Part 21 (1/2)

”She will fall asleep again, and to-morrow will be quite well. But what a near escape!” And he lingered with Merat, feeling it were better she should know everything, yet loth to tell her that he had known all the while that Ulick was trying to persuade Evelyn to go away with him. But Merat must know that Ulick had been staying at Berkeley Square.

”I suppose Monsignor comes here to see her?”

”He has been here, Sir Owen.”

Owen would have liked to question her, but it did not seem honourable to do so, and after a little talk about the danger of yielding to religious impulses, he noticed that Merat was drifting from him, evidently thinking such discussions useless.

On the landing he told her that Ulick had gone away with the opera company, and that it was not likely that he and mademoiselle would see each other again.

”But when Mr. Dean comes back to London?” Merat answered.

”Well, hardly even then; after a crisis like this she will not be anxious to see him. You know, Merat, he was staying with me at Berkeley Square; and I knew of his visits here, only it seemed to me the only way to save her from religion was by getting her to go back to the stage.”

Owen took breath; he had told his story, or as much as was necessary, omitting the fact that he was an accomplice in the love-making which had led to attempted suicide.

”You don't think I was right?”

”Well, Sir Owen, you see, I don't think mademoiselle will ever go back to the stage.”

”You think that, Merat? Well, then, the only thing to save her from religion is marriage. I don't mind telling you, nor is there any need to tell you--you must know--that I have always wanted her to be my wife, only she would not marry me, and for some reason impossible to get at.”

”Mademoiselle is like n.o.body else; _elle avait toujours son idee_.”

”_Parfaitement, comme disent les paysannes de chez vous, d'une bete qui ne ressemble pas au troupeau et qui allait toujours._”

”_Oui, mademoiselle a eu toujours son idee_. So Sir Owen thinks it was fear of going back to the stage that persuaded mademoiselle to--”

”Something like that, Merat. She liked Mr. Dean.”

”But you are first in her thoughts, Sir Owen.”

”That isn't astonis.h.i.+ng. We have known each other so long. Now, after what has happened, perhaps she will think differently about marriage, do you understand, Merat. She may think differently to-morrow, for instance, and it would be better for all of us--for you, for myself, for her. Don't you agree?”

”Well, Sir Owen, there is nothing I should like more than to see mademoiselle married, only--”

”Only you don't think she'll marry me?”

”_Comme monsieur a dit, elle a eu toujours son idee._”

”But after the great shock surely she will see that marriage is the only way.” Owen continued to talk of marriage a little while longer, and all the way home his thoughts ran on his chance of persuading Evelyn to marry him. It did not seem possible that she could refuse after the shock. The chances were all with him: he would catch her in a moment when her faith in religion would be weakened, for she must see that it had not saved her from attempted suicide; all the chances were in his favour, and he hardly doubted at all he would be able to persuade her to marry him. Once she agreed she would carry it out; nothing she hated as much as any alteration of plan.

His mind wandered back into the past years, and he recalled little facts significant of her character. However loud the storm she would cross the Channel, though there was no reason for it--merely, as she said, because it had been arranged to cross that day. He could remember the dress she wore on that occasion, and the expression of her face. Other instances equally trivial floated into his mind, every one strangely vivid, delighting him because they were characteristic of her. If he could only get her to say she would marry him. It would be unnecessary to explain why he had sent Ulick to her. Or he might explain. It didn't matter. Ulick would pa.s.s out of their lives, and all this miserable business would be forgotten.

The quickest way of being married was in a registry office, but would Evelyn look upon a civil marriage as sufficient? Once the civil marriage was an accomplished fact, she could be married afterwards in Church, even in a Catholic church; he would go there if it pleased her to go. Besides, Evelyn really looked upon marriage more as a civil than as a religious obligation. His thoughts continued to chatter, keeping him up late, till long after midnight, and awaking him early. And the sun seemed to him to have dawned on his wedding day. But even if they were to be married in a registry office a best man would be required. So his thoughts went to Harding, whom he knew to be in London. But Harding would be busy with his writing until the afternoon, and Owen strode about Bond Street, visiting the shops of various picture dealers, welcoming any acquaintance whom he happened to meet, walking to the end of the street with him, and spending the last hour--from three to four--in the National Gallery, whither he had gone to see some new acquisitions. But the new pictures did not interest him. ”My thoughts are elsewhere.”

And turning from the new t.i.tian, it seemed to him that he might drive to Victoria Street; Harding's work must be over for the day.

”My dear Harding, you don't mind my interrupting you?” And he envied his friend's interest in his ma.n.u.scripts when the writer put them away.

”You are not disturbing me; my secretary didn't come to-day, and everything is habit. I can no longer write except by dictation.”

”If I had known that I would have called in the morning.”