Part 24 (1/2)
The other was still gazing over at the trees. Now that the young proprietor's personal influence was no longer felt, he seemed to repent him of his fit of generosity.
”'A hundred to one,'” he murmured bitterly, ”and 'I am safe among you.'
Yes! they are never wanting in fine speeches when there is anything that frightens them, and such as we are always ready to catch at the old bait.”
”He did not look as if he were frightened,” said Lawrence decidedly.
”He is certainly not at all like his father. Ulric, we ought” ...
”What ought we to do?” interrupted Ulric hastily. ”To give way, don't you mean? So that you may have peace and quiet again, and that he may go on worse than his father ever did, when he sees he can succeed in everything. If I let him go to-day, I did it because he was not alone, because his wife was with him, and because” ...
He broke off suddenly. The proud self-contained man would rather have bitten out his tongue than have confessed to his comrade what influence had really compelled him to forbear.
Meanwhile, Arthur and Eugenie had ridden on in silence. Perhaps the common danger they had just pa.s.sed through had linked them more closely together, for their horses went on side by side, and Arthur still held Afra's rein, though the widening path would now have afforded them room enough, though there was nothing more to fear, and all further care of so consummate a horsewoman was plainly superfluous.
”Do you understand the danger of to-day's excursion now?”
”Yes, and also the danger of your situation.”
”I must bear it. You see yourself what blind obedience Hartmann can command. One word from him, and they let us ride on; not a man ventured to murmur, yet they were only waiting a sign from him to turn against us.”
”But he did not give the sign,” said Eugenie emphatically.
Arthur turned the same strange, searching gaze upon her.
”No, not to-day. He knows best what held him back, but it may happen to-morrow, or the next day, or whenever we meet. I am quite prepared for it.”
Leaving the wood now, they set their horses into a trot and arrived a quarter of an hour later at the terrace before the chateau. Arthur swung himself from his saddle--with what elasticity compared with his former languid movements! He offered his hand to help his wife dismount. Her face was still deadly pale, and she trembled a little as he placed his arm round her, trembled still more as it held her firmly a second longer than was usual on such occasions.
”Were you frightened?” he asked softly, as he took her arm to lead her into the house.
Eugenie gave no answer. Yes, she had been a prey to mortal terror all through that scene, but she would rather he should think her a coward than let him guess it was for his sake she had felt alarm. A suspicion of this seemed, however, to dawn upon him.
”Were you frightened, Eugenie?” he asked again in soft, low tones, pressing her arm more and more firmly to his breast. She raised her eyes to his, and, once more, saw that bright illumining, more radiant now and more significant than she had ever seen it yet. He bent down to her, as if to lose no syllable of her reply.
”Arthur, I----”
”Baron Windeg and his eldest son arrived half-an-hour ago,” announced a servant, hastening forward, and the words were hardly spoken when the young Baron, who had probably been watching for them from the window, rushed down the stairs with all the ardour of his eighteen years, eager to greet his sister whom he had not seen since her marriage.
”Ah, Con, is it you?”
She felt something like a pang at this arrival of father and brother, an arrival for which she had before so earnestly longed.
Arthur had let her hand fall as the name of Windeg was mentioned. She saw the glacial expression which stole over his features, and heard the freezing tone of his voice as he greeted his young brother-in-law with distant politeness.
”Will you not come up with me?” she asked, seeing that he remained standing at the foot of the staircase.
”Excuse me if I ask you to receive your father alone. I had ...