Stoopingandfumblingonthefloor,hepickeduphishat。Christianhadalreadyvanished;thesoundofherhurryingfootstepswasdistinctlyaudibleatthetopofthedarkstairs。HerrPaulstoodstillaminute。
"Looktoyourself,mydearfriend!"hesaidinathickvoice,gropingforthewall。Plantinghishataskewonhishead,hebeganslowlytodescendthestairs。
XV
NicholasTreffrysatreadingthepaperinhisroombythelightofalampwithagreenshade;onhissoundfoottheterrierScruffwasasleepandsnoringlightly——thedoghabituallycamedownwhenGretawasinbed,andremainedtillMr。Treffry,alwaysthelatestmemberofthehousehold,retiredtorest。
Throughthelongwindowalittleriveroflightshoneoutontheverandatiles,and,flowingpast,cutthegardenintwo。
Therewasthesoundofhurriedfootsteps,arustlingofdraperies;
Christian,runningthroughthewindow,stoodbeforehim。
Mr。Treffrydroppedhispaper,suchafuryofpassionandalarmshoneinthegirl’seyes。
"Chris!Whatisit?"
"Hateful!"
"Chris!"
"Oh!Uncle!He’sinsulted,threatened!AndIlovehislittlefingermorethanallthe,world!"
Herpassionatevoicetrembled,hereyeswereshining。
Mr。Treffry’sprofounddiscomfortfoundventinthegruffwords:"Sitdown!"
"I’llneverspeaktoFatheragain!Oh!Uncle!Ilovehim!"
Quietintheextremityofhisdisturbance,Mr。Treffryleanedforwardinhischair,restedhisbighandsonitsarms,andstaredather。
Chris!Herewasawomanhedidnotknow!Hislipsmovedundertheheavydroopofhismoustache。Thegirl’sfacehadsuddenlygrownwhite。Shesankdownonherknees,andlaidhercheekagainsthishand。Hefeltitwet;andalumproseinhisthroat。Drawinghishandaway,hestaredatit,andwipeditwithhissleeve。
"Don’tcry!"hesaid。
Sheseizeditagainandclungtoit;thatclutchseemedtofillhimwithsuddenrage。
"What’sthematter?HowthedevilcanIdoanythingifyoudon’ttellme?"
Shelookedupathim。Thedistressofthelastdays,thepassionandfearofthelasthour,thetideofthatnewlifeofthespiritandtheflesh,stirringwithinher,flowedoutinastreamofwords。
Whenshehadfinished,therewassodeadasilencethattheflutteringofamothroundthelampcouldbeheardplainly。
Mr。Treffryraisedhimself,crossedtheroom,andtouchedthebell。
"Tellthegroom,"hesaidtoDominique,"toputthehorsesto,andhave’emroundatonce;bringmyoldboots;wedriveallnight……"
Hisbentfigurelookedhuge,bodyandlegsoutlinedbylight,headandshoulderstoweringintoshadow。"Heshallhavearunforhismoney!"hesaid。Hiseyesstareddownsombrelyathisniece。"It’smorethanhedeserves!——it’smorethanyoudeserve,Chris。Sitdownthereandwritetohim;tellhimtoputhimselfentirelyinmyhands。"Heturnedhisbackonher,andwentintohisbedroom。
Christianrose,andsatdownatthewriting—table。Awhisperstartledher。ItcamefromDominique,whowasholdingoutapairofboots。
"M’mselleChris,whatisthis?——torunaboutallnight?"ButChristiandidnotanswer。
"M’mselleChris,areyouill?"Thenseeingherface,heslippedawayagain。
Shefinishedherletterandwentouttothecarriage。Mr。Treffrywasseatedunderthehood。
"Shan’twantyou,"hecalledouttothegroom,"Getup,Dominique。"
Christianthrustherletterintohishand。"Givehimthat,"shesaid,clingingtohisarmwithsuddenterror。"Oh!Uncle!dotakecare!"
"Chris,ifIdothisforyou——"Theylookedwistfullyatoneanother。Then,shakinghishead,Mr。Treffrygatheredupthereins。
"Don’tfret,mydear,don’tfret!Whoa,mare!"
