CHAPTER XVIII. ROBERT DUNN'S ENEMY
When he had said this he went a step or two aside and sat down on thestump of a tree. He was very agitated and disturbed for he had not inthe very least meant to say such a thing, he had not even known that hereally felt like that.
It was, indeed, a rush and power of quite unexpected passion that hadswept him away and made him for the moment lose all control of himself.Ella showed much more composure. She had become extraordinarily pale,but otherwise she did not appear in any way agitated.
She remained silent, her eyes bent on the ground, her only movement agesture by which she rubbed softly and in turn each of her wrists asthough they hurt her.
"Well, can't you say something?" he asked roughly, annoyed by herpersistent silence.
"I don't see that there's anything for me to say," she answered.
"Oh, well now then," he muttered; quite disconcerted.
She raised her eyes from the ground, and for the first time looked fullat him, in her expression both curiosity and resentment.
"It is perfectly intolerable," she said with a heaving breast. "Will youtell me who you are?"
"I've told you one thing," he answered sullenly, his eyes on fire. "Ishould have thought that was enough. I'll tell you nothing more."
"I think you are the most horrid man I ever met," she cried. "And thevery, very ugliest--all that hair on your face so that no one can seeanything else. What are you like when you cut it off?"
"Does that matter?" he asked, in the same gruff and surly manner.
"I should think it matters a good deal when I ask you," she exclaimed."Do you expect any one to care for a man she has never seen--nothingbut hair. You hurt my wrists awfully that night," she added resentfully."And you've never even hinted you're sorry."
His reply was unexpected and it disconcerted her greatly and for thefirst time, for he caught both her wrists in his hands and kissed thempassionately where the cords had been.
"You mustn't do that, please don't do that," she said quickly, trying torelease herself.
Her strength was nothing to his and he stood up and put his arm aroundher and strained her to him in an embrace so passionate and powerful shecould not have resisted it though she had wished to.
But no thought of resistance came to her, since for the moment she hadlost all consciousness of everything save the strange thrill of hisbright, clear eyes looking so closely into hers, of his strong armsholding her so firmly.
He released her, or rather she at last freed herself by an effort he didnot oppose, and she fled away down the path.
She had an impression that her hair would come down and that that wouldmake her look a fright, and she put up her hands hurriedly to secure it.She never looked back to where he stood, breathing heavily and lookingafter her and thinking not of her, but of two dead men whom he had seenof late.
"Shall I make the third?" he wondered. "I do not care if I do, not I."
The path Ella had fled by led into another along which when she reachedit she saw Deede Dawson coming.
She stopped at once and began to busy herself with a flower-bed overrunwith weeds, but she could not entirely conceal her agitation from herstepfather's cold grey eyes.
"Oh, there you are, Ella," he said, with all that false geniality ofhis that filled the girl with such loathing and distrust. "Have you seenDunn? Oh, there he is, isn't he? I wanted to ask you, Ella, what do youthink of Dunn?"
She glanced over her shoulder towards where Dunn stood, and she managedto answer with a passable air of indifference.
"Well, I suppose," she said, "that he is quite the ugliest man I eversaw. Of course, if he cut all of that hair off--"
Deede Dawson laughed though his eyes remained as hard and cold as ever.
"I shall have to give him orders to shave," he said. "Your mother wastelling me I ought to the other day, she said it didn't look respectableto have a man about with all that hair on his face. Though I don't seemyself why hair isn't respectable, do you?"
"It looks odd," answered Ella carelessly.
Deede Dawson laughed again, and walked on to where Dunn was standingwaiting for him. With his perpetual smile that his cold and evil eyes sostrangely contradicted, he said to him:
"Well, what have you and Ella been talking about?"
"Why do you ask?" growled Dunn.
"Because she looks upset," answered Deede Dawson. "Oh, don't be shyabout it. Shall I give you a little good advice?"
"What?"
"Never shave."
"Why not?"
