Part 58 (1/2)

”Take me to her; I must see her; I will go at once.”

”You shall not,” he said, promptly; but he himself was beginning to breathe more freely. ”I will not allow you to see her until you are perfectly calm.”

He put his hand on her arm gently.

”Natalie,” said he, ”you must calm yourself--for her sake. She has been suffering; she is weak; any wild scene would do her harm. You must calm yourself, my darling; you must be the braver of the two; you must show yourself very strong--for her sake.”

”I am quite calm,” she said, with pale lips. She put her left hand over her heart. ”It is only my heart that beats so.”

”Well, in a little while--”

”Now--now!” she pleaded, almost wildly. ”I must see her. When I try to think of it, it is like to drive me mad; I cannot think at all. Let us go!”

”You must think,” he said firmly; ”you must think of what you are going to say; and your dress, too. Natalie, you must take that piece of scarlet ribbon away; one who is nearly related to you has just died.”

She tore it off instantly.

”And you know Magyar, don't you, Natalie?”

”Oh yes, yes.”

”Because your mother has been learning English in order to be able to speak to you.”

Again she placed her hand over her heart, and there was a look of pain on her face.

”My dearest, let us go! I can bear no more: my heart will break! See, am I not calm enough? Do I tremble?”

”No, you are very courageous,” he said, looking at her doubtfully.

”Let us go!--let us go!”

Her entreaties overcame his scruples. The things she had thrown aside on coming in from her morning walk still lay there; she hastily put them on; and she herself led the way down-stairs. He put her into the hansom, and followed; the man drove off. She held her lover's hand tight, as a sign of her grat.i.tude.

”Mind, I depend on you, Natalie,” he said.

”Oh, do not fear,” she said, rather wildly; ”why should one fear? It seems to me all a strange sort of dream; and I shall waken out of it by-and-by, and go back to the house. Why should I be surprised to see her, when she is my constant companion? And do you think I shall not know what to say?--I have talked to her all my life.”

But when they had reached the house, and were admitted, this half-hysterical courage had fled.

”One moment, dearest; give me one moment,” she said, at the foot of the stairs, as if her breath failed her, and she put her hand on his arm.

”Now, Natalie,” he whispered, ”you must think of your mother as an invalid--not to be excited, you understand; there is to be no scene.”

”Yes, yes,” she said, but she scarcely heard him.

”Now go,” he said, ”and I will wait here.”

”No, I wish you to come,” she said.

”You ought to be alone with her.”