Thecarriagewithajerkplungedforwardintodarkness,curvedwithacrunchofwheels,andvanished,swingingbetweentheblacktreepillarsattheentrance……
Christianstood,strainingtocatchthefailingsoundofthehoofs。
Downthepassagecameaflutterofwhitegarments;softlimbsweretwinedabouther,someendsofhairfellonherface。
"Whatisit,Chris?Wherehaveyoubeen?WhereisUncleNicgoing?
Tellme!"
Christiantoreherselfaway。"Idon’tknow,"shecried,"Iknownothing!"
Gretastrokedherface。"PoorChris!"shemurmured。Herbarefeetgleamed,herhairshonegoldagainsthernightdress。"Cometobed,poorChris!"
Christianlaughed。"Youlittlewhitemoth!FeelhowhotIam!
You’llburnyourwings!"
Harzhadlaindown,fullydressed。Hewasnolongerangry,butfeltthathewouldratherdiethanyield。Presentlyheheardfootstepscomingupthestairs。
"M’sieu!"
ItwasthevoiceofDominique,whoseface,illuminedbyamatch,woreanexpressionofironicaldisgust。
"Mymaster,"hesaid,"makesyouhiscompliments;hesaysthereisnotimetowaste。Youaretopleasecomeanddrivewithhim!"
"Yourmasterisverykind。TellhimI’minbed。"
"Ah,M’sieu,"saidDominique,grimacing,"Imustnotgobackwithsuchananswer。Ifyouwouldnotcome,Iwastogiveyouthis。"
HarzbrokethesealandreadChristian’sletter。
"Iwillcome,"hesaid。
Aclockwasstrikingastheywentoutthroughthegate。FromwithinthedarkcaveofthephaetonhoodMr。Treffrysaidgruffly:"Comealong,sir!"
Harzflunghisknapsackin,andfollowed。
Hiscompanion’sfigureswayed,thewhiplashslidsoftlyalongtheflankoftheoffhorse,and,asthecarriagerattledforward,Mr。
Treffrycalledout,asifbyafterthought:"Hallo,Dominique!"
Dominque’svoice,shakenandironical,answeredfrombehind:"M’
v’la,M’sieu!"
Inthelongstreetofsilenthouses,mensittinginthelightedcafesturnedwithglassesattheirlipstostareafterthecarriage。Thenarrowriveroftheskyspreadsuddenlytoavast,limpidoceantremulouswithstars。TheyhadturnedintotheroadforItaly。
Mr。Treffrytookapullathishorses。"Whoa,mare!Doggeddoesit!"
andthenearhorse,throwingupherhead,whinnied;afleckoffoamdriftedintoHarz’sface。
Thepainterhadcomeonimpulse;becauseChristianhadtoldhimto,notofhisownfreewill。Hewasangrywithhimself,woundedinself—esteem,forhavingallowedanyonetorenderhimthisservice。
Thesmoothswiftmovementthroughvelvetblacknesssplashedoneitherhandwiththeflyinglamp—light;thestrongsweetairblowinginhisface—airthathadkissedthetopsofmountainsandstolentheirspirit;thesnortandsnuffleofthehorses,andcrisprattlingoftheirhoofs——allthissoonrousedinhimanotherfeeling。HelookedatMr。Treffry’sprofile,withitstuftedchin;atthegreyroadadventuringindarkness;atthepurplemassofmountainspiledaboveit。Allseemedutterlyunreal。
Asifsuddenlyawarethathehadaneighbour,Mr。Treffryturnedhishead。"Weshalldobetterthanthispresently,"hesaid,"bitofaslopecoming。Haven’thad’emoutforthreedays。Whoa—mare!
Steady!"
"Whyareyoutakingthistroubleforme?"askedHarz。
"I’manoldchap,Mr。Harz,andanoldchapmaydoastupidthingonceinawhile!"
