CHAPTER XVI.
LIZZIE WHITE.
Clara clutched her uncle's arm convulsively and leaned heavily upon him.
"You have seen Mr. Strobel?" she whispered.
All the color fled from Litizki's face as he realized how woefully hehad put his foot in it. In the intensity of his hate for Poubalov andhis distrust of him, he had forgotten for the moment that the spy wasbut a secondary figure in the drama they were enacting. Clara saw inthe little tailor's distressed expression that she had interpreted hiswords erroneously. The double shock well nigh unnerved her.
"Let us walk on a little way," she said faintly. Stuyvesant Square wasnear by, and Mr. Pembroke led her within the gates and sat with herupon a bench. Litizki followed humbly, suffering miserably from hisindiscreet zeal, and Clara told her uncle who he was. Mr. Pembrokeasked:
"Well, my man, who is it you have seen?"
"Alexander Poubalov, sir," he replied with his eyes upon the ground.
"Strange!" said Mr. Pembroke, turning to his niece; "did you tell himyou were coming to New York?"
"No; I didn't mean that he should know it. He called at the houseyesterday after I had gone, and Louise writes that she withheld anydefinite information about my whereabout."
Mr. Pembroke looked inquiringly at Litizki.
"I came on yesterday by the same train that brought Miss Hilman," hesaid, "for I didn't know that there was anybody in New York to watchout for her. There was nothing for me to do in Boston, and I wasafraid for her. Neither of you know this man Poubalov as I do. I shouldsay that he had the gift of second sight, but I don't believe in thesupernatural. He is not only a master of deceit, but he has marvelouspowers of discernment. I was certain that he would pursue Miss Hilman,and I wanted to do what I could to protect her."
"Mr. Litizki has been very kind and faithful, uncle," said Clara; "youremember that I told you about him."
"Yes," replied Mr. Pembroke, to whom the idea of his beautiful nieceunder the watchful eye of such an unprepossessing man was distasteful."How did you come to see Poubalov?"
"I went to the hotel very early this morning," was the reply, "andhung around where I could keep all the doors in view. Poubalov turnedup about half-past seven. He was walking very rapidly. He went firstinto the hotel near yours, and I saw him examining the register at theclerk's desk. Presently, with the same hurried strides, he came out andwent into the Travelers'. There he looked over several pages of theregister, and when he had finished he strolled to the door leisurely.All his hurry was gone, and after pausing to light a cigarette, he wentslowly down the avenue. I remained to give warning to Miss Hilman.I didn't know your name, sir, or I would have sent for you, and Icouldn't get a chance to say a word until just now. I am very sorrythat I gave Miss Hilman a wrong impression."
"Don't think of it, Mr. Litizki," said Clara, who was rapidlyrecovering her accustomed calmness; "it is all over now. You see,uncle, how strangely I am beset. There is no doubt, from Poubalov'sactions, that he has followed me here. What is his purpose? To putLizzie White on her guard? Then he has circumvented me, for he has hadnearly two hours in which to act since he found from the register thatyou were staying at the Travelers', and perhaps my name, too, was onthe book."
"Yes, I put it there myself, last night."
Clara rose and extended her hand to Litizki.
"You are a faithful friend," she said, "and I am very glad you told methis. I shall be the more satisfied with my talk with Miss White now,for I shall be able to ask questions that otherwise might not haveoccurred to me."
Litizki mumbled some words of acknowledgment of her kindness, and Mr.Pembroke asked anxiously whether she felt strong enough to proceed withher programme.
"Oh, yes," she answered bravely; "you won't need to wait longer. I willtake the carriage afterward and Mr. Litizki, I suppose, won't be faraway if I need escort."
"I shall not be far from you at any time," said the tailor.
"I shall be glad when you are through with it," sighed Mr. Pembroke. "Iwill accompany you as far as the house as I at first intended."
Litizki hung back as they started and remained within the entrance tothe park until he saw them mount the steps, and until Mr. Pembroke hadgone down again, leaving Clara in the house.
The servant who answered the ring had readily admitted that Miss Whitelived there, and had invited the callers to enter. She ushered Clarainto a small reception-room, and, without asking her name, went to findLizzie. Clara sat down to wait, feeling more perturbation than she hadexperienced at any time since her trouble began. She had not long topass in painful speculations, for Lizzie White promptly responded tothe summons.
