Mysterious Mr. Sabin

by E. Phillips Oppenheim

  CHAPTER XLIX

  MR. SABIN IS SENTIMENTAL

  Mr. Sabin found it a harder matter than he had anticipated to induce thecaptain to consent to the scheme he had formulated. Nevertheless, hesucceeded in the end, and by lunch time the following day the wholeaffair was settled. There was a certain amount of risk in the affair,but, on the other hand, if successfully carried out, it set free onceand for ever the two men mainly concerned in it. Mr. Sabin, who was inrather a curious mood, came out of the captain's room a little after oneo'clock feeling altogether indisposed for conversation of any sort,ordered his luncheon from the deck steward, and moved his chair apartfrom the others into a sunny, secluded corner of the boat.

  It was here that Mrs. Watson found him an hour later. He heard therustle of silken draperies across the deck, a faint but familiar perfumesuddenly floated into the salt, sunlit air. He looked around to find herbending over him, a miracle of white--cool, dainty, and elegant.

  "And why this seclusion, Sir Misanthrope?"

  He laughed and dragged her chair alongside of his.

  "Come and sit down," he said. "I want to talk to you. I want," he added,lowering his voice, "to thank you for your warning."

  They were close together now and alone, cut off from the other chairsby one of the lifeboats. She looked up at him from amongst the cushionswith which her chair was hung.

  "You understood," she murmured.

  "Perfectly."

  "You are safe now," she said. "From him at any rate. You have won himover."

  "I have found a way of safety," Mr. Sabin said, "for both of us."

  She leaned her head upon her delicate white fingers, and looked at himcuriously.

  "Your plans," she said, "are admirable; but what of me?"

  Mr. Sabin regarded her with some faint indication of surprise. He wasnot sure what she meant. Did she expect a reward for her warning, hewondered. Her words would seem to indicate something of the sort, andyet he was not sure.

  "I am afraid," he said kindly, "we have not considered you very muchyet. You will go on to Boston, of course. Then I suppose you will returnto Germany."

  "Never," she exclaimed, with suppressed passion. "I have broken my vows.I shall never set foot in Germany again. I broke them for your sake."

  Mr. Sabin looked at her thoughtfully.

  "I am glad to hear you say that," he declared. "Believe me, my dearyoung lady, I have seen a great deal of such matters, and I can assureyou that the sooner you break away from all association with this manWatson and his employers the better."

  "It is all over," she murmured. "I am a free woman."

  Mr. Sabin was delighted to hear it. Yet he felt that there was a certainawkwardness between them. He was this woman's debtor, and he had made noeffort to discharge his debt. What did she expect from him? He looked ather through half-closed eyes, and wondered.

  "If I can be of any use to you," he suggested softly, "in any freshstart you may make in life, you have only to command me."

  She kept her face averted from him. There was land in sight, and sheseemed much interested in it.

  "What are you going to do in America?"

  Mr. Sabin looked out across the sea, and he repeated her question tohimself. What was he going to do in this great, strange land, whose wayswere not his ways, and whose sympathies lay so far apart from his?

  "I cannot tell," he murmured. "I have come here for safety. I have nocountry nor any friends. This is the land of my exile."

  A soft, white hand touched his for a moment. He looked into her face,and saw there an emotion which surprised him.

  "It is my exile too," she said. "I shall never dare to return. I have nowish to return."

  "But your friends?" Mr. Sabin commenced. "Your family?"

  "I have no family."

  Mr. Sabin was thoughtful for several moments, then he took out his caseand lit a cigarette. He watched the blue smoke floating away over theship's side, and looked no more at the woman at his elbow.

  "If you decide," he said quietly, "to settle in America, you must notallow yourself to forget that I am very much your debtor. I----"

  "Your friendship," she interrupted, "I shall be very glad to have. Wemay perhaps help one another to feel less lonely."

  Mr. Sabin gently shook his head.

  "I had a friend of your sex once," he said. "I shall--forgive me--neverhave another."

  "Is she dead?"

  "If she is dead, it is I who have killed her. I sacrificed her to myambition. We parted, and for months--for years--I scarcely thought ofher, and now the day of retribution has come. I think of her, but it isin vain. Great barriers have rolled between us since those days, but shewas my first friend, and she will be my only one."

  There was a long silence. Mr. Sabin's eyes were fixed steadily seawards.A flood of recollections had suddenly taken possession of him. When atlast he looked round, the chair by his side was vacant.