Part 38 (1/2)

Hanbury-Green in her sitting-room, whose balcony hung over the beautiful ca.n.a.l. No one could say a word--Arabella's discretion could always be counted upon; and pleasure was secured.

She looked, perhaps, more beautiful than she had ever done in her life as they started. Mr. Hanbury-Green had hired a special gondola, not the one they were accustomed to float about in,--and off they went. Where was the harm, in broad daylight! and with Arabella to accompany them--as far as the last steps, and then to be dropped? Cecilia felt like a school-girl on a forbidden treat.

When they were well out of sight of all observation, Mr. Hanbury-Green began. He told her that he loved her, in all the most impressive language he was master of; he felt that with her he might with safety and success use the same flamboyant metaphors and exaggerations with which he was accustomed to move his const.i.tuents. No restraint or attention to accuracy was necessary here. And if his voice in his honest excitement would have sounded a little c.o.c.kney in Arabella's cultured ears, Cecilia Cricklander did not notice it. On the contrary, she thought the whole thing was the finest-sounding harangue she had ever heard in her life.

He went on to say that he could not live without her, and implored her to throw over John Derringham and promise to be his wife.

”He thinks you are madly in love with him, darling,” he said, knowing this would sting, ”and will stand any of his airs. Let him see you are not. Give him the snub he deserves for deserting you, and fling his dismissal in his face.”

Cecilia Cricklander reddened and thrilled, too. Here, at all events, was warmth. But she was not won yet. So she looked down, as if too full of emotion to speak. She must gain time to consider what this would mean, and, if worth while, how to lay her plans.

Should the scheme contain certain elevation for herself and certain humiliation for John Derringham, then there was something worthy of consideration in it, for undoubtedly Percy Hanbury-Green suited her the better of the two, as far as just the men themselves were concerned. She knew she would get desperately tired of having to live up to John Derringham's standard, and a divorce in England would not be so easily obtained or so free from scandal, as her original one in America had been. But she must think well, and weigh the matter before plunging in.

Mr. Hanbury-Green saw her hesitation and instantly applied another forceful note. He dwelt upon the political situation and grew eloquent and magnetic, as when he was on the platform--for was he not playing for stakes which, for the moment, he valued even more than some thousands of votes?

It was no wonder Cecilia Cricklander's imagination grew inflamed. He let her see that as his wife she would, for seven years or more, ride on the crest of the wave of an ever-rising tide to undreamed-of heights of excitement and intrigue. ”With you at my side, darling,” Mr. Green said pa.s.sionately, ”I could be stimulated into being Dictator myself. The days of kings and const.i.tutions are over. The people want a strong despotic leader who has first brought about their downfall. And they will get him--in ME!”

This clinched the matter, and Cecilia, seeing visions of herself as Madame Tallien, allowed herself to be drawn into his arms!

”Do you know, my beauty,” the triumphant lover said as they floated back to pick up Arabella upon the last steps, rather late in the afternoon, ”I had meant to get you somehow to-day. If you had refused to listen, I intended to take you to the Lido and keep you there all night--the gondolier and the people there are bribed--then you would have had no choice but to marry me. Oh, you cannot balk me!”

And all Cecilia Cricklander replied was, with a girlish giggle of pleasure:

”Oh, Percy, dear!”

In the innermost recesses of their hearts there are a number of cold women who adore a bold buccaneer!

She had made one stipulation with him before they landed, and this was one which in the future--little as she knew it then--would rob her of all her triumph over John Derringham, and plant an everlasting and bitter sting in her breast.

She insisted that, as she did not wish to create a nine days' wonder, no mention of his engagement to herself should be made public by Mr.

Hanbury-Green for at least a month after people were aware that she had closed hers with John Derringham. All should be done with decency and in order, so as not to militate in any way against her future position as queen of the winning side.

And, knowing that he had already telegraphed the announcement that the marriage arranged between the Right Honorable John Derringham and Mrs.

Vincent Cricklander would not take place, so that it should appear in the Monday morning papers--Mr. Hanbury-Green felt he could safely comply with her caprice and bide his time. He had not the slightest intention of ever permitting a whim of hers to interfere with his real wishes in any way, and having a full command of her own weapons and methods, he looked forward to a time of uninterrupted bliss when once she should be his wife. To dissemble for a month or so would not hurt him, and might even amuse him as a new game.

So they entered Daniellis in subdued triumph, and said good night before Arabella, with prim decorum, and then Cecilia mounted to make herself look beautiful for the flinging of his _conge_ in John Derringham's face.

CHAPTER x.x.xIII

When Halcyone left the Fortezza she was conscious of no feeling of depression or grief. Rather a gladness and security filled her heart.

She had seen him with her mortal eyes--her dear lover--and he was in truth greatly in need of all her care and tender thoughts. Her beliefs were so intense in those forces of protection with which that G.o.d Whom she wors.h.i.+ped so truly surrounded her, that she never for a moment doubted but these invisible currents would be directed to the disentangling of destiny's threads.

She made no speculations as to how this would be--G.o.d would find the way. Her att.i.tude was never one of pious resignation to a divine chastis.e.m.e.nt. She did not believe G.o.d ever meant to chastise anyone. For good or ill each circ.u.mstance was brought about by the individual's own action in setting the sequence of events in motion, as the planting of seed in the early spring produced fair flowers in the summer--or the bruising of a limb produced pain. And the motion must go on until the price had been paid or the pleasure obtained. And, when long ago she had heard Cheiron and John Derringham having abstruse arguments upon Chance, she used silently to wonder how they could be so dull as not to understand there was no such thing really as Chance--if people were only enabled to see clearly enough. If they could only trace events in their lives to their sources, they would find that they themselves had long ago--even perhaps in some former existence--put in motion the currents to draw the events to themselves. What could be called ”chance” in the matter was only another name for ignorance.

And, if people knew about these wonderful forces of nature, they could connect themselves with only the good ones, and protect themselves from the bad. Misfortune came through--figuratively--not knowing just where to put the feet, and through not looking ahead to see what would be the result of actions.