by Ray Cummings
CHAPTER IX
_A Woman Scorned_
Jane afterward told us just what happened in that compartment of thecarrier, and I think that for the continuity of my narration I hadbest relate it now.
The cubby room was small, not much over six feet wide, and twelvefeet long. There was a single small door to the corridor, and twosmall windows. A couch stood by them; there were two low chairs, anda small bench-like table.
Tolla made Jane as comfortable as possible. Food was at hand; Tolla,after an hour or two served it at the little table, eating the mealwith Jane, and sitting with her on the couch where they could gazethrough the windows.
To Jane this girl of another world was at once interesting,surprising and baffling. Jane could only look upon her as an enemy.In Jane's mind there was no thought save that we must escape, andfrustrate Tako's attack upon New York; and she was impulsive,youthful enough to think something might be contrived.
At all events, she saw Tolla in the light of an enemy who might betricked into giving information.
Jane admits that her ideas were quite as vague as our own when itcame to planning anything definite.
She at first studied Tolla, who seemed as young as herself andperhaps in her own world, was as beautiful. And within an hour ortwo she was surprised at Tolla's friendliness. They had dinedtogether, gazed through the windows at the speeding shadows of thestrange world sliding past; they had dozed together on the couch.During all this they could have been schoolgirl friends. Not captorand captive upon these strange weird circumstances of actuality, butfriends of one world. And in outward aspect Tolla could fairly wellhave been a cultured girl of our Orient.
* * * * *
Then Jane got a shock. She tried careful questions. And Tollaskillfully avoided everything that touched in any way upon Tako'sfuture plans. Yet her apparent friendliness, and a certain girlishvolubility continued.
And then, at one point, Tolla asked:
"Are you beautiful in Bermuda?"
"Why, yes," said Jane. "I guess so."
"I am beautiful in my world. Tako has said so."
"You love him, don't you?" Jane said abruptly.
"Yes. That is true." There was no hint of embarrassment. Her paleblue eyes stared at Jane, and she smiled a little quizzically. "Doesit show so quickly upon my face that you saw it at once? I am calledTolla because I am pledged soon to enter Tako's harem."
Upon impulse Jane put her arm around the other girl as they sat onthe couch. "I think he is very nice."
But she saw it was an error. The shadow of a frown came upon Tolla'sface; a glint of fire clouded her pale, serene eyes.
"He will be the greatest man of his world," she said quietly.
* * * * *
There was an awkward silence. "The harem, I am told," Jane saidpresently, "is one of your customs." She took a plunge. "And Takotold us why they want our Earth girls. There was one of my friendsstolen from Bermuda--"
"And yet you call him very nice," Tolla interrupted with suddenirony. "Girls are frank in our world. But you are not. What did youmean by that?"
"I was trying to be friendly," said Jane calmly. "You had just saidyou loved him."
"But you do not love him?"
It took Jane wholly back. "Good Heavens, no!"
"But he--might readily love you?"
"I hope not!" Jane tried to laugh, but the idea itself was sofrightening to her that the laugh sounded hollow. She gathered herwits. This girl was jealous. Could she play upon that jealousy?Would Tolla perhaps soon want her to escape? The idea grew. Tollamight even some time soon come to the point of helping her escape.
Jane said carefully, "I suppose I was captured with the idea ofgoing into someone's harem. Was that the idea?"
"I am no judge of men's motives," said Tolla curtly.
"Tako said as much as that," Jane persisted. "But not necessarilyinto his harem. But if it should be his, why would you care? Yourmen divide their love--"
"I would care because Tako may give up his harem," Tolla interruptedvehemently. "He goes into this conquest for power--for wealth--becausesoon he expects to rule all our world and band it together into anation. He has always told me that I might be his only wife--someday--"
* * * * *
She checked herself abruptly and fell into a stolid silence. It madeJane realize that under the lash of emotion Tolla would talk freely.But Jane could create no further opportunity then, for Tako suddenlyappeared at their door. The girls had been together now some hours.Don and I were at this time asleep.
He stood now at the girl's door. "Tolla, will you go outside amoment? I want to talk to this prisoner alone." And, interpretingthe look which both girls flung at him, he added, "The door remainsopen. If she wants you back, Tolla, she will call."
Without a word Tolla left the compartment. But Jane saw on her faceagain a flood of jealousy.
Tako seated himself amiably. "She has made you comfortable?"
"Yes."
"I am glad."
He passed a moment of silence. "Have you been interested in thescene outside the window?" he added.
