"I think it will though. In fact I"m sure it will. There was young Spence. He loved you just as well, but it made a good deal of difference to him."
"Very well, Hilary. Play your hand by all means. Throw your best card, but I can trump it. I have a better hand than you. I hold all the honours, and you shan"t even take the odd trick."
"Explain," he said shortly, with, however, more than an inkling as to her meaning.
"Well, I will then. You give me away. I give you away. See?"
"Oh, perfectly. But it"ll make no difference. You can"t injure me, and I wouldn"t for the world injure you--but--I won"t allow this scandalous affair to go any further, no, not at any cost!"
"I can"t injure you, can"t I?" she said, dropping out her words slowly, a sneer of deadly malice spreading over her face. "No? What will the Bayfields say when they hear what you and I have been to each other?"
With infinite self-control, he commanded his features, trusting they did not betray any inkling of the direful sinking of heart with which he grasped the import of her words. He was not altogether taken by surprise, for he had taken such a possibility into account--as a possibility, not a probability.
"That can"t be helped. At any cost I told you I should prevent this.
At any cost mind, and at a far greater loss to myself than even that would be. And--I will."
"Ha-ha-ha!" and the jeering laughter, shrill in its hate and vengeful malevolence, rang out clear on the sweet morning air. "Ha-ha-ha! But I don"t think you"ve altogether counted the cost, my Hilary. How about Lyn--your sweet, pure, innocent Lyn? What will she say when she knows?
What will her father say when they both know--that you have allowed her to be under the same roof with--to grasp in ordinary social friendship the hand of your--for years--most devoted and affectionate...
housekeeper?"
Well was it for the speaker, well for both of them, that the words were uttered here, and not in the far-away scene of the life to which she referred. For a second, just one brief second, the man"s eyes flashed the murder in his soul. With marvellous self-restraint, but with dry lips and face a shade pale, he answered:
"That would be a regrettable thing to happen. But, it doesn"t shake my determination. I don"t see, either, how the outraging of other people"s finer feelings is going to benefit you, or, to any appreciable extent, injure me."
"Don"t you? Why, in that event, the sweet, pure, and beautiful Lyn-- yes, she is beautiful--I"d concede that and more--will bid you an extremely cold and curt farewell--even if she condescends to speak to you again at all for the remainder of your natural life."
"That too, would be regrettable, and would pain me. But we should have to say good-bye sooner or later."
"No, Hilary. You never intended to say anything of the sort. You can"t fool me, you see."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Again the jeering laugh rang out. "What am I talking about?" she echoed, quite undaunted by the curt, stern tones. "You know perfectly well. You are over head and ears in love with her."
"That"s not true."
"Isn"t it? It is though," she answered, her eyes fixed full upon his and rippling into mischievous laughter. "Why, you have grown quite pale at the bare mention of it! Shall I say it again? You are over head and ears in love with her. And--I wonder if she is with you?"
"Oh, hold your scandalous tongue, woman," he rejoined wearily, knowing better than to delight her by exhibiting what must necessarily be impotent anger. "Really, you are rendering yourself absolutely and uncompromisingly loathsome. Again I say you must give up this scheme.
I will prevent it at any cost."
"Well, you know what the cost is--and if you don"t, it isn"t for want of warning. Keep quiet and so will I. Interfere with my plans and I"ll wreck all yours. Give me away and I"ll give you away, and then we"ll see which comes out best. Now we are nearly back at the house again, so you"d better be civil, or, what is more important still, look it."
CHAPTER NINE.
"WHAT A MAN SOWETH."
"Percy, I want you to ride part of the way back with me."
"Delighted, old chap. But--"
"There"s no "but" in the case at all. To be plain, you must."
"It isn"t to talk any more about--er--what we were on to last night, is it? Because that"s settled."
"Well, it concerns that, for it concerns her, and you"ve got to hear it."
"But I don"t want to. And I shan"t believe it if I do," was the reply, shortly made.
The two were standing by the cattle-kraal, which contained a troop of horses just driven in from the veldt. In the thick of them, armed with halters and _reims_, two Kaffir servants and a Hottentot were catching out those required. In front of the house Bayfield"s spider was being inspanned.
"Now it"s of no use turning restive, Percy. You"ve got to hear what I"ve got to tell you. It"s about--_her_. You can take your choice.
Either you hear it from me--in which case it need go no farther, or-- you"ll hear it from anybody and everybody--for then I shall be obliged to make it public."
"Do you mean to say you"ll spread abroad your infernal slanders, Hilary!" The young fellow"s face was as white as a sheet, and he could hardly speak for the extent of his agitation.
"Not unless you force me to. Look. There"s your gee in the kraal now.
Tell one of them to catch it and come along with me. You"ll live to thank me till your dying day."
The stronger will prevailed--even apart from the fell significance of the alternative held out. By the time the inspanning was complete, and good-byes were in progress, Percival was on the scene with his horse saddled up and ready.
"Aren"t you coming in the spider with us, Mr Blachland?" said Lyn, noticing that he, too, was preparing to mount.
"Not the first part of the way," he answered. "There"s a home matter Percy and I want to talk over, so he"s going to ride an hour or two on the road with me. Good-bye again, Earle. Had a ripping good shoot.
Good-bye, Mrs Fenham," for the latter had now appeared for the first time. She looked quite unruffled, but there was that in her face which told one, at any rate, there, that she was prepared to begin the war.
"Good-bye, Hilary--er--Mr Blachland," she responded sweetly, contriving that the words and tone should be distinctly audible to Lyn, who, already seated in the spider, could not possibly avoid hearing them.
But had Hermia only known it the shaft had fallen harmless.
"Did you hear that, father?" Lyn began, as they drove off. "That woman actually called Mr Blachland by his Christian name?"
Bayfield burst out laughing. Then after a precautionary look behind--
"I expect she reckons him her brother-in-law--no, cousin-in-law already," he said. "Young West seems to have brought things to a head in that quarter. She and Blachland had a long talk together this morning. I expect they were sort of arranging family matters."
"Very likely. But I don"t think I ever saw any woman I detested so thoroughly and instinctively. Every time I see her I dislike her more."
"Hallo, little one! You"re quite fierce on the subject," laughed her father. "Why do you hate her so? Has she been uncivil to my little girlie?"
"No, quite the contrary. But she"s utterly false somehow. I wouldn"t believe any statement that woman made--even if she were dying. But what a silly boy that young West must be. Why, she"s years older than himself!"
Bayfield laughed again, but he more than half thought Lyn"s estimate was very likely a true one.
Some little way behind, the two men had pulled their horses into a walk.
"Steer ahead," said Percival doggedly. "Let"s get it over."