CHAPTER XVI.
CONCERNING AN INVITATION AND A LOCKED DOOR.
When consciousness returned to me, and I became sensible of where Ilay, I perceived that Elmscott was in the room. He stood in thecentre, slapping his boot continually with his riding-crop, andbetraying every expression of impatience upon his face. But I gavelittle heed to him, for beside me knelt Ilga, a bottle of hartshornsalts in her hand. I was resting upon a couch, which stood before thespinet; the lamps were lighted, and the curtains drawn across thewindow, so that my swoon must have lasted some while.
As I let my eyes rest upon the Countess, she slipped an arm under myhead and raised it, taking at the same time a cup of cordial, whichClemence Durette held ready. 'Twas of a very potent description, andfilled me with a great sense of comfort. Ilga moved her arm as thoughto withdraw it. "No," I murmured to her, and she smiled and let itremain.
"Come, Morrice," said Elmscott. "You have but to walk downstairs. Acarriage is waiting."
He moved towards the couch. I tried to raise my arm to warn him off,but found that it had been bandaged afresh, and was fastened in asling. For a moment I could not remember how I had come by the hurt;then the history of it came back to me, and with that the promise Ihad made to my dying antagonist. For while I believed that Lady Tracycould have no grounds for her apprehensions, seeing that the Countessmust needs be ignorant of her relations with the Count, whatever theymight have been, I felt that the circumstances under which the requestwas uttered gave to it a special authority, and laid upon me a strictcompulsion to obey it to the letter. The request, moreover, fittedexactly with my own intention. Ilga believed now that I had never seenLady Tracy until that morning when she fainted, and so by merelyconfessing that the death of Count Lukstein lay at my door, and at mydoor alone, I should divert all possibilities of suspicion fromapproaching Lady Tracy; so I whispered to Ilga:
"Send every one away!"
"Nay," she replied; "your cousin has told me."
"It is not that," said I. "There is something else--something mycousin could not know."
"Does it follow," she answered, lowering her eyes, "that I could notknow it? Or do you think me blind?"
The gentle, hesitating words nearly drove my purpose from my mind. Itwould have been so easy to say just, "I love you, and you know it." Itbecame so difficult to say, "I killed your husband, and have deceivedyou." However, the confession pressed urgently for utterance, and Isaid again: "Send them away!"
"No," she replied, "you have no time for that now. You must leaveLondon to-night. Everything is ready; your cousin's carriage waits totake you to the coast. To-morrow you must cross to France. But if youstill--still wish to unburden your mind----"
"Heart," I could not refrain from whispering; and, indeed, my heartleaped as she faltered and blushed crimson.
"Then," she continued, "come to Lukstein! You will be welcome," andwith a quiet gravity she repeated the phrase: "You will be verywelcome!"
Every word she spoke made my task the harder. I trust that theweakness of my body, the pain of the wound, and my great fatigue, hadsomething to do with the sapping of my resolution. But whatever thecause, an overwhelming desire to cease from effort, to let the wholeworld go, rushed in upon me. The one real thing for me was this womanwho knelt beside the couch; the one real need was to tell her of mylove. I felt as though, that once told, I could rest withoutcompunction, without a scruple of regret, just rest like a tiredchild.
"Come to Lukstein!" she repeated.
"Hear me now!" I replied with a last struggle, and got to my feet. Iwas still so weak, however, that the violence of the movement made mesick and dizzy, and I tottered into Elmscott's arms.
"Come, Morrice!" he urged. "A little courage; 'tis only a few steps todescend."
I steadied myself against his shoulder. In a corner of the room, rigidand impassive, was the tall figure of Otto Krax. How could I speakbefore him?
"I shall expect you, then," said the Countess, "and soon. I leaveEngland to-morrow myself, and return straight home."
"You leave England to-morrow?" I asked eagerly.
"To-morrow!" she replied.
I drew a deep breath of relief. All danger to Lady Tracy, all herfears of danger, would vanish with the departure of the Countess; andas for my confession--it could wait.
"At Castle Lukstein, then," said I, and it seemed to me that she alsodrew a breath of relief.
From Pall Mall we drove to my lodging, where I found my trunks packed,and Udal fully dressed to accompany me in my flight; for Elmscott, whohad started from the "Half-way House" some two hours later thanmyself, had ridden straight thither. On learning that my people had nonews of me, he had immediately guessed where I should be discovered,and, instructing them to prepare instantly for a journey, had himselfhastened to the apartment of the Countess.
My baggage was speedily placed in the boot, Udal mounted on the box, Idirected my other servants to pay the bill and return to Cumberland,and we drove off quickly to the coast, just twenty-four hours after wehad set out upon the great West Road on our desperate adventure.
As we rolled peacefully through the moonlit gardens of Kent, I hadtime to think over and apportion the hurried events of the day, and Irecalled the half-spoken sentence which was on Marston's lips at themoment of his death. I conjectured that he intended some expression ofremorse for the use to which he had put the likeness of his sister,and I began again to wonder at the strange inconsistency of the man. Ihad been bewildered by it before in respect of this very miniature,when I first observed his genuine devotion to his sister. To-day hehad afforded me a second and corroborating instance, for no sooner hadhe knowledge of his sister's fears, than he had used the knowledgestraightway as a weapon against me, leaving it to his antagonist tosecure her the safeguarding which she implored. And yet that hisanxiety on her account was very real it was impossible for me todoubt, for I had looked upon his face when he bound me by a promise toprotect her.
At Dover we found a packet on the point of sailing for Calais.Elmscott bade me good-bye upon the quay, and declared that if I wouldkeep him informed of my movements, he would send me word when theaffair had blown over and I might safely return. Then he asked:
"Morrice, did you tell Countess Lukstein of your duel?"
"I had not the time," I replied. "But she said you told her."
"Ay, I told the story, though I gave not the reason for the encounter.But did you say nothing to her, give her no hint by which she mightguess it?"
"Nay," said I; "I swooned or ever I got a word of it out. I spoke buttwo words to her: 'Lady Tracy.' She could have guessed little enoughfrom that."
"Strange!" said he, in a tone of some perplexity. "And yet, some wayor another, she must needs have known. For when I came to seek you,Otto denied you were there. I was positive, however, and ran past himup the stairs. The parlour door was locked, and they only gave meentrance when I bawled my name through the keyhole and declared that Iknew you were within, and for your own sake must have immediate speechwith you. I fancied that the Countess was aware of the duel and meantto conceal you."
I thought no more of his words at the time, and went presently aboard.A fair wind filled the sheets and hummed through the cordage of therigging. The cliffs lessened and lessened until they shone in thesunlight like a silver rim about the bowl of the sea; the gullsswooped and circled in our wake; and thus I sailed out upon my strangepilgrimage, which was to last so many weary months and set me amidsuch perilous surroundings.