Ancestors: A Novel

  XXXIX

  They reached home sooner than might have been expected, but there weremany fares below, and the hackman galloped down the hill as recklesslyas if a slip would not have been the death of himself and his valiantbeasts.

  Isabel went directly to her room and persuaded Gwynne to go to his,arguing that some one of his mother's party would be sure to bring herhome. As he was to take the 7:30 train he made no protest. Even were hestill awake when Lady Victoria returned, the fog was rolling in; nor washe likely to be leaning from his window.

  Isabel heard her come in two hours later, and it was another hour beforeshe slept. She had determined to ask her wayward but still awesomerelative to leave San Francisco before her son found her out or she hadtime more fully to disgrace him. But how to approach the mostunapproachable woman she had ever known with so delicate a propositionwas a question that made her toss about her ancestral bed and kept theblood in her brain. She recalled the slip of paper announcing aprize-fight, and wondered at her stupidity; for she had heard somethingof the resources of blasee women ere this.

  Finally she fell asleep. She was awakened by a sharp earthquake--grimherald of the coming year! She was too well seasoned to have feltanything more than a passing annoyance, had she not heard Lady Victoriagive a piercing scream and run from her room. Whereupon she rejoicedwickedly, flung a wrapper across her shoulders, and went into the hall.Gwynne was standing in his doorway, looking more asleep than awake, andintensely disapproving. Lady Victoria was leaning against the wall, hereyes wide with terror. Isabel took her firmly by the arm, marched herinto her room, helped her into a dressing-gown, and, pushing her into achair, took one opposite.

  "How dreadful!" exclaimed Lady Victoria. "I had forgotten aboutearthquakes--"

  "Earthquake!" said Isabel, contemptuously. "That was a mere vibration.We had sixty-two of those last winter. If you only stay long enough wewill show you what California really can do. Every ten years or so wehave a good hard shake--enough to bring the plaster down; and everyhalf-century or so she gets up and turns over. I have made a specialtyof earthquakes, and could tell you extraordinary tales of some of thegreat ones of the south--"

  "Please do not. I prefer to forget. But don't leave me. Fancy Angeliquesleeping through such a thing!"

  "Doubtless she is not in the house. All the world was out last night."

  "Was it?"

  "I think this as good a time as any other to tell you, Cousin Victoria,that I saw you last night--just as the clocks were striking twelve."

  "Did you?"

  Her trained features did not betray her, but Isabel saw the figure underthe loose gown grow rigid and brace itself against the back of thechair. And as Isabel stared at her, with the desperate courage born ofthe sudden plunge, it seemed to her that she felt a vibration from thenausea, the disgust, the hatred of life, the death-rattle of greatpassions dying hard. She wondered again, if, given the same conditions,she would have differed much from the woman she had brought to bay. Herearly trials and provincial upbringing had developed her Puritaninheritance, but she had had flashing and startling glimpses of herdepths now and again. For a moment she felt the waters of an immemorialennui rise high in her own soul, then drop to the grinning skulls andsparkless ashes of old pleasures. She shuddered back, and raised hereyes once more to the haughty mask opposite.

  "I think I understand," she said, gently. "But you must go. I kept himfrom seeing you to-night. But he would find out in time. As you know howhe believes in you, you can imagine the consequences. I suppose you havenot done anything so public before, or I should have heard of it. Ivaguely recall that women can look on at prize-fights from privateboxes. Last night, it isn't likely that any one noticed. Or if they didthey would question the evidence of their senses in the morning, thebest of them. So please go."

  She paused. Lady Victoria stared at her without the slightest change ofexpression. Isabel continued imperturbably. "London is so vast--if youmust have that sort of liberty, for heaven's sake go where it is mostlikely to be overlooked--and where libel laws are operative. For all itslicense, San Francisco is one of the most censorious and unrelentingsocieties in the world, and has more old-fashioned people than New York.If you become the talk of the town, and those awful weekly papers findyou out, Elton will be a long while living it down. It will makeridiculous all his efforts at reform. Perhaps he would no longer care. Ifancy it would affect him that way."

  She rose, and Lady Victoria rose also and walked to the door. As sheopened it she smiled grimly. "You have courage," she said. "I am morethan ever convinced that you are the wife for Jack. I will go."

  PART III

  1906