'Won'tyousayanythingmoreexplicit?'
'Iwouldrathernot。'
Somersetemittedhalfasigh:hewishedshehadbeenmoredemonstrative,yetfeltthatthispassivewayofassentingwasasmuchashecouldhopefor。Hadtherebeenanythingcoldinherpassivityhemighthavefeltrepressed;butherstillnesssuggestedthestillnessofmotionimperceptiblefromitsintensity。
'Wemustgoin,'saidshe。'Therainisalmostover,andthereisnolongeranyexcuseforthis。'
Somersetbenthislipstowardhers。'No,'saidthefairPuritandecisively。
'Whynot?'heasked。
'Nobodyeverhas。'
'But!——'expostulatedSomerset。
'Toeverythingthereisaseason,andtheseasonforthisisnotjustnow,'sheanswered,walkingaway。
Theycrossedthewetandglisteninglawn,steppedunderthetentandparted。Shevanished,hedidnotknowwhither;and,standingwithhisgazefixedonthedancers,theyoungmanwaited,till,beinginnomoodtojointhem,hewentslowlythroughtheartificialpassagelinedwithflowers,andenteredthedrawingroom。Mrs。Goodmanwasthere,biddinggood-nighttotheearlygoers,andPaulawasjustbehindher,apparentlyinherusualmood。Hispartingwithherwasquiteformal,butthathedidnotmind,forhercolourrosedecidedlyhigherasheapproached,andthelightinhereyeswasliketherayofadiamond。
WhenhereachedthedoorhefoundthathisbroughamfromtheQuantockArms,whichhadbeenwaitingmorethananhour,couldnotbeheardof。Thatvagrancyofspiritwhichloveinduceswouldnotpermithimtowait;and,leavingwordthatthemanwastofollowhimwhenhereturned,hewentpasttheglareofcarriage-lampsrankedintheward,andundertheouterarch。
Thenightwasnowclearandbeautiful,andhestrolledalonghiswayfullofmysteriouselationtillthevehicleovertookhim,andhegotin。
UptothispointSomerset'sprogressinhissuithadbeen,thoughincomplete,souninterrupted,thathealmostfearedthegoodchanceheenjoyed。Howshoulditbeinamortalofhiscalibretocommandsuccesswithsuchasweetwomanforlong?
Hemight,indeed,turnouttobeoneofthesingularexceptionswhicharesaidtoproverules;butwhenfortunemeanstomenmostgood,observesthebard,shelooksuponthemwithathreateningeye。Somersetwouldevenhavebeencontentthatalittledisapprovalofhiscourseshouldhaveoccurredinsomequarter,soastomakehiswooingmorelikeordinarylife。ButPaulawasnotclearlywon,andthatwasdrawbacksufficient。InthesepleasingagoniesandpainfuldelightshepassedthejourneytoMarkton。
BOOKTHESECOND。DAREANDHAVILL。
I。
YoungDaresatthoughtfullyatthewindowofthestudioinwhichSomersethadlefthim,tillthegayscenebeneathbecameembrownedbythetwilight,andthebrilliantredstripesofthemarquees,thebrightsunshades,themany-tintedcostumesoftheladies,wereindistinguishablefromtheblacksandgreysofthemasculinecontingentmovingamongthem。Hehadoccasionallyglancedawayfromtheoutwardprospecttostudyasmalloldvolumethatlaybeforehimonthedrawing-board。
Nearscrutinyrevealedthebooktobearthetitle'Moivre'sDoctrineofChances。'
TheeveninghadbeensostillthatDarehadheardconversationsfrombelowwithaclearnessunsuspectedbythespeakersthemselves;andamongthedialogueswhichthusreachedhisearswasthatbetweenSomersetandHavillontheirprofessionalrivalry。Whentheyparted,andSomersethadmingledwiththethrong,Havillwenttoaseatatadistance。
Afterwardsherose,andwalkedaway;butonthebenchhehadquittedthereremainedasmallobjectresemblingabookorleathercase。
