Sunrise. Black William

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ Bond Street to buy some little thing for her."

      "Then she allows you to make her presents?" Brand said, somewhat coldly.

      "She and I are like brother and sister now," said the pale, deformed lad, without hesitation. "If I were ill, I think she would be glad to come and look after me."

      "You have already plenty of sisters who would do that.'"

      "By-the-way, they are coming to town next week with my mother. You must come and dine with us some night, if you are not afraid to face the chatter of such a lot of girls."

      "Have they seen Miss Lind?"

      "No, not yet."

      "And how will you explain your latest craze to them, Evelyn? They are very nice girls indeed, you know; but—but—when they set full cry on you—I suppose some day I shall have to send them a copy of a newspaper from abroad, with this kind of thing in it: 'Compeared yesterday before the Correctional Tribunal, Earnest Francis D'Agincourt, Baron Evelyn, charged with having in his possession two canisters of an explosive compound and fourteen empty missiles. Further, among the correspondence of the accused was found—'"

      "'A letter from an Englishman named Brand,'" continued Lord Evelyn, as he rose and went to the window, "'apparently written under the influence of nightmare.' Come, Brand, I see the carriage is below. Will you drive with me to the jeweller's?"

      "Certainly," said his friend; and at this moment the carriage was announced. "I suppose it wouldn't do for me to buy the thing? You know I have more money to spend on trinkets than you have."

      They were very intimate friends indeed. Lord Evelyn only said, with a smile,

      "I am afraid Natalie wouldn't like it."

      But this choosing of a birthday present was a terrible business. The jeweller was as other jewellers: his designs were mostly limited to the representation of two objects—a butterfly for a woman, and a horseshoe for a man. At last Brand, who had been walking about from time to time, espied, in a distant case, an object which instantly attracted his attention. It was a flat piece of wood or board, covered with blue velvet; and on this had been twined an unknown number of yards of the beautiful thread-like gold chain common to the jewellers' shop-windows in Venice.

      "Here you are, Evelyn," Brand said at once. "Why not buy a lot of this thin chain, and let her make it into any sort of decoration that she chooses?"

      "It is an ignominious way out of the difficulty," said the other: but he consented; and yard after yard of the thread-like chain was unrolled. When allowed to drop together, it seemed to go into no compass at all.

      They went outside.

      "What are you going to do now, Brand?"

      The other was looking cheerless enough.

      "I?" he said, with the slightest possible shrug. "I suppose I must go down to the club, and yawn away the time till dinner."

      "Then why not come with me? I have a commission or two from my sisters—one as far out as Notting Hill; but after that we can drive back through the Park and call on the Linds. I dare say Lind will be home by that time."

      Lord Evelyn's friend was more than delighted. As they drove from place to place he was a good deal more talkative than was his wont; and, among other things, confessed his belief that Ferdinand Lind seemed much too hard-headed a man to be engaged in mere visionary enterprises. But somehow the conversation generally came round to Mr. Lind's daughter; and Brand seemed very anxious to find out to what degree she was cognizant of her father's schemes. On this point Lord Evelyn knew nothing.

      At last they arrived at the house in Curzon Street, and found Mr. Lind just on the point of entering. He stayed to receive them; went up-stairs with them to the drawing-room, and then begged them to excuse him for a few minutes. Presently Natalie Lind appeared.

      How this man envied his friend Evelyn the frank, sister-like way in which she took the little present, and thanked him, for that and his kind wishes!

      "Ah, do you know," she said, "what a strange birthday gift I had given me this morning? See!"

      She brought over the old-fashioned silver locket, and told them the whole story.

      "Is it not strange?" she said. "'From Natalie to Natalushka:' that is, from myself to myself. What can it mean?"

      "Have you not asked your father, then, about his mysterious messenger?" Brand said. He was always glad to ask this girl a question, for she looked him so straight in the face with her soft, dark eyes, as she answered,

      "He has only now come home. I will directly."

      "But why does your father call you Natalushka, Natalie?" asked Lord Evelyn.

      There was the slightest blush on the pale, clear face.

      "It was a nickname they gave me, I am told, when I was child. They used to make me angry."

      "And now, if one were to call you Natalushka?"

      "My anger would be too terrible," she said, with a smile. "Papa alone dares to do that."

      Presently her father came into the room.

      "Oh, papa," said she, "I have discovered who the lady is whom you got to bring me the flowers. And see! she has given me this strange little locket. Look at the inscription—'From Natalie to Natalushka.'"

      Lind only glanced at the locket. His eyes were fixed on the girl.

      "Where did you see the—the lady?" he asked, coldly.

      "In the Park. But she did not stay a moment, or speak; she hurried on, and Anneli thought she was crying. I almost think so too. Who was it, papa? May I speak to her, if I see her again?"

      Mr. Lind turned aside for a moment. Brand, who was narrowly watching him, was convinced that the man was in a passion of rage. But when he turned again he was outwardly calm.

      "You will do nothing of the kind, Natalie," he said in measured tones. "I have warned you before against making indiscriminate acquaintances; and Anneli, if she is constantly getting such stupidities into her head, must be sent about her business. I do not wish to hear anything more about it. Will you ring and ask why tea has not been sent up?"

      The girl silently obeyed. Her father had never spoken to her in this cold, austere tone before. She sat down at a small table, apart.

      Mr. Lind talked for a minute or two with his guests; then he said,

      "Natalie, you have the zither there; why do you not play us something?"

      She turned to the small instrument, and, after a second or two, played a few notes: that was all. She rose and said, "I don't think I can play this afternoon, papa;" and then she left the room.

      Mr. Lind pretended to converse with his guests as before; and tea came in; but presently he begged to be excused for a moment, and left the room. George Brand rose, and took a turn or two up and down.

      "It would take very little," he muttered—for his teeth were set—"to make me СКАЧАТЬ