Coquette

thus through the increasingly-beautiful districts whichbordered the track. It was only when Gaga became expostulatory that sheabandoned this pleasure and yielded to his tumultuous affection, with alistlessness and a sense of criticism which was new to her. Silly fool;why couldn't he sit still and be quiet! She belonged to herself, not tohim. Almost, she thrust him away from her.

  They reached Penterby by four o'clock in the afternoon, and were turnedout upon the platform with their two light bags, like the strandedwanderers they were. And then they walked out into the roughly pavedroad leading through the town to higher land behind, and onward, along aroad to which they turned their backs, and which wavered, past therailroad station, up an incline in the direction of the distant sea.Gaga carried both bags, and led the way, and Sally saw for the firsttime a wide street, and shops and houses quaintly built, and a churchspire with houses below it, arranged in terraces, all warm in the dyingsun. It was still summer here, she thought, and the atmosphere waspleasant. The houses were not at all crowded, but stood up at the firstglance as if they were proud of great age and their height above theroad from the station.

  "We going up there?" demanded Sally, pointing to the hill, and thehouses erect upon it.

  "No, darling.... See ... that ... that ... lamp."

  Sally looked up at Gaga's face. Oh, if it had only been Toby! The bloodsuddenly rushed to her cheeks. Toby! She wanted Toby! As quickly, shewas chilled by fear. What would Toby do? What would he try to do? Yes,well Toby didn't know yet that she was married. And she was married toGaga, and she had done this thing with her eyes open. There was no goingback. Marriage was a thing you could not repudiate. It was final. Theblood flowed away from Sally's face. She was cool again in an instant.Her eyes were fixed upon the lamp which Gaga had indicated, and upon theivy behind it. Upon a suspended board she read in gold the letters"RIVER HOTEL", and as she appreciated the meaning of this name Sallyobserved that the street went onward past the hotel over an unmistakablebridge.

  "Is that the river?" she asked. "Is the hotel _on_ the river? Where westay?"

  "Yes. You'll see.... You'll like it." Gaga was entreating, now ratherfrightened by Sally's lack of response to his feverish endearments,already inclined to suspicion and sidelong glances of doubt.

  "Sure I shall!" cried Sally, perfectly composed once more. "It's nice.Does the river go just there?"

  Gaga became suddenly very enthusiastic. He motioned with the hand inwhich both small bags were carried. He began to walk at a quicker pace.

  "You see the front of the hotel--all ... all ivy. Well at the end thewall goes ... goes right down into the water. And there's a balcony ...all ... all covered with glass, on the first floor. Our room opens onthis balcony. You can look right down into the river.

  "Is it a nice river?"

  He was rather hesitating in face of her sharp tone of inquiry.

  "Well, er.... Nice? It's ... it's a tidal river. It flows up and down.In ... in the summer things get carried.... I mean, it's not ... notvery clean. It's mud."

  "Oo." Sally's little nose wrinkled. "Does it smell? I mean, is ithealthy?" But at this new question Gaga looked very perplexed and ratherunhappy, so that she quickly abandoned her curiosity about the river,knowing that she would presently be able to satisfy it more effectivelyby personal observation. Without further speech they came abreast of thehotel, and turned in under the arched entrance. To the left of them wasa door with the legend "COFFEE ROOM"; to the right another door abovewhich hung a little sign "HOTEL." It was by this right-hand door thatthey entered, and it was here, by a glass enclosed bar, that theywaited. Upon an extended shelf there was lying a newspaper which hadcome through the post for some departed visitor. Beyond the bar Sallynoticed decanters and bottles and upturned glasses. Before her wasanother door, open, which revealed a table upon which glasses had leftlittle circular stains. She was all curiosity. This must be the saloon.She gave a sharp mischievous hunching of the shoulders, and huggedGaga's arm. Then, as a stout woman came out of another room, she grewsedate, and stood free from her husband in case they should be supposedto be upon their honeymoon.

  "Good afternoon, Mr. Merrick."

  She knew him, then. He was no stranger here.

  "Mrs. Tennant.... How ... how d'you do? This.... I've brought my wifewith me this time," stammered Gaga proudly. "Sally, this is Mrs.Tennant."