"Youareverygood,"saidHarz,"butIwantnofavours。"
Mr。Treffrystaredathim。
"Justso,"hesaiddrily,"butyouseethere’smyniecetobethoughtof。Lookhere!We’renotatthefrontieryet,Mr。Harz,byfortymiles;it’slongoddswedon’tgetthere——so,don’tspoilsport!"Hepointedtotheleft。
Harzcaughttheglintofsteel。Theywerealreadycrossingtherailway。Thesighofthetelegraphwiresflutteredabovethem。
"Hear’em,"saidMr。Treffry,"butifwegetawayupthemountains,we’lldoyet!"Theyhadbeguntorise,thespeedslackened。Mr。
Treffryrummagedoutaflask。
"Notbadstuff,Mr。Harz——tryit。Youwon’t?Mother’smilk!Finenight,eh?"Belowthemthevalleywaslitbywebsofmilkymistliketheglimmerofdewongrass。
Thesetwomensittingsidebyside——unlikeinface,age,stature,thought,andlife——begantofeeldrawntowardseachother,asif,intherollingofthewheels,thesnortingofthehorses,thehugedarkspace,thehugeuncertainty,theyhadfoundsomethingtheycouldenjoyincommon。The,steamfromthehorses’flanksandnostrilsenvelopedthemwithanodourasofglue。
"Yousmoke,Mr。Harz?"
Harztooktheprofferedweed,andlighteditfromtheglowingtipofMr。Treffry’scigar,bylightofwhichhisheadandhatlookedlikesomegiantmushroom。Suddenlythewheelsjoltedonarubbleofloosestones;thecarriagewasswungsideways。Thescaredhorses,strainingasunder,leapedforward,andspeddownwards,inthedarkness。
Pastrocks,trees,dwellings,pastalightedhousethatgleamedandvanished。Withaclinkandclatter,aflirtofdustandpebbles,andthesidelampsthrowingoutafriskyorangeblink,thecarriagedasheddown,sinkingandrisinglikeaboatcrossingbillows。Theworldseemedtorockandsway;todanceup,andbeflungflatagain。
Onlythestarsstoodstill。
Mr。Treffry,puttingonthebrake,mutteredapologetically:"Alittleouto’hand!"
Suddenlywithaheadlongdive,thecarriageswayedasifitwouldflyinpieces,slitheredalong,andwithajerksteadieditself。Harzliftedhisvoiceinashoutofpureexcitement。Mr。Treffryletoutashortshakyhowl,andfrombehindthereroseawail。Butthehillwasoverandthestartledhorseswerecanteringwithafree,smoothmotion。Mr。TreffryandHarzlookedateachother。
XVII
Mr。Treffrysaidwithasortoflaugh:"Neargo,eh?Youdrive?No?
That’sapity!Brokenmostofmybonesatthegame——nothinglikeit!"Eachfeltakindofadmirationfortheotherthathehadnotfeltbefore。PresentlyMr。Treffrybegan:"Lookhere,Mr。Harz,mynieceisaslipofathing,withallayounggirl’snotions!Whathaveyougottogiveher,eh?Yourself?That’ssurelynotenough;
mindthis——sixmonthsaftermarriageweallturnoutmuchthesame——aselfishlot!Nottomentionthisanarchistaffair!
You’renotofherblood,norofherwayoflife,noranything——it’stakingchances——and——"hishandcamedownontheyoungman’sknee,"I’mfondofher,yousee。"
"Ifyouwereinmyplace,"saidHarz,"wouldyougiveherup?"
Mr。Treffrygroaned。"Lordknows!"
"Menhavemadethemselvesbeforenow。Forthosewhodon’tbelieveinfailure,there’snosuchthing。Supposeshedoessufferalittle?
Willitdoheranyharm?Fairweatherloveisnogood。"
Mr。Treffrysighed。
"Bravewords,sir!You’llpardonmeifI’mtoooldtounderstand’emwhenthey’reusedaboutmyniece。"
Hepulledthehorsesup,andpeeredintothedarkness。"We’regoingthroughthisbitquietly;iftheylosetrackofusheresomuchthebetter。Dominique!putoutthelamps。Soho,mybeauties!"Thehorsespacedforwardatawalkthemuffledbeatoftheirhoofsinthedusthardlybrokethehush。Mr。Treffrypointedtotheleft:"It’llbeanotherthirty—fivemilestothefrontier。"
Theypassedthewhitewashedhouses,andvillagechurchwithitssentinelcypress—trees。Afrogwascroakinginarunlet;therewasafaintspicyscentoflemons。Butnothingstirred。
Itwaswoodnowoneitherside,thehighpines,breathingtheirfragranceoutintothedarkness,and,likeghostsamongstthem,thesilverstemsofbirch—trees。
Mr。Treffrysaidgruffly:"Youwon’tgiveherup?Herhappinessmeansalottome。"
"Toyou!"saidHarz:"tohim!AndIamnothing!DoyouthinkI
don’tcareforherhappiness?Isitacrimeformetoloveher?"
