was my reply. "You so quickly recovered yourself."
"Ah! But you don't know how sharp his eyes are. He's really absurdlyjealous sometimes."
I smiled within myself to think that a woman so fond of admiration andflattery should complain of her husband's jealousy.
"At any rate, in this affair, you'll have to act with the greatestcaution and discretion, Lady Stanchester," I said. "The man is here forsome sinister purpose--of that I feel quite sure. He arrived inSibberton a little while ago, tramping along the highway, tired andhungry, a shabby wayfarer, upon whom Warr looked with suspicion. To-dayhe is your husband's welcomed guest, to whom he expects you to act withkindness and attention."
"Kindness!" she ejaculated. "Kindness to that man!"
"Is he such an enemy of yours?" I asked in a low tone. "Why don't youtake me further into your confidence, Lady Stanchester? Surely you canrely upon my discretion?"
"I have taken you into my confidence as far as I dare," was her answer,uttered in a tone of desperation. "I want you now to assist me incombating this man's intentions, whatever they are."
"I promise to render you what assistance I can, but on one condition,recollect," I said. "The condition is that what I do is in order thatyou shall be afforded opportunity to convince George of your trueaffection."
"I know, I know," she cried quickly. "I will adhere to my part of thecompact. Believe me, I will," and she stood before me a paleapprehensive figure in her Norfolk jacket and short tweed skirt--a womanwhose attitude showed me that Keene's presence there held her terrified.
The truth of it all I could not guess. A vague suspicion arose of somecurious romance in the days prior to her marriage; of some skeleton inher cupboard, which she feared must now be brought out to the light ofday before her husband's eyes. I saw written in her countenance, as shestood before me, an all-consuming fear which seemed to hold her thereimmovable.
"I'm wondering whether I ought not to make some excuse to go away on avisit somewhere," she suggested after a pause. "I can't really stayunder the same roof with him, meet him each day at table, and becompelled to chat with him. It's utterly impossible."
"But how can you leave all these people?" I asked. "Besides, if youdid, he might perhaps revenge himself--that is, if you are wholly in hishands. Are you?"
"Utterly," she answered hoarsely, as though that confession were wrungfrom her.
"You fear him, while he has no need to fear you. Is that so?"
She answered in the affirmative in the same hoarse unnatural tone.
"Then you must not run further risk by attempting to escape him," I saiddecisively. "You must remain, act diplomatically, and endeavour tomaintain a bold front. Recollect that he is here in order to takeadvantage of the first sign of apprehension on your part. Show no fearof him," I urged. "Disclaim all knowledge of him if necessary. Assertto his face that you have never met before, should he speak to you aloneand endeavour to recall the past. We live for the present or thefuture, Lady Stanchester, not for the past--whatever it may have been.Courage!" I said. "If you really love George and are now hounded bythis man, I will help you in every way."
"Ah!" she said gratefully. "I know you will, Mr Woodhouse. Believeme, I am at this moment sorely in need of a friend. I know, alas! whatevil tongues have said of me, and what a reputation I have for giddinessand flirtation. Yet every action of a woman of my age and position ismagnified and exaggerated in order that it may furnish food for gossipsand hints for scandal. But I tell you I am not so black as I ampainted. I still have a heart--and that heart is my husband's. He isyour friend, and if you assist me to defeat this man you will berendering him the greatest service one man can render to another--andyou will save me."
"I have promised," I answered. "You must go now and meet the man onperfect equality, with perfect friendship. Your mind is blank regardingthe past, and you have never met him before in all your life. No matterwhat he threatens to reveal, or what he tells you his revenge will be,you must not admit that you have been previously acquainted."
"It will be difficult--terribly difficult," she said. "He canunfortunately recall certain facts which--well, which I fear I cannotdeny."
"But you must," I urged. "Deny everything. Then he will expose hishand, and we shall know how to deal with him in order to checkmate hisplans."
