CHAPTER XVIII.
WEDDING BELLS OUT OF TUNE.
Let us return to Hubert Varrick, and the marriage which was theall-absorbing topic in fashionable circles.
Mrs. Varrick had sent a note to her son at his hotel, begging for areconciliation, and stating that she would be at the wedding withoutfail; but never a word did she say about Jessie Bain.
It seemed like a dream to Hubert--his ride in a cab through the coolcrisp air to Gerelda's home on that eventful morning.
He noticed one thing--that the sun did not shine that day; and he saidto himself that it boded ill for his wedding.
The bride-elect and her mother welcomed him effusively. Bitter angerfilled the girl's heart to see how cold and stern he looked. She noticedthat he had no word, no smile for her. If she had not loved him somadly, her pride would have rebelled, and she would have let him go hisway even then.
She almost shrunk under the cold glance that rested upon her. Shetrembled, even in that moment, as she thought how he would hate her ifhe but knew how she had plotted to win him. Before she had a chance toexchange a word with him, her maid of honor came fluttering down thecorridor, chattering in high spirits with Harry Maillard, who was to bebest man.
She was quite as dazed as Varrick himself, until she found herselfstanding beside him at the altar.
It was over at last! The words had been spoken which made her HubertVarrick's wedded wife, through weal or through woe, till death did thempart.
Then followed the sumptuous wedding-breakfast. While the merriment wasat its height, Varrick touched her lightly on the arm.
"It wants but an hour and twenty minutes until train time. Would it notbe best to slip away now and arrange your traveling toilet?"
"Yes," said Gerelda.
No one noticed their exit, and at last they were alone together, awayfrom the throng of guests; but, much to the bride's disappointment, hernewly made husband did not seem to realize this fact, and Gerelda's faceflushed with disappointment.
He escorted her as far as the door of her _boudoir_, and there he lefther, saying that he would return in half an hour, hoping that would besufficient time to exchange her bridal robes for her traveling-dress.She smiled and nodded, declaring that he should find her ready beforethat time.
Hubert walked slowly on until he found himself at the door of theconservatory.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a cigar and return here for a quietsmoke," he thought.
He immediately suited the action to the thought. Was it fate that ledhim there? He had scarcely seated himself in one of the rusticarm-chairs ere he heard the sound of approaching voices.
He felt slightly annoyed that the retreat he had chosen was to beinvaded at that particular moment.
He drew back among the large-leaved plants, which would effectuallyscreen him from the intruders, and hoped that their stay would be short.
"I tell you it will be impossible for you to see her," said a voice,which he recognized as belonging to Gerelda's maid.
"But I must," retorted another voice which sounded strangely familiar."Give her the note I just gave you, and I will wager you somethinghandsome that she will see me. My good girl, let this plead for me withyou!"
A jingle of silver accompanied the words, and Varrick could not help butsmile at the magical effect the little bribe had.
"Of course, I'll take your note to her, sir," said the girl; "but thatisn't promising she'll see you."
Somehow the idea formed itself in Varrick's mind that it was Mrs.Northrup for whom the man asked. Had he thought for one moment that itwas Gerelda whom the man had asked for, he would have stepped forth andinquired of him what he wanted.
In a very few moments he heard the _frou-frou_ of a woman's garments andthe patter of hurrying feet.
"Gerelda has come instead of her mother to see what this person wants,"he thought; adding impatiently: "This will never do; we shall be latefor the train, sure. I will have to take the man off her hands."
At that instant, Gerelda, panting with excitement sprung across thethreshold of the conservatory.
From his leafy seat Varrick could hear and see all that took place,while no one could see him.
He had risen, and was just about to step forward, when he caught sightof Gerelda's face. The color of it held him spell-bound. It was as paleas death, and her eyes flashed fire. She was fairly frothing at themouth, and the look of venomous rage that distorted her featuresappalled him.
"You!" cried Gerelda. "Have you risen from the grave to confront me?"
"I am Captain Frazier--at your service, madame," returned her companion,with a low bow. "As for my returning from the unknown shore, why, youflatter me in imagining that I have so much power, though I have beenknown to do some miraculous things before now. I am sorry that so manyof my friends believe the ridiculous story that was set afloat regardingmy supposed death. I am--"
"Why are you here? What do you want?" cried Gerelda.
"You are inclined to be brusque, my dear," he replied, tauntingly. "Ifyou had asked me that question half an hour ago, I should have answered,'I am here to stop your marriage with Hubert Varrick at whatever cost. Ihave traveled by night and by day, foot-sore and hungry, to get here intime to prevent it.' I-- I thought you had perished in the fire on theisland, until I read the article in the paper announcing your marriage."
"If this is all you have to say to me, permit me to say good-morning,"she returned icily, turning to leave the place.
"You shall listen to me!" he cried. "I vowed in days gone by that youshould never be happy with Hubert Varrick. You promised that you wouldmarry me, and those words changed my whole life."
"Well, now that I am another's bride, what can you do about it?" sneeredGerelda.
"I mean to see Varrick and have a little talk with him," he answered. "Iwill tell him how, on the very night before the marriage was to havetaken place at the Crossmon Hotel, at Alexandria Bay, I threw myself onmy knees at your feet, and cried out to you to spare me; that you hadplayed with my heart too long, and urged you to fly with me, and thatyou said, while I knelt before you, that if you decided to fly with meyou would let me know by sunrise the following morning, but that youmust have all night to think it over.