"Almost,Mr。Harz——considering……"
"ConsideringthatI’venomoney!Alwaysmoney!"
TothissneerMr。Treffrymadenoanswer,cluckingtohishorses。
"Myniecewasbornandbredalady,"hesaidatlast。"IaskyouplainlyWhatpositionhaveyougottogiveher?"
"Ifshemarriesme,"saidHarz,"shecomesintomyworld。YouthinkthatI’macommon……"
Mr。Treffryshookhishead:"Answermyquestion,youngman。"
Butthepainterdidnotanswerit,andsilencefell。
Alightbreezehadsprungup;thewhisperinginthetrees,therollingofthewheelsinthisnightprogress,thepine—druggedair,sentHarztosleep。Whenhewokeitwastothesametune,variedbyMr。Treffry’suneasysnoring;thereinswerehangingloose,and,peeringout,hesawDominiqueshufflingalongatthehorses’heads。
Hejoinedhim,and,oneoneachside,theyploddedupandup。Ahazehadbeguntobathethetrees,thestarsburntdim,theairwascolder。Mr。Treffrywokecoughing。Itwaslikesomelongnightmare,thisinterminableexperienceofmuffledsoundsandshapes,ofperpetualmotion,conceived,andcarriedoutindarkness。Butsuddenlythedaybroke。Heraldedbythesnuffleofthehorses,lightbeganglimmeringoverachaosoflinesandshadows,paleasmother—
o’—pearl。Thestarsfaded,andinasmoulderingzigzagthedawnfledalongthemountaintops,flingingoutlittleislesofcloud。Fromalake,curledinahollowlikeapatchofsmoke,camethecryofawater—bird。Acuckoostartedasoftmocking;andclosetothecarriagealarkflewup。Beastsandmenalikestoodstill,drinkingintheair—sweetwithsnowsanddew,andvibratingfaintlywiththerunningofthewaterandtherustlingoftheleaves。
ThenighthadplayedsadtrickswithMr。NicholasTreffry;hishatwasgreywithdust;hischeeksbrownish—purple,therewereheavypouchesbeneathhiseyes,whichstaredpainfully。
"We’llcallahalt,"hesaid,"andgivethegeestheirgrub,poorthings。Canyoufindsomewater,Mr。Harz?There’sarubberbucketinbehind。
Can’tgetaboutmyselfthismorning;makethatlazyfellowofminestirhisstumps。"
Harzsawthathehaddrawnoffoneofhisboots,andstretchedthefootoutonacushion。
"You’renotfittogofarther,"hesaid;"you’reill。"
"Ill!"repliedMr。Treffry;"notabitofit!"
Harzlookedathim,thencatchingupthebucket,madeoffinsearchofwater。Whenhecamebackthehorseswerefeedingfromanindia—
rubbertroughslungtothepole;theystretchedtheirheadstowardsthebucket,pushingasideeachother’snoses。
Theflameintheeasthaddied,butthetopsofthelarcheswerebathedinagentleradiance;andthepeaksaheadwerelikeamber。
Everywherewerethreadsofwater,threadsofsnow,andlittlethreadsofdewygreen,glisteninglikegossamer。
Mr。Treffrycalledout:"Givemeyourarm,Mr。Harz;I’dliketoshakethereefsoutofme。Whenonecomestostandoverattheknees,it’snosucheasymatter,eh?"Hegroanedasheputhisfootdown,andgrippedtheyoungman’sshoulderasinavise。Presentlyheloweredhimselfontoastone。
"’Allovernow!’asChriswouldsaywhenshewaslittle;nastytempershehadtoo——kickandscreamonthefloor!Neverlastedlongthough……’Kissher!takeherup!showherthepictures!’AmazingfondofpicturesChriswas!"HelookeddubiouslyatHarz;thentookalongpullathisflask。"Whatwouldthedoctorsay?Whiskyatfourinthemorning!Well!ThanktheLordDoctorsaren’talwayswithus。"Sittingonthestone,withonehandpressedagainsthisside,andtheothertiltinguptheflask,hewasgreyfromheadtofoot。
