CHAPTER XXXII.
A GENUINE ACCIDENT.
Mona did not feel obliged to be present at our conversations after shehad explained her position to us, but I saw her many times every day. Itried to respect her feeling and avoid the subject which still occupiedso many of my thoughts. I fought against my passion, which I told myselfwas unmanly, since it was not returned in the good, old-fashioned way.What man of spirit would submit to the enchantment of one who, whileprofessing she loved him with her whole heart, declared in the samebreath that she also loved equally well half a dozen others? I triedto make up my mind to shake off the spell and be free. To this endI endeavored to examine my heart with the purpose of discovering ifpossible the secret of Mona's power over me.
I was sure I could not be weak enough to be held so firmly by her beautyalone, lovely as she was. Her mental equipment did not seem to furnishthe ground for such a deep attachment, and I could not believe thatI was good enough to be so powerfully drawn to her by the inimitablecharacter of her spiritual nature. What, then, was the attraction? Itwas not far to seek. What was it that first moved me, before I had everseen her? What accomplishment was it that always came to my mind firstwhen I thought of her? In short, what would Mona, silent, be? I couldhardly imagine. But then, she was not silent, and I knew well enoughthat, struggle as I night, I never could successfully resist the subtlecharm of that voice.
So, as I saw no escape for me, I next began to study how I could infuseinto Mona's love for me something more of the personal element. Howcould I teach her to love me just a little for myself alone? Evidentlyshe had been educated in an atmosphere of the most uncompromisingmonotony. Where everybody loved everybody what chance could there be forlovers? I wondered what would move Mona. Some heroic action which shouldappeal to her sympathies would probably do it. She had been pleased withthe part I had taken in discovering her retreat in the moon, and perhapssomething else in that line would help me. But what was there one couldpossibly do in Mars which could be called heroic? I should have toask Thorwald if he could think of anything I could do to arouse theimagination of Mona and bring her a little closer to me.
Not long after I had been indulging in these conflicting thoughts I hada more promising opportunity than I had hoped for of showing Mona that Icould do something besides make love to her.
One morning she came to me and said she would like to go out for a longride. As I never lost an opportunity of being alone with her I eagerlyaccepted this one and hurried off with her, lest any other member ofthe household should appear and propose to accompany us. Mona was asagreeable as ever, and chirruped away in her musical style as we walkeddown the hill in search of just the right carriage. We soon found onewhich pleased us, and as I was by this time perfectly at home in themanagement of these vehicles, we started off at a brisk pace along aroad which took us through a charming section of the country. It mademe happy to reflect that this pleasant ride was at Mona's suggestion.Although she had peculiar views about my manner of wooing, she did notshun my company, and I could not refuse to believe she really lovedme as she said. I turned on more power, and as our speed becameexhilarating I said to my companion:
"Mona, they will think we have eloped."
"Excuse me," came out in sweet notes, "you will have to explain."
"Dear me, were your people so very proper that you don't even know themeaning of that word? Didn't they ever do anything wrong?"
"Oh, is it wrong to elope?"
"That depends entirely on the point of view. But I cannot explainfurther without bringing up the subject which you have forbidden me tospeak about."
"What subject is that? I have forgotten that I have ever put you undersuch a prohibition."
"Why, the subject that is always nearest my heart and nearest my lips,the subject of my great love for you, dear Mona, so different from myregard for any other person."
"Oh, I remember now, but I assure you I had forgotten all about it."And here her voice suddenly lost much of its tenderness and assumed acharacter which she rarely employed, as she continued, "But let us notdiscuss that topic again. I already know all you have to say on it, andwhy should we waste our time with such useless talk when there are somany more valuable things to occupy our attention?"
"Forgive me," I exclaimed. "If you will promise me not to sing in thattone again I will talk about anything you wish."
"I agree," she responded, and never did her accents sound sweeter.
Somehow I was not so much affected by Mona's coldness this time asbefore, and I was able to recover my cheerfulness at once. I thendetermined to give her no occasion for another rebuff if I could helpit, but to do all in my power to entertain her with what she calledsensible conversation. There were many things connected with society onthe earth in which she took a lively interest, and I made a great effortto talk myself into her favor, so that she would not say again that shepreferred the doctor's company to mine.
