Part 34 (1/2)
”Are you tired,” he said at last. ”Do you want to go to bed?”
”Not very,” she answered. ”I'm too excited to sleep. Hasn't it been an exciting day?”
He made no reply, pretending to be occupied at the desk, and she relapsed into a dream silence, glad of a few quiet, peaceful moments to be alone with her thoughts. How good it was to have him home again!
Now she could be at peace once more and enjoy life as she used to. She could go to the opera, to the theater. The days would not be so monotonous. She wondered why she was still unable to shake off the feeling of anxiety and apprehension which had haunted her ever since he went away. With a devoted husband safe at her side, what reason had she for feeling depressed? Yet, for some reason she was unable to explain, she was not able even now to throw off her melancholy and presentiment of danger.
There recurred to her mind what Signor Keralio had said, his veiled, ambiguous words of warning. Could it be true, was it possible that her husband had deceived her all these years and unsuspected by her, had led a double life of deceit and disloyalty? Certainly there was much that needed explanation. The loss of the diamonds did not directly concern her, although she felt that, too, was part of the mystery. But his strange aloofness of manner, his inexplicable loss of memory and nervousness, the frenzied outburst when she had mentioned Keralio's name that afternoon, the sudden craving for drink--was not all this to some extent, corroboration of what the fencing master has told her?
She thought she would question him, speak to him openly, frankly, as a loyal wife should the man she loves, and give him an opportunity to explain. Now was as good a time as ever. Looking up she said abruptly:
”Signor Keralio was here while you were away. I started telling you this afternoon, but you got so excited----”
Making a deprecatory gesture with his hand he said indifferently:
”That's all right. I was tired and nervous. I'm quieter now. What did Keralio have to say?”
”Nothing worth listening to. He never says anything but impertinences.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
”You mustn't take him too seriously.”
Hotly she retorted:
”He takes himself too seriously. If he only knew how repellent he is to a decent woman he would cease to annoy me.”
He laughed.
”Oh, Keralio's not a bad sort--when you get to know him. Those foreigners think nothing of making love to a woman----”
”I don't want to know him,” she retorted with spirit, ”and what's more, I don't want him coming here. One evening he was so insulting that I had to show him the door. He had the impudence to come again. So I had my servant put him out. You won't invite him here again, will you?”
He was silent, while she sat watching him, amazed that he did not at once fiercely resent the insult done her in his absence. After a pause, he said awkwardly:
”I don't invite him. Keralio's the kind of a chap who invites himself.”
”But can't you put him out?” she demanded with growing irritation.
”No--I can't,” he answered doggedly.
”Why?” she demanded firmly.
”I can't--that's all!”
She looked at him wonderingly, and the color came and went in her face and neck. There was a note almost of contempt in her voice as she demanded:
”What is the hold this creature has on you? Is it something you are ashamed of?”
The blood surged to his face and the veins stood out on his temples like whipcord. Another instant and it had receded, leaving him ghastly pale.
”We have business interests in common, that's all,” he said hastily and apologetically. ”He has been very useful to me. I don't like him any more than you do, but in business one can't criticize too closely the manners or morals of one's a.s.sociates.”