"Nay," he said, "I am no immortal or miraculous champion; you will not induce me to depart as easily as he did. Besides, I do not think he was right--he demanded too much of his Elsa--more than any woman was capable of. You will see what I mean, when the next act begins."
To these two, as they sat together--so near--almost hand-in-hand, the music was fraught with an exquisite depth of meaning which it could not bear to other ears.
As the notes of the distant organ broke through the orchestra, and rolled sonorous from the cathedral doors, it was like a foreshadowing to Percivale of his own future happiness.
And when, in the twilight of their chamber, Lohengrin and Elsa were left alone, and the mysterious thrilling melody of the wonderful love-duet was flooding the air, unconsciously the hand of the listening girl fell into that of her lover, and so they sat, recking nothing of the significance of the action, until the curtain fell.
"Now you will see," spoke Percivale, softly, "that Lohengrin did what I could not do; he left his--Elsa."
She did not answer; she could not. Ashamed of her late action, and with a tumult of strange new feelings stirring in her heart, she turned her head away from him, and would not speak again until the end of the opera.
"I want to offer an apology," said Percivale to Lady Mabel, as he arranged her cloak. "Will you condescend to drive back in a hansom? My coachman has rheumatism, and I told him he was not to come for us."
"Certainly. I have a great partiality for hansoms," answered Lady Mabel, readily; she was rather disconcerted, however, a moment later, to find that it was her brother who was at her elbow.
"Where is Elsa? Claud, you should have taken her," she said, rather irritably.
"I? Thanks, no. I don"t care to force my company on a young lady who would rather be with the other fellow. No hurry, Mab. I want to light a cigar."
"Nonsense, Claud. Get me a cab at once. Am I to wait in this draughty place?"
"You must, unless you are prepared to walk in those shoes as far as the end of the street."
"But where are the other two? Are they behind?"
"No; got the start of us, I fancy," said Claud, with exasperating calmness. "Wait a moment. I will go out and catch a cab if you will stay here."
He vanished accordingly and his sister was constrained to wait for him.
When at last he returned, she was almost the only lady still waiting.
"You have no idea," said Claud, apologetically, "of the stupendous difficulty of finding a cab. They all say they are engaged. I feel quite out of the fashion, Mab; I think I ought to be engaged."
"I"m not in a mood for nonsense, sir. I am vexed with you, and with Mr.
Percivale, too. He could not have meant to treat me like this--he had no right to make off in that manner and leave me in the lurch."
"To be left in the lurch _is_ sometimes the fate of chaperones,"
observed her brother, pensively, as he piloted her out of the theatre.
"I am afraid you hardly counted the cost, Mab, when you offered to chaperone a beauty. It is hardly your _role_, old lady."
This was too true to be pleasant. Lady Mabel was so accustomed to male admiration that she usually took it for granted that she was the attraction. The great influx of young men which inundated Bruton Street had caused her, only a few days back, to congratulate herself that her charms were still potent. Percivale"s good looks, riches, and generally unusual _entourage_ had led her to imagine that a platonic friendship with him would enliven the winter. The idea suggested by her brother"s words was like a douche of cold water. If he were such an idiot as to be in love with the pretty face of the foolish Elsa--well! But he was so fascinating that one could not help regretting it! He was raised all of a sudden to a much higher value than the crowd of adorers who in general formed her ladyship"s court. Surely he could not intend to go and tie himself down at his age! The thought greatly disturbed her.
"Claud, you must throw away that cigar, and tell him to let down the gla.s.s--I am frozen."
Claud complied.
"He"s going in a very queer direction," observed he, presently. "Hallo, friend, this is not the way to St. James"s Place."
"Thought you said St. James" Square, sir."
"Well, I didn"t; it"s exactly the opposite direction, down by the river----"
"Right, sir. I know it."
"I suppose you will get there some time to-morrow morning," observed his sister, icily.
"I am tearing my lungs to pieces in my efforts to do so," was the polite response.
Percivale and Elsa stood together in the lamplight.
Thanks to Claud"s kindly manoeuvres, a precious half-hour had been theirs. The young man"s arms were round the slim form of his beloved and there was a look in his eyes as though, to him, life had indeed become the "perfumed altar-flame" to which Maud"s lover likened his.
A deep hush was over the whole place, and over his n.o.ble soul as he held his treasure tenderly to him.
Presently, breaking through his rapturous dream, he led her to the window, and, pushing it open, they gazed down on the wide dark waters of the Thames, lighted by a million lamps.
"We stand together as did Lohengrin and his Elsa," he murmured. "Oh, love, love, love, if I could tell you how I love you!"
"It is sweet to be loved," said the girl. "I have never had much love, all my life. When first I went abroad, and began to read novels, I used to wonder if any such thing would ever happen to me."
"But--but," faltered Percivale, a sudden jealous pang darting through his consciousness, "did not some one speak to you of love before--before I ever saw you, sweet?"
"Oh, Osmond Allonby. Poor Osmond!" Leaning back against his arm she turned her beautiful face to his. "I did not know what love meant, then," she said.
He bent his mouth to hers.
"You know now, Elsa?"
Even as he kissed her, a sudden unbidden memory of Claud"s warning words rushed in and seemed just to dash the bliss of that caress.
"You ask more than any woman can give?" No, he fiercely told himself, he asked of her nothing but to be just what she was. Was it her fault that Osmond could not look on her without loving? Most certainly not.
Love and happiness, the two things from which this rich young man had been debarred, seemed all his own at last.
Farewell to lonely cruising and aimless travels. His heart"s core, his life"s aim was found; the birthday of his life had come.
CHAPTER XLI.
Well, you may, you must, set down to me Love that was life, life that was love; A tenure of breath at your lips" decree, A pa.s.sion to stand as your thoughts approve, A rapture to fall where your foot might be.
_James Lee"s Wife._
"Come in," was the languid reply, as Lady Mabel knocked briskly at her young guest"s bed-room door.
Lady Mabel had been up for hours. If there was one thing upon which she prided herself, it was on being an exemplary mother. She had breakfasted with her little girls and their governess at eight, had seen her housekeeper, made arrangements for her dinner-party that night, send Claud out shopping for her with a lengthy list of commissions, written several notes, and now, trim, freshly dressed, and energetic, presented herself at Elsa"s door to know how she felt after the fatigues of her first opera.