CHAPTER VII
A MORNING CALL
"The way to conceal one's identity," observed Mr. Steel, "is to assumeanother as distinctive as one's own."
This oracular utterance was confidentially delivered from the leathernchair at the writing-table, in an inner recess of Rachel's sumptuoussitting-room. The chair had been wheeled aloof from the table, on whichwere Steel's hat and gloves, and such a sheaf of book-stall literatureas suggested his immediate departure upon no short journey, unless,indeed, the magazines and the Sunday newspapers turned out to be anotheroffering to Mrs. Minchin, like the nosegay of hothouse flowers which shestill held in her hand. Rachel herself had inadvertently taken the veryeasy-chair which was a further feature of the recess; in its cushioneddepths she already felt at a needless disadvantage, with Mr. Steelbending over her, his strong face bearing down, as it were, upon hers,and his black eyes riddling her with penetrating glances. But to haverisen now would have been to show him what she felt. So she trifled withhis flowers without looking up, though her eyebrows rose a little ontheir own account.
"I know what you are thinking," resumed Steel; "that you had no desireto assume any new identity, or for a single moment to conceal your own,and that I have taken a great deal upon myself. That I most freelyadmit. And I think you will forgive me when you see the papers!"
"Is there so much about me, then?" asked Rachel, with a sigh ofapprehension.
"A leading article in every one of them. But they will keep. Indeed, Iwould much rather you never saw them at all."
"Was that why you brought them in, Mr. Steel?"
The question was irresistible, its satire unconcealed; but Steel'sdisregard of it steered admirably clear of contempt.
"That was why I bought them, certainly," he admitted. "But I broughtthem with me for quite a different purpose, for which one would indeedhave been enough. I was saying, however, that the best way to sink one'sidentity is to assume another, provided that the second be asdistinctive as the first. We will leave for a moment the question of myofficiousness in the matter, and we'll suppose, for the sake ofargument, that I was authorized by you to do what in fact I have done.All last week the papers were literally full of your trial, but onSaturday there was a second sensation as well, and this morning it ishard to say which is first and which second; they both occupy so manycolumns. You may not know it, but the Cape liner due on Saturday waslost with scores of lives, off Finisterre, on Friday morning last."
Rachel failed to see the connection, and yet she felt vaguely that therewas one, if she could but recall it; meanwhile she said nothing, butlistened with as much attention as a mental search would permit.
"I heard of it first," continued Steel, "late on Friday afternoon, as Icame away from the Old Bailey. Now, it was on Friday afternoon, if yourecollect, that you gave evidence yourself in your own defence. When youleft the witness-box, Mrs. Minchin, and even before you left it, I knewthat you were saved!"
Rachel remembered the Swiss maid's remark about the loss of her clothesand the number of persons who had fared so much worse and lost theirlives. But Steel's last words dismissed every thought but that of theirown import. And in an instant she was trembling upright in theeasy-chair.
"You believed me!" she whispered. "You believed me at the time!"
And for nothing had he earned such gratitude yet; her moist eyes saw theold-fashioned courtesy of his bow in answer, but not the subtlety of thesmile that bore it company in the depths of the dark eyes: it was asmile that did not extend to the short, tight mouth.
"What is more to the point, my dear lady," he went on in words, "thejury believed you, and I saw that they did. You made a tremendousimpression upon them. The lawyer against you was too humane to try veryhard to remove it, and the judge too just--though your own man did hisbest. But I saw at once that it would never be removed. It was betweenyou and the jury--human being to human beings--and no third legal partyintervening. That was where you scored; you went straight as a die tothose twelve simple hearts. And I saw what you had done--what thelawyers between them could not undo--and took immediate measures."
Rachel looked up with parted lips, only to shut them firmly without aword.
"And who was I to take measures on your behalf?" queried Steel, puttingthe question for her. "What right or excuse had I to mix myself up inyour affairs? I will tell you, for this morning is not last night, andat least you have one good night's rest between you and the past. Mydear Mrs. Minchin, I had absolutely no right at all; but I had theexcuse which every man has who sees a woman left to stand alone againstthe world, and who thrusts himself, no matter how officiously, into thebreach beside her. And then for a week I had seen you all day and everyday, upon your trial!"
