"You said you would never see me again until I came to you," said Mildred. As he was not looking at her, she watched his face. She now saw a change--behind the mask. But he went on in an unchanged voice:
"Were you aware that Mrs. Baird is about to sue her husband for a separation--not for a divorce but for a separation--and name you?"
Mildred dropped limply back in her chair.
"That means scandal," continued Siddall, "scandal touching my name--my honor. I may say, I do not believe what Mrs. Baird charges. My men have had you under observation for several weeks. Also, Mrs. Brindley is, I learn, a woman of the highest character. But the thing looks bad--you hiding from your husband, living under an a.s.sumed name, receiving the visits of a former admirer."
"You are mistaken," said Mildred. "Mrs. Baird would not bring such a false, wicked charge."
"You are innocent, my dear," said the general.
"You don"t realize how your conduct looks. She intends to charge that her husband has been supporting you."
Mildred, quivering, started up, sank weakly back again.
"But," he went on, "you will easily prove that your money is your inheritance from your father. I a.s.sured myself of that before I consented to come here."
"Consented?" said Mildred. "At whose request?"
"That of my own generosity," replied he. "But my honor had to be rea.s.sured. When I was satisfied that you were innocent, and simply flighty and foolish, I came. If there had been any taint upon you, of course I could not have taken you back. As it is, I am willing--I may say, more than willing. Mrs. Baird can be bought off and frightened off. When she finds you have me to protect you, she will move very cautiously, you may be sure."
As the little man talked, Mildred saw and felt behind the mask the thoughts, the longings of his physical infatuation for her coiling and uncoiling and reaching tremulously out toward her like unclean, horrible tentacles. She was drawn as far as could be back into her chair, and her soul was shrinking within her body.
"I am willing to make you a proper allowance, and to give you all proper freedom," he went on. He showed his sharp white teeth in a gracious smile. "I realize I must concede something of my old-fashioned ideas to the modern spirit. I never thought I would, but I didn"t appreciate how fond I was of you, my dear." He mumbled his tongue and noiselessly smacked his thin lips. "Yes, you are worth concessions and sacrifices."
"I am not going back," said Mildred. "Nothing you could offer me would make any difference." She felt suddenly calm and strong. She stood.
"Please consider this final."
"But, my dear," said the general softly, though there was a wicked gleam behind the mask, "you forget the scandal--"
"I forget nothing," interrupted she. "I shall not go back."
Before he could attempt further to detain her she opened the screen door and entered. It closed on the spring and on the spring lock.
Donald Keith, coming in from the sea-front veranda, was just in time to save her from falling. She pushed him fiercely away and sank down on the sofa just within the pretty little drawing-room. She said:
"Thank you. I didn"t mean to be rude. I was only angry with myself.
I"m getting to be one of those absurd females who blubber and keel over."
"You"re white and limp," said he. "What"s the matter?"
"General Siddall is out there."
"Um--he"s come back, has he?" said Keith.
"And I am afraid of him--horribly afraid of him."
"In some places and circ.u.mstances he would be a dangerous proposition,"
said Keith. "But not here in the East--and not to you."
"He would do ANYTHING. I don"t know what he can do, but I am sure it will be frightful--will destroy me."
"You are going with him?"
She laughed. "I loathe him. I thought I left him through fear and anger. I was mistaken. It was loathing. And my fear of him--it"s loathing, too."
"You mean that?" said Keith, observing her intently. "You wish to be rid of him?"
"What a poor opinion you have of me," said she. "Really, I don"t deserve quite that."
"Then come with me."
The look of terror and shrinking returned. "Where? To see him?"
"For the last time," said Keith. "There"ll be no scene."
It was the supreme test of her confidence in him. Without hesitation, she rose, preceded him into the hall, and advanced firmly toward the screen door through which the little general could be seen. He was standing at the top step, his back to them. At the sound of the opening door he turned.
"This is Mr. Donald Keith," said Mildred. "He wishes to speak to you."
The general bowed; Keith bent his head. They eyed each other with the measuring glance. Keith said in his dry, terse way: "I asked Miss Gower to come with me because I wish her to hear what I have to say to you."
"You mean my wife," said the general with a gracious smile.
"I mean Miss Gower," returned Keith. "As you know, she is not your wife."
Mildred uttered a cry; but the two men continued to look each at the other, with impa.s.sive countenances.
"Your only wife is the woman who has been in the private insane asylum of Doctor Rivers at Pueblo, Colorado, for the past eleven years. For about twenty years before that she was in the Delavan private asylum near Denver. You could not divorce her under the laws of Colorado. The divorce you got in Nevada was fraudulent."
"That"s a lie," said the general coldly.
Keith went on, as if he had not heard: "You will not annoy this lady again. And you will stop bribing Stanley Baird"s wife to make a fool of herself. And you will stop buying houses in the blocks where Baird owns real estate, and moving colored families into them."
"I tell you that about my divorce is a lie," replied Siddall.
"I can prove it," said Keith. "And I can prove that you knew it before you married your second wife."
For the first time Siddall betrayed at the surface a hint of how hard he was. .h.i.t. His skin grew bright yellow; wrinkles round his eyes and round the base of his nose sprang into sudden prominence.
"I see you know what I mean--that attempt to falsify the record at Carson City," said Keith. He opened the screen door for Mildred to pa.s.s in. He followed her, and the door closed behind them. They went into the drawing-room. He dropped into an easy chair, crossed his legs, leaned his head back indolently--a favorite att.i.tude of his.
"How long have you known?" said she. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
"Oh, a good many years," replied he. "It was one of those accidental bits of information a man runs across in knocking about. As soon as Baird told me about you, I had the thing looked up, quietly. I was going up to see him to-morrow--about the negroes and Mrs. Baird"s suit."
"Does Stanley know?" inquired she.
"No," said Keith. "Not necessary. Never will be. If you like, you can have the marriage annulled without notoriety. But that"s not necessary, either."