CHAPTER V
I
There was an exclamation, then silence, as a tall, beautiful girl withflushed face and shining grey eyes came forward and stopped, followed bya man whom Percy knew at once from his pictures. A little whimperingsounded from the bed, and the priest lifted his hand instinctively tosilence it.
"Why," said Mabel; and then stared at the man with the young face andthe white hair.
Oliver opened his lips and closed them again. He, too, had a strangeexcitement in his face. Then he spoke.
"Who is this?" he said deliberately.
"Oliver," cried the girl, turning to him abruptly, "this is the priest Isaw---"
"A priest!" said the other, and came forward a step. "Why, I thought---"
Percy drew a breath to steady that maddening vibration in his throat.
"Yes, I am a priest," he said.
Again the whimpering broke out from the bed; and Percy, half turningagain to silence it, saw the girl mechanically loosen the clasp of thethin dust cloak over her white dress.
"You sent for him, mother?" snapped the man, with a tremble in hisvoice, and with a sudden jerk forward of his whole body. But the girlput out her hand.
"Quietly, my dear," she said. "Now, sir---"
"Yes, I am a priest," said Percy again, strung up now to a desperateresistance of will, hardly knowing what he said.
"And you come to my house!" exclaimed the man. He came a step nearer,and half recoiled. "You swear you are a priest?" he said. "You have beenhere all this evening?"
"Since midnight."
"And you are not---" he stopped again.
Mabel stepped straight between them.
"Oliver," she said, still with that air of suppressed excitement, "wemust not have a scene here. The poor dear is too ill. Will you comedownstairs, sir?"
Percy took a step towards the door, and Oliver moved slightly aside.Then the priest stopped, turned and lifted his hand.
"God bless you!" he said simply, to the muttering figure in the bed.Then he went out, and waited outside the door.
He could hear a low talking within; then a compassionate murmur from thegirl's voice; then Oliver was beside him, trembling all over, as whiteas ashes, and made a silent gesture as he went past him down the stairs.
* * * * *
The whole thing seemed to Percy like some incredible dream; it was allso unexpected, so untrue to life. He felt conscious of an enormous shameat the sordidness of the affair, and at the same time of a kind ofhopeless recklessness. The worst had happened and the best--that was hissole comfort.
Oliver pushed a door open, touched a button, and went through into thesuddenly lit room, followed by Percy. Still in silence, he pointed to achair, Percy sat down, and Oliver stood before the fireplace, his handsdeep in the pockets of his jacket, slightly turned away.
Percy's concentrated senses became aware of every detail of theroom--the deep springy green carpet, smooth under his feet, the straighthanging thin silk curtains, the half-dozen low tables with a wealth offlowers upon them, and the books that lined the walls. The whole roomwas heavy with the scent of roses, although the windows were wide, andthe night-breeze stirred the curtains continually. It was a woman'sroom, he told himself. Then he looked at the man's figure, lithe, tense,upright; the dark grey suit not unlike his own, the beautiful curve ofthe jaw, the clear pale complexion, the thin nose, the protruding curveof idealism over the eyes, and the dark hair. It was a poet's face, hetold himself, and the whole personality was a living and vivid one. Thenhe turned a little and rose as the door opened, and Mabel came in,closing it behind her.
She came straight across to her husband, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sit down, my dear," she said. "We must talk a little. Please sit down,sir."
The three sat down, Percy on one side, and the husband and wife on astraight-backed settle opposite.
The girl began again.
"This must be arranged at once," she said, "but we must have no tragedy.Oliver, do you understand? You must not make a scene. Leave this to me."
She spoke with a curious gaiety; and Percy to his astonishment saw thatshe was quite sincere: there was not the hint of cynicism.
"Oliver, my dear," she said again, "don't mouth like that! It is allperfectly right. I am going to manage this."
Percy saw a venomous look directed at him by the man; the girl saw ittoo, moving her strong humorous eyes from one to the other. She put herhand on his knee.
"Oliver, attend! Don't look at this gentleman so bitterly. He has doneno harm."
"No harm!" whispered the other.
"No--no harm in the world. What does it matter what that poor dearupstairs thinks? Now, sir, would you mind telling us why you came here?"
Percy drew another breath. He had not expected this line.
"I came here to receive Mrs. Brand back into the Church," he said.
"And you have done so?"
"I have done so."
"Would you mind telling us your name? It makes it so much moreconvenient."
Percy hesitated. Then he determined to meet her on her own ground.
"Certainly. My name is Franklin."
"Father Franklin?" asked the girl, with just the faintest tinge ofmocking emphasis on the first word.
"Yes. Father Percy Franklin, from Archbishop's House, Westminster," saidthe priest steadily.