Harzhaddroppedontoanotherstone。He,too,waswornoutbytheexcitementandfatigue,comingsosoonafterhisillness。Hisheadwaswhirling,andthenextthingherememberedwasatreewalkingathim,turninground,yellowfromtherootsup;everythingseemedyellow,evenhisownfeet。Somebodyoppositetohimwasjumpingupanddown,agreybear——withahat——Mr。Treffry!Hecried:"Ha—
alloo!"Andthefigureseemedtofallanddisappear……
WhenHarzcametohimselfahandwaspouringliquorintohismouth,andawetclothwasmuffledroundhisbrows;anoiseofhummingandhoofsseemedfamiliar。Mr。Treffryloomedupalongside,smokingacigar;hewasmuttering:"Alowtrick,Paul——bitofmymind!"Then,asifacurtainhadbeensnatchedaside,thevisionbeforeHarzclearedagain。Thecarriagewaswindingbetweenuneven,black—eavedhouses,pastdoorwaysfromwhichgoatsandcowswerecomingout,withbellsontheirnecks。Black—eyedboys,andhereandthereadrowsymanwithalong,cherry—stemmedpipebetwenhisteeth,stoodasidetostare。
Mr。Treffryseemedtohavetakenanewleaseofstrength;likeanangryolddog,hestaredfromsidetoside。"Mybone!"heseemedtosay:"let’sseewho’sgoingtotouchit!"
Thelasthousevanished,glowingintheearlysunshine,andthecarriagewithitstrailofdustbecameentombedoncemoreinthegloomoftalltrees,alongaroadthatcleftawildernessofmossgrownrocks,anddewystems,throughwhichthesunhadnotyetdrivenpaths。
Dominiquecameroundtothem,bearingappearanceofonewhohasseenbetterdays,andapotofcoffeebrewedonaspiritlamp。Breakfast——hesaid——wasserved!
Theearsofthehorsesweretwitchingwithfatigue。Mr。Treffrysaidsadly:"IfIcanseethisthrough,youcan。Geton,mybeauties!"
Assoonasthesunstruckthroughthetrees,Mr。Treffry’sstrengthebbedagain。Heseemedtosuffergreatly;butdidnotcomplain。
Theyhadreachedthepassatlast,andtheuncheckedsunlightwasstreamingdownwithablindingglare。
"Jumpup!"Mr。Treffrycriedout。"We’llmakeafinishofit!"andhegavethereinsajerk。Thehorsesflunguptheirheads,andthebleakpasswithitscirclingcrownofjaggedpeakssoonslippedaway。
Betweenthehousesontheverytop,theypassedataslowtrot;andsoonbeganslantingdowntheotherside。Mr。Treffrybroughtthemtoahaltwhereamuletrackjoinedtheroad。
"That’sallIcandoforyou;you’dbetterleavemehere,"hesaid。
"Keepthistrackdowntotheriver——gosouth——you’llbeinItalyinacoupleofhours。GetrailatFeltre。Money?Yes?Well!"Heheldouthishand;Harzgrippedit。
"Giveherup,eh?"
Harzshookhishead。
"No?Thenit’s’pulldevil,pullbaker,’betweenus。Good—bye,andgoodlucktoyou!"Andmusteringhisstrengthforalastattemptatdignity,Mr。Treffrygatheredupthereins。
Harzwatchedhisfigurehuddledagainbeneaththehood。Thecarriagemovedslowlyaway。
XVIII
AtVillaRubeinpeoplewentabout,avoidingeachotherasifdetectedinconspiracy。MissNaylor,whoforaninscrutablereasonhadputonherbestfrock,apurple,relievedatthechestwithbird’s—eyeblue,conveyedanimpressionoftryingtocountachickenwhichranabouttoofast。WhenGretaaskedwhatshehadlostshewasheardtomutter:"Mr。——Needlecase。
Christian,withbigcirclesroundhereyes,satsilentatherlittletable。Shehadhadnosleep。HerrPaulcomingintotheroomaboutnoongaveherafurtivelookandwentoutagain;afterthishewenttohisbedroom,tookoffallhisclothes,flungthempassionatelyonebyoneintoafootbath,andgotintobed。
"Imightbeacriminal!"hemutteredtohimself,whilethebuttonsofhisgarmentsrattledonthebath。
"AmIherfather?HaveIauthority?DoIknowtheworld?Bssss!I
mightbeafrog!"
