X
Slowly as a partly paralysed crab, Smith raised himself to a sittingposture and looked over his shoulder into the loveliest face that he hadever beheld, except on the paper wrappers of his own books.
"I'm sorry," said the Lady Alene. "Shouldn't I have spoken?"
The smoke and turmoil of battle still confused Smith's brain;visualisation of wall and tower and crowns and ermines made the LadyAlene's fresh, wholesome beauty very unreal to him for a moment or two.
When his eyes found their focus and his mind returned to actuality, heclimbed to his feet, hat in hand, and made his manners to her. Then,tumbling books and pads from the other camp-chair, he reseated himselfwith a half smiling, half shamed glance at her, and a "May I?" to whichshe responded, "Please! And might I talk to you for a few moments?"
Smith shot a keen glance at the book on her knees. Resignation and pridealtered his features, but when again he looked at the Lady Alene heexperienced a pleasure in his resignation which hitherto no curioustourist, no enterprising reporter had ever aroused. Smilingly hecomposed himself for the impending interview.
"Until now," said the girl earnestly, "I think I have not been entirelyconvinced by your novels. Somehow or other I could not bring myself tocomprehend the amazing realism of your plots. But now I understand thebasis of great and fundamental truth on which you build so plausiblyyour splendid novels of love and life."
"What?" said Smith.
"To see you," she continued, "constructing the scenes of which later youare to write, has been a wonderful revelation to me. It has been aprivilege the importance of which I can scarcely estimate. Your devotionto the details of your art, your endless patience, your almost austereabsorption in truth and realism, have not only astounded me but haveentirely convinced me. The greatest thing in the world is Truth. _Now_ Irealise it!"
She made a pretty gesture of enthusiasm:
"What a wonderful nation of young men is yours, Mr. Smith! Whatqualities! What fearlessness--initiative--idealism--daring--! Whatinvention, what recklessness, what romance----"
Her voice failed her; she sat with lips parted, a soft glow in hercheeks, gazing upon Smith with fascinated eyes. And Smith gazed back ather without a word.
"I don't believe," she said, "that in all England there exists a singleman capable even of conceiving the career for which so many youngAmericans seem to be equipped."
After a moment Smith said very quietly:
"I am sorry, but do you know I don't quite understand you?"
"I mean," she said, "that you Americans have a capacity for conceiving,understanding, and performing everything you write about."
"Why do you think so?" asked Smith, a trifle red.
"Because if Englishmen could understand and do such things, ournovelists would write about them. They never write about them. But youAmericans do. You write thousands of most delightful novels about youngmen who do things unheard of, undreamed of, in England. Therefore, it isvery clear to me that you Americans are quite capable of doing what youwrite about, and what your readers so ardently admire."
"I see," said Smith calmly. His ear-tips still burned.
"No doubt," said the girl, "many of the astonishing things you Americanswrite about are really done. Many astounding episodes in fiction are ofnot uncommon occurrence in real life."
"What kind of episodes?" asked Smith gravely.
"Why, any of them you write about. They all are astonishing enough. Forexample, your young men do not seem to know what fear is."
"No," said Smith, "they don't."
"And when they love," said the girl, "nothing can stop them."
"Nothing."
"Nothing!" she repeated, the soft glow coming into her cheeks again."--Nothing! Neither rank nor wealth nor political considerations norfamily prejudices, nor even the military!"
Smith bit his lip in silence. He had heard of irony; never had hedreamed it could be so crushing: he had heard of sarcasm; but the quietsarcasm of this unknown young girl was annihilating him. Critics hadcarved him in his time; but the fine mincemeat which this prettystranger was making of him promised to leave nothing more either tocarve or to roast.
"Do you mind my talking to you?" she asked, noting the strainedexpression of his features.
"No," he said, "go ahead."
"Because if I am tiring you----"
He said he was not tired.
"--or if it bores you to discuss your art with a foreigner who so trulyadmires it----"
He shot a glance at her, then forced a laugh.
"I am not offended," he said. "What paper do you represent?"
"I?" she said, bewildered.
"Yes. You are a newspaper woman, are you not?"
"Do you mean a reporter?"
"Naturally."
"No," she said very seriously, "I am not a reporter. What an odd idea!"
"Do you think it odd?"
"Why, yes. Do not many admirers of your works express their pleasure inthem to you?"
He studied her lovely face coolly and in detail--the dainty arch of thequestioning eyebrows, the sensitive curve of the mouth, the clear, sweeteyes. Could it be possible that such candour masked irony? Could allthis be the very essence of the art of acting, concealing the mostmurderous sarcasm ever dreamed of by a terrified author?
And suddenly his face went red all over, and he understood that theessence of this young girl was a candour so utterly free ofself-consciousness--a frankness so absolutely truthful, that thesimplicity of her had been a miracle too exquisite for him tocomprehend.
"You _do_ like what I write!" he exclaimed.
