CHAPTER VI
THE WOOING IN THE WOOD
In the afternoon she took a book and went for a ramble out of doors.It was a novel of the ultra-sentimental school, and only the other daythe first portion of the story had impressed her with the belief thatit was written by a person who had sounded the heights and depths oflife. She thought differently now. It was the story of a woman who,for love's sake, had almost--but not quite--thrown her life away Thisseemed to her absurd, for, in the light of her new philosophy, shethought she knew that the thing called love was non-existent in theworld. And for love's sake to throw one's life away!
It was not until she reached a leafy glade which ran down to the edgeof the cliff that she opened the book. She seated herself on a littlemossy bank with her back against the trunk of a great old tree, andplaced the book on her knees. After she had read for a time she beganto be annoyed. The heroine, firmly persuaded that life without lovewas worthless, was calmly arranging to sacrifice as fine prospects asa woman ever had, so as to enable her to sink to the social positionof her lover, an artisan. The artisan belonged to the new gospel whichteaches that it is only artisans who have a right to live. He was awood-engraver, she was the daughter of a hundred earls. As awood-engraver--who declined to take large prices for his work--heconsidered that she was in an infinitely lower sphere than he: a stateof degradation to be sorrowed over at the best. So she was making themost complicated arrangements to free herself from the paternity--andwealth--of the hundred earls.
Miss Truscott became exceedingly annoyed at the picture of devotionpresented by these two, and threw the book from her in disgust.
"What nonsense it all is! How people do exaggerate these things. Idon't believe that love makes the slightest difference in anybody'slife. I do believe that people love a good dinner, or a pretty frock,or ten thousand pounds a year, but anything else----!" She shruggedher shoulders with a significant gesture. "There may be weak-mindedpeople somewhere who believe in love, but even that sort is the lovethat loves and rides away. As for love in married life! In the presentstate of society, if it did exist it is quite clear to me that itwould be the most uncomfortable thing about the whole affair. Mr. Elyis a sensible man. He wants a wife, not a woman who loves him. That'sthe royal road to marriage!"
As Miss Truscott arrived at this conclusion, she rose from her mossyseat and shook herself all over, as if she were shaking off the lastremnants of her belief in love.
"Miss Truscott!"
She stood amazed, motionless, with a curious, sudden fascination asthe sound of a voice fell on her ears. It came again.
"Miss Truscott, won't you turn and look at me?"
She turned and looked, and there was a man. She seemed wonderstruck. Avery perceptible change came over her. She became more womanly as shelooked: softer, more feminine. The scornful look passed from her eyesand face and bearing. She became almost afraid.
"Mr. Summers! Is it you?"
It was a new voice which spoke, a voice which Mr. Ely would never liveto hear. And in it there was a hidden music which was sweeter that themusic of the birds.
"Yes, Miss Truscott, it is I."
He held out his hand. She timidly advanced, and he advanced a step,and their two hands met. And their eyes met, too. And both of themwere still. Then she gently disengaged her hand, and looked at thebracken at her feet.
"Some spirit of the wild wood must have led me. I have come straightup from the station here. It must have been some curious instinctwhich told me where you would be found."
"Oh, I am often here--you know that I am often here."
"I know you used to be."
"I think that most of my habits are still unchanged. And where haveyou been this great, long time? I thought that you would never comeagain."
"Did you think that? Is that true?"
He leaned forward. He spoke in a low, eager, insistent tone, which,for some cause, made the blood surge about the region of her heart,and made her conscious that new life was in her veins.
"Oh! I did not think of it at all. Out of sight is out of mind, youknow!"
"And I have been thinking of you all the time. You have been with mein my dreams both day and night. Your face has stared at me from everycanvas which I touched. You were at the end of every brush. EverythingI tried to paint turned into you. I thought my heart would burst atthe anticipation of meeting you again."
She was silent: for the world she could not have spoken then. Thissceptic maiden, who but a moment back was so incredulous of theexistence of the thing called love, was stricken dumb, conquered bythe magic of the spell woven by this man's tongue and eyes.
"I tried to paint you, and I failed--there are fifty failures in myroom! But one night there came to me the glamour of my lady's eyes. Atthe first dawn of day I stood before my canvas, and all at once, as ifit were by witchcraft, I had you there. You shall look at thatportrait one fine day, and you shall know that I have you even whenyou are not near. And so, through all the weary time, you have beenthere; sleeping and waking I have had you by my side. And you--notonce--have thought of me!"
Silence. Then she raised her head and looked at him.
"I have thought of you--at times."
"What times?"
There was a pause before she spoke, as if each was conscious of afascination in the other's glance; eyes continued looking into eyes.
"All times--I think."
"Lady of my heart's desire!"
He still carried the bludgeon which we have seen he had in Mr. Ash'soffice. He let it fall upon the ground. He stretched out his twohands, and, as if unconsciously, she yielded hers to his. So they wereface to face, hands clasped in hands.
"Love lives no longer now. They tell us that it is only in the fablesit is found. Yet I think that they are wrong--nay, it is certain thatI know they are--for I love you better than my life!"
Silence. Even the myriad sounds of nature seemed to be suddenly quitestill. There was no rustling of leaves, no twittering of birds, therewas not even audible the murmuring of the sea. And he went on--
"I pray you tell me--do you love me?"
"Willy!"
That was all she said. Then he stooped and kissed her on the lips. "Mydear!" he said.
Then they were still. He did not even draw her to him. He only heldher hands and looked upon her face. And she regarded him with shy,proud eyes.