Dareputawaythedrawing-boardandplotting-scaleswhichhehadkeptbeforehimduringtheeveningasareasonforhispresenceatthatpostofespial,lockedupthedoor,andwentdownstairs。NotwithstandinghisdismissalbySomerset,hewassosereneincountenanceandeasyingaitastomakeitafairconjecturethatprofessionalservitude,howeverprofitable,wasnonecessitywithhim。ThegloomnowrendereditpracticableforanyunbiddenguesttojoinPaula'sassemblagewithoutcriticism,andDarewalkedboldlyoutuponthelawn。
Thecrowdonthegrasswasrapidlydiminishing;thetennis-
playershadrelinquishedsport;manypeoplehadgoneintodinnerorsupper;andmanyothers,attractedbythecheerfulradianceofthecandles,weregatheringinthelargetentthathadbeenlightedupfordancing。
Darewenttothegarden-chaironwhichHavillhadbeenseated,andfoundthearticleleftbehindtobeapocket-book。
Whetherbecauseitwasunclaspedandfellopeninhishand,orotherwise,hedidnothesitatetoexaminethecontents。Amongamassofarchitect'scustomarymemorandaoccurredadraftoftheletterabusingPaulaasaniconoclastorVandalbyblood,whichhadappearedinthenewspaper:thedraftwassointerlinedandalteredastobearevidenceofbeingtheoriginalconceptionofthatungentlemanlyattack。
Theladreadtheletter,smiled,andstrolledaboutthegrounds,onlymetbyanoccasionalpairofindividualsofoppositesexindeepconversation,thestateofwhoseemotionsledthemtoprefertheeveningshadetothepublicityandglareofthetentsandrooms。Atlastheobservedthewhitewaistcoatofthemanhesought。
'Mr。Havill,thearchitect,Ibelieve?'saidDare。'Theauthorofmostofthenoteworthybuildingsinthisneighbourhood?'
Havillassentedblandly。
'Ihavelongwishedforthepleasureofyouracquaintance,andnowanaccidenthelpsmetomakeit。Thispocket-book,I
think,isyours?'
Havillclappedhishandtohispocket,examinedthebookDareheldouttohim,andtookitwiththanks。'IseeIamspeakingtotheartist,archaeologist,Gothicphotographer——
Mr。Dare。'
'ProfessorDare。'
'Professor?Pardonme,Ishouldnothaveguessedit——soyoungasyouare。'
'Well,itismerelyornamental;andintruth,IdropthetitleinEngland,particularlyunderpresentcircumstances。'
'Ah——theyarepeculiar,perhaps?Ah,Iremember。Ihaveheardthatyouareassistingagentlemaninpreparingadesigninoppositiontomine——adesign——'
'"Thatheisnotcompetenttopreparehimself,"youwereperhapsgoingtoadd?'
'Notpreciselythat。'
'Youcouldhardlybeblamedforsuchwords。However,youaremistaken。Ididassisthimtogainalittlefurtherinsightintotheworkingofarchitecturalplans;butourviewsonartareantagonistic,andIassisthimnomore。Mr。Havill,itmustbeveryprovokingtoawell-establishedprofessionalmantohavearivalsprungathiminagrandundertakingwhichhehadarighttoexpectashisown。'
Professionalsympathyisoftenacceptedfromthosewhosecondolenceonanydomesticmatterwouldbeconsideredintrusive。HavillwalkedupanddownbesideDareforafewmomentsinsilence,andatlastshowedthatthewordshadtold,bysaying:'Everyonemayhavehisopinion。HadIbeenastrangertothePowerfamily,thecasewouldhavebeendifferent;buthavingbeenspeciallyelectedbythelady'sfatherasacompetentadviserinsuchmatters,andthentobedegradedtothepositionofamerecompetitor,itwoundsmetothequick——'
'Bothinpurseandinperson,liketheill-usedhostessoftheGarter。'
'AladytowhomIhavebeenastaunchfriend,'continuedHavill,notheedingtheinterruption。
AtthatmomentsoundsseemedtocomefromDarewhichborearemarkableresemblancetothewords,'Ho,ho,Havill!'Itwashardlycredible,andyet,couldhebemistaken?Havillturned。Dare'seyewastwistedcomicallyupward。
'Whatdoesthatmean?'saidHavillcoldly,andwithsomeamazement。
'Ho,ho,Havill!"Staunchfriend"isgood——especiallyafter"aniconoclastandVandalbyblood"——"monstrosityintheformofaGreektemple,"andsoon,eh!'
