scene,so perplexing were the lights, the motions, the toilets, the full-dressuniforms of officers and the harmonies of sound. Yet light, sound, andmovement were not so much the essence of that giddy scene as an intenseaim at obliviousness in the beings composing it. For two or three hoursat least those whirling young people meant not to know that they weremortal. The room was beating like a heart, and the pulse was regulatedby the trembling strings of the most popular quadrille band in Wessex.But at last his eyes grew settled enough to look critically around.
The room was crowded--too crowded. Every variety of fair one, beautiesprimary, secondary, and tertiary, appeared among the personagescomposing the throng. There were suns and moons; also pale planets oflittle account. Broadly speaking, these daughters of the countyfell into two classes: one the pink-faced unsophisticated girls fromneighbouring rectories and small country-houses, who knew not townexcept for an occasional fortnight, and who spent their time from Easterto Lammas Day much as they spent it during the remaining nine months ofthe year: the other class were the children of the wealthy landownerswho migrated each season to the town-house; these were pale andcollected, showed less enjoyment in their countenances, and wore ingeneral an approximation to the languid manners of the capital.
A quadrille was in progress, and Somerset scanned each set. His mind hadrun so long upon the necklace, that his glance involuntarily sought outthat gleaming object rather than the personality of its wearer. At thetop of the room there he beheld it; but it was on the neck of CharlotteDe Stancy.
The whole lucid explanation broke across his understanding in a second.His dear Paula had fetched the necklace that Charlotte should not appearto disadvantage among the county people by reason of her poverty. It wasgenerously done--a disinterested act of sisterly kindness; theirs wasthe friendship of Hermia and Helena. Before he had got further thanto realize this, there wheeled round amongst the dancers a lady whosetournure he recognized well. She was Paula; and to the young man'svision a superlative something distinguished her from all the rest. Thiswas not dress or ornament, for she had hardly a gem upon her, herattire being a model of effective simplicity. Her partner was Captain DeStancy.
The discovery of this latter fact slightly obscured his appreciation ofwhat he had discovered just before. It was with rather a lowering browthat he aske
d himself whether Paula's predilection d'artiste, as shecalled it, for the De Stancy line might not lead to a predilection ofa different sort for its last representative which would be not at allsatisfactory.
The architect remained in the background till the dance drew to aconclusion, and then he went forward. The circumstance of having met himby accident once already that day seemed to quench any surprise in MissPower's bosom at seeing him now. There was nothing in her partingfrom Captain De Stancy, when he led her to a seat, calculated to makeSomerset uneasy after his long absence. Though, for that matter, thisproved nothing; for, like all wise maidens, Paula never ventured on thegame of the eyes with a lover in public; well knowing that every momentof such indulgence overnight might mean an hour's sneer at her expenseby the indulged gentleman next day, when weighing womankind by the aidof a cold morning light and a bad headache.
While Somerset was explaining to Paula and her aunt the reason of hissudden appearance, their attention was drawn to a seat a short way offby a fluttering of ladies round the spot. In a moment it was whisperedthat somebody had fallen ill, and in another that the sufferer was MissDe Stancy. Paula, Mrs. Goodman, and Somerset at once joined the group offriends who were assisting her. Neither of them imagined for an instantthat the unexpected advent of Somerset on the scene had anything to dowith the poor girl's indisposition.
She was assisted out of the room, and her brother, who now came up,prepared to take her home, Somerset exchanging a few civil words withhim, which the hurry of the moment prevented them from continuing;though on taking his leave with Charlotte, who was now better, De Stancyinformed Somerset in answer to a cursory inquiry, that he hoped to beback again at the ball in half-an-hour.
When they were gone Somerset, feeling that now another dog might havehis day, sounded Paula on the delightful question of a dance.
Paula replied in the negative.
'How is that?' asked Somerset with reproachful disappointment.
'I cannot dance again,' she said in a somewhat depressed tone; 'I mustbe released from every engagement to do so, on account of Charlotte'sillness. I should have gone home with her if I had not been particularlyrequested to stay a little longer, since it is as yet so early, andCharlotte's illness is not very serious.'
If Charlotte's illness was not very serious, Somerset thought, Paulamight have stretched a point; but not wishing to hinder her in showingrespect to a friend so well liked by himself, he did not ask it. DeStancy had promised to be back again in half-an-hour, and Paula hadheard the promise. But at the end of twenty minutes, still seemingindifferent to what was going on around her, she said she would stay nolonger, and reminding Somerset that they were soon to meet and talk overthe rebuilding, drove off with her aunt to Stancy Castle.
Somerset stood looking after the retreating carriage till it wasenveloped in shades that the lamps could not disperse. The ball-roomwas now virtually empty for him, and feeling no great anxiety to returnthither he stood on the steps for some minutes longer, looking intothe calm mild night, and at the dark houses behind whose blinds lay theburghers with their eyes sealed up in sleep. He could not but think thatit was rather too bad of Paula to spoil his evening for a sentimentaldevotion to Charlotte which could do the latter no appreciable good; andhe would have felt seriously hurt at her move if it had not been equallysevere upon Captain De Stancy, who was doubtless hastening back, full ofa belief that she would still be found there.
The star of gas-jets over the entrance threw its light upon the wallson the opposite side of the street, where there were notice-boards offorthcoming events. In glancing over these for the fifth time, his eyewas attracted by the first words of a placard in blue letters, of a sizelarger than the rest, and moving onward a few steps he read:--
STANCY CASTLE.
By the kind permission of Miss Power,
A PLAY
Will shortly be performed at the above CASTLE,
IN AID OF THE FUNDS OF THE
COUNTY HOSPITAL,
By the Officers of the
ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY,
MARKTON BARRACKS,
ASSISTED BY SEVERAL
LADIES OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.
The cast and other particulars will be duly announced insmall bills. Places will be reserved on application to Mr.Clangham, High Street, Markton, where a plan of the room may be seen.
N.B--The Castle is about twenty minutes' drive from MarktonStation, to which there are numerous convenient trains from all partsof the county.