by Andrew Lang
CHAPTER XVII
LADY OXFORD'S 'COUP DE THEATRE.'
The Parson, when the two friends had climbed the crowded stairs, beganmaking his way towards his fate and Lady Oxford's table, with a smileon his face. He did not see Rose, who was a little apart, hidden fromhim by a group of strangers. Wogan was about joining her, when awoman's voice whispered in his ear:
'You are mad!'
The voice was Lady Mary's.
'You are mad, both of you! He should be halfway to the coast by now.What brings him here? I wrote, or rather I sent to him.'
'True,' said Wogan, remembering the letter which he had picked up inthe Parson's lodging, and slipped into his pocket. It had been thrustclean out of his mind at the Deanery by those more pressing questionsas to how the Blow had been discovered, and how they were to escapefrom the consequences of the discovery. He drew it out, still sealedup.
'He has not opened it?' she asked.
'He has not seen it,' replied Wogan, who began to fear from herladyship's discomposure that the letter held news of an urgentimportance. She took the letter from his hands, and broke the seal.
'This was my message,' she said. There was no scrap of writing in theletter, but a feather from a bird's wing: it meant "Fly!"
'The feather is white,' said Wogan. He could not have mounted it.'
'He loses his life.'
'Perhaps, but he keeps his honour. There is something that he must doin London if by any means he can. He must burn the papers at hislodgings and the best hope lies in audacity.'
Mr. Wogan tore up the sheet on which her ladyship had written Mr.Johnson's name into fragments too minute for anyone to piece themtogether again.
'This proof of your good will,' said he, 'shall not rise in judgmentagainst you.'
'But you?' said Lady Mary. 'Why do you stay?'
Wogan laughed.
'For one thing, I have a little business of my own to settle,and--well--'
'And,' said she, 'your friend's in danger.'
She spoke with so much kindliness that Mr. Wogan felt a trifleawkward, and turned his eyes from her face. He saw that Rose stillstood alone, though many of the gallants eyed her through theirquizzing-glasses.
'Lady Mary,' he said, 'you have the kindest heart!'
'Hush! Whisper it,' she replied, 'or you will destroy my reputation.What service would you have me do now?'
'You see Miss Rose? You have read a certain ballad which the ignorantgive to your ladyship? And you know Lady Oxford. It is Miss RoseTownley's first visit to this house, and one cannot believe that LadyOxford asked her with any amiable intention.'
'And I am to be Lady Oxford's spoil-sport?'
'It has gone beyond sport. At this moment her ladyship has murder inher mind. The girl entered the room wearing our hostess's portrait indiamonds,' and he told her shortly how she came to wear it.
Lady Mary looked her horror.
'She has hidden it, but you will not leave the girl?'
Lady Mary nodded, her lips tight closed.
Wogan presented the girl. Lady Mary made room for her at her side, andWogan only heard her say, 'My dear, be brave, you tremble.'
What else passed, Wogan did not desire to hear. Lady Mary had faults,they say, as a woman, but she was of a manlike courage, and her's wasthe friendship of a man. Never did woman need it more than MissTownley, and never, sure, was counsel and comfort wiser and kinderthan that which, Wogan knew later, Lady Mary gave to the angry,frightened, and bewildered girl.
Lady Mary's credentials were Wogan's name; the girl could not suspectthem. How had she come hither? Lady Oxford had invited her father,Rose said, as a schoolfellow of my lord's, and had asked, too, for thedaughter's company. Then the young lady was lured, her new friendsaid, by a wicked woman for a cruel purpose. That purpose, whatever itwas, and neither Wogan nor Kelly nor Lady Mary could do more thanguess, must be defeated at any cost--at all costs. Lady Mary glancedat the guilt and guilelessness of our sex. Kelly, too, had beenentrapped, before he knew Rose, but that was ended. Lady Marycertainly knew it was ended, however things appeared. According tomen's notions, he was compelled to lie to Rose about the miniature.Now Miss Townley might, if she chose, give Kelly his _conge_to-morrow. To-night she must know nothing, see nothing, bear nogrudge, be staunch; she owed it to her honour, to the honour of hersex, to Kelly's very life, and to her revenge, if she craved for one,on the false enchantress. That was Lady Mary's sermon. And the lessonwas needed. She reported it later to Wogan who, at this moment, wasfollowing the Parson with all his eyes.
Lady Oxford at the card-table was greeting Kelly with a conspicuouskindness. Her smile was one wide welcome.
'My dear Mr. Johnson,' she said, 'you are grateful as flowers workedon the very finest Alencon. Sure you bring me those laces for which Igave you a commission in Paris, and the lutestring from my Lady Mar.'
Mr. Kelly murmured a word that the laces were below, and he hoped herladyship would be satisfied. But his eyes searched the room all thetime for Rose, whom he could not see.
'You shall show me them!' cried Lady Oxford; 'but first you must bringme luck. Mr. Johnson and I were always lucky before he went abroad.'She spoke with a provoking smile at Colonel Montague, and then shot aquick glance at Lord Sidney Beauclerk, who was now risen from thetable, and stood in a window watching her.
The glance said plain as writing, 'You understand. I have to face outthe ballad. I can trust you.' Wogan's blood boiled as he noticed andread the look, for it was just that tender appeal to her lover's faithwhich always brought about the lover's undoing. Lord Sidney's youngface flushed with pride at the trust she reposed in him, and shecontinued to Kelly:
'Look over my hand, Mr. Johnson; you must not leave me. What cardshall I choose? You, Colonel Montague, I discard you. I appoint you tothe Commissariat, run and see that Lady Rich does not starve. She isleaving her party with the air of a loser, and needs the comforts ofchicken and champagne. But first let me make you better acquaintedwith the gentleman who supersedes you. Mr. Johnson, the right-hand manof my dear Bishop of Rochester.' There she stopped short in a prettyconfusion, as though the words had slipped from her lips against herwill.
