Part 6 (1/2)
”And if I was,” I said, avoiding a direct reply, ”what of it? Though it is hidden from everybody else, he has only to draw the curtain and see--you”
”Supposing he should draw the curtain one day and see nothing, Mr
Quatermain?”
”Then the picture would have been stolen, that is all, and he would have to search for it till he found it again, which doubtless sooner or later he would do”
”Yes, sooner or later But where? Perhaps you have lost a picture or two in your time, Mr Quatermain, and are better able to answer the question than I am”
There was silence for a few ht back ain, low, quickly, and with suppressed passion, but acting wonderfully all the while Knowing that eyes were on her, her gestures and the expression of her face were such aslady of fashi+on as talking of everyday affairs, such as dancing, or flowers, or jewels She solden salt-cellar in front of her and, upsetting a little of the salt, threw it over her left shoulder, appearing to ask me if I were a victim of that ancient habit, and so on
But all the while she was talking deeply of deep things, such as I should never have thought would pass her mind This was the substance of what she said, for I cannot set it all down verbatim; after so many years myvery real and powerful which pushes ht It is odd, because I have never spoken to anyone else like that, not to nall They would neither of theh they would ht to see a doctor--and if you knew that doctor! He,”
and she nodded towards Lord Ragnall, ”would think that rown rather e, and been reflecting too s
From a child I have understood that I am a mystery set in the ht when I was about nine years old I seerasp neither Such a long, long past and such an infinite future I don't knohat I saw, and still see sootten My ht as well try to pack Dr Jeffreys there into this wineglass Only two facts remain written on my heart The first is that there is trouble ahead of me, curious and unusual trouble; and the second, that per to do with Africa, a country of which I know nothing except froht--that I have a great deal to do with _you_ That is why I am so interested in Africa and you Tell me about Africa and yourself nohile we have the chance” And she ended rather abruptly, adding in a louder voice, ”You have lived there all your life, have you not, Mr
Quaterht--about the doctor, I mean,” I said
”You _say_ that, but you don't _believe_ it Oh! you are very transparent, Mr Quaterh, for these subjects seean to talk of the first thing about Africa that I reuarded by a huge ape, of which I had heard from a white man as supposed to be rather mad, ent by the na in it, as I had with me a specimen of the flower
”Oh! show it me,” she said
I replied that I feared I could not, as it was locked away in a safe in London, whither I was returning on the morrow I pro of which I had caused several to beto look for this flower, and I said that I hoped so if I could ements Next she asked me if there chanced to be any other African quests upon which I had set my mind I replied that there were several For instance, I had heard vaguely through Brother John, and indirectly from one or two other sources, of the existence of a certain tribe in East Central Africa--Arabs or semi-Arabs--ere reported to worshi+p a child that always remained a child This child, I took it, was a dwarf; but as I was interested in native religious customs which were infinite in their variety, I shouldof Arabs,” she broke in, ”I will tell you a curious story Once when I was a little girl, eight or nine years of age--it was just before that kind of awakening of which I have spoken to you--I was playing in Kensington Gardens, for we lived in London at the ti to so man who she said was her cousin, and told me to run about with rass to some elm trees From behind one of the trees came out two tall men dressed in white robes and turbans, who looked to me like scriptural characters in a picture-book One was an elderly rey beard The other was er, but I do not remember him so well
They were both brown in colour, but otherwise alroes by any means My hoop hit the elderwhat to say He bowed politely and picked it up, but did not offer to return it to ether rapidly, and one of them pointed to the moon-shaped birthmark which you see I have upona low-cut frock It was because of this mark that my father nalish:
”'What is your nairl?'
”I told him it was Luna Holmes Then he drew fro it, took out soavevery fond of sweet, I put into round into the shadow of the trees--it was evening ti, 'Run, catch it, little girl!'
”I began to run, but so in the taste of that sweet caused rewer Eastern, with the nurse and her 'cousin,' a stalwart person like a soldier, standing in front of us
”'Little girl go ill,' said the elder Arab 'We seek policeman'
”'You drop that child,' answered the 'cousin,' doubling his fists Then I grew faint again, and when I caone All the way hoers, saying that if my parents came to know of it, I should be whipped and sent to bed Of course, I begged her not to tell them, and at last she consented Do you know, I think you are the first to whooverness never breathed a word, though after that, whenever alked in the gardens, her 'cousin' always came to look after us In the end I think she ed?” I asked
She nodded ”There was soht or two after I had tasted it that I had what just now I called an to think about Africa”
”Have you ever seen these ain, Miss Holmes?”
”No, never”