'Sir,youhavetheadvantageofme。Perhapsyoualludetothatanonymousletter?'
'O-ho,Havill!'repeatedtheboy-man,turninghiseyesyetfurthertowardsthezenith。'Toanoutsidersuchconductwouldbenatural;buttoafriendwhofindsyourpocket-book,andlooksintoitbeforereturningit,andkindlyremovesaleafbearingthedraftofaletterwhichmightinjureyouifdiscoveredthere,andcarefullyconcealsitinhisownpocket——
why,suchconductisunkind!'Darehelduptheabstractedleaf。
Havilltrembled。'Icanexplain,'hebegan。
'Itisnotnecessary:wearefriends,'saidDareassuringly。
Havilllookedasifhewouldliketosnatchtheleafaway,butalteringhismind,hesaidgrimly:'Well,Itakeyouatyourword:wearefriends。ThatletterwasconcoctedbeforeI
knewofthecompetition:itwasduringmyfirstdisgust,whenIbelievedmyselfentirelysupplanted。'
'Iamnotintheleastsurprised。ButifsheknewYOUtobethewriter!'
'Ishouldberuinedasfarasthiscompetitionisconcerned,'
saidHavillcarelessly。'HadIknownIwastobeinvitedtocompete,Ishouldnothavewrittenit,ofcourse。Tobesupplantedishard;andtherebyhangsatale。'
'Anothertale?Youastonishme。'
'Thenyouhavenotheardthescandal,thougheverybodyistalkingaboutit。'
'Ascandalimpliesindecorum。'
'Well,'tisindecorous。Herinfatuatedpartialityforhimispatenttotheeyesofachild;amanshehasonlyknownafewweeks,andonewhoobtainedadmissiontoherhouseinthemostirregularmanner!Hadsheawatchfulfriendbesideher,insteadofthatmoonstruckMrs。Goodman,shewouldbecautionedagainstbestowingherfavoursonthefirstadventurerwhoappearsatherdoor。Itisapity,agreatpity!'
'O,thereislove-makinginthewind?'saidDareslowly。
'Thataltersthecaseforme。Butitisnotproved?'
'Itcaneasilybeproved。'
'Iwishitwere,ordisproved。'
'Youhaveonlytocomethiswaytoclearupalldoubts。'
Havilltooktheladtowardsthetent,fromwhichthestrainsofawaltznowproceeded,andonwhosesidesflittingshadowstoldoftheprogressofthedance。Thecompanionslookedin。
Therosysilkliningofthemarquee,andthenumerouscoronasofwaxlights,formedacanopytoaradiantscenewhich,fortwoatleastofthosewhocomposedit,wasanintoxicatingone。PaulaandSomersetweredancingtogether。
'Thatprovesnothing,'saidDare。
'Lookattheirraptfaces,andsayifitdoesnot,'sneeredHavill。
Dareobjectedtoajudgmentbasedonlooksalone。
'Verywell——timewillshow,'saidthearchitect,droppingthetent-curtain……'GoodGod!agirlworthfiftythousandandmoreayeartothrowherselfawayuponafellowlikethat——
sheoughttobewhipped。'
'TimemustNOTshow!'saidDare。
'Youspeakwithemphasis。'
'Ihavereason。Iwouldgivesomethingtobesureonthispoint,onewayortheother。Letuswaittillthedanceisover,andobservethemmorecarefully。Horensagenisthalbgelogen!Hearsayishalflies。'
Sheet-lightningsincreasedinthenorthernsky,followedbythunderliketheindistinctnoiseofabattle。HavillandDareretiredtothetrees。WhenthedanceendedSomersetandhispartneremergedfromthetent,andslowlymovedtowardsthetea-house。DiviningtheirgoalDareseizedHavill'sarm;
andthetwoworthiesenteredthebuildingunseen,byfirstpassingroundbehindit。Theyseatedthemselvesinthebackpartoftheinterior,wheredarknessprevailed。
Asbeforerelated,PaulaandSomersetcameandstoodwithinthedoor。Whentherainincreasedtheydrewthemselvesfurtherinward,theirformsbeingdistinctlyoutlinedtothegazeofthoselurkingbehindbythelightfromthetentbeyond。Butthehissofthefallingrainandthelownessoftheirtonespreventedtheirwordsfrombeingheard。
'Iwishmyselfoutofthis!'breathedHavilltoDare,ashebuttonedhiscoatoverhiswhitewaistcoat。'Itoldyouitwastrue,butyouwouldn'tbelieve。Iwouldn'tsheshouldcatchmehereeavesdroppingfortheworld!'