'Who should be thrown to the lions,' growled the Colonel to himself,and added gruffly, 'Mr. Johnson and I have met before.'
The Colonel turned his broad scarlet back with the ghost of a bow, andwent reluctantly to Lady Rich, a mature matron, dressed to kill, invirginal white. Wogan watched them out of the door, and was againturning back to the card-table, when again Lord Sidney Beauclerk'shand was laid on his sleeve.
'A word with you, Mr. Hilton,' said he in a hard voice.
'When the half-hour is past, my lord,' said Wogan, looking at hiswatch. 'There are still eight minutes and a few seconds.'
'I will set my watch by yours,' said the lad with great dignity; whichhe did, and went back to his corner.
Mr. Johnson's welcome, meanwhile, was as that of the prodigal swain.He made more than one effort to slip from her side and go in search ofRose, but Lady Oxford would not let him go. She had eyes only for him,eyes to caress. Many curious people watched the scene as at a play.All the town knew the ballad, and here was Lady Oxford's reply. Mr.Johnson and Lady Oxford were to all seeming the best of friends, andno more than friends, for was not Miss Townley in the room to testifythe limits of their friendship?
A shifting of the groups gave Wogan suddenly a view of Rose Townley.She was still talking with Lady Mary, or rather she was stilllistening to her, and threw in now and again a short reply. But shespoke with an occupied air, and her eyes were drawn ever towards thecard-table at which Lady Oxford was practising her blandishments onthe Parson. Then to Wogan's relief a few ladies and gentlemen steppedbetween, and the living screen hid him from her view.
At this moment Lady Oxford lost heavily.
'An ace? Sonica! I am bankrupt!' she cried, and rising from the tableshe addressed the Parson. 'Mr. Johnson, you brin
g me no better luckthan did the Colonel. I must console myself with private talk, andnews of lace and lutestring. What have you brought me? Come, Ipositively die to see,' and so, with her sweetest smile, she carriedoff the Parson.
It was thus she had wrought on that first night when Kelly met theColonel, but there was a mighty difference in Kelly's demeanour. Thenhe had given her his arm with the proudest gallantry. Now her ladyshipwent out of her way to lead him past Rose, where she sat with LadyMary. He threw an imploring glance at the girl, and followed in LadyOxford's wake, the very figure of discomfort.
Fine smiles rippled silently round the company as the pair made theirway to the door. Rose watched them, her face grown very hard andwhite, but she said no word until they had gone. She stood motionless,except that her bosom rose and fell quickly. Then she turned to LadyMary.
'I must bid your ladyship good-night,' she said; 'I have stayed toolong.'
Pride kept her voice clear, her words steady, but it could not maskthe pain of her face.
'What ails you, child? You must smile. Smile!' whispered Lady Mary.But Rose was struck too hard. She lowered her eyes and fixed them onthe floor to hide the humiliation they expressed, but she could notsmile. She tried, but no more came of it than a quiver at the cornersof her lips, and then she set her mouth firmly, as though she couldnot trust herself.
'I thought I had persuaded you,' whispered Lady Mary. 'It is forhonour, it is for life, his life. Appearances are nothing. You _must_stay.'
'I thank your ladyship, who is most kind. I will stay,' said the girl.Her face flushed purely with a delicate, proud anger.
Lady Mary presented her to some of her friends, with whom Rose boreherself bravely. Wogan saw that she had taken her part, and blessedLady Mary.
He had followed Lady Oxford and the Parson out of the room, and leanedover the balusters while they descended the stairs. It was an ominousbusiness, this summons of Lady Oxford. Why must she carry him offalone with her? What blow had she to strike? Mr. Wogan was notsurprised that Kelly had turned pale, and though he held his headerect, had none the less the air of one led to the sacrifice. To makethe matter yet more ominous, Lady Oxford herself seemed in a flutterof excitement; her colour was heightened; she sparkled with even morethan her usual beauty; her tongue rattled with even more than itsusual liveliness.
Half-way down the stairs she met Lady Rich and Colonel Montaguemounting. Lady Oxford stopped and spoke to the Colonel. Mr. Wogancaught a word or two, such as 'Miss Townley--the poor girl knows noone.' Kelly started a little; the Colonel sullenly bowed. Lady Oxford,leaning upon Mr. Kelly's arm in order to provoke the Colonel, mustneeds in pity bid the Colonel wait upon Rose in order to provoke Mr.Kelly. There Wogan recognised her ladyship's refinements.
The pair passed down to the foot of the stairs. To the right of thestaircase a door gave on to that little room into which Kelly had ledLady Oxford on the night of the Masquerade. Lady Oxford left his armand went towards it.
Kelly remained standing by the stairs, very still. It was in this roomthat Lady Oxford had discovered the Chevalier's likeness in the lid ofthe snuff-box, and had deceived George into the belief that she was,heart and soul, as deep in the Cause as he. It was that room which hadwitnessed the beginnings of the history. Now it seemed it was like tosee the end.
Kelly looked up the stairs and saw Wogan's face. He smiled, in aquiet, hopeless way, and then Lady Oxford threw open the door. Sheturned back to Kelly, a languorous smile upon her lips, a tender lightin her eyes. Neither the smile nor the look had power to beguile thetwo men any longer. Kelly stepped forwards to her like a man that istired. Wogan had again the queer sense of incongruity. Behind himvoices laughed and chattered, in some room to his left music sounded;and here at the foot of the stairs was a woman all smiles and gracesplaying with Life and Death as a child with toys.
The pair passed into the room. The door shut behind them. The click ofthe latch is one of the things Wogan never will forget.