Her blue eyes widened: "Of course I do," she said, amazed. "Didn't youunderstand me?"
"No," he said, cooling his burning face in the rising sea-wind. "Ithought you were laughing at me."
"I'm sorry if I was stupid," she said.
"_I_ was stupid."
"You!" She laughed a little.
The sinking sun peered through the palm forest behind them and flung abeam of blinding light at her.
"Am I interrupting your work, Mr. Smith? I mean, I know I am, but----"
"Please don't go away."
"Thank you.... I have noticed what agreeable manners you Americans havein novels. Naturally you are even more kindly and polite in real life."
"Have you met many Americans?"
"No, only you. In the beginning I did not feel interested in Americans."
"Why?"
"The young men all seemed to resemble one another," she said frankly,"like Chinese. But now that I really know an American I am intenselyinterested."
"You notice no Mongolian monotony in me?" he inquired gravely.
"Oh, no----" She coloured; then discovering that he was laughing, shelaughed, too, rather faintly.
"That was a joke, wasn't it?" she said.
"Yes, that was a joke."
"Because," she said, "there is no Mongolian uniformity about _you_. Onthe contrary, you remind me in every way of one of your own heroes."
"Oh, really now!" he protested; but she insisted with seriousenthusiasm.
"You are the counterpart of the hero in this book," she repeated,resting one hand lightly on the volume under her elbow. "You wear whiteflannels, you are tall, well built, straight, with very regularfeatures and a fasci---- a smile," she corrected herself calmly, "whichone naturally associates with your features."
"Also," she continued, "your voice is cultivated and modulated with justenough of the American accent to make it piquantly agreeable. And whatyou say is fasci---- is well expressed and interesting. Therefore, as Ihave said, to me you resemble one of your own heroes."
There was enough hot colour in his face to make it boyishly bashful.
"And you appear to be as modest as one of your own heroes," she added,studying him. "That is truly delightful."
"But really, I am nothing like any of my heroes," he explained, terriblyembarrassed.
"Why do you say that, Mr. Smith?"
&
nbsp; "Because it's true. I don't even resemble 'em superficially."
She made a quick, graceful gesture: "Why do you say that, when here youare before me, the exact and exciting counterpart of the reckless andfasci---- the reckless and interesting men you write about?"
He said nothing. She closed the parasol and considered him in silencefor a moment or two. Then:
"And I have no doubt that you are capable of doing the very things thatyour heroes do so adroitly and so charmingly."
"What, for example?" he asked, reddening to his temples.
"Reconstructing armies, for instance."
"Filibustering?"
"Is that what it is called?"
"It's called that in the countries south of the United States."
"Well, would you not be capable of overturning a government and ofreconstructing the army, Mr. Smith?"
"Capable?"
"Yes."
"Well," he said cautiously, "if it was the thing I wanted to do, perhapsI might have a try at it."
"I knew it," she exclaimed triumphantly.
"But," he explained, "I never desired to overturn any government."
"You probably have never seen any that you thought worth whileoverturning."
Her confident rejoinder perplexed him and he remained silent.
"Also," she continued, still more confidently, "I am certain that if youwere in love, no obstacles would prove too great for you to surmount.Would they?"
"Really," he said, "I don't know. I'm not very enterprising."
"That is the answer of a delightfully modest man. Your own hero wouldreturn me such an answer, Mr. Smith. But I--and your heroinealso--understand you--I mean your hero."
"Do you?" he asked gravely.
"Certainly. I, as well as your heroine, understand that no obstaclescould check you if you loved her--neither political considerations,diplomatic exigencies, family prejudices, nor her own rank, no matterwhat it might be. Is not that true?"
Eager, enthusiastic, impersonally but warmly interested, she leaned alittle toward him, intent on his reply.
He looked into the lovely, flushed face in silence for a while. Then:
"Yes," he said, "it is true. If I loved, nothing could check meexcept----" he shrugged.
"Death?" She nodded, fascinated.
He nodded. He had meant to say the police.
She said exultantly: "I knew it, Mr. Smith! I was certain that you arethe living embodiment of your own heroes! The moment I set eyes on youplaying in the sand with your lead soldiers, I was sure of it!"
Thrilled, she considered him, her soft eyes brilliant with undisguisedadmiration.
"I wish I could actually _see_ it!" she said under her breath.
"See what?"
"See you, in real life, as one of your own heroes--doing some of thethings they do so cleverly, so winningly--careless of convention,reckless of consequences, oblivious to all considerations except onlythe affair in hand. That," she said excitedly, "would be glorious, andwell worth a trip to the States!"
"How far," he asked, "have you read in that book of mine?"
"In this book?" She opened it, impulsively, ran over the pages,hesitated, stopped.
"He was--was kissing the Balkan Princess," she said. "I left them--_instatu quo_."
"I see.... Did he do _that_ well?"
"I--suppose so."
"Have you no opinion?"
"I think he did it--very--thoroughly, Mr. Smith."
