Part 10 (1/2)

”Yes, terribly. But I flatly refused to go. But she knew I was tempted.

It's only curiosity on her part,” he added, with a sort of hot, angry boyishness. ”She can't make me out, and I didn't call. That's why she asked me.”

Mrs. Mansfield mentally added a ”partly” to the last sentence.

”You're very much afraid of exposing yourself--or is it your talent?--to the influence of what we may as well call the world,” she said.

”I suppose one's talent is oneself, one's best self.”

”Perhaps so. I have none. You know best about that. I expect you are right in being afraid.”

”You don't think I'm merely a rather absurd coward and egoist?”

”Oh, no! But some people--many, I think--would say a talent is meant to be used, to be given to the light.”

”I know. But I don't think the modern world wants mine. I”--he reddened--”I always set words from the Bible nearly or from the Prayer-Book.”

Smiling a little, as if saving something by humor, he added:

”Not the _Song of Solomon_.”

”But don't the English--”

He stopped her.

”Good heavens! I know you are thinking of the Handel Festival and _Elijah_ in the provinces!” he exclaimed. ”I know you are!”

She laughed.

”I should like to play you one or two of my things,” he said impulsively. ”Then you'll see at once.”

He went toward the piano. She sat still. She was with the striking unreserve of the reserved man when he has cast his protector or his demon away. With his back to her Heath turned over some music, moved a pile of sheets, set them down on the floor under the piano, searched.

”Oh, here it is!”

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”'THIS IS THE LAST THING I'VE DONE'”--_Page 41_]

He grasped some ma.n.u.script, put it on the music-stand, and sat down.

”This is the last thing I've done. The words are taken from the sixteenth chapter of Revelation--'And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, ”Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of G.o.d upon the earth.”' And so on.”

With a sort of anger his hands descended and struck the keys. Speaking through his music he gave Mrs. Mansfield indications of what it was expressing.

”This is the sea. 'The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man.... The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.... The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great River Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared.'”

The last words which Heath had set were those in the fifteenth verse of the chapter--”Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

When he had finished he got up from the piano with a flushed face and, again speaking in a boyish and almost naive manner, said quickly:

”There, that gives you an idea of the sort of thing I do and care about doing. For, of course, I never will attempt any subject that doesn't thoroughly interest me.”