Part 18 (1/2)

So, for the time being there was love-making, the usual billing and cooing of lovers in a simple and much less than final fas.h.i.+on; and the lovely horseback rides together under the green trees of the approaching spring were idyllic. Cowperwood awakened to a sense of joy in life such as he fancied, in the blush of this new desire, he had never experienced before. Lillian had been lovely in those early days in which he had first called on her in North Front Street, and he had fancied himself unspeakably happy at that time; but that was nearly ten years since, and he had forgotten. Since then he had had no great pa.s.sion, no notable liaison; and then, all at once, in the midst of his new, great business prosperity, Aileen. Her young body and soul, her pa.s.sionate illusions.

He could see always, for all her daring, that she knew so little of the calculating, brutal world with which he was connected. Her father had given her all the toys she wanted without stint; her mother and brothers had coddled her, particularly her mother. Her young sister thought she was adorable. No one imagined for one moment that Aileen would ever do anything wrong. She was too sensible, after all, too eager to get up in the world. Why should she, when her life lay open and happy before her--a delightful love-match, some day soon, with some very eligible and satisfactory lover?

”When you marry, Aileen,” her mother used to say to her, ”we'll have a grand time here. Sure we'll do the house over then, if we don't do it before. Eddie will have to fix it up, or I'll do it meself. Never fear.”

”Yes--well, I'd rather you'd fix it now,” was her reply.

Butler himself used to strike her jovially on the shoulder in a rough, loving way, and ask, ”Well, have you found him yet?” or ”Is he hanging around the outside watchin' for ye?”

If she said, ”No,” he would reply: ”Well, he will be, never fear--worse luck. I'll hate to see ye go, girlie! You can stay here as long as ye want to, and ye want to remember that you can always come back.”

Aileen paid very little attention to this bantering. She loved her father, but it was all such a matter of course. It was the commonplace of her existence, and not so very significant, though delightful enough.

But how eagerly she yielded herself to Cowperwood under the spring trees these days! She had no sense of that ultimate yielding that was coming, for now he merely caressed and talked to her. He was a little doubtful about himself. His growing liberties for himself seemed natural enough, but in a sense of fairness to her he began to talk to her about what their love might involve. Would she? Did she understand? This phase of it puzzled and frightened Aileen a little at first. She stood before him one afternoon in her black riding-habit and high silk riding-hat perched jauntily on her red-gold hair; and striking her riding-skirt with her short whip, pondering doubtfully as she listened. He had asked her whether she knew what she was doing? Whither they were drifting? If she loved him truly enough? The two horses were tethered in a thicket a score of yards away from the main road and from the bank of a tumbling stream, which they had approached. She was trying to discover if she could see them. It was pretense. There was no interest in her glance.

She was thinking of him and the smartness of his habit, and the exquisiteness of this moment. He had such a charming calico pony. The leaves were just enough developed to make a diaphanous lacework of green. It was like looking through a green-spangled arras to peer into the woods beyond or behind. The gray stones were already faintly messy where the water rippled and sparkled, and early birds were calling--robins and blackbirds and wrens.

”Baby mine,” he said, ”do you understand all about this? Do you know exactly what you're doing when you come with me this way?”

”I think I do.”

She struck her boot and looked at the ground, and then up through the trees at the blue sky.

”Look at me, honey.”

”I don't want to.”

”But look at me, sweet. I want to ask you something.”

”Don't make me, Frank, please. I can't.”

”Oh yes, you can look at me.”

”No.”

She backed away as he took her hands, but came forward again, easily enough.

”Now look in my eyes.”

”I can't.”

”See here.”

”I can't. Don't ask me. I'll answer you, but don't make me look at you.”

His hand stole to her cheek and fondled it. He petted her shoulder, and she leaned her head against him.

”Sweet, you're so beautiful,” he said finally, ”I can't give you up. I know what I ought to do. You know, too, I suppose; but I can't. I must have you. If this should end in exposure, it would be quite bad for you and me. Do you understand?”