At last there something with a ring of definite insincerity, somethingthat Rachel could take up; and she gazed upon her self-appointedchampion with candid eyes.
"Do you mean to say that you never saw me before--my trouble, Mr.Steel?"
"Never in my life, my dear lady."
"Then you knew something about me or mine!"
"What one read in the newspapers--neither more nor less--upon my mostsolemn word--if that will satisfy you."
And it did; for if there had been palpable insincerity in his previousprotestations, there was sincerity of a still more obvious order in Mr.Steel's downright assurances on these two points. He had never everseen her before. He knew nothing whatever about her up to the period ofnotoriety; he had no special and no previous knowledge of his own. Itmight not be true, of course; but there was that in the deep-set eyeswhich convinced Rachel once and for all. There was a sudden light inthem, a light as candid as that which happened to be shining in her own,but a not too kindly one, rather a glint of genuine resentment. It washis smooth protestations that Rachel distrusted and disliked. If shecould ruffle him, she might get at the real man; and with her questionsshe appeared to have done so already.
"I am more than satisfied, in one way," replied Rachel, "and less inanother. I rather wish you had known something about me; it would havemade it more natural for you to come to my assistance. But never mind.What were these immediate measures?"
"I took these rooms; I had spoken of taking them earlier in the week."
"For me?"
"Yes, on the chance of your getting off."
"But you did not say they were for me!"
"No; and I was vague in what I had said until then. I had a daughter--awidow--whom I rather expected to arrive from abroad towards the end ofthe week. But I was quite vague."
"Because you thought I had no chance!"
"I had not heard your evidence. The very afternoon I did hear it, andhad no longer any doubt about the issue in my own mind, I also heard ofthis wreck. The very thing! I waited till next morning for the list ofthe saved; luckily there were plenty of them; and I picked out the nameof a married woman travelling alone, and therefore very possibly awidow, from the number. Then I went to the manager. The daughter whom Iexpected had been wrecked, but she was saved, and would arrive thatnight. As a matter of fact, the survivors were picked up by a passingNorth German Lloyd, and they did reach London on Saturday night.Meanwhile I had impressed it upon the manager to keep the matter asquiet as possible, for many excellent reasons, which I need not go intonow."
"But the reason for so elaborate a pretence?"
And the keen, dark face was searched with a scrutiny worthy of itself.Steel set his mouth in another visible resolution to tell the truth.
"I thought you might not be sorry to cease being Mrs. Minchin--the Mrs.Minchin who had become so cruelly notorious through no fault of herown--if only for a day or two, or a single night. That was most easilyto be effected by your arriving here minus possessions, and plus a verydefinite story of your own."
"You made very sure of me!" said Rachel, dryly.
"I trusted to my own powers of persuasion, and it was said you had nofriends. I will confess," added Steel, "that I hoped the report wastrue."
"Did it follo
w that I could have no pride?"
"By no means; on the contrary, I knew that you were full of pride; itis, if I may venture to say so, one of your most salientcharacteristics. Nothing was more noticeable at your trial; nothingfiner have I ever seen! But," added Steel, suppressing a burst ofenthusiasm that gained by the suppression, "but, madam, I hoped andprayed that you would have the sense to put your pride in the secondplace for once."
"Well," said Rachel, "and so far I have done so, Heaven knows!"
"And that is something," rejoined Steel, impressively. "Even if it endsat this--even if you won't hear me out--it is something that you havehad one night and one morning free from insult, discomfort, andannoyance."
Rachel felt half frightened and half indignant. Steel was standing up,looking very earnestly down upon her. And something that she had dimlydivined in the very beginning--only to chide herself for the merethought--that thing was in his face and in his voice. Rachel made adesperate attempt to change the subject, but, as will be seen, anunlucky one.
"So I am supposed to be your daughter!" she exclaimed nervously. "May Iask my new name?"
"If you like; but I am going to suggest to you a still newer name, Mrs.Minchin."
Rachel tried to laugh, though his quietly determined and serious facemade it more than difficult.
"Do you mean that I am not to be your daughter any longer, Mr. Steel?"
"Not if I can help it. But it will depend upon yourself."
"And what do you want to make me now?"
"My wife!"