"Forever and ever, I swear to you," and Mrs. Jula slipped down the stairs.
With her brain in a whirl Lilly returned to her dark drawing-room, sad and distraught, and leaned her head out of the open window for a whiff of fresh air.
She saw the little woman, who had just emerged from the front entrance, lightly and gracefully trip along the pavement.
A gentleman in a chimney-pot and patent leather shoes came towards her, pa.s.sed her, started, stopped abruptly, turned about, and, when he reached her side, raised his hat with exaggerated politeness.
In the light of the street-lamp Lilly saw her face smiling up at him curiously, insinuatingly--and then they went on their way--together.
CHAPTER IX
Richard reluctantly adapted himself to a less showy existence. He still wanted to parade his possession of Lilly; but little Mrs. Jula"s homily had sunk deep into his conscience, and he did not dare to disobey her.
Nevertheless he was bored and vexed and sulky, and Lilly was on the point of herself suggesting that they go to the races, when she received news of her mother"s death.
She shed the number of tears and suffered the amount of affliction befitting her tender heart. In reality her mother had been dead to her so long before that her grief could not be very profound.
Before leaving Berlin to attend the burial at the insane asylum, her greatest concern was to have as simple a mourning dress made as possible. She felt ashamed that she had provided so poorly for her sick mother during her lifetime, and she wished to avoid giving offence by elegance of appearance; which did not prevent the officials and physicians of the inst.i.tution from dancing attendance on her and treating her as if she were a sort of shining black bird of paradise.
She spent three glowing spring evenings at the little heap of earth in prayer and meditation, and returned to Berlin in a serious frame of mind with thoughts stirred up like soil freshly turned by the plough.
When at her mother"s grave she felt she hated Richard; but when she found him awaiting her at the station she sank into his arms helplessly, eager for consolation. Now he really was her all.
For the next few months it was taken for granted that her mourning stood in the way of pleasure seeking. Richard, it must be said to his credit, behaved sweetly and considerately. He sat at home with her many a night, read unintelligible books, played backgammon, and preferred falling asleep on the sofa to luring her into the world of gaiety.
But since it was not right that he should become entirely estranged from society, it was arranged that he was to have every other evening for himself.
His beautiful mistress"s reputation had smoothed his path. Relying upon the support of two of her admirers, he ventured to apply for admission into one of the aristocratic clubs, which welcomed him without a single black ball. From now on he could enjoy the supreme delight of losing his firm"s well-earned money to young scions of the aristocracy, foreign attaches, and other superior beings.
Lilly disliked hearing of his losses. She worried over his annoyance, which he invariably revealed. Whenever he told of his bad luck, she felt constrained, and then offered to make up by saving even more than she had heretofore. Though he laughed each time and a.s.sured her that what she cost him signified as little as if he were to indulge in one additional cigarette a day, she clung to her conviction that she was a parasite, and was partly responsible for the welfare of Liebert & Dehnicke.
When he spent a quiet evening with her resting from his nocturnal campaigns, they always "talked business." Lilly displayed a sharp sense for practical matters, even for accounts, and her artistic judgment was sure.
Richard very often brought home drawings of models, and the two sat bent over the outspread rolls planning and consulting with each other like partners.
Those were well-nigh blessed hours.
Lilly never wearied of inquiring about the factory; how many people were employed there at that particular time; whether this or that man or woman was still working for him--she did not know the names, but designated the people by an accurate description of their appearance--what pieces were in process of making; and whether the supply of articles of one or other model had not yet given out, so thoroughly informed she kept herself as to the firm"s sales.
The factory, as she often jestingly remarked to Richard, was her unhappy love. To call for him at his office at closing time was her greatest delight, and had she been permitted to, she would have busied herself at the factory every day. But he objected. His employes knew of the close relationship between them, and he must avoid gossip and ridicule.
Lilly felt sure this was not the only motive. She had long fully realised that his mother was not kindly disposed to her. Though at first he had spoken of her quite freely, he now evaded a reply when Lilly directly asked for her. Probably he feared exciting the old lady"s indignation if he permitted his mistress to make herself at home in his office.
So Lilly contented herself with sympathetic interest from afar in the welfare of the little kingdom.
On the evenings she was left alone, at a loss what to do with herself, she got into the habit of visiting the house in Alte Jakobstra.s.se.
She left a little before ten o"clock, and took up her station on the opposite side of the street, from where she gazed reverentially at the old grey structure. She admired the imitation marble columns, which formed a decorative frame about the entrance after the fashion of a Renaissance gateway. She stared up at the dimly lighted second story where his mother dwelt, and pressed timidly into the darkness of a doorway if she saw the threatening shadow of a woman"s figure glide across the curtains.
When it grew late and the tenants of the house ceased to come and go, she ventured to cross the street, mount the three front-door steps, press her face against the iron grating, and peep into the hall. The sheen of the leafy pyramid, the subdued milky whiteness of the Clytie bust, the dark glow of the stained gla.s.s window mingled to produce the mysterious, alluring impression of a dusky chapel.
The front-door steps became like a goal of a pilgrimage up to which penitents crawl on their knees; the stained gla.s.s window became a heavenly aureole, the Clytie bust a benedictory saint.
Late in the summer Richard was called to the manoeuvres.
His letters were curt and reserved, and unsuccessfully concealed his ill humour. Finally they were dated from the hospital.
He had fallen from his horse and his left knee joint was inflamed. He would be unable to ride for a long time, perhaps forever.
He returned in October wearing a gutta percha knee cap, and promptly sent in his resignation from the regiment.
The fall from his horse in truth was a fortunate incident. Rumours of his relation with the divorced wife of its former commander had reached the regiment. The comrades noticeably held aloof from him, and evidently his chiefs were merely awaiting confirmation of the report to call him to account officially; a procedure which in the circ.u.mstances would have brought his lieutenancy in the reserves to a catastrophal end.
The accident was his salvation; and his object in adopting an irritated, reproachful manner in Lilly"s presence was merely to make her aware of what he was sacrificing because of his love of her.
Indirectly he had heard news of the colonel which filled Lilly with horror. It had gradually become a fixed idea of the colonel"s that Anna von Schwertfeger had acted in collusion with Lilly and Von Prell; and man of violence that he was, he had chased her from his castle. Since then he lived alone, a maddened misanthrope, and it was feared he would come to a sad end.
An ominous greeting from those sunny days of Lilly"s past.
A few months later that occurred which Mrs. Jula had prophesied: one day Richard spoke to Lilly of marrying another woman, not, however, for the purpose of annoying her, but because he had formed the habit of disburdening himself of every vexation by talking it over with her.
His mother was entertaining an enormously wealthy orphan girl.
Of course for Richard--wholly and entirely for Richard.
She sat at table every day, a pale, strawy blond, and looked at him questioningly with great, strange eyes:
"Aren"t you soon going to propose?"
His mother delivered long sermons. It could not go on the same way. A few more seasons like the last and all the respectable families would point the finger of scorn at him.
It was enough to drive him distracted.
Lilly felt as if glacial waters were trickling down her back.
But she bore up bravely. She smiled at him, and betrayed no more excitement than if he had been consulting her about some doubtful factory model.
"Do you feel you could get to love her?" she asked.
"What does "to love" mean?" he rejoined, avoiding her gaze.