"It is such a fine night," said Emil; "we can still indulge in a short drive before I take you to your hotel--shall we?"
The carriage started off. Emil had taken off his hat; she laid it in her lap, an action which also afforded her pleasure. She took a sidelong glance at Emil; his eyes seemed to be looking into the distance.
"What are you thinking of?"
"I ... To tell the truth, Bertha, I was thinking of a melody out of the opera, which that man I was telling you about played to me this afternoon. But I can"t get it quite right."
"You are thinking of melodies now ..." said Bertha, smiling, but with a slight-tone of reproach in her voice.
Again there was silence. The carriage drove slowly along the deserted Ringstra.s.se, past the Opera House, the Museum and the public gardens.
"Emil?"
"What do you want, my darling?"
"When shall I at last have an opportunity of hearing you play again?"
"I am playing at a concert to-day, as a matter of fact," he said, as if it were a joke.
"No, Emil, that was not what I meant--I want you to play to me alone. You will do that just once ... won"t you? Please!"
"Yes, yes."
"It would mean so much to me. I should like you to know that there was no one in the room except myself listening to you."
"Quite so. But never mind that now, though."
He spoke in such a decided tone of voice that it seemed as if he was defending something from her. She could not understand for what reason her request could have been distasteful to him, and she continued:
"So then it is settled: to-morrow at five o"clock in the evening at your house?"
"Yes, I am curious to see whether you will like it there."
"Oh, of course I shall. Surely it will be much nicer being at your house than at that place where we have been this evening. And shall we spend the evening together? Do you know, I am just thinking whether I ought not to see my cousin...."
"But, my dearest one, please, don"t let us map out a definite programme."
In saying this he put his arm round her neck, as if he wanted to make her feel the tenderness which was absent from the tone of his voice.
"Emil!"
"Well?"
"To-morrow we will play the Kreatzer Sonata together--the Andante at least."
"But, my dear child, we"ve talked enough about music; do let us drop the subject. I am quite prepared to believe that you are immensely interested in it."
Again he spoke in that vague way, from which she could not tell whether he really meant what he said or had spoken ironically. She did not, however, venture to ask. At the same time her yearning at that moment to hear him play the violin was so keen that it was almost painful.
"Ah, here we are near your hotel, I see!" exclaimed Emil; and, as if he had completely forgotten his wish to go for a drive with her before leaving her at her door, he called out the name of the hotel to the driver.
"Emil--"
"Well, dearest?"
"Do you still love me?"
Instead of answering he pressed her close to him and kissed her on the lips.
"Tell me, Emil--"
"Tell you what?"
"But I know you don"t like anybody to ask much of you."
"Never mind, my child, ask anything you like."
"What will you.... Tell me, what are you accustomed to do with your forenoons?"
"Oh, I spend them in all sorts of ways. To-morrow, for instance, I am playing the violin solo in Haydn"s Ma.s.s in the Lerchenfeld Church."
"Really? Then, of course, I won"t have to wait any longer than to-morrow morning before I can hear you."
"If you want to. But it is really not worth the trouble.... That is to say, the Ma.s.s itself, of course, is very beautiful."
"However does it happen that you are going to play in the Lerchenfeld Church?"
"It is ... an act of kindness on my part."
"For whom?"
"For whom ... well, for Haydn, of course."
A thrill of pain seemed to seize Bertha. At that moment she felt that there must be some special connexion between it and his taking part in the Ma.s.s at the Lerchenfeld Church. Perhaps some woman was singing in the Ma.s.s, who.... Ah, what did she know, after all?... But she would go to the church, yes, she must go ... she could let no other woman have Emil!
He belonged to her, to her alone ... he had told her so, indeed.... And she would find a way to hold him fast... She had, she told herself, such infinite tenderness for him ... she had reserved all her love for him alone.... She would completely envelop him in it ... no more would he yearn for any other woman.... She would move to Vienna, be with him each day, be with him for ever.
"Emil--"
"Well, what is the matter with you, darling?"
He turned towards her and looked at her rather uneasily.
"Do you love me? Good Heavens, here we are already!"
"Really?" said Emil, with surprise.
"Yes--there, do you see?--that"s where I am staying. So tell me, please, Emil, tell me once more--"