Stephen did think so, for never till now had he been a member of a household where each of the servants was allowed to possess any animals he chose, and flood the house with them. But the queerer he thought the family, the better he found himself liking it. He felt a boy let out of school after weeks of disgrace and punishment, and, strangely enough, this old Arab palace, in a city of North Africa seemed more like home to him than his London flat had seemed of late.
When Lady MacGregor rose and said she must write the note she had promised Nevill to send Miss Ray, Stephen longed to kiss her. This form of worship not being permitted, he tried to open the dining-room door for her to go out, but Angus and Hamish glared upon him so superciliously that he retired in their favour.
The luncheon hour, even when cloaked in the mysterious gloom of a thunderstorm, is no time for confidences; besides, it is not conducive to sustained conversation to find a cold nose in your palm, a baby claw up your sleeve, or a monkey hand, like a bit of leather, thrust down your collar or into your ear. But after dinner that night, when Lady MacGregor had trailed her maligned "fluffiness" away to the drawing-room, and Nevill and Stephen had strolled with their cigarettes out into the unearthly whiteness of the lily garden, Stephen felt that something was coming. He had known that Nevill had a story to tell, by and by, and though he knew also that he would be asked no questions in return, now or ever, it occurred to him that Nevill"s offer of confidences was perhaps meant to open a door, if he chose to enter by it. He was not sure whether he would so choose or not, but the fact that he was not sure meant a change in him. A few days ago, even this morning, before meeting Nevill, he would have been certain that he had nothing intimate to tell Caird or any one else.
They strolled along the paths among the lilies. Moon and sky and flowers and white-gravelled paths were all silver. Stephen thought of Victoria Ray, and wished she could see this garden. He thought, too, that if she would only dance here among the lilies in the moonlight, it would be a vision of exquisite loveliness.
"For a moment white, then gone forever," he caught himself repeating again.
It was odd how, whenever he saw anything very white and of dazzling purity, he thought of this dancing girl. He wondered what sort of woman it was whose image came to Nevill"s mind, in the garden of lilies that smelt so heavenly sweet under the moon. He supposed there must always be some woman whose image was suggested to every man by all that was fairest in nature. Margot Lorenzi was the woman whose image he must keep in his mind, if he wanted to know any faint imitation of happiness in future. She would like this moonlit garden, and in one way it would suit her as a background. Yet she did not seem quite in the picture, despite her beauty. The perfume she loved would not blend with the perfume of the lilies.
"Aunt Caroline"s rather a dear, isn"t she?" remarked Nevill, apropos of nothing.
"She"s a jewel," said Stephen.
"Yet she isn"t the immediate jewel of my soul. I"m hard hit, Stephen, and the girl won"t have me. She"s poorer than any church or other mouse I ever met, yet she turns up her little French nose at me and my palace, and all the cheese I should like to see her nibble--my cheese."
"Her French nose?" echoed Stephen.
"Yes. Her nose and the rest of her"s French, especially her dimples. You never saw such dimples. Miss Ray"s prettier than my girl, I suppose. But I think mine"s beyond anything. Only she isn"t and won"t be mine that"s the worst of it."
"Where is she?" Stephen asked. "In Algiers?"
"No such luck. But her sister is. I"ll take you to see the sister to-morrow morning. She may be able to tell us something to help Miss Ray. She keeps a curiosity-shop, and is a connoisseur of Eastern antiquities, as well as a great character in Algiers, quite a sort of queen in her way--a quaint way. All the visiting Royalties of every nation drop in and spend hours in her place. She has a good many Arab acquaintances, too. Even rich chiefs come to sell, or buy things from her, and respect her immensely. But my girl--I like to call her that--is away off in the west, close to the border of Morocco, at Tlemcen. I wish you were interested in mosques, and I"d take you there. People who care for such things sometimes travel from London or Paris just to see the mosque of Sidi Bou-Medine and a certain Mirab. But I suppose you haven"t any fad of that kind, eh?"
"I feel it coming on," said Stephen.
"Good chap! Do encourage the feeling. I"ll lend you books, lots of books, on the subject. She"s "malema," or mistress of an _ecole indigene_ for embroideries and carpets, at Tlemcen. Heaven knows how few francs a month she earns by the job which takes all her time and life, yet she thinks herself lucky to get it. And she won"t marry me."
