That Girl in Black; and, Bronzie Read online

"And," she went on, "as myreward, you will go with me to the Densters' garden-party thisafternoon. Charles can't, and I hate going alone. I don't know them--it is their first year here, though everybody says they are very nicepeople."

  "Oh, dear," said Despard. "Very well, Maddie. I must, I suppose."

  "Then be ready at a quarter to four. I'll drive you in thepony-carriage," and Madeline disappeared through the glass door whenceshe had emerged.

  "I wonder if she will write to-day," thought Mr Norreys, though hewould have been ashamed to ask it. "I should like to know it's done--asort of crossing the Rubicon. And it's a good while now since that lastday I saw her. She was never quite so sweet as that day. Supposing Iheard she was married?"

  His heart seemed to stop beating at the thought, and he grew white,though there was no one to see. But he reassured himself. Few thingswere less likely. Portionless girls, however charming, don't marry soquickly nowadays.

  Madeline's feelings were mingled. She was honestly and unselfishly gladof what she believed might be a real turning point towards good forDespard. Yet--"if only he had not chosen a girl quite so denuded ofworldly advantages as she evidently is," she reflected. "For of courseif she had either money or connection Mrs Englewood would not have keptit a secret. She is far too outspoken. I must beg her to telleverything she knows, not to be afraid of my mixing her name up in thematter in any way. When she sees that Charles and I do not disapproveshe will feel less responsibility."

  And it was with a comfortable sense of her own and "Charles's"unworldliness that Mrs Selby prepared to indite the important letter.

  She saw little of her brother till the afternoon. He did not appear atluncheon, having left word that he had gone for a long walk.

  "Provided only that he is not too late for the Densters'," thoughtMadeline, with a little sigh over the perversity of mankind.

  But her fears were unfounded. At ten minutes to four Mr Norreys madehis appearance in the hall, faultlessly attired, apologising with hisusual courtesy, in which to his sister he never failed, for his fiveminutes' delay, and Mrs Selby, feeling pleased with herself outwardlyand inwardly, for she was conscious both of looking well in a verypretty new bonnet, and of acting a truly high-minded part as a sister,seated herself in her place, with a glance of satisfaction at hercompanion.

  "Everybody will be envying me," she said to herself, with a tiny sigh asshe remembered former air-castles in Despard's behoof. "TheFlores-Carter girls and Edith and Bertha Byder, indeed all theneighbourhood get quite excited if they know he's here. He might havehad his choice of the best matches in this county, to my own knowledge,and there are several girls with money. Ah, well!"

  The grounds seemed already fall of guests when the brother and sisterdrove up to the Densters' door. Mrs Selby was at once seized upon bysome of her special cronies, and for half an hour or so Despard keptdutifully beside her, allowing himself to be introduced to any extent,doing his best to please his sister by responding graciously to thevarious attentions which were showered upon him. But he grew very tiredof it all in a little while--a curious dreamy feeling began to come overhim, born no doubt of the unwonted excitement of his conversation withMadeline that morning. He had gone a long walk in hopes of recoveringhis usual equanimity, but had only succeeded in tiring himselfphysically. The mere fact of having put in words to another theconflict of the last few months seemed to have given actual existence tothat which he had by fits and starts been trying to persuade himself wasbut a passing fancy. And even to himself he could not have told whetherhe was glad or sorry that the matter had come to a point--had, as itwere, been taken out of his own hands. For that Madeline had alreadywritten to Mrs Englewood he felt little doubt.

  "Women are always in such a desperate hurry," he said to himself, which,all things considered, was surely most unreasonable. Nor could he havedenied that it was so, for even as he made the reflection he began tocalculate in how many, or how few rather, days they might look for ananswer, and to speculate on the chances of Mrs Englewood's beingacquainted with Maisie's present whereabouts.