'Courage,ManFriday,'saidhiscoolercomrade。
Paulaandherloverbackedyetfurther,tillthehemofherskirttouchedHavill'sfeet。TheirattitudesweresufficienttoprovetheirrelationstothemostobstinateDidymuswhoshouldhavewitnessedthem。Tenderemotionsseemedtopervadethesummer-houselikeanaroma。Thecalmecstasyoftheconditionofatleastoneofthemwasnotwithoutacoerciveeffectuponthetwoinvidiousspectators,sothattheymustneedhaveremainedpassivehadtheycometheretodisturborannoy。TheserenityofPaulawasevenmoreimpressivethanthehushedardourofSomerset:shedidnotsatisfycuriosityasSomersetsatisfiedit;shepiquedit。PoorSomersethadreachedaperfectlyintelligibledepth——onewhichhadasingleblissfulwayoutofit,andninecalamitousones;butPaularemainedanenigmaallthroughthescene。
Therainceased,andthepairmovedaway。Theenchantmentworkedbytheirpresencevanished,thedetailsofthemeetingsettleddowninthewatchers'minds,andtheirtongueswereloosened。Dare,turningtoHavill,said,'Thankyou;youhavedonemeatimelyturnto-day。'
'What!hadyouhopesthatway?'askedHavillsatirically。
'I!Thewomanthatinterestsmyhearthasyettobeborn,'
saidDare,withasteelycoldnessstrangeinsuchajuvenile,andyetalmostconvincing。'ButthoughIhavenotpersonalhopes,Ihaveanobjectiontothiscourtship。NowIthinkwemayaswellfraternize,thesituationbeingwhatitis?'
'Whatisthesituation?"
'Heisinyourwayasherarchitect;heisinmywayasherlover:wedon'twanttohurthim,butwewishhimcleanoutoftheneighbourhood。'
'I'llgoasfarasthat,'saidHavill。
'Ihavecomehereatsometroubletomyself,merelytoobserve:IfindIoughttostaytoact。'
'Ifyouweremyself,amarriedmanwithpeopledependentonhim,whohashadaprofessionalcertaintyturnedtoamiserablyremotecontingencybytheseevents,youmightsayyououghttoact;butwhatconceivabledifferenceitcanmaketoyouwhoitistheyoungladytakestoherheartandhome,I
failtounderstand。'
'Well,I'lltellyou——thismuchatleast。Iwanttokeeptheplacevacantforanotherman。'
'Theplace?'
'TheplaceofhusbandtoMissPower,andproprietorofthatcastleanddomain。'
'That'saschemewithavengeance。Whoistheman?'
'Itismysecretatpresent。'
'Certainly。'Havilldrewadeepbreath,anddroppedintoatoneofdepression。'Well,schemeasyouwill,therewillbesmalladvantagetome,'hemurmured。'Thecastlecommissionisasgoodasgone,andabillfortwohundredpoundsfallsduenextweek。'
'Cheerup,heart!Myposition,ifyouonlyknewit,hastentimesthedifficultiesofyours,sincethisdisagreeablediscovery。Letusconsiderifwecanassisteachother。Thecompetitiondrawingsaretobesentin——when?'
