"No," said Gertrude, gravely, "they have no such reason as that for being alone."
"But why does n"t he make la cour to Charlotte?" Felix inquired. "She is so pretty, so gentle, so good."
Gertrude glanced at him, and then she looked at the distantly-seen couple they were discussing. Mr. Brand and Charlotte were walking side by side. They might have been a pair of lovers, and yet they might not.
"They think I should not be here," said Gertrude.
"With me? I thought you did n"t have those ideas."
"You don"t understand. There are a great many things you don"t understand."
"I understand my stupidity. But why, then, do not Charlotte and Mr.
Brand, who, as an elder sister and a clergyman, are free to walk about together, come over and make me wiser by breaking up the unlawful interview into which I have lured you?"
"That is the last thing they would do," said Gertrude.
Felix stared at her a moment, with his lifted eyebrows. "Je n"y comprends rien!" he exclaimed; then his eyes followed for a while the retreating figures of this critical pair. "You may say what you please,"
he declared; "it is evident to me that your sister is not indifferent to her clever companion. It is agreeable to her to be walking there with him. I can see that from here." And in the excitement of observation Felix rose to his feet.
Gertrude rose also, but she made no attempt to emulate her companion"s discovery; she looked rather in another direction. Felix"s words had struck her; but a certain delicacy checked her. "She is certainly not indifferent to Mr. Brand; she has the highest opinion of him."
"One can see it--one can see it," said Felix, in a tone of amused contemplation, with his head on one side. Gertrude turned her back to the opposite sh.o.r.e; it was disagreeable to her to look, but she hoped Felix would say something more. "Ah, they have wandered away into the wood," he added.
Gertrude turned round again. "She is not in love with him," she said; it seemed her duty to say that.
"Then he is in love with her; or if he is not, he ought to be. She is such a perfect little woman of her kind. She reminds me of a pair of old-fashioned silver sugar-tongs; you know I am very fond of sugar. And she is very nice with Mr. Brand; I have noticed that; very gentle and gracious."
Gertrude reflected a moment. Then she took a great resolution. "She wants him to marry me," she said. "So of course she is nice."
Felix"s eyebrows rose higher than ever. "To marry you! Ah, ah, this is interesting. And you think one must be very nice with a man to induce him to do that?"
Gertrude had turned a little pale, but she went on, "Mr. Brand wants it himself."
Felix folded his arms and stood looking at her. "I see--I see," he said quickly. "Why did you never tell me this before?"
"It is disagreeable to me to speak of it even now. I wished simply to explain to you about Charlotte."
"You don"t wish to marry Mr. Brand, then?"
"No," said Gertrude, gravely.
"And does your father wish it?"
"Very much."
"And you don"t like him--you have refused him?"
"I don"t wish to marry him."
"Your father and sister think you ought to, eh?"
"It is a long story," said Gertrude. "They think there are good reasons.
I can"t explain it. They think I have obligations, and that I have encouraged him."
Felix smiled at her, as if she had been telling him an amusing story about some one else. "I can"t tell you how this interests me," he said.
"Now you don"t recognize these reasons--these obligations?"
"I am not sure; it is not easy." And she picked up her parasol and turned away, as if to descend the slope.
"Tell me this," Felix went on, going with her: "are you likely to give in--to let them persuade you?"
Gertrude looked at him with the serious face that she had constantly worn, in opposition to his almost eager smile. "I shall never marry Mr.
Brand," she said.
"I see!" Felix rejoined. And they slowly descended the hill together, saying nothing till they reached the margin of the pond. "It is your own affair," he then resumed; "but do you know, I am not altogether glad? If it were settled that you were to marry Mr. Brand I should take a certain comfort in the arrangement. I should feel more free. I have no right to make love to you myself, eh?" And he paused, lightly pressing his argument upon her.
"None whatever," replied Gertrude quickly--too quickly.
"Your father would never hear of it; I have n"t a penny. Mr. Brand, of course, has property of his own, eh?"
"I believe he has some property; but that has nothing to do with it."
"With you, of course not; but with your father and sister it must have.
So, as I say, if this were settled, I should feel more at liberty."
"More at liberty?" Gertrude repeated. "Please unfasten the boat."
Felix untwisted the rope and stood holding it. "I should be able to say things to you that I can"t give myself the pleasure of saying now," he went on. "I could tell you how much I admire you, without seeming to pretend to that which I have no right to pretend to. I should make violent love to you," he added, laughing, "if I thought you were so placed as not to be offended by it."
"You mean if I were engaged to another man? That is strange reasoning!"
Gertrude exclaimed.
"In that case you would not take me seriously."
"I take every one seriously," said Gertrude. And without his help she stepped lightly into the boat.
Felix took up the oars and sent it forward. "Ah, this is what you have been thinking about? It seemed to me you had something on your mind.
I wish very much," he added, "that you would tell me some of these so-called reasons--these obligations."
"They are not real reasons--good reasons," said Gertrude, looking at the pink and yellow gleams in the water.
"I can understand that! Because a handsome girl has had a spark of coquetry, that is no reason."
"If you mean me, it "s not that. I have not done that."
"It is something that troubles you, at any rate," said Felix.
"Not so much as it used to," Gertrude rejoined.