Mrs。Decie,havingcausedherselftobeannounced,foundhimsmokingacigar,andcountingthefliesontheceiling。
"Ifyouhavereallydonethis,Paul,"shesaidinarestrainedvoice,"youhavedoneaveryunkindthing,andwhatisworse,youhavemadeusallridiculous。Butperhapsyouhavenotdoneit?"
"Ihavedoneit,"criedHerrPaul,staringdreadfully:"Ihavedoneit,Itellyou,Ihavedoneit——"
"Verywell,youhavedoneit——andwhy,pray?Whatconceivablegoodwasthereinit?IsupposeyouknowthatNicholashasdrivenhimtothefrontier?Nicholasisprobablymoredeadthanalivebythistime;youknowhisstateofhealth。"
HerrPaul’sfingersplougheduphisbeard。
"Nicholasismad——andthegirlismad!Leavemealone!Iwillnotbemadeangry;doyouunderstand?Iwillnotbeworried——Iamnotfitforit。"Hisprominentbrowneyesstaredroundtheroom,asiflookingforawayofescape。
"IfImayprophesy,youwillbeworriedagooddeal,"saidMrs。Deciecoldly,"beforeyouhavefinishedwiththisaffair。"
Theanxious,uncertainglancewhichHerrPaulgaveheratthesewordsrousedanunwillingfeelingofcompunctioninher。
"Youarenotmadefortheoutragedfatherofthefamily,"shesaid。
"Youhadbettergiveuptheattitude,Paul;itdoesnotsuityou。"
HerrPaulgroaned。
"Isupposeitisnotyourfault,"sheadded。
Justthenthedoorwasopened,andFritz,withanairofsayingtherightthing,announced:
"Agentlemanofthepolicetoseeyou,sir。"
HerrPaulbounded。
"Keephimout!"hecried。
Mrs。Decie,coveringherlips,disappearedwitharustlingofsilk;
inherplacestoodastiffmaninblue……
Thusthemorningdraggeditselfawaywithoutanyonebeingabletosettletoanything,exceptHerrPaul,whowassettledinbed。Aswasfittinginahousethathadlostitssoul,mealswereneglected,evenbythedog。
Aboutthreeo’clockatelegramcameforChristian,containingthesewords:"Allright;selfreturnsto—morrow。Treffry。"Afterreadingitsheputonherhatandwentout,followedcloselybyGreta,who,whenshethoughtthatshewouldnotbesentaway,ranupfrombehindandpulledherbythesleeve。
"Letmecome,Chris——Ishallnottalk。"
Thetwogirlswalkedontogether。WhentheyhadgonesomedistanceChristiansaid:
"I’mgoingtogethispictures,andtakechargeofthem!"
"Oh!"saidGretatimidly。
"Ifyouareafraid,"saidChristian,"youhadbettergobackhome。"
"Iamnotafraid,Chris,"saidGretameekly。
Neithergirlspokeagaintilltheyhadtakenthepathalongthewall。
Overthetopsofthevinestheheatwasdancing。
"Thesun—fairiesareonthevines!"murmuredGretatoherself。
Attheoldhousetheystopped,andChristian,breathingquickly,pushedthedoor;itwasimmovable。
"Look!"saidGreta,"theyhavescrewedit!"Shepointedoutthreescrewswitharosy—tippedforefinger。
Christianstampedherfoot。
"Wemustn’tstandhere,"shesaid;"let’ssitonthatbenchandthink。"
"Yes,"murmuredGreta,"letusthink。"Danglinganendofhair,sheregardedChristianwithherwideblueeyes。
"Ican’tmakeanyplan,"Christiancriedatlast,"whileyoustareatmelikethat。"
"Iwasthinking,"saidGretahumbly,"iftheyhavescreweditup,perhapsweshallscrewitdownagain;thereisthebigscrew—driverofFritz。"
"Itwouldtakealongtime;peoplearealwayspassing。"
"Peopledonotpassintheevening,"murmuredGreta,"becausethegateatourendisalwaysshut。"
Christianrose。
"Wewillcomethisevening,justbeforethegateisshut。"
"But,Chris,howshallwegetbackagain?"
"Idon’tknow;Imeantohavethepictures。"
"Itisnotahighgate,"murmuredGreta。