'Insomethingoversixweeks——afortnightbeforeshereturnsfromtheScillyIsles,forwhichplacesheleaveshereinafewdays。'
'O,shegoesaway——that'sbetter。Ourloverwillbeworkinghereathisdrawings,andshenotpresent。'
'Exactly。Perhapssheisalittleashamedoftheintimacy。'
'Andifyourdesignisconsideredbestbythecommittee,hewillhavenofurtherreasonforstaying,assumingthattheyarenotdefinitelyengagedtomarrybythattime?'
'Isupposeso,'murmuredHavilldiscontentedly。'Theconditions,assenttome,statethatthedesignsaretobeadjudicatedonbythreemembersoftheInstitutecalledinforthepurpose;sothatshemayreturn,andhaveseemedtoshownofavour。'
'Thenitamountstothis:yourdesignMUSTbebest。Itmustcombinetheexcellencesofyourinventionwiththeexcellencesofhis。Meanwhileacoolnessshouldbemadetoarisebetweenherandhim:andastherewouldbenoartisticreasonforhispresencehereaftertheverdictispronounced,hewouldperforcehiebacktotown。Doyousee?'
'Iseetheingenuityoftheplan,butIalsoseetwoinsurmountableobstaclestoit。Thefirstis,Icannotaddtheexcellencesofhisdesigntominewithoutknowingwhatthoseexcellencesare,whichhewillofcoursekeepasecret。
Second,itwillnotbeeasytopromoteacoolnessbetweensuchhotonesasthey。'
'Youmakeamistake。Itisonlyhewhoissoardent。Sheisonlylukewarm。Ifwehadanyspirit,abargainwouldbestruckbetweenus:youwouldappropriatehisdesign;Ishouldcausethecoolness。'
'HowcouldIappropriatehisdesign?'
'Bycopyingit,Isuppose。'
'Copyingit?'
'Bygoingintohisstudioandlookingitover。'
HavillturnedtoDare,andstared。'ByGeorge,youdon'tstickattrifles,youngman。Youdon'tsupposeIwouldgointoaman'sroomsandstealhisinventionslikethat?'
'Iscarcelysupposeyouwould,'saidDareindifferently,asherose。
'AndifIwereto,'saidHavillcuriously,'howisthecoolnesstobecaused?'
'Bythesecondman。'
'Whoistoproducehim?'
'HerMajesty'sGovernment。'
Havilllookedmeditativelyathiscompanion,andshookhishead。'Intheseidlesuppositionswehavebeenassumingconductwhichwouldbequiteagainstmyprinciplesasanhonestman。'
II。
AfewdaysafterthepartyatStancyCastle,DarewaswalkingdowntheHighStreetofMarkton,acigarettebetweenhislipsandasilver-toppedcaneinhishand。Hiseyefelluponabrassplateonanoppositedoor,bearingthenameofMr。
Havill,Architect。Hecrossedover,andrangtheofficebell。
TheclerkwhoadmittedhimstatedthatMr。Havillwasinhisprivateroom,andwouldbedisengagedinashorttime。WhileDarewaitedtheclerkaffixedtothedoorapieceofpaperbearingthewords'Backat2,'andwentawaytohisdinner,leavingDareintheroomalone。
Darelookedatthedifferentdrawingsontheboardsabouttheroom。Theyallrepresentedonesubject,which,thoughunfinishedasyet,andbearingnoinscription,wasrecognizedbythevisitorasthedesignfortheenlargementandrestorationofStancyCastle。WhenhehadglanceditoverDaresatdown。
Thedoorsbetweentheofficeandprivateroomweredouble;buttheonetowardstheofficebeingonlyajarDarecouldhearaconversationinprogresswithin。Itpresentlyrosetoanaltercation,thetenorofwhichwasobvious。Somebodyhadcomeformoney。
'ReallyIcanstanditnolonger,Mr。Havill——reallyIwillnot!'saidthecreditorexcitedly。'Nowthisbilloverdueagain——whatcanyouexpect?Why,Imighthavenegotiatedit;
andwherewouldyouhavebeenthen?Insteadofthat,Ihavelockeditupoutofconsiderationforyou;andwhatdoIgetformyconsiderateness?Ishallletthelawtakeitscourse!'