We had been riding a couple of hours or more, generally at a swift pace,when, from a high point in the road, we saw we were approaching theshore of the sea or a large lake.
Mona was so delighted with the view that I said:
"If we can find any kind of a boat on the shore we will have a ride onthe water."
"Can you manage a boat?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, if it is not too large."
"But it may be some new kind, something you are not acquainted with."
"Then I shall have to study it out. But you are not afraid to go on thewater with me, are you?"
"If there is anything in this pleasant world to give me fear it is waterin such mass as that," she replied, stretching out her hand toward thesea.
"But I thought you were afraid of nothing," said I.
"You have taught me the word," she responded, "and I hardly know itsmeaning yet, but I must acknowledge that I shrink from the ocean. Itsvastness, so much water, overwhelms me. You know it is many, many yearssince the moon had any large bodies of water."
"So it is," I exclaimed, "and everything will be new to you. What sportwe shall have, and I shall make it my business to see that the waterdoes not harm you."
We hurried down to the shore and found the prettiest little boat I hadever seen all ready for us, as if we had ordered it for the occasion. Itwas evidently intended for children, but was fitted with both sails andoars, and also, I was glad to find, with a little screw and an electricapparatus to turn it. I was overjoyed with our good fortune, andprepared at once to embark. But Mona plainly hesitated. She kept up hermusical chatter and tried to be as cheerful as ever, but I saw she wasnot as eager for the trip as I was. I did not let her see that I noticedher manner, however, and went on with my preparations. When I hadbrought the boat around so that she could step into it conveniently, shelooked in my face, and asked in a voice which trembled with excitement:
"Are you sure you understand how to manage it? It is all so strange tome."
She wanted to decline to make the venture, I thought, but her couragewas too great. Now was the time when I proved myself still a son of theearth, with fallible judgment and a will too much engrossed with self. Ihad been wishing for an opportunity to do some difficult thing forMona, something noble which should win her affection, and here, when thechance offered, I did not recognize it. The truly heroic action wouldhave been to respect Mona's feeling and give up the idea entirely, for Iknew she had a strong aversion to trusting herself on the water. Butit was really my own pleasure and not hers that I was seeking, for inanswer to her question I said hurriedly:
"Why, certainly. It is as easy to control as the carriage we have justleft. We'll not put up the sails if you say so, and I promise to bringyou back all safe and sound in a short time. I am sure you will enjoythe new experience, and then I want to hear how your voice sounds on thewater."
"Well, I will go," she said, "on your promise to protect me; but I havethe queerest sensation, I don't know what to call it. Do you think it isfear?"
"Oh, no, it can't be that
, because there is nothing to fear. Are youready now? Let me take your hand."
As she stepped in and felt the motion she realized how unstable thewater really was, and sank down at my feet, emitting an involuntarynote of not very joyful quality. But she showed great bravery and, asI helped her to a seat, she said she would no doubt enjoy it after awhile. I now shoved the boat out and used the oars a few minutes,but soon tiring of that exercise, I looked into the operation of theelectric motor and found it quite simple. Turning on the power, thescrew worked to perfection and sent the boat through the water in goodshape.
Mona was now recovering her spirits, seeing that no harm came toher, and at my request she sang some of her native songs. This wasdelightful, and I resigned myself to the full enjoyment of the occasion.It seemed to me that the excitement she had just passed through added anew and pleasing quality to her voice, if that were possible. As I satlistening and musing, my memory carried me back to the first time I hadheard this marvelous singer, and I could not help contrasting the twosituations. I felicitated myself on my present happiness, for when Monawas singing I wanted nothing more. I seemed to forget then that shewould not listen to my tale of love, or if I thought of it I attached noconsequence to it. The voice seemed to be a thing by itself, and a thingwhich in some way appeared to belong wholly to me, whether Mona was mineor not.
She stopped singing after a while and asked if we had better not startfor home. To which I replied:
"I turned the boat around some time ago, and we are now headed directlyfor the place where we found it."
