His Hour

  CHAPTER XV

  Tamara and her godmother did not meet until nearly lunchtime next day.A little before that meal the Princess came into her room. Tamara wasstill in bed, perfectly exhausted with the strain of the night. ThePrincess wore an anxious look of care, as she walked from the window tothe dressing table and then back again. Finally she sat down and tookup a glove which was lying on a cushion near.

  "Tamara, you saw I talked last night with Valonne, and this morning Isent for Serge Grekoff, but he would not come, so I got Valonne again."She paused an instant. "I was extremely worried last night aboutGritzko. I dare say you were not to blame, dear, but--"

  "Please tell me, Marraine," and poor Tamara sat up and pushed her hairback.

  "It appears, as far at I can gather, they all dined at the Fontonkahouse--Boris Varishkine and Gritzko have always been great friends--andat the end of dinner--Valonne imagines, because no one is sure whattook place between them at this stage--Gritzko, it is supposed, said toBoris in quite an amiable way that he did not wish him to dance theMazurka with you, but to relinquish his right in his--Gritzko's--favor."

  She paused again, and Tamara's eyes fixed themselves in fascinated fearon her face. The Princess, after smoothing out the glove in her handwith a nervous energy, went on:

  "They had all had quite enough champagne, of course, and apparentlyBoris refused, and suggested that they should toss up, and whoever wonthe toss should have first shot in the dark."

  "Yes," said Tamara faintly.

  "You know, dear, our boys are often very wild, and they have a gamethey play when they are at the end of their tether for something to dowhen quartered in some hopeless outpost--a kind ofblind-man's-buff--only it is all in the dark, and the blind man standsin the middle of the room and the rest clap hands and then dodge, andhe fires his revolver at the point the sound seems to come from, andthe object is not to get shot. You may have noticed Sasha Basmanoff hasno left thumb? He lost it last year on just such a night."

  "Oh! Marraine, how dreadful!" Tamara said.

  "It is perhaps not a very civilized game," the Princess continued, "butwe are not discussing that, I am telling you what occurred. Well, fromthis point Valonne and the rest were eyewitnesses. Gritzko and Boris,still laughing in rather a strained way, said they had some slightdifference of opinion to settle, and had decided to do it in theballroom, in the dark. I won't go into details of how many steps to theright or left, the impromptu seconds arranged, only it was settled whenSasha at one end and Serge at the other should shut the doors theyshould both fire, and if in three times neither was shot, both shouldgive up their claim."

  "It is too horrible! and for such a trifle," Tamara said, clutching thebedclothes, and the Princess went on.

  "Valonne said they were both hit in the first round, and all thecompany burst into the room. Nothing seemed very serious, and theylaughed and shook hands. So Valonne left to be in time for the ball,but this morning, he told me, he found Boris Varishkine had had ashoulder wound which bled very badly and quite prevented his coming,while Gritzko was shot through the flesh of the right arm, and as soonas they could bind it up decently, as you know, he came on."

  Tamara's face was as white as her pillow. She clasped her hands with amovement of anguish.

  "Oh! Marraine, I am too unhappy," she wailed. "Indeed, indeed, I didnothing to cause this. You heard me, I only said to Count Varishkine Iwas looking forward to the dance. He is impossible, Gritzko. Oh! let mego home!"

  "Alas! my child, what would be the good of that? If you went offtonight instead of coming to Moscow, it might create a talk; what wewant is to prevent a scandal, to hush everything up. None of these menwill tell, and your name will not be dragged into it. And if we go onour trip amicably as was arranged it will discountenance rumor. Gritzkoand Boris are quite friends again. And if anything about the shootingdoes leak out, if no one has further cause for connecting you with it,they will generally think it merely one of Gritzko's mad parties. Forheaven's sake let it all blow over, and after Moscow and a reasonabletime, not to appear too hurried, you shall go home."

  "But meanwhile, how can I know that he won't shoot at Jack? or do someother awful thing! He does not love me really a bit, Marraine. It isall out of pride and devilment because he wants to win and conquer meand add me to his scalps, and I won't be conquered. I tell you Iwon't!" and Tamara clenched her hands.

  The Princess did not know what to say, she was not perfectly sure inher own mind as to Gritzko's feelings, and she was too thoroughlyacquainted with his ways to hazard any theory as to his possible acts.She felt it might not be fair to assure her godchild that he trulyloved her. She could only think of tiding over matters for the timebeing.

  "Tamara, dearest, could you at least try to keep the peace on ourtrip?" she asked. "Be gentle with him, and do not excite him in anyway."

  Tamara buried her face in her pillows, she was too English to bedramatic and sob; but when she spoke her soft voice trembled a littleand her eyes glistened with tears.

  "He is horribly cruel, Marraine," she said.

  "Why should he treat me as he does. I won't--I won't bear it."

  The Princess sighed.

  "Tamara, forgive me for asking you, but I must, I feel I must. Doyou--love him, child?"

  Then passion flamed up in Tamara's white face, her secret was her own,and she would defend it even from this kind friend--so--"I believe Ihate him!" she said.