  "Pleased to meet you," announced the stout woman. Sally scrutinised her.She had been pretty, but had grown fat. She had puffs round her eyes,and swollen lips, and a cat-like expression of geniality. Behind heragreeable smile there was suspicion of all mankind, suspicion andwariness, due to her constant need of self-control in the difficultbusiness of managing noisy or cantankerous guests. Sally did not likeher. "Tabby!" she thought at once. But immediately afterwards she knewthat it would be worth while to make a friend of Mrs. Tennant. She gaveher little friendly grin, and saw its effect. "That's that," reflectedSally. And it was so. Mrs. Tennant cordially led the way up to the firstfloor, talking of the weather, and of the number of visitors who were atpresent staying at the River Hotel.

  "Does Mrs. Merrick play?" she asked. "Do you? We've got a very goodpiano in the drawing-room.... I'm passionately fond of music myself.It's the sorrow of my life I can't play."

  Sally grimaced. The drawing-room was glimpsed--a room with settees andbig chairs and a strident carpet and antimacassars and small palms inpots. Large windows made it beautifully light. And as she took in thesedetails Sally hurried on, and found herself in a narrow dun-colouredpassage, where brown doors with numbers upon them indicated thebedrooms. It was into the second of these rooms that she was led, and inspite of the frowst she looked with eagerness at a further door andwindows that opened upon the balcony of which Gaga had spoken. Thewindows were lace-curtained, but she could see through the curtains towhat seemed like a conservatory.

  "You see the door opens on to the balcony," explained Mrs. Tennant,while Gaga put down the bags and wiped his hands with his handkerchief."Looks right across the river. I'm afraid the tide's out now; but whenit's up you see all sorts of things floating up and down."

  "What sort of things?" demanded Sally, going to the glass sides of thebuilding and peering down at the mud.

  "Oh, _all_ sorts...." Mrs. Tennant was a little confused, butconversational. "That old building you see across there is ... well, itused to be a granary; but nobody's used it for a long time. There's adinghy in the mud over there. It's Mr. Scuffle's...."

  Dinghy! Instantly Sally's mind jerked back to a day she had spent withToby, when he had teased her about her ignorance of boats. Toby! So thatwas a dinghy! Just like any other boat.

  The balcony was empty; but trays still lay upon two of the light irontables, and a newspaper had been tossed upon the matted floor. All thechairs were of wicker, and in them lay little hard cushions covered withdirtied cretonne. Through the long glass side one could see theslowly-flowing river (for the tide was about to turn), and the alreadydimming sky, and the houses upon the rising ground that lay beyond thefarther bank, and the bridge upon which people were walking. Sallylooked up and down the momentarily sinister river. She was afraid ofwater, afraid of its secrecy and its current; and she turned away fromher contemplation with a sense of chill.

  "I'm cold," she said, brightly. "Bertram.... Could we have some tea,Mrs. Tennant?"

  "Certainly. You'd like a wash? I'll get the tea at once...."

  Back in the room, Sally was immediately again embraced. She did not nowtrouble about Gaga; she was glad of his arms around her, and his breastupon which she could lay her head. Married ... river ... married ...river ... ran her thoughts. And she turned away from Gaga to thewashstand, and poured cold water from the ewer into the basin.

  "Let me alone...." she laughingly said. "Be ... get away.... I'm goingto wash."

  And when the water touched her face Sally was alert once more, cleansedand freshened. With tea before her she could face even marriage and thatdrearily-flowing river and the hideous mud, so thick and so
oozilysinister.

  iii

  On the following day Sally, dogged everywhere by Gaga, was perfectlyaware of her contempt for him. Twenty-four hours had been enough to showher the exacting and irritating characteristics of her new husband. Didshe stir, he looked up; his hand was ever ready for her hand; thosechocolate eyes were eternally suffused with a love that moved Sally toimpatience. He did not even amuse her by his calf-like pursuit. All thatwas ruthless in her rose up and sneered at his weakness and his timidassurance, which had the same effect as one of those horrible streamersof cobweb that catch the face as one walks unwarily along a dusky