Part 18 (1/2)

Probably Miss Skeat and Lady Victoria. Had the Countess suspected that those two would choose the longer journey and out-vote her, if the decision were left to the ladies?

Meanwhile there had been heavy tramping of feet on the deck, as the men trimmed the sails. She could only go under double-reefed trysails and fore-staysail for the present, and it was no joke to keep her head up while the reefs were taken in. It was blowing considerably more than half a gale of wind, and the sea was very heavy. Soon, however, the effect of the sails made itself felt; the yacht was a good sea-boat, and when she fairly heeled over on the port-tack and began to cut the waves again, the ladies downstairs agreed that sailing was much pleasanter and steadier than steam, and that the next time they crossed in a yacht they would like to sail all the way. But in spite of their courage, and notwithstanding that they were greatly rea.s.sured by the explanations of Mr. Barker, who made the nature of the accident quite clear to them, they had been badly shaken, and soon retired to their respective staterooms. In the small confusion of getting to their feet to leave the cabin it chanced that Claudius found himself helping Margaret to the door. The recollection of her touch and look when the accident happened was strong in him yet and gave him courage.

”Good-night, Countess,” he said; ”shall I have the pleasure of reading with you to-morrow?”

”Perhaps,” she answered; ”if it is very fine. Fate has decreed that we should have plenty of time.” He tried to catch a glance as she left his arm, but she would not, and they were parted for the night. Barker had gone into the engine-room, now quiet and strange; the useless machinery stood still as it had been stopped when the loss of the propeller, relieving the opposition to the motor-force, allowed it to make its last frantic revolutions. The Duke and Claudius were left alone in the main cabin.

”Well,” said the Duke, ”we are in for it this time, at all events.”

”We are indeed,” said Claudius; ”I hope the delay will not cause you any serious inconvenience, for I suppose we shall not reach New York for a fortnight at least.”

”It will not inconvenience me at all. But I am sorry for you--for you all, I mean,” he added, fearing he had been awkward in thus addressing Claudius directly, ”because it will be so very disagreeable, such an awful bore for you to be at sea so long.”

”I have no doubt we shall survive,” said the other, with a smile. ”What do you say to going on deck and having a chat with Sturleson, now that all is quiet?”

”And a pipe?” said the Duke, ”I am with you.” So on deck they went, and clambered along the lee to the smoking-room, without getting very wet.

Sturleson was sent for, and they reviewed together the situation. The result of the inquiry was that things looked much brighter to all three.

They were in a good sea-boat, well manned and provisioned, with nothing to fear from the weather, and if they were lucky they might make Sandy Hook in a week. On the other hand, they might not; but it is always well to take a cheerful view of things. People who cross the Atlantic in yachts are very different from the regular crowds that go backwards and forwards in the great lines. They are seldom in a hurry, and have generally made a good many voyages before. Perhaps the Duke himself, in his quality of host, was the most uncomfortable man on board. He did not see how the Countess and the Doctor could possibly survive being shut up together in a small vessel, for he was convinced that Barker knew all about their difficulty. If he had not liked Claudius so much, he would have been angry at him for daring to propose to this beautiful young friend of his. But then Claudius was Claudius, and even the Duke saw something in him besides his wealth which gave him a right to aspire to the highest.

”I can't make out,” the Duke once said to Barker, ”where Claudius got his manners. He never does anything the least odd; and he always seems at his ease.”

”I only know he came to Heidelberg ten years ago, and that he is about thirty. He got his manners somewhere when he was a boy.”

”Of course, there are lots of good people in Sweden,” said the Duke; ”but they all have t.i.tles, just as they do in Germany. And Claudius has no t.i.tle.”

”No,” said Barker pensively, ”I never heard him say he had a t.i.tle.”

”I don't know anything about it,” answered the Duke. ”But I have been a good deal about Sweden, and he is not in the least like a respectable Swedish burgher. Did you not tell me that his uncle, who left him all that money, was your father's partner in business?”

”Yes, I remember once or twice hearing the old gentleman say he had a nephew. But he was a silent man, though he piled up the dollars.”

”Claudius is a silent man too,” said the Duke.

”And he has sailed into the dollars ready piled.”

But this was before the eventful day just described; and the Duke had forgotten the conversation, though he had repeated the reflections to himself, and found them true. To tell the truth, Claudius looked more like a duke than his host, for the sea air had blown away the professorial cobwebs; and, after all, it did not seem so very incongruous in the Englishman's eyes that his handsome guest should fall in love with the Countess Margaret. Only, it was very uncomfortable; and he did not know exactly what he should do with them for the next ten days. Perhaps he ought to devote himself to the Countess, and thus effectually prevent any approaches that Claudius might meditate.

Yes--that was probably his duty. He wished he might ask counsel of his sister; but then she did not know, and it seemed unfair, and altogether rather a betrayal of confidence or something--at all events, it was not right, and he would not do it. Barker might be wrong too. And so the poor Duke, muddle-headed and weary with this storm in his tea-cup, and with having his tea-cup come to grief in a real storm into the bargain, turned into his deck-cabin to ”sleep on it,” thinking the morning would bring counsel.

Claudius had many things to think of too; but he was weary, for he had slept little of late, and not at all the night before; so he lay down and went over the scenes of the evening; but soon he fell asleep, and dreamed of her all the night long.

But the good yacht _Streak_ held on her course bravely, quivering in the joy of her new-spread wings. For what hulk is so dull and pitifully modern as not to feel how much gladder a thing it is to bound along with straining shrouds and singing sails and lifting keel to the fierce music of the wind than to be ever conscious of a burning sullenly-thudding power, put in her bosom by the unartistic beast, man, to make her grind her breathless way whither he would, and whither she would not? Not the meanest mud-scow or harbour tug but would rather have a little mast and a bit of canvas in the fresh salt breeze than all the hundreds of land-born horse-powers and fire-driven cranks and rods that a haste-loving generation can cram into the belly of the poor craft. How much more, then, must the beautiful clean-built _Streak_ have rejoiced on that night when she felt the throbbing, gnas.h.i.+ng pain of the engines stop suddenly in her breast, and was allowed to spread her beautiful wings out to be kissed and caressed all over by her old lover, the north-east wind?

And the grand crested waves came creeping up, curling over their dark heads till they bristled with phosph.o.r.escent foam; and some of them broke angrily upward, jealous that the wind alone might touch those gleaming sails. But the wind roared at them in his wrath and drove them away, so that they sank back, afraid to fight with him; and he took the s.h.i.+p in his strong arms, and bore her fast and far that night, through many a heaving billow, and past many a breaking crest--far over the untrodden paths, where footsteps are not, neither the defiling hand of man.

But within were beating hearts and the breathings of life. The strong man stretched to his full length on his couch, mighty to see in his hard-earned sleep. And the beautiful woman, with parted lips and wild tossing black hair; dark cheeks flushed with soft resting; hands laid together lovingly, as though, in the quiet night, the left hand would learn at last what good work the right hand has wrought; the fringe of long eyelashes drooping with the lids, to fold and keep the glorious light safe within, and--ah yes, it is there!--the single tear still clinging to its birthplace--mortal impress of immortal suffering. Is it not always there, the jewelled sign-manual of grief?

But the good yacht _Streak_ held on her course bravely; and the north-easter laughed and sang as he buffeted the waves from the path of his love.