The Essential Elinor Glyn Collection. Glyn Elinor

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ beauty of Aphrodite. He must have brought her from there as well as the Hebe and Artemis, which are not nearly so good. They stand in the hall--but they say nothing to me."

      "It would be interesting to know what the papers are about," John Derringham went on. "We must look at them together some day when you are my wife."

      "Yes," said Halcyone, and thrilled at the thought.

      "So it was through the solid masonry you disappeared last night? No wonder, sprite, that I believed I was dreaming! Why did you fly from me? Why?"

      "It was too great, too glorious to take all at once," she said, and with a sudden shyness she buried her face in his coat.

      "My darling sweet one," he murmured, drawing her to him, passion flaming once more. "I could have cried madly"--and he quoted in Greek:

      /$ "Wilt them fly me and deny me? By thine own joy I vow, By the grape upon the bough, Thou shalt seek me in the midnight, thou shalt love me even now." $/

      Mr. Carlyon had not restricted Halcyone's reading: she knew it was from the "Bacch" of Euripides, and answered:

      "Ah, yes, and, you see, I have sought you in the midnight, and I am here, and I love you--even now!"

      After that, for a while they both seemed to fall into a dream of bliss. They spoke not, they just sat close together, his arms encircling her, her head upon his breast; and thus they watched the first precursors of dawn streak the sky and, looking up, found the stars had faded.

      Halcyone started to her feet.

      "Ah! I must go, dear lover," she said, "though it will only be for some few hours."

      But John Derringham held her two hands, detaining her.

      "I will make all the arrangements in these next few days," he said. "I am going to Wendover for Whitsuntide. I will get away from there, though, and come across the park and meet you, darling, here at our tree, and we will settle exactly what to do and when to go."

      Then, after a last fond, sweet embrace, he let her leave him, and watched her as she glided away among the giant trees, until she was out of sight, a wild glory in his heart.

      For love, when he wins after stress, leaves no room but for gladness in his worshiper's soul.

      CHAPTER XIX

      It was John Derringham who was taciturn next morning, not the Professor!

      The light of day has a most sobering effect, and while still exalted in a measure by all the strong forces of love, he was enabled to review worldly events with a clearer eye, and could realize very well that he was going to take a step which would not have a forwarding impetus upon his career, even if it proved to be not one of retrogression.

      He must give up the thought of using a rich wife as an advancement; but then, on the other hand, he would gain a companion whose divine sweetness would be an ennobling inspiration.

      How he could ever have deceived himself in regard to his feelings he wondered now, for he saw quite plainly that he had been drifting into loving her from the first moment he had seen her that Good Friday morning, the foundations having been laid years before, on the day in the tree.

      He felt rather uncomfortable about his old master, who he knew would not approve of any secret union with Halcyone. Not that Cheiron would reck much of conventionalities, or care in the least if it were a marriage at a registry-office or not, but he would certainly resent any aspect of the case which would seem to put a slight upon his much-loved protge or place her in a false position.

      He would tell him nothing about it until it was an accomplished fact and Halcyone was his wife--then they would let him into the secret.

      All the details of what she would have to say to her aunts in her letter of farewell on leaving them would have to be thought out, too, so that no pursuit or inopportune prying into the truth would be the consequence.

      Of any possibility of her stepfather's ultimate interference he did not think, not knowing that she had even any further connection with him. To satisfy in some way the ancient aunts was all that appeared a necessity. And that was difficult enough. He had certainly undertaken no easy task, but he did not regret his decision. The first and only strong passion he had ever known was mastering him.

      But there was yet one more unpleasant aspect to face--that was the situation regarding Mrs. Cricklander. He had assuredly not committed himself or even acted very unfairly to her. She had been playing a game as he had been. He did not flatter himself that she really loved him--now that he knew what love meant--and her ambition could be gratified elsewhere; but there remained the fact that he was engaged to stay with her for Whitsuntide, and whether to do so, and plainly show her that he had meant nothing and only intended to be a friend, or whether to throw the visit over, and go to London, returning just to fetch Halcyone about Wednesday, he could not quite decide.

      Which would be the best thing to do? It worried him--but not for long, because indecision was not, as a rule, one of his characteristics, and he soon made up his mind to the former course.

      He would go to Wendover on Saturday, as was arranged, take pains to disabuse his hostess's mind of any illusion upon the subject of his intentions, and, having run over to Bristol this afternoon to give notice to the registrar and procure the license, he would leave with the other guests on the Tuesday, after lunch, having sent his servant up to London in the morning to be out of the way.

      Then he would sleep that night in Upminster, getting his servant to leave what luggage he required there--it was the junction for the main line to London, and so that would be easy. A motor could be hired, and in it, on the Wednesday, he would come to the oak avenue gate, as that was far at the other side of the park upon the western road; there he would arrange that Halcyone should be waiting for him with some small box, and they would go over to Bristol, be married, and then go on to a romantic spot he knew of in Wales, and there spend a week of bliss!

      By the time he got thus far in his meditations he felt intoxicated again, and Mr. Carlyon, who was watching him as he sat there in his chair reading the _Times_ opposite him, wondered what made him suddenly clasp his hands and draw in his breath and smile in that idiotic way while he gazed into space!

      Then there would be the afterwards. Of course, that would be blissful, too. Oh! if he could only claim her before all the world how glorious it would be--but for the present that was hopeless, and at all events her life with him would not be more retired than the one of monotony which she led at La Sarthe Chase, and would have his tenderest love to brighten it. He would take a tiny house for her somewhere--one of those very old-fashioned ones shut in with a garden still left in Chelsea, near the Embankment--and there he would spend every moment of his spare time, and try to make up to her for her isolation. Well arranged, the world need not know of this--Halcyone would never be _exigeante_--or if it did develop a suspicion, ministers before his day had been known to have had--_chres amies_.

      But as this thought came he jumped from his chair. It was, when faced in a concrete fashion, hideously unpalatable as touching his pure, fair star.

      "You are rather restless to-day, John," the Professor said, as his old pupil went hastily towards the open window and looked out.

      "Yes," СКАЧАТЬ