'You'lldomeinexpressibleharm,andgetnothingwhatever,'
saidHavill。'Ifyouwouldrenewforanotherthreemonthstherewouldbenodifficultyinthematter。'
'Youhavesaidsobefore:Iwilldonosuchthing。'
Therewasasilence;whereuponDarearosewithouthesitation,andwalkedboldlyintotheprivateoffice。Havillwasstandingatoneend,asgloomyasathundercloud,andattheotherwastheunfortunatecreditorwithhishaton。ThoughDare'sentrysurprisedthem,bothpartiesseemedrelieved。
'Ihavecalledinpassingtocongratulateyou,Mr。Havill,'
saidDaregaily。'Suchacommissionashasbeenentrustedtoyouwillmakeyoufamous!'
'Howdoyoudo?——Iwishitwouldmakemerich,'saidHavilldrily。
'Itwillbealiftinthatdirection,fromwhatIknowoftheprofession。Whatisshegoingtospend?'
'Ahundredthousand。'
'Yourcommissionasarchitect,fivethousand。Notbad,formakingafewsketches。Considerwhatothergreatcommissionssuchaworkwillleadto。'
'Whatgreatworkisthis?'askedthecreditor。
'StancyCastle,'saidDare,sinceHavillseemedtooagapetoanswer。'Youhavenotheardofit,then?Thosearethedrawings,Ipresume,inthenextroom?'
Havillrepliedintheaffirmative,beginningtoperceivethemanoeuvre。'Perhapsyouwouldliketoseethem?'hesaidtothecreditor。
Thelatterofferednoobjection,andallthreewentintothedrawing-office。
'Itwillcertainlybeamagnificentstructure,'saidthecreditor,afterregardingtheelevationsthroughhisspectacles。'StancyCastle:Ihadnoideaofit!andwhendoyoubegintobuild,Mr。Havill?'heinquiredinmollifiedtones。
'Inthreemonths,Ithink?'saidDare,lookingtoHavill。
Havillassented。
'Fivethousandpoundscommission,'murmuredthecreditor。
'Paiddown,Isuppose?'
Havillnodded。
'Andtheworkswillnotlingerforlackofmoneytocarrythemout,Iimagine,'saidDare。'Twohundredthousandwillprobablybespentbeforetheworkisfinished。'
'Thereisnotmuchdoubtofit,'saidHavill。
'Yousaidnothingtomeaboutthis?'whisperedthecreditortoHavill,takinghimaside,withalookofregret。
'Youwouldnotlisten!'
'Italtersthecasegreatly。'ThecreditorretiredwithHavilltothedoor,andafterasubduedcolloquyinthepassagehewentaway,Havillreturningtotheoffice。
'Whatthedevildoyoumeanbyhoaxinghimlikethis,whenthejobisnomoreminethanInigoJones's?'
'Don'tbetoocurious,'saidDare,laughing。'Ratherthankmeforgettingridofhim。'
'Butitisallavision!'saidHavill,ruefullyregardingthepencilledtowersofStancyCastle。'Ifthecompetitionwerereallythecommissionthatyouhaverepresentedittobetheremightbesomethingtolaughat。'
'Itmustbemadeacommission,somehow,'returnedDarecarelessly。'Iamcometolendyoualittleassistance。I
muststayintheneighbourhood,andIhavenothingelsetodo。'
Acarriageslowlypassedthewindow,andHavillrecognizedthePowerliveries。'Hullo——she'scominghere!'hesaidunderhisbreath,asthecarriagestoppedbythekerb。'Whatdoesshewant,Iwonder?Dare,doessheknowyou?'
