"For the last time," he said, "you listen to me. I love you. I want you.
You haven"t a cent; you could fill out any check you chose to draw over my signature. Now if you are not crazy, or a hopeless fool, behave yourself."
A great sob choked her; she forced it back and sat, waiting, eyes almost closed.
"Strelsa, answer me!"
There was no reply.
"Answer me, for G.o.d"s sake!"
She opened her eyes.
"Will you marry me?"
"No."
His eyes seemed starting from his head and the deep blood rushed to his face and neck, and he flung her bridle into her face with an inarticulate sound.
Then, slowly, side by side they advanced along the road together. A groom met them at Witch-Hollow; Strelsa slipped from her saddle without aid and, leisurely, erect, smiling, walked up to the veranda where Molly stood reading the morning paper.
"h.e.l.lo dear," she said. "Am I very late for luncheon?"
"It"s over. Will you have a tray out here?"
"May I?"
"Don"t you want to change, first?"
"Yes, thanks."
Molly glanced up from the paper:
"Isn"t Langly stopping for luncheon with you?"
"No."
Molly looked at her curiously:
"Did you enjoy your gallop?"
"We didn"t gallop much."
"Spooned?"
Strelsa shuddered slightly. The elder woman dropped her paper and gazed at her.
"You don"t mean to say it"s all off, Strelsa!"
"Entirely. Please don"t let"s speak of it again--or of him--if you don"t mind----"
"I don"t!--you darling!--you poor darling! What has that creature done to _you_?"
"Don"t speak of him, please."
"No, I won"t. Oh, I"m so glad, Strelsa!--I can"t tell you how happy, how immensely relieved--and that cat of an aunt of his here to make mischief!--and poor Mary Ledwith----"
[Ill.u.s.tration: ""Is it to be Sir Charles after all, darling?" she asked caressingly."]
"Molly, I--I simply can"t talk about it--any of it----"
She turned abruptly, entered the house, and ran lightly up the stairs.
Molly waited for her, grimly content with the elimination of Langly Sprowl and already planning separate campaigns in behalf of Sir Charles and Quarren.
She was still absorbed in her scheming when Strelsa came down. There was not a trace of any emotion except pleasure in her face. In her heart it was the same; only an immense, immeasurable relief reigned there, calming and exciting her alternately. But her face was yet a trifle pale; her hands still unsteady; and every delicate nerve, slowly relaxing from the tension, was regaining its normal quiet by degrees.
Her appet.i.te was excellent, however. Afterward she and Molly chose neighbouring rockers, and Molly, lighting a cigarette, opened fire:
"Is it to be Sir Charles after all, darling?" she asked caressingly.
Strelsa laughed outright, then, astonished that she had not shrunk from a renewal of the eternal pressure, looked at Molly with wide gray eyes.
"I don"t know what"s the matter with me to-day," she said; "I seem to be able to laugh. I"ve not been very well physically; I"ve had a ghastly morning; I"m homeless and wretchedly poor--and I"m laughing at it all--the whole thing, Molly. What do you suppose is the matter with me?"
"You"re not in love, are you?" asked Molly with calm suspicion.
"No, I"m not," said the girl with a quiet conviction that disconcerted the elder woman.
"Then I don"t see why you should be very happy," said Molly honestly.
Strelsa considered: "Perhaps it"s because to-day I feel unusually well.
I slept--which I don"t usually."
"You"re becoming devout, too," said Molly.
"Devout? Oh, you saw me reading in my Testament.... It"s an interesting book, Molly," she said navely. "You know, as children, and at school, and in church we don"t read it with any intelligence--or listen to it in the right way.... People _are_ odd. We have our moments of contrition, abas.e.m.e.nt, fright, exaltation; but at bottom we know that our religion and a fair observance of it is a sound policy of insurance. We accept it as we take out insurance in view of eventualities and the chance of future fire----"
"That"s flippant," said Molly.
"I really didn"t mean it so.... I was wondering about it all. Recently, re-reading the New Testament, I was struck by finding so much in it that I had never noticed or understood.... You know, Molly, after all Truth is the greatest thing in the world."
"So I"ve heard," observed Molly drily.
"Oh, I"ve heard it, too, but never thought what it meant--until recently. You see Truth, to me, was just telling it as often as possible. I never thought much about it--that it is the basis of everything worthy and beautiful--such as old pictures--" she added vaguely--"and those things that silversmiths like Benvenuto Cellini did----"
"What?"
Strelsa coloured: "Everything worthy is founded on Truth," she said.