"Well, then, Father Percy Franklin; can you tell us why you came here? Imean, who sent for you?"
"Mrs. Brand sent for me."
"Yes, but by what means?"
"That I must not say."
"Oh, very good.... May we know what good comes of being 'received intothe Church?'"
"By being received into the Church, the soul is reconciled to God."
"Oh! (Oliver, be quiet.) And how do you do it, Father Franklin?"
Percy stood up abruptly.
"This is no good, madam," he said. "What is the use of these questions?"
The girl looked at him in open-eyed astonishment, still with her hand onher husband's knee.
"The use, Father Franklin! Why, we want to know. There is no church lawagainst your telling us, is there?"
Percy hesitated again. He did not understand in the least what she wasafter. Then he saw that he would give them an advantage if he lost hishead at all: so he sat down again.
"Certainly not. I will tell you if you wish to know. I heard Mrs.Brand's confession, and gave her absolution."
"Oh! yes; and that does it, then? And what next?"
"She ought to receive Holy Communion, and anointing, if she is in dangerof death."
Oliver twitched suddenly.
"Christ!" he said softly.
"Oliver!" cried the girl entreatingly. "Please leave this to me. It ismuch better so.--And then, I suppose, Father Franklin, you want to givethose other things to my mother, too?"
"They are not absolutely necessary," said the priest, feeling, he didnot know why, that he was somehow playing a losing game.
"Oh! they are not necessary? But you would like to?"
"I shall do so if possible. But I have done what is necessary."
It required all his will to keep quiet. He was as a man who had armedhimself in steel, only to find that his enemy was in the form of asubtle vapour. He simply had not an idea what to do next. He would havegiven anything for the man to have risen and flown at his throat, forthis girl was too much for them both.
"Yes," she said softly. "Well, it is hardly to be expected that myhusband should give you leave to come here again. But I am very gladthat you have done what you think necessary. No doubt it will be asatisfaction to you, Father Franklin, and to the poor old thingupstairs, too. While we--- _we_--" she pressed her husband's knee--"wedo not mind at all. Oh!--but there is one thing more."
"If you please," said Percy, wondering what on earth was coming.
"You Christians--forgive me if I say anything rude--but, you know, youChristians have a reputation for counting heads, and makin
g the most ofconverts. We shall be so much obliged, Father Franklin, if you willgive us your word not to advertise this--this incident. It woulddistress my husband, and give him a great deal of trouble."
"Mrs. Brand---" began the priest.
"One moment.... You see, we have not treated you badly. There has beenno violence. We will promise not to make scenes with my mother. Will youpromise us that?"
Percy had had time to consider, and he answered instantly.
"Certainly, I will promise that."
Mabel sighed contentedly.
"Well, that is all right. We are so much obliged.... And I think we maysay this, that perhaps after consideration my husband may see his way toletting you come here again to do Communion and--and the other thing---"
Again that spasm shook the man beside her.
"Well, we will see about that. At any rate, we know your address, andcan let you know.... By the way, Father Franklin, are you going back toWestminster to-night?"
He bowed.
"Ah! I hope you will get through. You will find London very muchexcited. Perhaps you heard---"
"Felsenburgh?" said Percy.
"Yes. Julian Felsenburgh," said the girl softly, again with that strangeexcitement suddenly alight in her eyes. "Julian Felsenburgh," sherepeated. "He is there, you know. He will stay in England for thepresent."
Again Percy was conscious of that slight touch of fear at the mention ofthat name.
"I understand there is to be peace," he said.
The girl rose and her husband with her.
"Yes," she said, almost compassionately, "there is to be peace. Peace atlast." (She moved half a step towards him, and her face glowed like arose of fire. Her hand rose a little.) "Go back to London, FatherFranklin, and use your eyes. You will see him, I dare say, and you willsee more besides." (Her voice began to vibrate.) "And you willunderstand, perhaps, why we have treated you like this--why we are nolonger afraid of you--why we are willing that my mother should do itsshe pleases. Oh! you will understand, Father Franklin if not to-night,to-morrow; or if not to-morrow, at least in a very short time."
"Mabel!" cried her husband.
The girl wheeled, and threw her arms round him, and kissed him on themouth.
"Oh! I am not ashamed, Oliver, my dear. Let him go and see for himself.Good-night, Father Franklin."
As he went towards the door, hearing the ping of the bell that some onetouched in the room behind him, he turned once more, dazed andbewildered; and there were the two, husband and wife, standing in thesoft, sunny light, as if transfigured. The girl had her arm round theman's shoulder, and stood upright and radiant as a pillar of fire; andeven on the man's face there was no anger now--nothing but an almostsupernatural pride and confidence. They were both smiling.
Then Percy passed out into the soft, summer night.
Lord of the World Page 13