'Iwouldjustassoonbeoutoftheway。'
'Thengointothegarden。'
DarewentoutthroughthebackofficeasPaulawasshowninatthefront。Sheworeagreytravellingcostume,andseemedtobeinsomehaste。
'Iamonmywaytotherailway-station,'shesaidtoHavill。
'Ishallbeabsentfromhomeforseveralweeks,andsinceyourequestedit,Ihavecalledtoinquirehowyouaregettingonwiththedesign。'
'Pleaselookitover,'saidHavill,placingaseatforher。
'No,'saidPaula。'Ithinkitwouldbeunfair。IhavenotlookedatMr——theotherarchitect'splanssincehehasbeguntodesignseriously,andIwillnotlookatyours。Areyougettingonquitewell,anddoyouwanttoknowanythingmore?
Ifso,gotothecastle,andgetanybodytoassistyou。Whywouldyounotmakeuseoftheroomatyourdisposalinthecastle,astheotherarchitecthasdone?'
Inaskingthequestionherfacewastowardsthewindow,andsuddenlyhercheeksbecamearosyred。Sheinstantlylookedanotherway。
'Havingmyownofficesonear,itwasnotnecessary,thankyou,'repliedHavill,as,notinghercountenance,heallowedhisglancetostrayintothestreet。Somersetwaswalkingpastontheoppositeside。
'Thetimeis——thetimefixedforsendinginthedrawingsisthefirstofNovember,Ibelieve,'shesaidconfusedly;'andthedecisionwillbecometobythreegentlemenwhoareprominentmembersoftheInstituteofArchitects。'
Havillthenaccompaniedhertothecarriage,andshedroveaway。
HavillwenttothebackwindowtotellDarethatheneednotstayinthegarden;butthegardenwasempty。Thearchitectremainedaloneinhisofficeforsometime;attheendofaquarterofanhour,whenthescreamofarailwaywhistlehadechoeddownthestillstreet,hebeheldSomersetrepassingthewindowinadirectionfromtherailway,withsomewhatofasadgait。InanotherminuteDareentered,hummingthelatestairofOffenbach。
''Tisamerepieceofduplicity!'saidHavill。
'Whatis?'
'Herpretendingindifferenceastowhichofuscomesoutsuccessfulinthecompetition,whenshecolourscarminethemomentSomersetpassesby。'HedescribedPaula'svisit,andtheincident。
'ItmaynotmeanCupid'sEntireXXXafterall,'saidDarejudicially。'Themeresuspicionthatacertainmanlovesherwouldmakeagirlblushathisunexpectedappearance。Well,she'sgonefromhimforatime;thebetterforyou。'
'Hehasbeenprivilegedtoseeheroffatanyrate。'
'Notprivileged。'
'Howdoyouknowthat?'
'Iwentoutofyourgardenbythebackgate,andfollowedhercarriagetotherailway。Hesimplywenttothefirstbridgeoutsidethestation,andwaited。Whenshewasinthetrain,itmovedforward;hewasallexpectation,anddrewouthishandkerchiefreadytowave,whileshelookedoutofthewindowtowardsthebridge。Thetrainbackedbeforeitreachedthebridge,toattachtheboxcontainingherhorses,andthecarriage-truck。Thenitstartedforgood,andwhenitreachedthebridgeshelookedoutagain,hewavinghishandkerchieftoher。'
'Andshewavinghersback?'
'No,shedidn't。'
'Ah!'
'Shelookedathim——nothingmore。Iwouldn'tgivemuchforhischance。'AfterawhileDareaddedmusingly:'Youareamathematician:didyoueverinvestigatethedoctrineofexpectations?'
'Never。'
Daredrewfromhispockethis'BookofChances,'avolumeaswellthumbedastheminister'sBible。'Thisisatreatiseonthesubject,'hesaid。'Iwillteachittoyousomeday。'
ThesameeveningHavillaskedDaretodinewithhim。Hewasjustatthistimelivingengarcon,hiswifeandchildrenbeingawayonavisit。Afterdinnertheysatontilltheirfaceswereratherflushed。Thetalkturned,asbefore,onthecastle-competition。
'Toknowhisdesignistowin,'saidDare。'AndtowinistosendhimbacktoLondonwherehecamefrom。'
HavillinquiredifDarehadseenanysketchofthedesignwhilewithSomerset?
