Part 43 (1/2)
”What?” she said guilelessly.
”Your arm--”
”Oh, that!” she said, flus.h.i.+ng. ”That's nothing. I don't know how I did it. Mrs. King's mangle, I think it was. It's ugly. I don't like you to see ugly things.” She drew the sleeve down tight.
”My poor little brave darling,” he whispered, drawing her closer, trying to make her hide her face on his shoulder as he measured the distance between his hand that was round her waist and the ap.r.o.n pocket. He saw that it was hopeless.
”Marcella--when your father was ill, did he pray?”
”Yes. All the time.”
”I wish I could,” he murmured.
”Why not, if you want to? Wanting to pray is a prayer, really.”
”I don't feel fit to, Marcella. Do you think you could pray for me, girlie?” he said, looking past her at the wall.
”I--I don't think I could--out loud. I'd feel as if I were eavesdropping. But I can in my mind, if you like.”
”Let's kneel down, then, like we did in the funny little tin tabernacle when we were married,” he said, and with an unsteady spring he was out of bed and kneeling by her side. For five minutes they were very quiet, she with her face buried in the counterpane as she prayed vaguely to herself and G.o.d and her father to help him. So intent was she that she did not feel his hand in her pocket. She thought his look of relief when they stood up and he kissed her meant that once more he had beaten his enemy.
”Girlie--go down and fill the bath for me! Right full to the brim with cold water. Like ducking in Jordan! I feel good now. I'm going to be clothed and in my right mind, now,” he said earnestly. When she came back, her shoulders squared again, he had vanished. She did not miss her purse until she went to the door to buy milk. Luckily there was not very much in it. Not till she heard the tale from Louis's lips did she believe he had stolen it, and when she missed a few not very valuable but very precious articles of jewellery that had belonged to her mother she thought that his tale of enemies--Germans and Chinese--who were d.o.g.g.i.ng him, searching for valuable Government papers, must be true, and that they had taken her few trinkets.
That night brought the climax; he had reached the limit of endurance and was brought home by two sailors who had found him on the Man-of-War Steps. A wild southerly buster was blowing, bringing rain with it in floods. He was drenched and so were the sailors.
”He isn't half s.h.i.+kkered,” said one of the boys admiringly. ”Trying to jump in the harbour, saying the Germans was after him! If we'd not been going back to the _Astarte_ just then he'd have been in, sure enough.”
”I'll get him upstairs for you, miss,” said one of the sailors. ”He's going to have the rats. We'd really ought to have give him to the police.”
”I'm glad you didn't. If you can help me get him to his room--”
”Right-o, miss. Is he married?”
”Yes. I'm his wife,” she said quietly. The sailors seemed to discuss the matter together. Then one of them volunteered to stay the night, as he guessed Louis would be dangerous.
”I'll get pulled for it to-morrow,” said the boy, ”but it don't seem right to leave a girl with him.”
”You _are_ nice, both of you,” she said gratefully, ”but don't worry.
I'm quite used to him. He'll go to sleep.”
Her instinct was to get rid of spectators, to have him to herself locked away from unsympathetic eyes. So the sailors went at last. When she got back from seeing them out Louis was flattened against the wall, staring with horrified eyes at the door, shaking violently. He had lost control of all his muscles; his face was grinning dreadfully. She gave a little cry of fright at his dreadful face. He mistook the cause of it and it communicated itself to him adding to his already overwhelming horror.
”They're after me,” he mumbled; she could scarcely tell what he said because his mouth could only form the words loosely. ”On the roof!
Germs--c.h.i.n.ks! Listen!” Suddenly he spoke with extraordinary clearness, telling her that he had had word that day that the Germans and Chinese had formed an alliance and were already over-running Europe.
”Big air fleet over Melb-Melba! Alb't Hall in ruins!” he chattered.”
Chinese torture. They know I'm biggest en'my in 'Stralia, ole girl. They got me--to-day they caught me. I always knew it--I knew they'd have me!
But I beat them, just as I beat the Pater! They know I'm the man they're after! They know I'm the son of the Duke of ----” He mumbled a name Marcella could not catch. ”Tha's why Pater--s'posed father--pers'cuted me all 'long! He was in their pay. Can't you see it? But I got away.
Only they'll have me, they'll have me. They're on the roof now!