When she expressed surprise at this I steered about in variousdirections to show her how easily it was done, and then some mischievousspirit, which. I myself must have imported into Mars, put it into myhead to try and see how fast our little vessel could go. My idea waspartly to satisfy my own curiosity and partly to treat Mona to asgreat a variety of sensations as possible. The electric apparatus wasextremely sensitive, and a slight movement of the lever made an instantincrease in our speed. A little more, and we began to go through thewater at quite a handsome rate. I enjoyed it immensely, and if Mona didnot like it she had pluck enough not to make it known. This emboldenedme to put on still more power, which sent the boat ploughing along atsuch a velocity that the spray flew all about us and the boat shook sothat we kept our seats with difficulty. Not knowing what I might be ledto do next, and being in reality terribly frightened, if she had onlyknown what the feeling was, Mona now mildly expostulated with:
"Isn't this a little too fast? Something might happen."
"Don't be afraid," I replied. "I'll take care of you. The doctor musthave taught you that last word, as it is not used here. You know nothingever happens in Mars. Everything goes along in the even tenor of itsway, moved by laws which are fixed and certain. This boat, you see,is strong and well able to bear the strain. The water is smooth andcontains no hidden rocks, and it is perfectly easy to steer clear of theshore, which you see is some distance off yet. But now that I have givenyou this little excitement, which you will not regret after it is allover, I will stop the current which produces this great force and bringin an artificial law, as it were, to override the natural law now inoperation. Just look at this lever and see how easily it is done."
I seized the handle, intending to shut off the power suddenly, but bysome unaccountable mistake I turned it the wrong way. Instantly I sawthe bow of the boat jump out of the water and go over our heads, andthen Mona and I realized that something had actually happened on Mars,for we were both buried under the boat.
I was the first to extricate myself and come to the surface, and, notseeing my companion, I thought she was surely lost. I might save heryet, though, and was just about to dive under the boat again, when herhead appeared insight, only a little way from me, her eyes wide openand, really, a smile on her face.
"Can you swim, Mona?" I cried, excitedly.
She had not the breath to answer or else thought my questionunnecessary. But I soon found my own answer when I saw her head sinkingagain just as I had reached her. I clutched her, and, as I held her headabove the water, I began to understand that I had something on my handsto fulfill my promise to take care of her. At this instant I saw oneof the oars from the boat floating a little way from us and managed tosecure it, holding Mona with one arm and swimming with the other. I nowhelped my companion to half support herself by grasping the oar, whilefor the rest she was induced to throw an arm over my shoulder. In thisway I was left free to make what progress I could through the water, andI lost no time in swimming toward the shore, since there was no hope ofour being able to make use of the boat, which now lay, bottom up, on thesurface.
All this was done without a word from Mona, although I had been talkingto her freely, giving her directions and assuring her of my abilityto save her. As this was her first experience in drowning, she hadevidently been trying to sing under the water and had found it sodifficult that she had determined to keep her lips closed till she waswell out of it. With this thought in my mind I said to her as soon as wewere under way:
"Your head is so far above water now that you can open your mouth withperfect safety. You see I can talk, and my head is much lower thanyours."
She was so situated that I could not see her face easily, and thereforeI do not know whether she ventured to unstop her lips or not, but nosound came from them if she did. Perhaps the water still filled her earsand made her deaf. So I called aloud:
"Can you hear me, Mona?"
No answer in words, but I imagined I felt a slight pressure of her handon my shoulder. I toiled on, musing over her strange behavior, tillit occurred to me to try a subject which had never failed to bring aresponse from her.
"I hope this will make you more affectionate to me, dear Mona," I said;and then, as she made no answer, I continued:
"If we reach the shore alive and get home safe you will love me morethan you do Foedric, will you not?"
I thought this would bring an answer, and I was not disappointed, exceptin the manner in which it came. Not the faintest note escaped from herlips, but a throb of feeling came along her arm, and her hand graspedmy shoulder with unmistakable vigor. I suppose she thought I wouldunderstand what this answer meant, but I was puzzled. It might mean somany things. Perhaps her heart was softening toward me and she was somuch affected by her love for me, stronger and deeper than she had everthought it could be, that she dared not speak. With this possibilityin view I began to feel very tender toward her and to experience thepleasure of one whose love is returned in full measure.
