Part 27 (1/2)

As soon as they had gone I opened Madame's door and entered.

”Come, Ernestine, I want you. What do you mean by going away like that?” she said crossly, not seeing me.

”Perhaps I can help you, Henriette. Ernestine is busy downstairs;” and I locked the door behind me.

”Christabel! You?”

”I have had to come back to keep my word and save you. You are in great danger. M. Constans must have picked up the scent of the inquiries I made recently. I have this telegram;” and I put into her hands the telegram which I had received from Paris.

I thought she was going to faint. The man must have had some great hold over her; for she was certainly overwhelmed with deadly fear. She stared with horror-struck eyes at the paper as though it reeked with the threat of instant death. Then she turned to glare at me, with not a vestige of colour on her face.

”_Nom de Dieu_, he will kill me. He will kill me;” she said, in a low, strained, husky whisper, as she fell into a chair, and began to gasp and choke hysterically.

”I know nothing about that,” I said, callously; ”but if you make a fool of yourself in that way, you will have no time left to get out of his reach. If you want to die, you had better faint now. However, I've done with you;” and I turned toward the door.

”Don't go, Christabel, for the love of heaven don't leave me. I can't think for myself. Oh, don't leave me,” she cried. ”What shall I do?”

”As he's your husband I should think you ought to stay and meet him.

This was sent off from the railway station, you see, and I find his train reaches here just before nine. He'll just be in time for the ceremony to-night.”

”Oh, don't, don't, don't,” she wailed. ”Don't mock me like that.

Don't be so hard. Help me. Do, do! I tell you, he'll kill me. I know he will. He tried to once before. You don't want to see me murdered. You can't. Oh Christabel, dear Christabel, say what I had better do.”

”If you'll be sensible, I'll help you. You can get away without the least difficulty. Luckily your trunks are all packed, and as the mail for Breslau and Berlin leaves at half-past eight, you can be away before his train arrives. But you must be quick. You have only half an hour, and had better get your luggage away at once with Ernestine.”

”How clever you are,” she cried; and forthwith began to finish her dressing with feverish haste, her one thought now to fly.

I called up Ernestine, who started on seeing me as though I were a ghost. I explained that urgent reasons had caused her mistress to change her plans; and before Madame d'Artelle had finished dressing, the baggage was on its way to the station.

”What will you do about things here, Henriette?”

”I don't know. I don't care. In face of this I can do nothing.”

”Count Karl will be disappointed and his brother angry.”

”My life is in danger, would you have me think of anything else?

Mother of Heaven, do you think I will be murdered to please a hundred counts?”

”Some one must see to things.”

”Let me only get away and I care for nothing else.” This was precisely the mood I desired her to be in. She was literally fear-possessed, and flight had become the one all-absorbing pa.s.sionate desire.

I said no more until we were in the fly hurrying to the station. I meant to see the last of her.

”What of to-night's business--Count Karl?”

”I care nothing. The carriage will come for me and can go away again.

I value my life. Holy Virgin, how slow the cab goes. We shall miss the train; I know we shall. And then?” her fear pa.s.sed beyond words, and the sentence remained unfinished. ”If he finds and kills me, my death will be at your door. You have brought him here.”