'Notaline。Iwasconcernedonlywiththeoldbuilding。'
'Nottoknowitistolose,undoubtedly,'murmuredHavill。
'Supposewegoforawalkthatway,insteadofconsultinghere?'
Theywentdownthetown,andalongthehighway。Whentheyreachedtheentrancetotheparkamandrivingabasket-
carriagecameoutfromthegateandpassedthembyinthegloom。
'Thatwashe,'saidDare。'Hesometimesdrivesoverfromthehotel,andsometimeswalks。Hehasbeenworkinglatethisevening。'
Strollingonunderthetreestheymetthreemasculinefigures,laughingandtalkingloudly。
'Thosearethethreefirst-classLondondraughtsmen,Bowles,Knowles,andCockton,whomhehasengagedtoassisthim,regardlessofexpense,'continuedDare。
'OLord!'groanedHavill。'There'snochanceforme。'
Thecastlenowarosebeforethem,endowedbytheraylessshadewithamoremassivemajestythaneithersunlightormoonlightcouldimpart;andHavillsighedagainashethoughtofwhathewaslosingbySomerset'srivalry。'Well,whatwastheuseofcominghere?'heasked。
'Ithoughtitmightsuggestsomething——somewayofseeingthedesign。Theservantswouldletusintohisroom,Idaresay。'
'Idon'tcaretoask。Letuswalkthroughthewards,andthenhomeward。'
Theysaunteredonsmoking,Dareleadingthewaythroughthegate-houseintoacorridorwhichwasnotinclosed,alamphangingatthefurtherend。
'Wearegettingintotheinhabitedpart,Ithink,'saidHavill。
Dare,however,hadgoneon,andknowingthetortuouspassagesfromhisfewdays'experienceinmeasuringthemwithSomerset,hecametothebutler'spantry。Dareknocked,andnobodyansweringheentered,tookdownakeywhichhungbehindthedoor,andrejoinedHavill。'Itisallright,'hesaid。'Thecat'saway;andthemiceareatplayinconsequence。'
Proceedingupastonestaircaseheunlockedthedoorofaroominthedark,struckalightinside,andreturningtothedoorcalledinawhispertoHavill,whohadremainedbehind。'ThisisMr。Somerset'sstudio,'hesaid。
'Howdidyougetpermission?'inquiredHavill,notknowingthatDarehadseennoone。
'Anyhow,'saidDarecarelessly。'Wecanexaminetheplansatleisure;foriftheplacidMrs。Goodman,whoistheonlyoneathome,seesthelight,shewillonlythinkitisSomersetstillatwork。'
Dareuncoveredthedrawings,andyoungSomerset'sbrain-workforthelastsixweekslayundertheireyes。ToDare,whowastoocursorytotroublehimselfbyenteringintosuchdetails,ithadverylittlemeaning;butthedesignshoneintoHavill'sheadlikealightintoadarkplace。Itwasoriginal;anditwasfascinating。ItsoriginalitylaypartlyinthecircumstancethatSomersethadnotattemptedtoadaptanoldbuildingtothewantsofthenewcivilization。Hehadplacedhisnewerectionbesideitasaslightlyattachedstructure,harmonizingwiththeold;heighteningandbeautifying,ratherthansubduingit。Hisworkformedapalace,witharuinouscastleannexedasacuriosity。ToHavilltheconceptionhadmorecharmthanitcouldhavetothemostappreciativeoutsider;forwhenamediocreandjealousmindthathasbeencudgellingitselfoveraproblemcapableofmanysolutions,lightsonthesolutionofarival,allpossibilitiesinthatkindseemtomergeintheonebeheld。
Darewasstruckbythearrestedexpressionofthearchitect'sface。'Isitrathergood?'heasked。
'Yes,rather,'saidHavill,subduinghimself。
'Morethanrather?'