But then her answer might have quite a different meaning. What if shewere telling me that she had determined never to speak another word onthat subject, and that my question was an offense to her? Surely shehad told me often enough to talk about more sensible things, and perhapsthis was only a new and forcible way of repeating the same injunction. Ireflected, too, that it was hardly fair to take advantage of the presentsituation to force upon her a prohibited topic of conversation.
There was another possible meaning to her manner of answering me.Perhaps she was indignant because I had insisted on her getting into theboat with me against her wish, and held me strictly responsible forall that followed. With this view in mind I imagined she was saying toherself:
"I want nothing to say to you. I accept your assistance because I cannotget to shore without you, but when once out of this dreadful water Ishall have nothing more to do with you."
To place against the latter theory I had the fact that Mona's face hadbeamed with pleasure all the time I was getting her fixed so I couldswim freely. Dwelling upon this memory my mind returned to thoughts oflove, and I felt that I must try once more to start that familiar song.So I said:
"Forgive me, Mona, if I have offended you, and let me hear your voiceagain. You are too good to punish me so severely for my fault in gettingyou into this trouble. Will you not cheer me with a few notes while Ibear you safely to the shore?"
Again a pressure of the hand but no exp
ression from the lips, and I wasleft to further conjecture over the strange mood my companion was in.I swam leisurely, so as not to exhaust my strength, and as there was aconsiderable distance to go I had plenty of time to think after I hadfound it impossible to induce Mona to enter into conversation. Althoughso near, my companion seemed far away, and I became extremely lonesome.In trying to determine what had occasioned such a mishap in a worldwhere I had been taught to believe such things entirely out of date,I came to the conclusion that the Martians owe their freedom frommany misfortunes to their ripened characters, rather than to anythingpeculiar in their physical laws. With my imperfect development I hadmade an error in judgment in taking Mona upon the water, and with myuntrained mind I had simply made a mistake when I turned the lever ofthe electric apparatus the wrong way. The Martians had reached such highattainments in every direction that it was practically impossible forthem to make mistakes. Thus had they freed themselves from many of thevexations which harass the people of a younger world.
I was fortunately able to endure the strain of the great task which Ihad undertaken, and finally succeeded in bringing my precious burdento land and helping her to a place of safety. We were both pretty wellfatigued with our exertions, but felt no danger from our wet clothes,because of the mild and balmy air.
Mona's behavior still perplexed me. Her manner was delightfully pleasantand familiar. Now that we were safe she appeared to appreciate thehumorous part of the situation, and I was loath to believe that shecould or would affect such good nature if she were harboring unpleasantfeelings toward me. But I could not account for her continued silence,for as yet no word nor sound of any kind had come from her lips. Herface and hands, however, were continually in motion, and after I hadovercome my usual stupidity I discovered that she was actually makingsigns.
"Why, Mona," I exclaimed, "can't you speak?"
She shook her head.
"Nor sing, I mean?"
Another shake.
"Do you mean to say you have lost your voice?"
A nod.
For a moment a shadow settled upon her face, occasioned, no doubt, by myfalling countenance, for I must have shown something of the great shockto my feelings. Mona without the voice of Mona! I could not at oncerealize the depth of my loss. And now it was her turn to attempt torestore my spirits, as we fell back to our original mode of conversing.I urged her to make an effort to sing, and she told me she had triedmany times, and that it had grieved her to be so unsocial while I wastoiling so hard to save her life.
"Why, my dear," I answered, "I thought you were angry with me forspeaking to you again about my love."
Her reply was a look so full of tenderness that I was almost surethat, if she had had her voice, she would have used it more kindly thanbefore. Still it may have been only compassion.
By this time we had found our carriage and were on our way home, and Iam sure that if, on our arrival, our friends had judged from our looks,they would have supposed I, and not Mona, had experienced a greatmisfortune.
Avis had returned to her distant home several days before this, butAntonia and Foedric were at Thorwald's when we arrived, and I had theunpleasant task of relating to the whole household our sad experience. Idid not spare myself, although they were all kind enough to offer everymanner of excuse for me. Everybody showed sympathy with Mona inall possible ways, but she herself still exhibited the same sunnydisposition as ever, although the house seemed quiet without her brightand happy song.