"Because that thick growth of hair hiding your face gives you an air ofmystery and romance no woman could possibly resist. You're a perpetualpuzzle, and to pique a woman's curiosity is the surest way to interesther. Why, there are plenty of women who would marry you simply to findout what is under all that hair. So never you shave."
"I don't mean to."
"Unless, of course, you have to--for purposes of disguise, for example."
"I thought you were hinting that the beard itself was a disguise,"retorted Dunn.
"Removing it might become a better one," answered Deede Dawson. "Youtold me once you knew this part fairly well. Do you know Wreste Abbey?"
Dunn gave his questioner a scowling look that seemed full of anger andsuspicion.
"What about it if I do?" he asked.
"I am asking if you do know it," said Deede Dawson.
"Yes, I do. Well?"
"It belongs to Lord Chobham, doesn't it?"
Dunn nodded.
"Old man, isn't he?"
"I'm not a book of reference about Lord Chobham," answered Dunn. "Ifyou want to know his age, you can easily find out, I suppose. What's thesense of asking me a lot of questions like that?"
"He has no family, and his heir is his younger brother, GeneralDunsmore, who has one son, Rupert, I believe. Do you know if that's so?"
"Look here," said Dunn, speaking with a great appearance of anger."Don't you go too far, or maybe something you won't like will happen. Ifyou've anything to say, say it straight out. Or there'll be trouble."
Deede Dawson seemed a little surprised at the vehemence of the other'stone.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "Don't you like the family, or what'supsetting you?"
Dunn seemed almost choking with fury. He half-lifted one hand and let itfall again.
"If ever I get hold of that young Rupert Dunsmore," he said with alittle gasp for breath. "If ever I come face to face with him--man toman--"
"Dear me!" smiled Deede Dawson, lifting his eyebrows. "I'm treading onsore toes, it seems. What's the trouble between you?"
"Never you mind," replied Dunn roughly. "That's my business. But no manever had a worse enemy than he's been to me."
"Has he, though?" said Deede Dawson, who seemed very interested and evena little excited. "What did he do?"
"Never you mind," Dunn repeated. "That's my affair, but I swore I'd geteven with him some day and I will, too."
"Suppose," said Deede Dawson. "Suppose I showed you a way?"
Dunn did not answer at first, and for some moments the two men stoodwatching each other and staring into each other's eyes as though eachwas trying to read the depths of the other's soul.
"Suppose," said Deede Dawson very softly. "Suppose you were to meetRupert Dunsmore--alone--quite alone?"
Still Dunn did not answer, but somehow it appeared that his silence wasfull of a very deadly significance.
"Suppose you did--what would you do?" murmured Deede Dawson again,and his voice sank lower with each word he uttered till the last was ascarce-audible whisper.
Dunn stopped and picked up a hoe that was lying near by. He placed thetough ash handle across his knee, and with a movement of his powerfulhands, he broke the hoe across.
The two smashed pieces he dropped on the ground, and looking at DeedeDawson, he said:
"Like that--if ever Rupert Dunsmore and I meet alone, only one of uswill go away alive." And he confirmed it with an oath.
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Deede Dawson clapped him on the shoulder, and laughed.
"Good!" he cried. "Why, you're the man I've been looking for for a longtime. The fact is, Rupert Dunsmore played me a nasty trick once, and Iwant to clear accounts with him. Now, suppose I show him to you--?"
"You do that," said Dunn, and he repeated the oath he had sworn before."You show him to me, and I'll take care he never troubles any oneagain."
"That's the way I like to hear a man talk," cried Deede Dawson."Dunsmore has been away for a time on business I can make a guess at,but he is coming back soon. Should you know him if you saw him?"
"Should I know him?" repeated Dunn contemptuously. "Should I knowmyself?"
"That's good," said Deede Dawson again. "By the way, perhaps you cantell me, hasn't Lord Chobham a rather distant cousin, Walter Dunsmore,living with him as secretary or something of the sort--quite a distantrelative, I believe, though in the direct line of succession?"
"Very likely," said Dunn indifferently. "I think so, but I don't careanything about the rest of them. It's only Rupert Dunsmore I haveanything against."