"Surely she must love you, at least a little, if you care so much for her," Stephen tried to console his friend.
"Oh, she does, a lot," replied Nevill with infinite satisfaction. "But, you see--well, you see, her family wasn"t up to much from a social point of view--such rot! The mother came out from Paris to be a nursery governess, when she was quite young, but she was too pretty for that position. She had various but virtuous adventures, and married a non-com. in the Cha.s.seurs d"Afrique, who chucked the army for her. The two kept a little hotel. Then the husband died, while the girls were children. The mother gave up the hotel and took in sewing. Everybody was interested in the family, they were so clever and exceptional, and people helped in the girls" education. When their mother became an invalid, the two contrived to keep her and themselves, though Jeanne was only eighteen then, and Josette, my girl, fifteen. She"s been dead now for some years--the mother. Josette is nearly twenty-four. Do you see why she won"t marry me? I"m hanged if I do."
"I can see what her feeling is," Stephen said. "She must be a ripping girl."
"I should say she is!--though as obstinate as the devil. Sometimes I could shake her and box her ears. I haven"t seen her for months now.
She wouldn"t like me to go to Tlemcen--unless I had a friend with me, and a good excuse. I didn"t know it could hurt so much to be in love, though I was in once before, and it hurt too, rather. But that was nothing. For the woman had no soul or mind, only her beauty, and an unscrupulous sort of ambition which made her want to marry me when my uncle left me his money. She"d refused to do anything more serious than flirt and reduce me to misery, until she thought I could give her what she wanted. I"d imagined myself horribly in love, until her sudden willingness to take me showed me once for all what she was. Even so, I couldn"t cure the habit of love at first; but I had just sense enough to keep out of England, where she was, for fear I should lose my head and marry her. My cure was rather slow, but it was sure; and now I know that what I thought was love then wasn"t love at all. The real thing"s as different as--as--a modern Algerian tile is from an old Moorish one. I can"t say anything stronger! That"s why I cut England, to begin with, and after a while my interests were more identified with France.
Sometimes I go to Paris in the summer--or to a little place in Dauphiny.
But I haven"t been back to England for eight years. Algeria holds all my heart. In Tlemcen is my girl. Here are my garden and my beasts. Now you have my history since Oxford days."
"You know something of _my_ history through the papers," Stephen blurted out with a desperate defiance of his own reserve.
"Not much of your real history, I think. Papers lie, and people misunderstand. Don"t talk of yourself unless you really want to. But I say, look here, Stephen. That woman I thought I cared for--may I tell you what she was like? Somehow I want you to know. Don"t think me a cad.
I don"t mean to be. But--may I tell?"
"Of course. Why not?"
"She was dark and awfully handsome, and though she wasn"t an actress, she would have made a splendid one. She thought only of herself.
I--there was a picture in a London paper lately which reminded me of her--the picture of a young lady you know--or think you know.
They--those two--are of the same type. I don"t believe either could make a man happy."
Stephen laughed--a short, embarra.s.sed laugh. "Oh, happy!" he echoed.
"After twenty-five we learn not to expect happiness. But--thank you for--everything, and especially for inviting me here." He knew now why it had occurred to Nevill to ask him to Algiers. Nevill had seen Margot"s picture. In silence they walked towards the open door of the dining-room. Somewhere not far away the Kabyle dogs were barking shrilly. In the distance rose and fell m.u.f.fled notes of strange pa.s.sion and fierceness, an Arab tom-tom beating like the heart of the conquered East, away in the old town.
Stephen"s short-lived gaiety was struck out of his soul.
"For a moment white, then gone forever."
He pushed the haunting words out of his mind. He did not want them to have any meaning. They had no meaning.
It seemed to him that the perfume of the lilies was too heavy on the air.
X
A white peac.o.c.k, screaming in the garden under Stephen"s balcony, waked him early, and dreamily his thoughts strayed towards the events planned for the day.
They were to make a morning call on Mademoiselle Soubise in her curiosity-shop, and ask about Ben Halim, the husband of Saidee Ray.
Victoria was coming to luncheon, for she had accepted Lady MacGregor"s invitation. Her note had been brought in last night, while he and Nevill walked in the garden. Afterwards Lady MacGregor had shown it to them both. The girl wrote an interesting hand, full of individuality, and expressive of decision. Perhaps on her arrival they might have something to tell her.
