Part 43 (2/2)

”Of course,” he went on, ”if Alice knew of our--ah, acquaintance, it would shock her. It would shock her very much.” He paused. ”Alice's great charm is her absolute innocence,” he added thoughtfully.

That comment was like a blow in the face. Helena caught her breath with the shock of it. But she could not stop to a.n.a.lyze its peculiar terror. ”Alice needn't know,” she began--but he made an impatient gesture.

”If we married, it would certainly come out.”

He was standing with his back to the fire, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his cigar; he blew three smoke rings, and smiled. ”Will you let me off, Nelly?”

”I know you don't love me,” she broke out pa.s.sionately--

”Oh, now, Helena, not a scene, please! My dear, I love you as much as ever. You are a charming woman, and I greatly value your friends.h.i.+p.

But I can love you just as much, not to say more, if you are here in your own house in Old Chester, instead of being in my house in Philadelphia. Why, it would be like sitting on a volcano!”

”I cannot stay in Old Chester any longer,” she said; ”dreadful things have happened, and--”

”What things? You said that before. Do explain these mysterious allusions.”

”Mr., Wright's son,” she began--and then her voice broke. But she told him as well as she could.

Mr. Pryor gave a frowning whistle. ”Shocking! Poor Nelly!”

”You see, I must go away,” she said, wringing her hands; ”I can't bear it!”

”But, my dear,” he protested, ”it wasn't your fault. You were not to blame because a rash boy--” Then a thought struck him, ”but how the devil did he discover--?”

When Helena explained that she supposed old Mr. Wright had told his grandson, Pryor's anger broke out: ”He knew? How did _he_ find out?”

Helena shook her head; she had never understood that, she said.

Lloyd's anger always confused her, and when he demanded furiously why she had not told him about the old fool--”he'll blazon the whole thing!”--she protested, quivering, that Mr. Wright would not do that.

”I meant to tell you, but I--I forgot it. And anyway, I knew he wouldn't; he said he wouldn't; besides, he had a stroke when he heard about Sam, and he hasn't spoken since. And Dr. King--” she winced-- ”Dr. King says it's the beginning of the end.”

”Thank G.o.d!” Lloyd said profoundly relieved. He stood frowning for a minute, then shrugged his shoulders, ”Well, of course, that settles it; you can't stay here; there's no question about that. But there's a very pleasant little town, on the other side of Mercer, and--”

”It isn't just the going away,” she broke in; ”it's being different from people. I never thought about it before; I never really minded.

But now, I can't help seeing that if you are--different, I mean just to please yourself, you know, it--it hurts other people, somehow. Oh, I can't explain,” she said, incoherently, ”and I don't want to trouble you, or talk about right and wrong, and religion, and--that sort of thing--”

”No; please don't,” he said, dryly.

”But you promised--you promised!”

”I promised,” he said, ”and I have a prejudice in favor of keeping my word. Religion, as you call it, has nothing to do with it. I will marry you; I told you so when I wrote to you. But I felt that if I put the matter before you, and told you how difficult the situation was, and appealed to your generosity, for Alice's sake--”

”I appeal to _your_ generosity!--for the sake of other people. It isn't only Alice who would be shocked, if it was found out. Lloyd, I don't insist on living with you. Keep the marriage a secret, if you want to; only, I must, I must be married!” She got up and came and stood beside him, laying her hands on his arm, and lifting her trembling face to his; he frowned, and shrugged her hands away.

”Go and sit down, Nelly. Don't get excited. I told you that I had a prejudice in favor of keeping my word.”

She drew back and sat down on the sofa, cowering a little in the corner. ”Do you suppose I have no pride?” she breathed. ”Do you suppose it is easy for me to--_urge?_” He saw her fingers tremble as, with elaborate self-control, she pleated the crimson silk of her skirt in little folds across her knee. For a moment they were both silent.

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