Part 51 (2/2)
”I must go now, Gareth.”
Her eyes were s.h.i.+ning and her face alight with love and nervous antic.i.p.ation. ”Is it Kar--Gustav?”
”No, dearest. Not yet. He may be some little time yet. You will wait here patiently till I come for you?”
”Not patiently,” she cried with the rueful pout of a child.
I kissed her. ”Courage and a little patience, Gareth,” I whispered; my arms about her and her head on my shoulder.
”Yes. I'll try to be patient--but you don't know what it is to wait like this in such suspense.”
”I'll come for you the instant I can,” I a.s.sured her, and went out to Mrs. Perry.
”The two gentlemen are here, Miss Christabel.”
”I'll go down to them;” and I ran down, with no very clear thought of what I was to say to either Colonel Katona or to Karl, until I knew for certain that Gustav would really come.
And there was no news yet from James Perry.
CHAPTER XXVI
FACE TO FACE
As I entered the room Karl came to me with both hands outstretched.
Utterly regardless of Colonel Katona's presence, he exclaimed in a tone of intense earnestness; ”Thank G.o.d, for a sight of you again, Christabel.”
”Count Karl,” I said, half in protest, as I put my hands into his nervously and glanced at the Colonel.
”Never mind the Colonel. He knows everything,” he declared in the most unabashed manner, ”even that I have come to recant. I must take back the promise I made the other night.”
”Good-morning, Colonel Katona;” and I drew my hands away from Karl, who had held on to them with quite embarra.s.sing pertinacity.
The Colonel's hard eyes were quite soft with the softness of Gareth's as he smiled. ”You have a lovely garden here, may I go out into it?”
”Indeed you may not,” I replied quickly. If Count Gustav caught sight of him he would be scared right away.
”Count Karl wishes to speak to you alone--that's why I asked,” he replied in his blunt, soldierly way.
”I think I am too embarra.s.sed to know what to say or do;” and I sat down helplessly. ”I believe it would be best for us all if we were to talk for about a quarter of an hour of nothing but the weather.”
Karl laughed. ”I can say what I want to say before the Colonel, Christabel,” he declared. But Colonel Katona read something in my manner which disturbed him, and he looked at me earnestly, with an eager appeal in his eyes.
”I hope with all my heart it will be fine weather,” I said with a meaning look; ”but fine or wet I am not yet ready to....” I could think of no word to fit the sentence, and came to an impotent stop.
”I can wait,” declared the Colonel, in evident relief; and turning his back to me, he stared resolutely out into the garden.
I glanced at Karl, and was pained to see how really worn and ill he looked. The sunken cheeks, hollow eye sockets, and haggard, drawn features told their tale of the struggle through which he had pa.s.sed.
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