第25章

But you dont understand,Elfride,he said with an anxious movement.You shall know him some day.He is so brilliant--no,it isnt exactly brilliant;so thoughtful--nor does thoughtful express him--that it would charm you to talk to him.Hes a most desirable friend,and that isnt half I could say.

I dont care how good he is;I dont want to know him,because he comes between me and you.You think of him night and day,ever so much more than of anybody else;and when you are thinking of him,I am shut out of your mind.

No,dear Elfride;I love you dearly.

And I dont like you to tell me so warmly about him when you are in the middle of loving me.Stephen,suppose that I and this man Knight of yours were both drowning,and you could only save one of us----

Yes--the stupid old proposition--which would I save?

Well,which?Not me.

Both of you,he said,pressing her pendent hand.

No,that wont do;only one of us.

I cannot say;I dont know.It is disagreeable--quite a horrid idea to have to handle.

A-ha,I know.You would save him,and let me drown,drown,drown;and I dont care about your love!

She had endeavoured to give a playful tone to her words,but the latter speech was rather forced in its gaiety.

At this point in the discussion she trotted off to turn a corner which was avoided by the footpath,the road and the path reuniting at a point a little further on.On again making her appearance she continually managed to look in a direction away from him,and left him in the cool shade of her displeasure.Stephen was soon beaten at this game of indifference.He went round and entered the range of her vision.

Are you offended,Elfie?Why dont you talk?

Save me,then,and let that Mr.Clever of yours drown.I hate him.Now,which would you?

Really,Elfride,you should not press such a hard question.It is ridiculous.

Then I wont be alone with you any more.Unkind,to wound me so!She laughed at her own absurdity but persisted.

Come,Elfie,lets make it up and be friends.

Say you would save me,then,and let him drown.

I would save you--and him too.

And let him drown.Come,or you dont love me!she teasingly went on.

And let him drown,he ejaculated despairingly.

There;now I am yours!she said,and a womans flush of triumph lit her eyes.

Only one earring,miss,as Im alive,said Unity on their entering the hall.

With a face expressive of wretched misgiving,Elfrides hand flew like an arrow to her ear.

There!she exclaimed to Stephen,looking at him with eyes full of reproach.

I quite forgot,indeed.If I had only remembered!he answered,with a conscience-stricken face.

She wheeled herself round,and turned into the shrubbery.Stephen followed.

If you had told me to watch anything,Stephen,I should have religiously done it,she capriciously went on,as soon as she heard him behind her.

Forgetting is forgivable.

Well,you will find it,if you want me to respect you and be engaged to you when we have asked papa.She considered a moment,and added more seriously,I know now where I dropped it,Stephen.

It was on the cliff.I remember a faint sensation of some change about me,but I was too absent to think of it then.And thats where it is now,and you must go and look there.

Ill go at once.

And he strode away up the valley,under a broiling sun and amid the deathlike silence of early afternoon.He ascended,with giddy-paced haste,the windy range of rocks to where they had sat,felt and peered about the stones and crannies,but Elfrides stray jewel was nowhere to be seen.Next Stephen slowly retraced his steps,and,pausing at a cross-road to reflect a while,he left the plateau and struck downwards across some fields,in the direction of Endelstow House.

He walked along the path by the river without the slightest hesitation as to its bearing,apparently quite familiar with every inch of the ground.As the shadows began to lengthen and the sunlight to mellow,he passed through two wicket-gates,and drew near the outskirts of Endelstow Park.The river now ran along under the park fence,previous to entering the grove itself,a little further on.

Here stood a cottage,between the fence and the stream,on a slightly elevated spot of ground,round which the river took a turn.The characteristic feature of this snug habitation was its one chimney in the gable end,its squareness of form disguised by a huge cloak of ivy,which had grown so luxuriantly and extended so far from its base,as to increase the apparent bulk of the chimney to the dimensions of a tower.Some little distance from the back of the house rose the park boundary,and over this were to be seen the sycamores of the grove,making slow inclinations to the just-awakening air.

Stephen crossed the little wood bridge in front,went up to the cottage door,and opened it without knock or signal of any kind.

Exclamations of welcome burst from some person or persons when the door was thrust ajar,followed by the scrape of chairs on a stone floor,as if pushed back by their occupiers in rising from a table.The door was closed again,and nothing could now be heard from within,save a lively chatter and the rattle of plates.