This hope shot Stephen out of bed, though it was only seven, and breakfast was not until nine. He had a cold bath in the private bathroom, which was one of Nevill"s modern improvements in the old house, and by and by went for a walk, thinking to have the gardens to himself. But Nevill was there, cutting flowers and whistling tunefully.
It was to him that the jewelled white peac.o.c.k had screamed a greeting.
"I like cutting the flowers myself," said he. "I don"t think they care to have others touch them, any more than a cow likes to be milked by a stranger. Of course they feel the difference! Why, they know when I praise them, and preen themselves. They curl up when they"re scolded, or not noticed, just as I do when people aren"t nice to me. Every day I send off a box of my best roses to Tlemcen. _She_ allows me to do that."
Lady MacGregor did not appear at breakfast, which was served on a marble loggia; and by half-past nine Stephen and Nevill were out in the wide, tree-shaded streets, where ma.s.ses of bougainvillaea and clematis boiled over high garden-walls of old plaster, once white, now streaked with gold and rose, and green moss and lichen. After the thunderstorm of the day before, the white dust was laid, and the air was pure with a curious sparkling quality.
They pa.s.sed the museum in its garden, and turned a corner.
"There"s Mademoiselle Soubise"s shop," said Nevill.
It was a low white building, and had evidently been a private house at one time. The only change made had been in the shape and size of the windows on the ground-floor; and these were protected by green _persiennes_, fanned out like awnings, although the house was shaded by magnolia trees. There was no name over the open door, but the word "_Antiquites_" was painted in large black letters on the house-wall.
Under the green blinds was a glitter of jewels displayed among brocades and a tangle of old lace, or on embossed silver trays; and walking in at the door, out of the shadowy dusk, a blaze of colour leaped to the eyes.
Not a soul was there, unless some one hid and spied behind a carved and gilded Tunisian bed or a marqueterie screen from Bagdad. Yet there was a collection to tempt a thief, and apparently no precaution taken against invaders.
Delicate rugs, soft as clouds and tinted like opals, were heaped in piles on the tiled floor; rugs from Ispahan, rugs from Mecca; old rugs from the sacred city of Kairouan, such as are made no more there or anywhere. The walls were hung with Tunisian silks and embroidered stuffs from the homes of Jewish families, where they had served as screens for talismanic words too sacred to be seen by common eyes; and there was drapery of ancient banners, Tyrian-dyed, whose gold or silver fringes had been stained with blood, in battle. From the ceiling were suspended antique lamps, and chandeliers of rare rock crystal, whose prisms gave out rose and violet sparks as they caught the light.
On shelves and inlaid tables were beggars" bowls of strange dark woods, carried across deserts by wandering mendicants of centuries ago, the chains, which had hung from throats long since crumbled into dust, adorned with lucky rings and fetishes to preserve the wearer from evil spirits. There were other bowls, of crystal pure as full-blown bubbles, bowls which would ring at a tap like clear bells of silver. Some of these were guiltless of ornament, some were graven with gold flowers, but all seemed full of lights reflected from tilted, pearl-framed mirrors, and from the swinging prisms of chandeliers.
Chafing-dishes of bronze at which vanished hands had been warmed, stood beside chased brazen ewers made to pour rose-water over henna-stained fingers, after Arab dinners, eaten without knives or forks. In the depths of half-open drawers glimmered precious stones, strangely cut pink diamonds, big square turquoises and emeralds, strings of creamy pearls, and hands of Fatma, a different jewel dangling from each finger-tip.
The floor was enc.u.mbered, not only with rugs, but with heaps of priceless tiles, Persian and Moorish, of the best periods and patterns, taken from the walls of Arab palaces now destroyed; huge bra.s.s salvers; silver anklets, and chain armour, sabres captured from Crusaders, and old illuminated Korans. It was difficult to move without knocking something down, and one stepped delicately in narrow aisles, to avoid islands of piled, precious objects. Everywhere the eye was drawn to glittering points, or patches of splendid colour; so that at a glance the large, dusky room was like a temple decorated with mosaics. There was nothing that did not suggest the East, city or desert, or mountain village of the Kabyles; and the air was loaded with Eastern perfumes, ambergris and musk that blended with each other, and the scent of the black incense sticks brought by caravan from Tombouctou.
"Why doesn"t some one come in and steal?" asked Stephen, in surprise at seeing the place deserted.