"I would rather not tell her," said the mother, absently; "it is better she should not know."
He hesitated for a second or two.
"Then it is impossible that a reconciliation between your husband and yourself--"
"Oh no, no!" she said, somewhat sadly; "that is impossible, now."
"And you are anxious he should not know that you and your daughter see each other."
"I am not so anxious," she said. "I have faith in Natalushka: I can perceive her courage. But perhaps it would be better."
"Very well. Then come to these other rooms I have got for you; they are in a more secluded neighborhood."
"Very well, monsieur. I have but few things with me. I will be ready soon."
In less than half an hour after that the French landlady was receiving her new guest; and so eager was she to show to the English gentleman her grat.i.tude for his substantial presents, that her officious kindness was almost burdensome.
"I thank you," said the new-comer, with a smile, as the landlady brought her a cushion for her back the moment she sat down in the easy chair, "but I am not yet an invalid."
Then would madame have some tea? Or perhaps madame had not dined? There was little in the house; but something could be prepared at once; from to-morrow morning madame"s instructions would be fulfilled to the letter. To get rid of her, Brand informed her that madame had not dined, and would be glad to have anything that happened to be in the house.
Then she left, and he was about to leave also.
"No," said the beautiful mother to him, with a smile on the pale face.
"Sit down; I have something to say to you."
He sat down, his hat still in his hand.
"I have not thanked you," she said. "I see who has done all this: do you think a stranger would know to have the white-rose scent for me that Natalie uses? She was right: you are kind--you think of others."
"It is nothing--it is nothing," he said, hastily, and with all an Englishman"s embarra.s.sment.
"My dear friend," said his companion, with a grave kindness in her tone, and a look of affectionate interest in her eyes, "I am going to prove my grat.i.tude to you. I am going to prevent--what do you call it?--a lover"s quarrel."
He started.
"Yesterday," she continued, still regarding him in that kindly way, "before we left your rooms, Natalushka was very reserved toward you; was it not so? I perceived it; and you?"
"I--I thought she was tired," he stammered.
"To-morrow you are to fetch her here; and what if you find her still more reserved--even cold toward you? You will be pained, perhaps alarmed. Ah, my dear friend, life is made very bitter sometimes by mistakes; so it is that I must tell you the reason. The child loves you; be sure of that. Yes; but she thinks that she has been too frank in saying so--in time of trouble and anxiety; and now--now that you are perhaps not going to America--now that perhaps all the trouble is over--now she is beginning to think she ought to be a little more discreet, as other young ladies are. The child means no harm, but you and she must not quarrel."
He took her hand to bid her good-bye.
"Natalie and I are not likely to quarrel," said he, cheerfully. "Now I am going away. If I stayed, you would do nothing but talk about her, whereas it is necessary that you should have some dinner, then read one of these books for an hour or so, then go to bed and have a long, sound night"s rest. You must be looking your brightest when she comes to see you to-morrow."
And indeed, as it turned out subsequently, this warning; of the mother"s was not wholly unnecessary. Next day at eleven o"clock, as had previously been arranged, Brand met Natalie at the corner of Great Stanhope Street to escort her to the house to which her mother had removed. He had not even got into the park with her when he perceived that her manner was distinctly reserved. Anneli was with her, and she kept talking from time to time to the little maid, who was thus obliged, greatly against her will, to walk close to her mistress. At last Brand said,
"Natalie, have I offended you?"
"Oh no!" she said, in a hurried, low voice.
"Natalie," said he, very gently, "I once heard of a wicked creature who was determined to play the hypocrite, and might have done a great deal of mischief, only she had a most amiable mother, who stepped in and gave somebody else a warning. Did you ever hear of such a wicked person?"
The blood mounted to her face. By this time Anneli had taken leave to fall behind.
"Then," said the girl, with some hesitation, and yet with firmness, "you will not misunderstand me. If all the circ.u.mstances are to be altered, then--then you must forget what I have said to you in moments of trouble. I have a right to ask it. You must forget the past altogether."
"But it is impossible!"
"It is necessary."
For some minutes they walked on in silence. Then he felt a timid touch on his arm; her hand had been laid there, deprecatingly, for a moment.
"Are you angry with me?"
"No, I am not," said he, frankly, "for the very reason that what you ask is impossible, unnecessary, absurd. You might as well ask me to forget that I am alive. In any case, isn"t it rather too soon? Are you so sure that all the trouble is past? Wait till the storm is well over, and we are going into port, then we will put on our Sunday manners to go ash.o.r.e."
"I am afraid you are angry with me," she said again, timidly.
"You could not make me, if you tried," he said, simply; "but I am proud of you, Natalie--proud of the courage and clearness and frankness of your character, and I don"t like to see you fall away from that, and begin to consider what a school-mistress would think of you."
"It is not what any one may think of me that I consider; it is what I think of myself," she answered, in the same low voice.
They reached Hans Place. The mother was at the door of the room to welcome them. She took her daughter by the hand and led her in.
"Look round, Natalushka," she said. "Can you guess who has arranged all this for me--for me and for you?"
The girl almost instantly turned--her eyes cast down--and took her lover"s hand, and kissed it in silence. That was all.
Then said he, lightly, as he shoved the low easy-chair nearer the fire,
"Come, madame, and sit down here; and you, Natalushka, here is a stool for you, that you will be able to lean your head on your mother"s knee.
There; it is a very pretty group: do you know why I make you into a picture? Well, you see, these are troubled times; and one has one"s work to do; and who can tell what may happen? But don"t you see that, whatever may happen, I can carry away with me this picture; and always, wherever I may be, I can say to myself that Natalie and her mother are together in the quiet little room, and that they are happy. Now I must bid you good-bye; I have a great deal of business to-day with my solicitor. And the landlady, madame: how does she serve you?"
"She overwhelms me with kindness."
"That is excellent," said he, as he shook hands with them and, against both their protests, took his leave.
He carried away that picture in his mind. He had left these two together, and they were happy. What mattered it to him what became of himself?
It was on the evening of that day that he had to obey the summons of the Council.
CHAPTER XL.
A CONCLAVE.