"It ought to be done thoroughly if done at all," he said reflectively.
"Otherwise," she nodded, "it would be offensive."
"To the reader?"
"To her, too. Wouldn't it?"
"You know better than I."
"No, I don't know. A nice girl can not imagine herself beingkissed--except under very extraordinary circumstances, and by a veryextraordinary man.... Such a man as you have drawn in this book."
"Had you been that Balkan Princess, what would you have done?" he asked,rather pale.
"I?" she said, startled.
"Yes, you."
She sat considering, blue eyes lost in candid reverie. Then the faintestsmile curved her lips; she looked up at Smith with winning simplicity.
"In your story, Mr. Smith, does the Balkan Princess return his kiss?"
"Not in that chapter."
"I think I would have returned it--in that--chapter." Then, for thefirst time, she blushed.
The naive avowal set the heart and intellect of Mr. Smith afire. But heonly dropped his well-shaped head and didn't look at her. Which wasrather nice of him.
"Romance," he said after a moment or two, "is all well enough. But reallife is stranger than fiction."
"Not in the British Isles," she said with decision. "It _is_ tea andcurates and kennels and stables--as our writers depict it."
"No, you are mistaken! Everywhere it is stranger than fiction," heinsisted--"more surprising, more charming, more wonderful. Even here inAmerica--here in Florida--here on this tiny point of sand jutting intothe Atlantic, life is more beautiful, more miraculous than any fictionever written."
"Why do you say that?" she asked.
"I am afraid I can't tell you why I say it."
"Why can't you tell me?"
"Only in books could what I might have to tell you be logicallytold--and listened to----"
"Only in books? But books in America reflect actual life," she said."Therefore, you can tell me what you have to tell. Can't you?"
"Can I?" he asked.
"Yes...." Far in the inmost recesses of her calm and maiden heartsomething stirred, and her breath ceased for a second.... Innocent, notcomprehending why her breath missed, she looked at him with thequestion still in her blue eyes.
"Shall I tell you why real life is stranger than fiction?" he askedunsteadily.
"Tell me--yes--if----"
"It is stranger," he said, "because it is often more headlong andromantic. Shall we take ourselves, for example?"
"You and me?"
"Yes. To illustrate what I mean."
She inclined her head, her eyes fixed on his.
"Very well," he said. "Even in the most skillfully constructedstory--supposing that you and I were hero and heroine--no author wouldhave the impudence to make us avow our love within a few minutes of ourfirst meeting."
"No," she said.
"In the first chapter," he continued, "certain known methods ofconstruction are usually followed. Time is essential--the lapse of time.How to handle it cleverly is a novelist's business. But even the mostskillful novelist would scarcely dare make me, for example, tell youthat I am in love with you. Would he?"
"No," she said.
"And in real life, even if a man does fall in love so suddenly, he doesnot usually say so, does he?" he asked.
"No," she said.
"But he _does_ fall in love sometimes more suddenly than in fiction. Andoccasionally he declares himself. In real life this actually happens.And _that_ is stranger than any fiction. Isn't it?"
"Yes," she said.
"One kind of fiction," he continued very unsteadily, "is that in which,when he falls in love--he doesn't say so--I mean in such a case asours--supposing I had already fallen in love with you. I could not sayso to you. No man could say it to any girl. He remains mute. He observesvery formally every convention. He smiles, hat in hand, as the girlpasses out of his life forever.... Doesn't he? And that is one kind offiction--the tragic kind."
She had been looking down at the book in her lap. After a moment shelifted her troubled eyes to his.
"I do--not know what men do--in real life," she said. "What would theydo in the--_other_ kind of fiction?"
"In the other kind of fiction there would be another chapter."
"Yes.... You mean that for us there is only this one chapter."
"Only one chapter."
"Or--might it not be called a short story, Mr. Smith?"
"Yes--one kind of short story."
"Which kind?"
&nb
sp; "The kind that ends unhappily."
"But this one is not going to end unhappily, is it?"
"You are about to walk out of the story when it ends."
"Yes--but----" She bit her lip, flushed and perplexed, alreadydreadfully confused between the personal and the impersonal--betweenfact and fancy.
"You see," he said, "the short story which deals with--love--can endonly as ours is going to end--or the contrary."
"How is ours going to end?" she asked with candid curiosity.
"It must be constructed very carefully," he said, "because this isrealism."
"You must be very skillful, too," she said. "I do not see how you are toavoid----"
"What?"
"A--an--unhappy--ending."
He looked gravely at his sand castle. "No," he said, "I don't see how itcan be avoided."
After a long silence she murmured, half to herself:
"Still, this is America--after all."
He shrugged, still studying his sand castle.
"I wish I had somebody to help me work it out," he said, half tohimself.
"A collaborator?"
"Yes."
"I'm so sorry that I could not be useful."
"Would you try?"
"What is the use? I am utterly unskilled and inexperienced."
"I'd be very glad to have you try," he repeated.