  "Maisie," he called her to himself, though he had somehow shrunk fromtelling the name to his sister. It was so sweet--so _like_ her, herepeated softly, though, truth to tell, sweetness was not the mostconspicuous quality in our heroine. But Despard was honestly in loveafter all, as many better and many worse men have been before him, andwill be again. And love of the best kind, which on the whole his was,is clairvoyant--he was not wrong about Maisie's real sweetness.

  "I do care for her, as deeply, as thoroughly as ever a man cared for awoman. But I don't want to marry; it's against all my plans and ideas.I didn't want to fall in love either, for that matter. The whole affairupsets everything I had ever dreamt of."

  He felt dreaming now--he had managed to leave his sister and herfriends, absorbed in the excitement of watching a game of lawn tennisbetween the best players of the county, and had stolen by himself downsome shady walks away from the sparkle and chatter of the garden-party.The quiet and dimness soothed him, but increased the strange unrealfeeling, of which he had been conscious since the morning. He felt asif nothing that could happen would surprise him--he was actually, inpoint of fact, _not_ surprised, when at a turn in the path he sawsuddenly before him, advancing towards him, her cloudy black drapery--for she was in black as ever--scarcely distinguishable from the darkshrubs at each side, the very person around whom all his thoughts werecentring--Maisie--Maisie Ford herself!

  He did not start, he made no exclamation. A strange intent look cameinto his eyes, as he walked on towards her. Long afterwards heremembered, and it helped to explain things, that she too had testifiedno surprise. But her face flushed a little, and the first expression hecaught sight of was one of pleasure--afterwards, long afterwards, heremembered this too.

  They met--their hands touched. But for a moment he did not speak.

  "How do you do, Mr Norreys?" she said then. "It is hot and glaring onthe lawn, is it not? I have just been seeing my father off. He was tootired to stay longer, and I was glad to wander about here in the shade alittle."

  "Your father?" he repeated half mechanically.

  "Yes--we are staying, he and I, for a few days at Laxter's Hill. I amso sorry he has gone--I would so have liked you to see him."

  She spoke eagerly, and with the peculiar, bright girlishness reallynatural to her, which was one of her greatest charms.

  Despard looked at her; her voice and manner helped him a little to throwoff the curious sensation of unreality. But he was, though he scarcelyknew it, becoming inwardly more and more wrought up.

  "I should have liked to see him exceedingly," he began, "any one so dearto you. I may hope some other time, perhaps, to do so? I--I wasthinking of you when I first caught sight of you just now, Miss Ford--indeed, I have done nothing--upon my word, you may believe me--I havedone little else than think of you since we last met."

  The girl's face grew strangely still and intent, yet with a wistful lookin the eyes telling of feelings not to be easily read. It was as if shewere listening, in spite of herself, for something she still vaguelyhoped she was mistaken in expecting.

  "Indeed," she began to say, but he interrupted her.

  "No," he said, "do not speak till you have heard me. I had made up mymind to it before I met you just now. I was just wondering how and whenit could be. But now that this opportunity has come so quickly I willnot lose it. I love you--I have loved you for longer than I knewmyself, than I would own to myself--"

  "From the very first, from that evening at Mrs Englewood's?" she said,and but for his intense preoccupation, he would have been startled byher tone.

  "Yes," he said simply, yet with a strain of retrospection in his eyes,as if determined to control himself and speak nothing but theunexaggerated truth--"yes, I almost think it began that first evening,rude, brutally rude as I was to you. I would not own it--I struggledagainst it, for I did not want to marry. I had no thought
of it. I amselfish, very selfish, I fear, and I preferred to keep clear of all tiesand responsibilities, which too often become terribly galling on smallmeans. I am no hero--but now--you will forgive my hesitation and--andreluctance, will you not? You are generous I know, and my franknesswill not injure me with you, will it? You will believe that I loved youalmost from the first, though I could not all at once make up my mind tomarrying on small means? And now--now that I understand--that--that allseems different to me--that nothing seems of consequence except to hearyou say you love me, as--as I have thought sometimes--Maisie--you willnot be hard on me?--"

  He stopped; he could have gone on much longer, and there was nothing nowoutwardly to