Mina was delighted at being presented with a topic. Sometimes it is the most precious of gifts.
"Oh, Mr Neeld, have you written a book? How interesting! What is it? A novel?"
"My dear Madame Zabriska!" murmured Neeld, feeling as if he were being made fun of. "And it"s not really my book. I"ve only edited it."
"But that"s just as good," Mina insisted amiably. "Do tell me what it is."
"Here you are, Mina. There"s the full t.i.tle and description for you.
There"s nothing else in the paper." Iver handed it to her with a stifled yawn. She read and turned to Neeld with a quick jerk of her head.
"Journal and Correspondence of Josiah Cholderton!" she repeated. "Oh, but--oh, but--well, that is curious! Why, we used to know Mr Cholderton!"
"You knew Mr Cholderton?" said Mr Neeld in mild surprise. Then, with a recollection, he added, "Oh, at Heidelberg, I dare say? But you must have been a child?"
"Yes, I was. Does he talk about Heidelberg?"
"He mentions it once or twice." In spite of himself Neeld began to feel that he was within measurable distance of getting on to difficult ground.
"What fun if he mentioned me! Oh, but of course he wouldn"t say anything about a child of five!"
The slightest start ran through Neeld"s figure; it pa.s.sed unnoticed. He looked sharply at Mina Zabriska. She went on, in all innocence this time; she had no reason to think that Cholderton had been in possession of any secrets, and if he had, it would not have occurred to her that he would record them.
"He knew my mother quite well; he used to come and see us. Does he mention her--Madame de Kries?"
There was a perceptible pause; then Neeld answered primly:
"I"m afraid you won"t find your mother"s name mentioned in Mr.
Cholderton"s Journal, Madame Zabriska."
"How horrid!" remarked Mina, greatly disappointed; she regarded Mr Neeld with a new interest all the same.
They were both struck with this strange coincidence--as it seemed to them; though in fact that they should meet at Blentmouth was not properly a coincidence at all. There was nothing surprising about it; the same cause and similar impulses had brought them both there. The woman who lay dying at Blent and the young man who sat making love under the tree yonder--these and no more far-fetched causes--had brought them both where they were. Mina knew the truth about herself, Neeld about himself; neither knew or guessed it about the other. Hence their wonder and their unreasonable feeling that there was something of a fate bringing them together in that place.
"You"re sure he says nothing about us?" she urged.
"You"ll not find a word," he replied, sticking to the form of a.s.sertion that salved his conscience. He looked across the lawn again, but Janie and Harry had disappeared amongst the bushes.
"You"re sort of old acquaintances at second-hand, then," said Iver, smiling. "Cholderton"s the connecting link."
"He didn"t like me," remarked Mina. "He used to call me the Imp."
"Yes, yes," said Neeld in absent-minded acquiescence. "Yes, the Imp."
"You don"t seem much surprised!" cried Mina in mock indignation.
"Surprised?" He started more violently. "Oh, yes--I--I-- Of course!
I"m----" A laugh from his host spared him the effort of further apologies. But he was a good deal shaken; he had nearly betrayed his knowledge of the Imp. Indeed he could not rid himself of the idea that there was a very inquisitive look in Madame Zabriska"s large eyes.
Mina risked one more question, put very carelessly.
"I think he must have met Lady Tristram there once or twice. Does he say anything about her?"
"Not a word," said Neeld, grasping the nettle firmly this time.
Mina took another look at him, but he blinked resolutely behind his gla.s.ses.
"Well, it"s just like Mr Cholderton to leave out all the interesting things," she observed resignedly. "Only I wonder why you edit his book if it"s like that, you know."
"h.e.l.lo, what"s that?" exclaimed Iver, suddenly sitting up in his chair.
They heard the sound of a horse"s galloping on the road outside. The noise of the hoofs stopped suddenly. They sat listening. In a minute or two the butler led a groom in the Tristram livery on to the lawn. He came quickly across to Iver, touching his hat.
"Beg pardon, sir, but could I see Mr Tristram? I"ve an important message for him."
At the same moment Janie and Harry Tristram came out on to the gra.s.s.
Harry saw the groom and was with them in a moment, Janie following.
"Well, Sam, what is it? You were riding hard."
"Her ladyship has had a relapse, sir, and Dr Fryer ordered me to ride over and tell you at once. No time to lose, he said, sir."
"Did you bring a horse for me?"
"No, sir. But I"m riding Quilldriver."
"I"ll go back on him. You can walk." He turned to the rest. "I must go at once," he said. "I don"t know what this may mean."
"Not so bad as it sounds, I hope," said Iver. "But you"d best be off at once."
Harry included Mina and Mr Neeld in one light nod, and walked briskly toward the gate, Iver and Janie accompanying him. Mina and Neeld were left together, and sat in silence some moments.
"It sounds as if she was dying," said Mina at last in a low voice.
"Yes, poor woman!"
"I saw her once lately. She was very beautiful, Mr Neeld."
"Yes, yes, to her own great trouble, poor thing!"
"You knew about----?"
"Oh, everybody knew, Madame Zabriska."
"Yes, and now she"s dying!" She turned to him, looking him fairly in the face. "And Harry"ll be Tristram of Blent," she said.
"Yes," said Neeld. "He"ll be Tristram of Blent."
Both fell into silence again, looking absently at the sunshine playing among the trees. They were not to share their secret just yet. A link was missing between them still.