Part 5 (2/2)
”Unnecessary worry? What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.
But she only laughed, without giving me any satisfactory answer.
”I'm extremely pleased to see you,” I said, and in response to my summons Simes entered with the tea, which she poured out, gracefully handing me my cup.
”I'm of course very pleased to come and see you like this,” she said when my man had gone; ”but if my aunt knew, she wouldn't like it.”
”I suppose she was concerned about you the other night, wasn't she?”
”Oh yes,” she replied with a smile. ”We've often laughed over my absurd ignorance of London.”
”Do you intend to live always with your aunt?”
”Ah, I do not know. Unfortunately there are some in whose footsteps evil always follows; some upon whom the shadow of sin for ever falls,”
and she sighed as she added, ”I am one of those.”
I glanced across at her in surprise. She was holding her cup in her hand, and her face was pale and agitated, as though the confession had involuntarily escaped her.
”I don't understand?” I said, puzzled. ”Are you a fatalist?”
”I'm not quite certain,” she answered, in an undecided tone. ”As I have already told you, I hesitated to visit you because of the evil which I bring upon those who are my friends.”
”But explain to me,” I exclaimed, interested. ”Of what nature is this evil? It is surely not inevitable?”
”Yes,” she responded, in a calm, low voice, ”it is inevitable. You have been very kind to me, therefore I have no desire to cause you any unhappiness.”
”I really can't help thinking that you view things rather gloomily,” I said, in as irresponsible a tone as I could.
”I only tell you that which is the truth. Some persons have a faculty for working evil, even when they intend to do good. They are the accursed among their fellows.”
Her observation was an extraordinary one, inasmuch as more than one great scientist has put forward a similar theory, although the cause of the evil influence which such persons are able to exercise has never been discovered.
About her face was nothing evil, nothing crafty, nothing to lead one to suspect that she was not what she seemed--pure, innocent, and womanly.
Indeed, as she sat before me, I felt inclined to laugh at her a.s.sertion as some absurd fantasy of the imagination. Surely no evil could lurk behind such a face as hers?
”You are not one of the accursed,” I protested, smiling.
”But I am!” she answered, looking me straight in the face. Then, starting forward, she exclaimed, ”Oh! why did you press me to come here, to you?”
”Because I count you among my friends,” I responded. ”To see me and drink a cup of tea can surely do no harm, either to you or to me.”
”But it will!” she cried in agitation. ”Have I not told you that evil follows in my footsteps--that those who are my friends always suffer the penalty of my friends.h.i.+p?”
”You speak like a prophetess,” I laughed.
”Ah! you don't believe me!” she exclaimed. ”I see you don't. You will never believe until the hideous truth is forced upon you.”
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