CHAPTER XXVIII
To Major Richard Felstead, Mills' announcement was without significance.For the first time he became conscious, however, of something whichseemed almost like a secret understanding between his sister and hisfiancee.
"Tell Mr. Lessingham I shall be with him in a minute or two, if he willkindly wait," Philippa instructed.
"Who is Mr. Lessingham?" Richard enquired, as soon as the door hadclosed behind Mills. "Seems a queer time to call."
Helen glanced at Philippa, whose lips framed a decided negative.
"Mr. Lessingham is a gentleman staying in the neighbourhood," thelatter replied. "You will probably make his acquaintance before long.Incidentally, he saved Henry's life the other night."
"Sounds exciting," Richard observed. "What form of destruction was Henrycourting?"
"There was a trawler shipwrecked in the storm," Philippa explained. "Youcan see it from all the front windows. Henry was on board, returningfrom one of his fishing excursions. They were trying to find Dumble'sanchorage and were driven in on to that low ridge of rock. A rope broke,or something, they had no more rockets, and Mr. Lessingham swam out withthe line."
"Sounds like a plucky chap," Richard admitted.
Philippa rose to her feet regretfully.
"I expect he has come to wish us good-by," she said. "I'll leave youwith Helen, Dick. Don't let her overfeed you. And you know where thecigars are, Helen. Take Dick into the gun room afterwards. You'll haveit all to yourselves and there is a fire there."
Philippa entered the library in a state of agitation for which she wasglad to have some reasonable excuse. She held out both her hands toLessingham.
"Dick is back--just arrived!" she exclaimed. "I can't tell you how happywe are, and how grateful!"
Lessingham raised her fingers to his lips.
"I am glad," he said simply. "Do you mean that he is in the house here,now?"
"He is in the dining room with Helen."
Lessingham for a moment was thoughtful.
"Don't you think," he suggested, "that it would be better to keep usapart?"
"I was wondering," she confessed.
"Have you told him about my bringing the letters?"
She shook her head.
"We nearly did. Then I stopped--I wasn't sure."
"You were wise," he said.
"Are you wise?" she asked him quickly.
"In coming back here?"
She nodded.
"Captain Griffiths knows everything," she reminded him. "He is simplyfurious because your arrest was interfered with. I really believe thathe is dangerous."
Lessingham was unmoved.
"I had to come back," he said simply.
"Why did you go away so suddenly?"
"Well, I had to do that, too," he replied, "only the governing causeswere very different. We will speak, if you do not mind, only of thecause which has brought me back. That I believe you know already."
Philippa was curiously afraid. She looked towards the door as thoughwith some vague hope of escape. She realised that the necessity fordecision had arrived.
"Philippa," he went on, "do you see what this is?"
He handed her two folded slips of paper. She started. At the top of oneshe recognised a small photograph of herself.
"What are they?" she asked. "What does it mean?"
"They are passports for America," he told her.
"For--for me?" she faltered.
"For you and me."
They slipped from her fingers. He picked them up from the carpet. Herface was hidden for a moment in her hands.
"I know so well how you are feeling," he said humbly. "I know howterrible a shock this must seem to you when it comes so near. You areso different from the other women who might do this thing. It is so muchharder for you than for them."
She lifted her head. There was still something of the look of a scaredchild in her face.
"Don't imagine me better than I am," she begged. "I am not reallydifferent from any other woman, only it is the first time this sort ofthing has ever come into my life."
"I know. You see," he went on, a little wistfully, "you have not takenme, as yet, very far into your confidence, Philippa. You know that Ilove you as a man loves only once. It sounds like an empty phrase to sayit, but if you will give me your life to take care of, I shall only haveone thought--to make you happy. Could I succeed? That is what you haveto ask yourself. You are not happy now. Do you think that, if you stayon here, the future is likely to be any better for you?"
She shook her head drearily.
"I believe," she confessed, "that I have reached the very limit of myendurance."
He came a little nearer. His hands rested upon her shoulders verylightly, yet they seemed like some enveloping chain. More than ever inthose few moments she realised the spiritual qualities of his face.His eyes were aglow. His voice, a little broken with emotion, waswonderfully tender. He looked at her as though she were some preciousand sacred thing.
"I am rich," he said, "and there are few parts of the world where wecould not live. We could find our way to the islands, like your greatwriter Stevenson in whom you delight so much; islands full of colour,and wonderful birds, and strange blue skies; islands where the peace ofthe tropics dulls memory, and time beats only in the heart. The world isa great place, Philippa, and there are corners where the sordid crime ofthis ghastly butchery has scarcely been heard of, where the horror andthe taint of it are as though they never existed, where the sun andmoon are still unashamed, and the grey monsters ride nowhere upon thesapphire seas."
"It sounds like a fairy tale," she murmured, with a half pathetic smile.
"Love always fashions life like a fairy tale," he replied.
She stood perfectly still.
"You must have my answer now, at this moment?" she asked at last.
"There are yet some hours," he told her. "I have a very powerfulautomobile here, and to-night there is a full moon. If we leave here atten o'clock, we can catch the steamer to-morrow afternoon. Everythinghas been made very easy for me. And fortune, too, is with us--yourvindictive commandant, Captain Griffiths, is in London. You see,you have the whole afternoon for thought. I want you only for yourhappiness. At ten o'clock I shall come here. If you are coming with me,you must be ready then. You understand?"
"I understand," she assented, under her breath. "And now," she wenton, raising her eyes, "somehow I think that you are right. It would bebetter for you and Dick not to meet."
"I am sure of it," he agreed. "I shall come for my answer at teno'clock. I wonder--"
He stood looking at her, his eyes hungry to find some sign in her face.There was so much kindness there, so much that might pass, even,for affection, and yet something which, behind it all, chilled hisconfidence. He left his sentence uncompleted and turned towards thedoor. Suddenly she called him back. She held up her finger. Her wholeexpression had changed. She was alarmed.
"Wait!" she begged. "I can hear Dick's voice. Wait till he has crossedthe hail."
They both stood, for a moment, quite silent. Then they heard a littleprotesting cry from Helen, and a good-humoured laugh from Richard. Thedoor was thrown open.
"You don't mind our coming through to the gun room, Phil?" her brotherasked. "We're not--My God!"
There was a queer silence, broken by Helen, who stood on the threshold,the picture of distress.
"I tried to get him to go the other way, Philippa."
Richard took a quick step forward. His hands were outstretched.
"Bertram!" he exclaimed. "Is this a miracle? You here with my sister?"
Lessingham held out his hand. Suddenly Richard dropped his. Hisexpression had become sterner.
"I don't understand," he said simply. "Somebody please explain."