The Malefactor [72]
at her coldly.
"Why not?"
"If you were absolutely heartless," she said, "if you were perfectly consistent, why did you not make me suffer? You had a great chance! A little feigned affection, and then a few truths. You could have dragged me down a little way into the pit of broken hearts! Why didn't you?"
He frowned.
"One is forced to neglect a few opportunities!"
She smiled at him--delightfully.
"You foolish man!" she murmured. "Some day or other, you will turn out to be a terrible impostor. Do you know, I think I am going to ask you again--what I asked you last night?"
"I scarcely think that you will be so ill-advised," he declared coldly. "Whether you believe it or not, I can assure you that I am incapable of affection."
She sighed.
"I am not so sure about that," she said with protesting eyebrows, "but you are terribly hard-hearted?"
He was entirely dissatisfied with the impression he had produced. He considered the attitude of the Marchioness unjustifiably frivolous. He had an uneasy conviction that she was not in the least inclined to take him seriously.
"I don't think," he said, glancing at the clock, "that I need detain you any longer."
"You are really going away, then?" she asked him softly.
"Yes."
"To call on Lady Ruth, perhaps?"
"As it happens, no," he answered.
Suddenly her face changed--she had remembered something.
"It was Lady Ruth!" she exclaimed.
"Exactly!" he interrupted.
"What a triumph of inconsistency!" she declared scornfully. "You are lending them money!"
"I am lending money to Lady Ruth," he answered slowly.
Their eyes met. She understood, at any rate, what he intended to convey. Certainly his expression was hard and merciless enough now!
"Poor Ruth," she murmured.
"Some day," he answered, "you will probably say that in earnest."
JULIET GAINS EXPERIENCE
"Of course," Juliet said, "after Tredowen it seems very small, almost poky, but it isn't, really, and Tredowen was not for me all my days. It was quite time I got used to something else."
Wingrave looked around him with expressionless face. It was a tiny room, high up on the fifth floor of a block of flats, prettily but inexpensively furnished. Juliet herself, tall and slim, with all the fire of youth and perfect health on her young face, was obviously contented.
"And your work?" he asked.
She made a little grimace.
"I have a good deal to unlearn," she said, "but Mr. Pleydell is very kind and encouraging."
"You will go down to Cornwall for the hot weather, I hope?" he said. "London is unbearable in August."
"The class are going for a sketching tour to Normandy," she said, "and Mr. Pleydell thought that I might like to join them. It is very inexpensive, and I should be able to go on with my work all the time."
He nodded thoughtfully.
"I hear," he said, "that you have met Mr. Aynesworth again."
"Wasn't it delightful?" she exclaimed. "He is quite an old friend of Mr. Pleydell. I was so glad to see him."
"I suppose," he remarked, "you are a little lonely sometimes?"
"Sometimes," she admitted. "But I sha'n't be when I get to know the girls in the class a little better."
"I have some friends," he said thoughtfully, "women, of course, who would come and see you with pleasure. And yet," he added, "I am not sure that you would not be better off without knowing them."
"They are fashionable ladies, perhaps?" she said simply.
He nodded.
"They belong to the Juggernaut here which is called society. They would probably try to draw you a little way into its meshes. I think, yes, I am sure," he added, looking at her, "that you are better off outside."
"And I am quite sure of it," she answered laughing. "I haven't the clothes or the time or the inclination for that sort of thing. Besides, I am going to be much too happy ever to be lonely."
"I myself," he said, "am not an impressionable person. But they tell me that most people, especially of your age, find London a terribly lonely place."
"I can understand that," she answered, "unless they
"Why not?"
"If you were absolutely heartless," she said, "if you were perfectly consistent, why did you not make me suffer? You had a great chance! A little feigned affection, and then a few truths. You could have dragged me down a little way into the pit of broken hearts! Why didn't you?"
He frowned.
"One is forced to neglect a few opportunities!"
She smiled at him--delightfully.
"You foolish man!" she murmured. "Some day or other, you will turn out to be a terrible impostor. Do you know, I think I am going to ask you again--what I asked you last night?"
"I scarcely think that you will be so ill-advised," he declared coldly. "Whether you believe it or not, I can assure you that I am incapable of affection."
She sighed.
"I am not so sure about that," she said with protesting eyebrows, "but you are terribly hard-hearted?"
He was entirely dissatisfied with the impression he had produced. He considered the attitude of the Marchioness unjustifiably frivolous. He had an uneasy conviction that she was not in the least inclined to take him seriously.
"I don't think," he said, glancing at the clock, "that I need detain you any longer."
"You are really going away, then?" she asked him softly.
"Yes."
"To call on Lady Ruth, perhaps?"
"As it happens, no," he answered.
Suddenly her face changed--she had remembered something.
"It was Lady Ruth!" she exclaimed.
"Exactly!" he interrupted.
"What a triumph of inconsistency!" she declared scornfully. "You are lending them money!"
"I am lending money to Lady Ruth," he answered slowly.
Their eyes met. She understood, at any rate, what he intended to convey. Certainly his expression was hard and merciless enough now!
"Poor Ruth," she murmured.
"Some day," he answered, "you will probably say that in earnest."
JULIET GAINS EXPERIENCE
"Of course," Juliet said, "after Tredowen it seems very small, almost poky, but it isn't, really, and Tredowen was not for me all my days. It was quite time I got used to something else."
Wingrave looked around him with expressionless face. It was a tiny room, high up on the fifth floor of a block of flats, prettily but inexpensively furnished. Juliet herself, tall and slim, with all the fire of youth and perfect health on her young face, was obviously contented.
"And your work?" he asked.
She made a little grimace.
"I have a good deal to unlearn," she said, "but Mr. Pleydell is very kind and encouraging."
"You will go down to Cornwall for the hot weather, I hope?" he said. "London is unbearable in August."
"The class are going for a sketching tour to Normandy," she said, "and Mr. Pleydell thought that I might like to join them. It is very inexpensive, and I should be able to go on with my work all the time."
He nodded thoughtfully.
"I hear," he said, "that you have met Mr. Aynesworth again."
"Wasn't it delightful?" she exclaimed. "He is quite an old friend of Mr. Pleydell. I was so glad to see him."
"I suppose," he remarked, "you are a little lonely sometimes?"
"Sometimes," she admitted. "But I sha'n't be when I get to know the girls in the class a little better."
"I have some friends," he said thoughtfully, "women, of course, who would come and see you with pleasure. And yet," he added, "I am not sure that you would not be better off without knowing them."
"They are fashionable ladies, perhaps?" she said simply.
He nodded.
"They belong to the Juggernaut here which is called society. They would probably try to draw you a little way into its meshes. I think, yes, I am sure," he added, looking at her, "that you are better off outside."
"And I am quite sure of it," she answered laughing. "I haven't the clothes or the time or the inclination for that sort of thing. Besides, I am going to be much too happy ever to be lonely."
"I myself," he said, "am not an impressionable person. But they tell me that most people, especially of your age, find London a terribly lonely place."
"I can understand that," she answered, "unless they