  After a while the Princess left her, they having come to the agreementthat Tamara should do all that she could to keep the peace; but whenshe was alone she decided to speak to Gritzko as little as possibleherself, and to ignore him completely. There would be no Boris and noone to make him jealous. She would occupy herself with Stephen Strong,and the sight-seeing, and even Sonia's husband, who was a bore and old,too; but the prospect held out no charms for her. She knew that sheloved him deeply--this wild, fierce Gritzko--more deeply than evertoday, and the tears, one after another, trickled down her pale cheeks.

  If there was not a chance of any happiness, at least she must go homekeeping some rag of self-respect. She firmly determined that he shouldnot see the slightest feeling on her side, it should be restrained orperhaps capricious even, as his own.

  Their train for Moscow started at nine o'clock, and the whole party hadarranged to dine at the Ardacheff house at seven and then go to thestation.

  Nothing of the scandal of the night seemed to have transpired, for noone even hinted at anything about it.

  Gritzko was still very pale, but appeared none the worse, and theatmosphere seemed to have resumed a peaceful note.

  The five sleeping compartments reserved for this party of ten were allin a row in one carriage, and Tamara and the Princess, on the plea offatigue, immediately retired to their berths for the night, Tamara nothaving addressed a single direct word to Gritzko. So far, so well. Butwhen she was comfortably tucked into the top berth, and an hour or solater was just falling off to sleep, he knocked at the door, and thePrincess believing it to be the ticket-collector opened it, and he puthis head in. The shade was drawn over the lamp and the compartment wasin a blue gloom. Tamara was startled by hearing her godmother say:

  "Gritzko! Thou! What do you want, dear boy, disturbing us like this?"

  "I came to ask you to tie up my arm," he said. "I was practising with apistol yesterday, and it went off and the bullet grazed the skin, andthe damned thing has begun bleeding again. I know you are a trainednurse, Tantine. Serge, who is with me, has tried and made a ridiculousmess of it, so I brought the bandage to you."

  He now pulled back the shade and they saw he was standing there quite_sans gene_ in the same kind of blue silk pyjamas Tamara remembered tohave seen once before, and his eyes, far from being tragic or serious,had the naughtiest, most mischievous twinkle in them, while hewhispered to the Princess and enlisted her sympathy for his pain.

  "Gritzko, dearest child, but you are suffering! But let me see! onlywait in the passage until I have my dressing-gow
n, and then come inagain."

  Tamara now thought it prudent to crouch down in the clothes and pretendto be asleep, while the kind Princess got up and arranged herself.

  Then with a gentle tap this poor wounded one came in.

  Tamara was conscious that her godmother was murmuring horrified andaffectionate solicitations, as she busily set to work. She was alsoconscious that Gritzko was standing with his shoulder leant against herberth. He was so tall he could look at her, in spite of her retirementto the farthest side, and she was horribly conscious of the magneticpower exercised by his eyes. She longed quite to open hers, she longedreally to look. She felt so nervous she almost gave a silly littlelaugh, but her will won, and her long eyelashes remained resting on hercheek.

  "You darling. You are doing it beautifully!" he presently said, andthen more softly, "I had no idea how pretty your friend is! and howsoundly she sleeps! Do you think I might kiss her, Tantine? I havealways wanted to, only she is of such a severity I have been toofrightened. May I, Tantine?" And his voice sounded coaxing and sweet,and Tamara felt sure he was caressing the Princess' hair with his freehand, for that lady kept murmuring.

  "Tais toi!--Gritzko--have done! How can I bind your arm if you conductyourself so! Not a moment of stillness! Truly what a naughtychild--keep still!" Then she spoke more severely to him in Russian, andhe laughed while he answered, and then presently the bandage was done,and standing on tip-toe he looked full at Tamara.

  "And you think I must not kiss her? Oh! you are a most cruel Tantine!She is sound asleep and would never know, and it would be just one ofthe things which could cool my fever and help my arm."

  But the Princess interposed, sternly, and getting really annoyed withhim; he was forced to go. But first he kissed her hand and thanked herand purred affection and gratitude with his astonishing charm, and thePrincess' voice grew more and more mollified as she said:"There--there--what a boy! Gritzko, dear child, begone!"

  And all this while, with her long eyelashes resting upon her cheek,Tamara apparently slept peacefully on.

  But when the door was safely shut and bolted, the Princess addressedher.

  "You are not really asleep, Tamara, I suppose," she said. "You haveheard? Is he not difficult. What is one to do with him? I can neverremain angry long. Those caresses! Mon Dieu! I wish you would love eachother and marry and go and live at Milaslav, and then we others mighthave a little peace and calm!"

  "Marry him," and Tamara raised herself in bed. "One might as well marrya panther in a jungle, it would be quite as safe!" she said.

  But the Princess shook her head. "There you are altogether wrong," shereplied. "Once there were no continuous obstacles to his will, he wouldbe gentle and adoring, he would be as tender and thoughtful as he is tome when I am ill."

  Then into Tamara's brain there rushed visions of the unutterablepleasure this tenderness would mean, and she said:

  "Don't let us talk;--I want to sleep, Marraine."

  And in the morning they arrived at Moscow.