"Do you dare face me and deny that?" continued Captain Frazier, seizingher white wrist and holding it in an iron grip.
"No, I do not deny it," she answered. "But what of it? What do youexpect to make of it?"
"This!" he cried, furiously. "I intend to be even with you. I will havea glorious revenge! I will see Hubert Varrick before he leaves thishouse, and say to him: 'I hope you may be happy with your bride,' and Iwill laugh in his face, crying out: 'She eloped with me not so very longago, and we went to my island home, where we kept in hiding until thesensation should blow over. We remained there, as I can prove by all myservants, and I was a very slave to her sweet caprices.'"
"You would not say that!" cried Gerelda. "I would tell him my side ofthe story--that you kidnapped me, and held me by force on the island."
"Varrick is a man of the world," he returned, tauntingly. "Your side ofthe story is too flimsy for him or any one else to believe."
"Stop! You must not--you shall not!" cried Gerelda, wildly. "I-- I willmake terms with you. I see you are shabbily dressed and in want ofmoney. I will give you a check, here and now, for a thousand dollars, ifyou will go away, never again to return, and have nothing tosay--nothing. Your story would ruin me, false though it is."
The captain arched his eyebrows.
"I think I could bring satisfactory proof as to where you passed yourtime."
Hubert Varrick, standing behind the foliage, was fairly stricken dumb bywhat he heard and saw.
He did not love his bride, but he believed in her implicitly. All theold doubt which had filled his heart and killed his love for Gereldacame surging back like a raging torrent, sweeping over his very soul.
In that instant the thought of Jessie Bain came to him--sweet littleJessi
e, whose love for him he had read in her every glance, and to whomhe had given all his heart with a deeper, stronger love than he had evergiven to Gerelda, even in those old days. How he longed to break fromthe terrible nightmare which seemed to fetter him!
"Your offer of a thousand dollars is a very fair one; but it will takedouble that sum to purchase my silence. You are quite right in yoursurmise. I am in need of money. With one fell swoop I have lost everydollar of my fortune, and now that all romance and sentiment are overbetween us, I have no compunction in showing you the mercenary side ofmy nature. Make it two thousand, and I will consent to hold my peace,seeing that I can not mend matters by undoing the marriage."
"Come with me. We will settle this now and forever. I have but fiveminutes to devote to you. Step this way," said Gerelda.
The next instant they had disappeared, and Hubert Varrick was leftstanding there alone.
How long he stood there he never knew. His valet came in search of him.He found him at the end of the conservatory, standing motionless as astatue among the shrubbery.
"Master," he said, "your bride bids me say to you that you have barelytime to get into your traveling clothes."
He was shocked at the horrible laugh that broke from Varrick's lips.
Had his master gone mad? he wondered.
He followed the man without a word, and five minutes later, with a firmstep, he was walking down the corridor toward his bride's apartments.
But ere he could knock upon the door, it was opened by Gerelda. Heoffered his arm to Gerelda, and walked slowly by her side through thethrong of friends to the carriage in waiting; and, amid showers of rice,peals of joyous laughter, and a world of good wishes, they were whirledaway.
During the entire ride Varrick spoke no word. Gerelda watched himnarrowly out of the corner of her eye, wondering why he looked sounusually angry.
They were barely in time to catch the train, and it was not until theywere seated in their own compartment that Varrick ventured a remark tothe beautiful girl he had just made his wife, and who was looking upinto his face with such puzzled wonder in her great dark eyes.
"I should like your attention for a few moments, Mrs. Varrick," he said,turning to her with a haughty sternness that was new to him.
"You are my wife," he went on; "the ceremony is barely over which madeyou that, yet I would recall it if I could."
"What do you mean, Hubert?" she cried, piteously.
"We will not have any theatricals, if you please," he said, waving herback. "A guilty conscience should need no accuser. It is best to speakplainly to you, and to the point. Suffice it to say I was in theconservatory at the time you entered. I heard all that passed betweenCaptain Frazier and yourself. Now, here is what I propose to do: We wereto take a wedding-trip to Montreal. We will go there, but when we reachour destination, you and I will part forever. I shall instituteproceedings for a divorce at once, and I shall never know another happymoment until the divorce is granted. You shall be wife of mine but inname until we reach Montreal; then we part forever."
"Oh, Hubert, Hubert, you will not do this!" she sobbed, wildly. "Itwould ruin my life--kill me!"
"You did not stop to think that marriage with you would ruin my life,"he interposed, bitterly. "What have you to say for yourself? WasCaptain Frazier's story false or true? Remember, I heard him say that hecould furnish proof of all he charged."
"It is useless to hide the truth from you," she whispered, hoarsely. "Isee that you know all. Give me a chance to think--only to think of someway out of it. It would kill me, Hubert, to part from you. Better deaththan that. You are my world, the sunshine of my life. I would pine awayand die without you. Oh, Hubert, you must not leave me!"
"The words are easily said," he replied, "but they do not sound sincere.I may as well make a clean breast of the whole matter," he went on, "andtell you the truth, Gerelda. I do not love you. I-- I--love another,though that love has never been confessed to the one I love. I--I--married you because I felt in honor bound to do so, and in doing so Icrushed all the love that was budding in my heart. But was it worth thesacrifice of two lives? You can not answer me. I shall not intrude uponyou again until we reach Montreal. You can send for your mother; itwould be best for me to leave you in her charge. Telegraph back to herfrom the next station we arrive at. The moment we reach Montreal we partforever!"
But at that instant a strange event happened.