"But in her present there is much which contradicts that judgment. This woman"s present conduct is worthy of all respect."
Rudolf tenderly stroked the head of his consort.
"My dear Flora, you are a child; there is much you do not understand, and will not understand. In the world there are ideas, ugly, extraordinary ideas, of which your pure, childlike mind can form no notion."
"Oh, don"t suppose me so simple! I know everything. I know that f.a.n.n.y"s sisters were very bad, unprincipled women, and that only the energy of good kinsfolk saved f.a.n.n.y herself from being betrayed and ruined. I know that in the eyes of the world hers is a very dubious record; but I also know that, so long as I hold that woman"s hand in mine, the world will not dare to reproach, will not dare to condemn her; and the thought of it makes me proud and well pleased."
"And suppose you are attacked?"
"I don"t understand."
"Suppose they say of you what they say of her, that you are a frivolous, flighty woman?"
"Without cause?"
"Not without cause. She lives in the midst of a band of empty-headed men, who certainly have no particular regard for a woman"s reputation.
And you, in consequence of your intimacy with Madame Karpathy, rub shoulders every day with her acquaintances, and will also be taken for a light, frivolous, frail sort of woman."
"I a light, frail, frivolous woman!" cried Flora, visibly wounded; but the moment afterwards she shrugged her shoulders. "It matters not.
Rather let the whole world be unjust to me, than that I should be unjust to any one. And, after all, why should I care about the world, when you are the whole world to me? Let everybody regard me as a light woman for Madame Karpathy"s sake; so long as you do not, I care nothing about the others."
"And if I, also, considered you as much?"
Flora sprang up from Rudolf"s side in amazement.
"Rudolf! think what you are saying. Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am serious."
Flora reflected for an instant, then she said decidedly--
"Very well, Rudolf, I a.s.sure you that I am neither frivolous nor weak--weak not even in respect to you." And with that she sprang to the bell-rope and pulled it violently three times.
The maid entered.
"Netti, you will sleep in here with me to-night."
Rudolf looked at his wife with the greatest surprise.
"This is a sentence of banishment, eh?"
"It is."
"For how long?"
"Until you withdraw your words."
Rudolf smilingly kissed her hand and quitted the room; but he lay down in a very bad humour, and it was a long time before he could go to sleep. Often he was on the point of starting up, hastening to her room, begging her pardon, and giving her a written a.s.surance under his hand and seal that women are the strongest, the most determined creatures in the world, and that there never was and never will be such a thing as a frivolous, frail young woman--but the self-respect of a husband always restrained him. It was not right that he should surrender so soon. He must show that if his wife had strength of mind enough to dismiss him, his strength of mind was not less than hers. On the morrow she would certainly be the first to plead guilty of contumacy; and with thoughts like these he went to sleep.
CHAPTER XVII.
A DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT.
The next day Rudolf only met his wife at dinner before a numerous company. There was no trace of displeasure on the lady"s handsome face; she was as captivating, as fascinating as ever, and nothing could exceed her tenderness, her amiability towards her husband.
Late in the evening, when all the guests had dispersed, they found themselves alone with each other again, and Rudolf had a grateful recollection of the German proverb, which says that lovers ought to quarrel occasionally in order to love each other all the better afterwards. He fancied that he was enjoying to the full the victory won in yesterday"s warfare, and he felt magnanimous and would not reproach his wife with her defeat in that sweet hour. But when he embraced Flora with both arms as if he were going to hold her fast for ever, the lady gently disentangled herself, and, leaning on his shoulder, whispered in his ear--
"And now, my dear Rudolf, G.o.d be with you! Let us wish each other good night."
Rudolf was dumfounded.
"You see I am not so flighty as you fancied. I am not weak even where you are concerned; but I can love, and n.o.body shall forbid me to love whom I will." And with that she blew him a kiss from the threshold of her bedroom, and Rudolf heard her double-lock the door behind her.
Now this of itself was more than enough to make any man angry.
Rudolf tore at least two b.u.t.tons off his coat in the act of undressing, and in his wrath took down Hugo Grotius, read steadily away at it till midnight, and then dashed Hugo Grotius to the ground, for he did not understand a word that he had been reading. His thoughts were elsewhere.
And the following day pa.s.sed away with the same peculiar variations.
His wife was captivatingly amiable. Like a seductive siren, she immeshed her husband in the magic charms of her caresses, was kindness, tenderness personified, loaded him with every little attention which one can look for from a gracious lady, right up to her bedroom door, which she again locked in his face.
Now this was the most exquisite torture conceivable to which a man can be submitted. Compared with this little fairy, a Nero, a Caligula was a veritable philanthropist.
"But how long is this obstinacy to last?" burst forth Rudolf one day, in spite of himself.
"Until you withdraw your disparaging opinion of women."
Well, a single word would have been enough, but that single word was too precious for the pride of a husband to part with. Such a word meant submission, unconditional surrender; only at the very last extremity could it be resorted to.
No, instead of that, he will compel his wife to surrender, and he had plenty of time in those lonely, sleepless nights to hatch a plan of action. He would leave home for a week, and not tell his wife where he was going. The Karpathys were now at their castle at Nagy Kun Madaras; he would spend the week with them. That young woman would be certain to welcome him most gladly, and he would pay his court to her. Success was certain. He was sure to triumph over women of a much more obstinate character, if only he made up his mind to conquer. Old Karpathy would not trouble himself about it; he would only be too glad if his wife had plenty of amus.e.m.e.nt. There was not even any necessity for using any particular charm or seduction, the young woman was so avid of pleasure, that she was pretty sure to show favour to any one. She herself would be his best ally.
With such ideas in his head, he prepared, on the following day, for his journey. Flora was as kind, as tender as ever as she parted from him, and it was impossible to suspect her of any pretence.
Rudolf whispered lovingly in her ear, "Come now, shall there be an end to our warfare?"
"I require an unconditional surrender," said Flora, with an unappeasable smile.
"Good! there shall be an end to it when I return, but then I shall _dictate_ peace."
Flora shook her pretty head dubiously, and kissed her husband again and again; and when he was actually sitting in the coach, she ran after him to kiss him once more, and then went out on the balcony and followed him with her eyes, whilst Rudolf leaned out of the coach, and so they kept on bidding each other adieu with hat and handkerchief till the coach was out of sight.
And thus an honest husband quitted his house with the fixed resolve to deceive another man"s wife, simply in order that he might thereby win back his own.
If only he had known what he was doing!