"I supposed it was you," she said with a hard, resentful tone as sheentered the room.
Lizzie would have been a comely girl if her rather sharp features hadbeen softened by a pleasant expression. On the contrary, disappointmentand bitterness dwelt in her eyes and drew down the corners of hermouth. She was dressed as a domestic servant, wearing a white cap andapron. She held an open letter in her hand, and sat down in the nearestchair without making the slightest advance to the kindly greetingthat was upon Clara's lips as she rose. It was as if she expected adisagreeable scene, and was determined not only to see it through, butto contribute her full share to its unpleasantness.
Clara's greeting was unuttered.
"Why did you think it was I?" she asked.
"This," said Lizzie, indicating the letter; "it's from mother."
"Did she tell you I was coming?"
"No, but she tells me how you've hunted for Mr. Strobel, and how peoplesay he went away with me. I knew well enough you'd come on here to findhim."
"It is hardly correct," said Clara, gently, "to say that I came on tofind him, though I would go anywhere to do so."
"Yes, I guess you would."
Lizzie was relentless. Her tone spoke determination to make Miss Hilmansuffer to the utmost. Clara conquered the emotions that Lizzie stirredwithin her, and added:
"From the start, Lizzie, I have steadfastly denied that Mr. Strobelwent away with you, or that your departure had to do with hisdisappearance. Please understand me: I did not expect to find Mr.Strobel with you. If I had thought differently, I should not have come."
Lizzie laughed scornfully.
"No," she said, "you would have known that you were too late. You arevery brilliant, Miss Hilman, but I guess you're finding that it takesmore than that to hold a man."
This was as bad as anything that Clara had anticipated as among thepossibilities of the conversation; but, holding her great purposefirmly in mind, she persisted in continuing the interview. Sufferinsult she must, but she would not give up without obtaining somemanner of information.
"For your own good name, Lizzie----" began Clara, but the girlinterrupted hotly:
"My good name! what have you to do with it, I should like to know? Ihadn't seen any Boston papers, and I didn't know until I got thisletter that the whole city had talked about me. They have said that Ieloped with Mr. Strobel, and that settles it, I suppose. Why didn't youlet mother write to me the day she received my letter?"
"I didn't ask her not to write," replied Clara, feeling a littleguilty at the thrust; perhaps she had gone too far in influencing thecommunication between mother and daughter, setting her own anxietiesand griefs above theirs. "I asked her not to mention Mr. Strobel'sdisappearance, and she chose herself not to write at all. I did sobecause I confidently expected to obtain proofs in the evening that hecould not have gone with you."
"Then you did think so!" cried Lizzie triumphantly; "you did fear, atleast, that all your education and money and high society ways were notenough to keep him from falling in love with a poor girl who has noposition!"
"I had no such thought," returned Clara, greatly distressed; "I didthink that you would be happier to know that such a thought could notoccur to me, as you would know if the circumstances were such as toprove that Mr. Strobel could not have come to New York."
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p; "Me, happy!" exclaimed Lizzie, bitterly, and then in the samebreath--"You found it quite possible that he could have come, didn'tyou?"
Ignoring the last part of her remark, Clara quickly took her cue fromthe first, and said very gently:
"Your mother showed me your letter in which you said you could bealmost happy."
The color rushed to Lizzie's cheeks as she replied:
"Mother ought to have known better."
Then she shut her lips hard together, and it was plain that she wasobstinately determined to say no more on that subject.
"I have sincerely tried," said Clara, "to think and act in a friendlyway, Lizzie."
"Friendly with a rival!" and again Lizzie laughed with bitter scorn.
"I should not need the evidence of your words," responded Clara, "toconvince me that there never was any rivalry between us."
She rose to go, and Lizzie looked at her with startled eyes. Wasthis to be the end of the conversation? Clara was the picture ofhaughty pride, unmoved apparently by any of the thrusts that Lizziehad tried to make so cruel. Jealously insensible to Clara's kindlyadvances, Lizzie was completely overcome by her manifestation of calmsuperiority. She bit her lip and crumpled her mother's letter in herhand.
"Mr. Strobel is not here," she said, and her voice broke as if thewords choked her.
"I know it," remarked Clara, coolly, with her hand upon the door.
"Miss Hilman! don't go yet!"
There was the sign of coming tears in Lizzie's eyes, and Clara lookeddown upon her pityingly.
