"No," Tait protested, "I would be your friend as far as I safely can.
But I love Harvey as a son. I would save him from the fire of perdition, beautiful as it is, bright as it is. And you are the fire."
"And so you will fight me?" Persis faltered.
"To the death!" the old jurist cried, as he got heavily to his feet; "though it breaks Harvey"s heart--and your heart--and mine." He staggered weakly and jolted against the divan.
CHAPTER LVIII
Persis, forgetting that he was her enemy, leaped to his aid with instinctive womanliness. "You are ill; let me get you something."
Tait straightened himself with an effort, saying: "I"m all right now, thank you. I mustn"t let myself get excited, that"s all." He was touched by her sudden charity in his behalf. He gazed at her sadly, and, taking her hand, spoke venerably as a father. He was too sad for her sake to be sad for his own. "I"m sorry for you, little woman. You"ve a big, warm heart; but this is a cold, hard world, and you mustn"t try to break its laws. They are based on the scandals and the tragedies of thousands of years, millions on millions of foolish lovers. The world is old, my child, and it is stronger than any of us. And it can punish without mercy. Don"t risk it."
An almost unknown earnestness stirred Persis. "You"re right, of course.
I suppose I must give up all hope of happiness. It"s my punishment. I"ll take my medicine like a little man."
"That"s splendid!" Tait cried. "Live square--in the open. Respect the conventionalities; they"re the world"s code of morals. If you really love Harvey, let him go his way."
"I"ll prove to you that I do love him!" she said, laughing nervously.
"I"ll give him up. He used to think I was heartless and mercenary. He shall go on thinking so. It"s awfully hard, but it is the one way I can help him, isn"t it?"
The old man squeezed her slim hand in both of his. "It"s the one way.
G.o.d bless you! And you won"t see him again?"
"No," she said, with all the vigor of her soul. Then she caught a glimpse of Forbes. He had returned hurriedly. He was looking for her.
She amended her promise: "Except to tell him good-by. I"ve got to tell him good-by--and make him think I was only--only fooling him, haven"t I?"
The old man"s triumph collapsed again. But he could not demand everything. He nodded and left her as Forbes appeared at the door. With the mocking laughter of fiends, the band brayed another tango. It was faint in the distance, but it was a satanic comment. Persis made haste to get her business done.
"Well, Harvey, good-by. I"m off to Capri to-morrow."
"But I thought--" he stammered. "You"re not going to leave just as we meet again? I thought--"
"You never could take a joke, could you, Harvey?"
"But you said--"
"I"m sorry, Harvey. But I"m married now."
She was turning his own weapons on him. He was befuddled with her whims.
He repeated, "You told me you loved me, that you were unhappy."
"You ought to have known I was only fooling you. I"m Mrs. Enslee now.
And whom G.o.d hath joined--"
He was beside himself with rage. She had wheedled him out of his honor, and now she mocked him where she had left him. He sneered:
"G.o.d didn"t join you and Enslee. G.o.d"s voice doesn"t speak every time a hired preacher reaches out for a wedding fee! It was the devil that joined you, and G.o.d keeps you asunder. G.o.d joined you with me. He meant us for each other. But you hadn"t the courage to face a little poverty.
You wanted prestige and position, and you bought them with the love that belonged to me. You haven"t the courage now to deny that you are unhappy, that you love me still."
She trembled before the storm of his wrath. "But I don"t--I don"t love you any more. I am happy."
"You can"t look me in the eyes, Persis, and repeat that lie."
She tried vainly to meet his glare. She mumbled weakly, "Why, I"m happy--enough."
"Do you love me still?" he demanded.
"N-no! Of course not!"
He wanted to strike her, primevally, for a coward, a liar, a female cad.
He controlled himself and groaned: "Well, that makes everything simpler.
Good-by."
She seized his arm and threw off the disguise. "Harvey, Harvey, I can"t stand it. I can"t endure the thought of it. I can"t live without your love. I don"t care what happens. I never did love anybody else but you.
I never shall."
His love came back in a wild wave. He seized her blindly, and she hid blindly in his arms, sobbing: "I am so unhappy, so unutterably lonely!
You must love me, Harvey, for I love you. I love you."
They were as oblivious of their peril as Tristan and Isolde in the spell of the love philter. Only the old Amba.s.sador, who had hovered near to shield their farewell, saw them. The vision was like a thunderbolt. To hear of a scandal, to be convinced of it is as nothing to seeing it.
That comes like an exposure, an indecency, a slap in the face. The Amba.s.sador was furious with disgust. He stormed into the room: "Can I believe my eyes? Are you both lost to common sense? Is this your discretion, Mrs. Enslee? Do you realize where you are?"
Persis toppled out of Forbes" relaxed embrace, and spoke from a daze: "No--I forgot--I must be out of my mind."
Forbes came to her defense: "You mustn"t blame her. It was my fault."
"No, it was mine," Persis insisted. "But I couldn"t help it."
Tait was filled with contempt. "What if it had been any of the guests that had found you two maniacs as I did. What if I had been Enslee!"
Persis was as amazed as he was. She muttered, "I know--I know--but I can"t stand everything."
Tait tried to patch up his broken plan. "Harvey, you"ve disappointed me bitterly. But I give you one more chance to retrieve yourself. Promise me never to see Mrs. Enslee again."
Forbes shook his head.
Tait could hardly believe his senses. "My G.o.d! Must the deep friendship of two men always be at the mercy of the first woman that comes along?
Harvey, Harvey, I beg you to give this woman up!"
"I can"t."
Tait"s voice glittered with anger. "You"ve got to! I command you to! You can"t commit this infamy and remain with me!"
Forbes set his jaw hard. "I resign."