"He will be so glad. Does he know yet I am here?"
"No, Gareth, not yet."
"I think I am glad of that," she laughed. "What a great start he will give, and how his eyes will open, and what a light of love will be in them when I run up and put my arms round him."
"Pray G.o.d he may," was my thought. I still nurtured the hope that what he had once said to me was true; and that so far as there was room for love in his selfish heart, Gareth filled it. It was largely on that hope, indeed, I was building.
"He will be so glad that--do you know what I have thought, Christabel?"
"No, dear."
"I am going to be very cunning. I am going to use that moment of his delight to urge him to take me to my father and tell him everything.
Do you think he will do it?"
"It might be better----" I began, when I stopped suddenly as a new thought occurred to me.
"What might be better, Christabel? Tell me; I am so anxious about this. I have been thinking about it ever since I guessed what your news was, and that you were going to bring Karl to me. Tell me, what would be better?"
"I was thinking it would be better if you could first have done something for him; have won his own father to be reconciled to your marriage."
"Oh, I dare not do that," she cried, shrinking like a frightened child.
"Besides, I don"t know who is his father."
"I do. He is a very great man--Duke Ladislas of Kremnitz."
"I have never seen a Duke in all my life and couldn"t speak to one to save it."
I scarcely heard her, for I was thinking what would be the effect of a meeting between this sweet simple-souled child, and that stern, hard-faced, eagle-eyed old man. I pictured the scene if, his Excellency having told the Duke of Gustav"s marriage, I were to lead her in to him and say--"This is Gareth."
"You"re not thinking a bit of what I"m saying, Christabel," she cried presently. "And you"re looking dreadfully solemn. This might be a funeral, instead of one of the happiest days of my life. But don"t let us talk any more about dukes--and such people. I couldn"t do what you say without telling Karl first."
"Oh, by the way, that"s a little mistake about his name you make, Gareth," I said, as if it were a very trifling matter. "He is not called Karl by his friends and his family--but Gustav. The mistake must have been made at first; and I expect he liked you to call him Karl, as the name you first used."
"What nonsense, Christabel. Why we were married as Karl and Gareth."
She was almost indignant.
"I suppose he was just humouring you. But his brother"s name is Karl.
Perhaps they both have that name; and he liked you to call him by it, because no one else did."
For a moment a great doubt clouded her bright eyes. "Do you think you have made a strange mistake, Christabel, and that it is not my Karl who is coming?"
"No dear, I have made no mistake. I could not do that. I only tell you this, that you may not be surprised if you hear others speak to him as Gustav, and look for you to do the same. If I were you, I should call him Gustav before others, and use the other name when you are alone."
"But it is such an extraordinary thing."
At that moment Mrs. Perry knocked at the door and called me.
"I must go now, Gareth."
Her eyes were shining and her face alight with love and nervous antic.i.p.ation. "Is it Kar--Gustav?"
"No, dearest. Not yet. He may be some little time yet. You will wait here patiently till I come for you?"
"Not patiently," she cried with the rueful pout of a child.
I kissed her. "Courage and a little patience, Gareth," I whispered; my arms about her and her head on my shoulder.
"Yes. I"ll try to be patient--but you don"t know what it is to wait like this in such suspense."
"I"ll come for you the instant I can," I a.s.sured her, and went out to Mrs. Perry.
"The two gentlemen are here, Miss Christabel."
"I"ll go down to them;" and I ran down, with no very clear thought of what I was to say to either Colonel Katona or to Karl, until I knew for certain that Gustav would really come.
And there was no news yet from James Perry.
CHAPTER XXVI
FACE TO FACE
As I entered the room Karl came to me with both hands outstretched.
Utterly regardless of Colonel Katona"s presence, he exclaimed in a tone of intense earnestness; "Thank G.o.d, for a sight of you again, Christabel."
"Count Karl," I said, half in protest, as I put my hands into his nervously and glanced at the Colonel.
"Never mind the Colonel. He knows everything," he declared in the most unabashed manner, "even that I have come to recant. I must take back the promise I made the other night."
"Good-morning, Colonel Katona;" and I drew my hands away from Karl, who had held on to them with quite embarra.s.sing pertinacity.
The Colonel"s hard eyes were quite soft with the softness of Gareth"s as he smiled. "You have a lovely garden here, may I go out into it?"
"Indeed you may not," I replied quickly. If Count Gustav caught sight of him he would be scared right away.
"Count Karl wishes to speak to you alone--that"s why I asked," he replied in his blunt, soldierly way.
"I think I am too embarra.s.sed to know what to say or do;" and I sat down helplessly. "I believe it would be best for us all if we were to talk for about a quarter of an hour of nothing but the weather."
Karl laughed. "I can say what I want to say before the Colonel, Christabel," he declared. But Colonel Katona read something in my manner which disturbed him, and he looked at me earnestly, with an eager appeal in his eyes.
"I hope with all my heart it will be fine weather," I said with a meaning look; "but fine or wet I am not yet ready to...." I could think of no word to fit the sentence, and came to an impotent stop.
"I can wait," declared the Colonel, in evident relief; and turning his back to me, he stared resolutely out into the garden.
I glanced at Karl, and was pained to see how really worn and ill he looked. The sunken cheeks, hollow eye sockets, and haggard, drawn features told their tale of the struggle through which he had pa.s.sed.