"Very well," answered the desperate woman. "I'll do my best. But if Ifail you must not blame me."
"You are clever, Lady Stanchester, and with your woman's diplomacy andquick inventiveness I am sure you can face the difficulty and overcomeit. Go," I urged. "You must appear at dinner gay and merry, as thoughyou had not a serious thought in the world. Your careless attitude willthen puzzle him from the very outset. Act as I tell you, and if youwant advice at any moment, come to me."
She thanked me, and turning slowly went out to dress for the terribleordeal which she knew too well was before her. And when she had gone Isat in my chair for a long time, plunged in thought.
The mystery was assuming even greater and more remarkable proportions.The chief problem at the moment was the motive of the mysterious guest.
Who was this man Keene of whom both Lolita and Lady Stanchester were insuch deadly fear? What power did he possess over them?
Times without number had I asked myself that self-same question, but nosolution of the enigma presented itself. The mystery was now even moredark and inscrutable than it had been at the outset. The puzzle wasmaddening. So I rose with a sigh, and went up to my room to dress witha distinct feeling precursory of some untoward event about to occur inthe Stanchester household, and a fervent hope that the young Countesswould hold her own successfully in the desperate fight with this manwhom she declared to be her very worst enemy.
The situation was surely a most grave and remarkable one, and herposition was certainly unenviable. Knowing her abject terror of the manI felt apprehensive of the result, for I felt confident that one singlesign of weakness would give the desperate game entirely into his ownunscrupulous hands.
In the big white drawing-room where the visitors assembled beforedinner, the Countess appeared in a marvellous gown of pale turquoise andcream, and wearing the diamond collar and bodice-ornament which was herhusband's wedding gift, and which cost a sum which to many a man wouldhave represented a fortune. Her coiffure was beautifully arrangedwithout a hair awry, and her white neck and arms seemed like alabaster.Truly she was a magnificent woman, and well merited the description acertain royal prince had once uttered of her--"Taking face and figure,the prettiest woman who ever came to Court during the present reign."
She was laughing gaily with old Lord Cotterstock as she entered,chaffing him about his sleepiness after luncheon and missing severalbirds, and as her gaze met mine I saw that the manner she had reassumed,that nonchalant air that she usually wore, was little short ofmarvellous. One would hardly have recognised in her the white-faced,terrified and despondent woman of half-an-hour before.
In the corner of the room stood Smeeton, a tall, commanding figure infaultless dress clothes, and a small but fine diamond in his shirt,chatting to two women, Lady Barford and the Honourable Violet Middleton,to whom he had just been introduced. Her ladyship was of thatmiddle-aged type of stiff-backed lion-hunter who sought London throughto get the latest poet, painter or _litterateur_ to go to her weekly "AtHomes," and had already, it seemed, buttonholed the renowned hunter ofbig game.
Old Slater appeared at the door, bowing with that formality acquired bylong service in that noble family, and announced in a voice loud enoughto be heard by all--
"Dinner is served, m'lady."
Then the Countess walked boldly up to Smeeton and asked to be taken inby him, while I linked myself up with a rather angular girl in a palerose gown that had seen long service, the daughter of a Squire from aneighbouring village who was this evening eating his annual dinner atthe Hall.
Through dinner her ladyship preserved an outward calm that wasremarkable. She chat
ted and laughed amiably with her guest seated ather right hand, and as I watched narrowly I detected that he was alreadyamazed at her self-possession. That night she was even more brilliantthan ever. Her conversation sparkled with wit, and her remarks andcriticisms caused her guests in her vicinity to roar with laughter atfrequent intervals.
From where I sat little escaped my watchful eyes. Once or twice sheturned her gaze upon me, as though to ask whether she were acting herpart sufficiently well, then fired off some epigrammatic remark to oneor other of the gay crowd of well-dressed people around her.
Dinner ended, the ladies retired, the cloth was removed, the port wascirculated in