"Lord Rotherby," she continued, "offered me the means to escape. He urged me to elope with him. His reason was that you would never consent to our marriage; but that if we took the matter into our hands, and were married first, we might depend upon your sanction afterwards; that you had too great a kindness for me to withhold your pardon. I was weak, my lord - womanish," (she threw the word at him again) "and it happened - God help me for a fool!- that I thought I loved Lord Rotherby. And so - and so - "She sat down again, weakly, miserably, averting her face that she might hide her tears. He was touched, and he even went so far as to show something of his sympathy. He approached her again, and laid a benign hand lightly upon her shoulder.
"But - but - in that case - Oh, the damned villain! - why this mock-parson?""Does your lordship not perceive? Must I die of shame? Do you not see?""See? No!" He was thoughtful a second; then repeated, "No!""I understood," she informed him, a smile - a cruelly bitter smile - lifting and steadying the corner of her lately quivering lip, "when he alluded to your lordship's straitened circumstances. He has no disinheritance to fear because he has no inheritance to look for beyond the entail, of which you cannot disinherit him. My Lord Rotherby sets a high value upon himself. He may - I do not know - he may have been in love with me - though not as I know love, which is all sacrifice, all self-denial. But by his lights he may have cared for me; he must have done, by his lights. Had I been a lady of fortune, not a doubt but he would have made me his wife; as it was, he must aim at a more profitable marriage, and meanwhile, to gratify his love for me - base as it was -he would - he would - O God! I cannot say it. You understand, my lord."My lord swore strenuously. "There is a punishment for such a crime as this.""Ay, my lord - and a way to avoid punishment for a gentleman in your son's position, even did I flaunt my shame in some vain endeavor to have justice - a thing he knew I never could have done."My lord swore again. "He shall be punished," he declared emphatically.
"No doubt. God will see to that," she said, a world of faith in her quivering voice.
My lord's eyes expressed his doubt of divine intervention. He preferred to speak for himself. "I'll disown the dog. He shall not enter my house again. You shall not be reminded of what has happened here. Gad! You were shrewd to have smoked his motives so!" he cried in a burst of admiration for her insight. "Gad, child! Shouldst have been a lawyer! Alawyer!"
"If it had not been for Mr. Caryll - " she began, but to what else she said he lent no ear, being suddenly brought back to his fears at the mention of that gentleman's name.
"Mr. Caryll! Save us! What is keeping him?" he cried. "Can they - can they - "The door opened, and Mr. Caryll walked in, ushered by the hostess. Both turned to confront him, Hortensia's eyes swollen from her weeping.
"Well?" quoth his lordship. "Did they find nothing?"Mr. Caryll advanced with the easy, graceful carriage that was one of his main charms, his clothes so skilfully restored by Leduc that none could have guessed the severity of the examination they had undergone.
"Since I am here, and alone, your lordship may conclude such to be the case. Mr. Green is preparing for departure. He is very abject; very chap-fallen. I am almost sorry for Mr. Green. I am by nature sympathetic. I have promised to make my complaint to my Lord Carteret. And so, I trust there is an end to a tiresome matter.""But then, sir?" quoth his lordship. "But then - are you the bearer of no letter?"Mr. Caryll shot a swift glance over his shoulder at the door.
He deliberately winked at the earl. "Did your lordship expect letters?" he inquired. "That was scarcely reason enough to suppose me a courier. There is some mistake, I imagine."Between the wink and the words his lordship was bewildered.
Mr. Caryll turned to the lady, bowing. Then he waved a hand over the downs. "A fine view," said he airily, and she stared at him. "I shall treasure sweet memories of Maidstone." Her stare grew stonier. Did he mean the landscape or some other matter? His tone was difficult to read - a feature peculiar to his tone.
"Not so shall I, sir," she made answer. "I shall never think of it other than with burning cheeks - unless it be with gratitude to your shrewdness which saved me.""No more, I beg. It is a matter painful to you to dwell on.
Let me exhort you to forget it. I have already done so.""That is a sweet courtesy in you."
"I am compounded of sweet courtesy," he informed her modestly.
His lordship spoke of departure, renewing his offer to carry Mr. Caryll to town in his chaise. Meanwhile, Mr. Caryll was behaving curiously. He was tiptoeing towards the door, along the wall, where he was out of line with the keyhole. He reached it suddenly, and abruptly pulled it open. There was a squeal, and Mr. Green rolled forward into the room. Mr. Caryll kicked him out again before he could rise, and called Leduc to throw him outside. And that was the last they saw of Mr. Green at Maidstone.
They set out soon afterwards, Mr. Caryll travelling in his lordship's chaise, and Leduc following in his master's.
It was an hour or so after candle-lighting time when they reached Croydon, the country lying all white under a full moon that sailed in a clear, calm sky. His lordship swore that he would go no farther that night. The travelling fatigued him;indeed, for the last few miles of the journey he had been dozing in his corner of the carriage, conversation having long since been abandoned as too great an effort on so bad a road, which shook and jolted them beyond endurance. His lordship's chaise was of an old-fashioned pattern, and the springs far from what might have been desired or expected in a nobleman's conveyance.
They alighted at the "Bells." His lordship bespoke supper, invited Mr. Caryll to join them, and, what time the meal was preparing, went into a noisy doze in the parlor's best chair.