Lizzie made one last effort to recall her determination to be bitter,and compel her visitor to suffer as she suffered, but hers was not thestrength of character to meet emergencies, overcome difficulties, andplay a part unswayed by her deeper, genuine devotions. She extended herarms upon the table before her, and, laying her head upon them, burstinto passionate crying. Clara laid her hand caressingly on Lizzie'shead and waited until the first storm of sobs had begun to subside.Then she said in a quiet but not unkind voice:
"Lizzie, have you seen Alexander Poubalov this morning?"
The girl half raised her head, choked back the sobs and replied, "Who?"Clara repeated the name distinctly.
"I don't know who he is," answered Lizzie, wearily.
"Do you remember," asked Clara, "the gentleman who called on Mr.Strobel the morning he was to be married?"
"I remember somebody called," said Lizzie, absently, "mother showed himup. I didn't see him. What has he got to do with it?"
Clara felt that she must believe the girl, but she made one furthermove to discover whether in any way she might be allied with Poubalov.
"Has anybody been to see you this morning?" she asked.
"No," replied Lizzie; "what has this man you mention got to do with it?"
"Everything, I think," said Clara. "It looks as if he had caused Mr.Strobel's disappearance, abducted him in fact, and I know that hefollowed me to New York."
Lizzie was not keen enough to see that Clara had inferred a possiblecollusion between herself and Poubalov.
"Then," she said, "Mr. Strobel did not desert you at all!" and thetears welled from her eyes afresh. Clara knew that she would speakfurther, and after a moment, with her face in her hand, Lizzie moaned:"I am very unhappy, Miss Hilman."
"You must be, Lizzie," returned Clara, caressing her, "and I don't askyou to tell me anything. I am sorry I had to break in on you; but ifyou understood how I have been more than puzzled by the strange conductof Mr. Strobel's enemy, you would forgive me."
"Forgive? Why, Miss Hilman, it is my place to ask for forgiveness. Iwas so brutal when you first came in. Don't you see, I," her voicefaltered pitiably but she continued desperately, "I loved Mr. Strobelbefore he ever met you, I think. He never mentioned love to me, buthe was so good and kind that I foolishly thought he was fond of me. Isuffered horribly when he told us of his engagement, and I couldn't getover it. I thought of running away many times, but I couldn't bringmyself to do so while he was still with us. I thought perhaps I wouldfeel differently after he was gone, but on that morning when he wasgetting ready for the church, I simply couldn't endure the thoughtof staying in the house any longer. So I came away. I hadn't madeany preparation. I took the first train I could get, and while I waswaiting I wrote a note to mother. Did you see it? No? I started to tellher why I went, but I couldn't, and I scratched the words out. I knewone friend in New York, and she got me employment here, where I thoughtI could work hard and forget. I hadn't heard a word of Mr. Strobel'sdisappearance until I got mother's letter. Then--then I felt somehowas if it was my revenge, and I think I hated you as much for yoursuffering as I did because you won his love."
Clara heard this painful confession with an aching heart. Hersympathies were deeply touched by the artlessness with which thisunhappy girl had developed bitterness and discontent from her love thatit might take a lifetime of toil to soften.
"We both suffer, Lizzie," she said gravely; "I am glad now that I came.Shall I tell your mother anything?"
"No! no! I will write what's necessary. You can say that I am in a goodfamily, and that some day I shall visit her."
Lizzie looked appealingly at Clara as if she would have her remainlonger, but no good end was to be accomplished by prolonging theinterview, and Clara withdrew.
As she stepped into the waiting carriage, she beckoned to Litizki whostood near the next corner.
"I am going to the hotel," she said, "and as soon as I can I shall takethe train for Boston. Will you get in?"
"No, thank you, Miss Hilman," replied Litizki, abashed. "I will returnby street-car. If you could let me know what train you intend to take,I should like it."
"There's a train at noon. If I can see my uncle I will take that."
She was driven away, and Litizki, head down, gloomy, more and moreimpressed with the conviction that Poubalov was not only responsiblefor Strobel's disappearance, but that he also plotted evil to Clara,slowly left the vicinity. When he was well out of the way, AlexanderPoubalov left the window of a room he had hired two hours earlier,directly across the street from the house where Lizzie White lived,and came out upon the sidewalk. After a quick glance up and down theavenue, he went over the way, rang the bell, and asked to see MissWhite.