第9章

"Love you!" she repeated."Love you," she continued, bowing her brown head over her hanging arms and clasped hands."What then has brought me to this? Oh," she said suddenly, again seizing him by his two arms, and holding him from her with a half-prudish, half-passionate gesture, "why could you not have left things as they were; why could we not have met in the same old way we used to meet, when I was so foolish and so happy? Why could you spoil that one dream I have clung to? Why didn't you leave me those few days of my wretched life when I was weak, silly, vain, but not the unhappy woman I am now.You were satisfied to sit beside me and talk to me then.You respected my secret, my reserve.My God! Iused to think you loved me as I loved you--for THAT! Why did you break your promise and follow me here? I believed you the first day we met, when you said there was no wrong in my listening to you; that it should go no further; that you would never seek to renew it without my consent.You tell me I don't love you, and Itell you now that we must part, that frightened as I was, foolish as I was, that day was the first day I had ever lived and felt as other women live and feel.If I ran away from you then it was because I was running away from my old self too.Don't you understand me? Could you not have trusted me as I trusted you?""I broke my promise only when you broke yours.When you would not meet me I followed you here, because I loved you.""And that is why you must leave me now," she said, starting from his outstretched arms again."Do not ask me why, but go, I implore you.You must leave this town to-night, to-morrow will be too late."He cast a hurried glance around him, as if seeking to gather some reason for this mysterious haste, or a clue for future identification.He saw only the Sabbath-sealed cupboards, the cold white china on the dresser, and the flicker of the candle on the partly-opened glass transom above the door."As you wish," he said, with quiet sadness."I will go now, and leave the town to-night; but"--his voice struck its old imperative note--"this shall not end here, Lulu.There will be a next time, and I am bound to win you yet, in spite of all and everything."She looked at him with a half-frightened, half-hysterical light in her eyes."God knows!""And you will be frank with me then, and tell me all?""Yes, yes, another time; but go now." She had extinguished the candle, turned the handle of the door noiselessly, and was holding it open.A faint light stole through the dark passage.She drew back hastily."You have left the front door open," she said in a frightened voice."I thought you had shut it behind me," he returned quickly."Good night." He drew her towards him.She resisted slightly.They were for an instant clasped in a passionate embrace; then there was a sudden collapse of the light and a dull jar.The front door had swung to.

With a desperate bound she darted into the passage and through the hall, dragging him by the hand, and threw the front door open.

Without, the street was silent and empty.

"Go," she whispered frantically.

Demorest passed quickly down the steps and disappeared.At the same moment a voice came from the banisters of the landing above.

"Who's there?"

"It's I, mother."

"I thought so.And it's like Edward to bring you and sneak off in that fashion."Mrs.Blandford gave a quick sigh of relief.Demorest's flight had been mistaken for her husband's habitual evasion.Knowing that her mother would not refer to the subject again, she did not reply, but slowly mounted the dark staircase with an assumption of more than usual hesitating precaution, in order to recover her equanimity.

The clocks were striking eleven when she left her mother's house and re-entered her own.She was surprised to find a light burning in the kitchen, and Ezekiel, their hired man, awaiting her in a dominant and nasal key of religious and practical disapprobation.

"Pity you wern't tu hum afore, ma'am, considerin' the doins that's goin' on in perfessed Christians' houses arter meetin' on the Sabbath Day.""What's the difficulty now, Ezekiel?" said Mrs.Blandford, who had regained her rigorous precision once more under the decorous security of her own roof.

"Wa'al, here comes an entire stranger axin for Squire Blandford.

And when I tells he warn't tu hum--"

"Not at home?" interrupted Mrs.Blandford, with a slight start."Ileft him here."

"Mebbee so, but folks nowadays don't 'pear to keer much whether they break the Sabbath or not, trapsen' raound town in and arter meetin' hours, ez if 'twor gin'ral tranin' day--and hez gone out agin.""Go on," said Mrs.Blandford, curtly.

"Wa'al, the stranger sez, sez he, 'Show me the way to the stables,'