"Why have you been so long?"
"Because I had made myself a promise."
"What promise?"
"That I would earn my prize."
"How could you do that?"
"Ah! how indeed! For, truly, it could not be earned. But when I sawyou first I was the laziest of men. Until that hour I had thrown mylife away. I told myself that until I had done something to redeem thepast, until I had made my mark upon the time, I might not make mypetition for the prize."
"Then it is your fault, my friend."
"If there is a fault, it certainly is mine, for I am full of fault.But what especial evil have I done?"
She removed her hands from his, and tapping a pebble with her littlefoot, she smiled.
"You can never guess."
"Is it so black a crime?"
Suddenly she put her two hands to her face and laughed. But her cheekswere crimson all the same.
"Oh! what have I done? I shall never dare to tell." She peeped at himround the edges of her hands. "Shall you be angry with me, Will?"
"Never, if you call me Will!"
"Do you know--- But let me begin at the beginning." She removed herhands, and putting them behind her back, looked at him shyly, and thenlooked down. "Do you know, I thought that you would never come again."He laughed, and there was something in his laughter made her laughtoo. "So I was not happy--for I loved you all the time." He laughedagain, and, putting his arm about her waist, drew her closer to hisside. "Do you know what happened yesterday?"
"Did the cat drink all the cream?"
/> "No, worse than that--for we haven't got a cat. Have you forgottenPompey, sir? Somebody asked me to be his wife!"
"What! Who?"
"Do you know Mr. Frederic Ely?"
"Good heavens! Was he the man?"
"What man? Willy--surely you do not know!"
"So that was what he was coming into the country for! To think of thelittle beggar's impudence. And I wished him luck, by gad!"
He laughed. But she was still.
"Willy! what do you mean? Do you know all about it, then?"
"Why, it was a bargain, sweet. He was to try his luck, and then Imine. I was so sure of you, you see!"
She released herself from his embrace, and again covering her facewith her hands, she shivered.
"What have you done?"
"It was this way; let me unfold the tale. I went to Mr. Ash and toldhim what you know: how all my life was centred in my love for you. Hetold me that just before I came another man had brought to him theself-same tale."
"Surely not quite the same? Surely he did not say that all his lifewas centred in his love for me?"
"No, not exactly that! Yet, sweet, why not? For who shall know you andnot love you as his life? But at least another man had come to him whowished to win your hand--that priceless hand! And he had given him hisword. So it was agreed that he should try his fortune first, and if hefailed--I knew that he would fail!--I should try mine. And if Iwon--ah, how I longed to win!--Mr. Ash would crown success with hisconsent."
Silence reigned again. They stood a little way apart, he with his eyesfixed on her face, she with hers upon the ground.
"What have I done?" The words were whispered in an undertone. Then shelooked up at him with a sudden fire in her eyes. "Do you know what Ihave done? I have promised this other man to be his wife."
"What! Good God! Lily! what do you mean?"
"He asked me to be his wife. I said I would. I thought that you werefalse, you see."
"You thought that I was false! But--it is madness! It is a foolishdream!"
"Do not look so utterly dismayed. You said that you would not bevexed, you know. Besides, now it is another thing."
"Another thing! But--Lily, tell me exactly what it is that you havedone."
"I will tell you just exactly what it is that I have done. To begin,then. You see, I have not been happy--ever since you went away."
"You foolish maid! And yet you wisest of them all."
"I waited--oh, Will, I waited such a weary time! I thought that youwould write, or--or do something that you never did. And at last Ibegan to think that waiting was in vain. And when I was in the mosthopeless of my hopeless moods--it was no further back than yesterday,yet it seemed years ago!"--she put forth her hand and touched his arm,and he laughed beneath his breath--"a letter came from Mr. Ash. Hesaid that Mr. Ely was coming here. I showed the letter to my aunt. Sheseemed to take it for granted that I would do exactly what my guardianwished me to--as though it were a decree that was written in theskies. So when he came, and asked me to be his wife--just out of spiteand wickedness I said I would. He never asked me if I loved him; henever pretended even to love me. It was just a bargain: I was to behis wife."
"My little love! What is it you have done? And now, pray, what is itthat you mean to do?"
"I shall write and tell him I have changed my mind."
"Changed your mind! What do you suppose that he will say to that?"
"Why, what can he say? It is like a commercial treaty which is in theair. There are some of the clauses to which I am unable to agree. So Iwithdraw from the negotiations and refuse to sign."
"One thing is sure: you cannot be his wife."
"Will, I am just like you! I love you better than my life!"
"Sweetheart! Then I have won the prize! I thought that I had won theprize! Will you forgive me my presumption in that I thought that I hadwon the prize?"
"You should not have kept me so long waiting. It is your fault that Ihave sinned."
"You shall not have cause again to esteem me false; and observe, fairmaid, I had a higher estimate of you."
"Willy! That is unkind!"
Then she turned her face up to his, and when he saw that sweet faceupturned and those sweet eyes, what could he do but kiss, not once nortwice, but many times, those sweetest lips? And by this time the twowere close together. He had his arm about her waist and pressed her tohis breast.
"Do you know that, from my point of view, fair queen, this was worthwaiting for?"
"And do you know, sir, that is my point of view as well?"
Then there was silence, and they feasted on the love that was in eachother's eyes.
"Lily! Mr. Summers!"
And while they were still engaged in this delectable pursuit, all atonce their names were spoken from behind; and turning, they saw thatMrs. Clive was standing in the shadow of the trees.