"Yes. Very."
"A strange sight. It must seem very strange to you. This travelingthrough my world--"
"Did you come to tell me that?" she interrupted.
He smiled. "I came for nothing in particular. Let us say I came toget acquainted with you. My little prisoner--you do not like me, doyou?"
She tried to meet his gaze calmly. This was the first time Jane hadhad opportunity to regard Tako closely. She saw now the aspect ofpower which was upon him. His gigantic stature was not clumsy, forthere was a lean, lithe grace in his movements. His face washandsome in a strange foreign fashion. He was smiling now; but inthe set of his jaw, his wide mouth, there was an undeniable cruelty,a ruthless dominance of purpose. And suddenly she saw theanimal-like aspect of him; a thinking, reasoning, but ruthless,animal.
"You do not like me, do you?" he repeated.
* * * * *
She forced herself to reply calmly, "Why should I? You abduct myfriends. There is a girl named Eunice Arton whom you have stolen.Where is she?"[7]
[7] Neither Eunice Arton, nor any of the stolen girls, have ever been heard from since. Like the thousands of men, women and children who met their death in the attack upon New York, Eunice Arton was a victim of these tragic events.
He shrugged. "You could call that the fortunes of war. This iswar--"
"And you," she said, "are my enemy."
"Oh, I would not go so far as to say that. Rather would I callmyself your friend."
"So that you will return me safely? And also Bob Rivers, and mycousin, Don--you will return us safely as you promised?"
"Did I promise? Are you not prompting words from my lips?"
Jane was breathless from fear, but she tried not to show it.
"What are you going to do with us?" she demanded. There is no womanwho lacks feminine guile in dealing with a man; and in spite of herterror Jane summoned it to her aid.
"You want me to like you, Tako?"
"Of course I do. You interest me strangely. Your beauty--yourcourage--"
"Then if you would be sincere with me--"
"I am; most certainly I am."
"You are not. You have plans for me. I told Tolla I supposed I wasdestined for someone's harem. Yours?"
It startled him. "Why--" He recovered himself and laughed. "Youspeak with directness." He suddenly turned solemn. He bent towardher and lowered his voice; his hand would have touched her arm, butshe drew away.
"In very truth, ideas are coming to me, Jane. I will be, some daysoon, the greatest man of my world. Does that attract you?"
"N-no," she said, stammering.
"I wish that it would," he said earnestly. "I do of reality wishthat it would. I will speak plainly, and it is in a way that Takonever spoke to woman before. I ha
ve found myself, these last hours,caring very much for your good opinion of me. That is surprising."
* * * * *
She stared at him with sudden fascination mingled with her fear. Heseemed for this moment wholly earnest and sincere. An attractivesort of villain, this handsome giant, turned suddenly boyish andnaive.
"That is surprising," Tako repeated.
"Is it?"
"Very. That I should care what any woman thinks of me, particularlya captive girl--but I do. And I realize, Jane, that our marriagesystem is very different from yours. Repugnant to you, perhaps. Isit?"
"Yes," she murmured. His gaze held her; she tried to shake it off,but it held her.
"Then I will tell you this: I have always felt that the glitteringluxury of a large harem is in truth a very empty measure of man'sgreatness. For Tako there will be more manly things. The power ofleadership--the power to rule my world. When I got that idea, itoccurred to me also that for a man like me there might be some onewoman--to stand alone by my side and rule our world."
His hand touched her arm, and though she shuddered, she left itthere. Tako added with a soft vibrant tenseness. "I am beginning tothink that you are that woman."
There was a sound in the corridor outside the door--enough to causeTako momentarily to swing his gaze. It broke the spell for Jane;with a shock she realized that like a snake he had been holding herfascinated. His gaze came back at once, but now she shook off hishand from her arm.
"Tolla told me you--you said something like that to her," Jane saidwith an ironic smile.
It angered him. The earnestness dropped from him like a mask. "Oh,did she? And you have been mocking me, you two girls?"
* * * * *
He stood up, his giant length bringing his head almost to thevaulted ceiling of the little compartment. "What degradation forTako that women should discuss his heart."
His frowning face gazed down at Jane; there was on it now nothing tofascinate her; instead, his gaze inspired terror.
"We--we said nothing else," she stammered.
"Say what you like. What is it to me? I am a man, and the clatter ofwomen's tongues is no concern of mine."
He strode to the door. From over his shoulder he said, "What I shalldo with you I have not yet decided. If Tolla is interested, tell herthat."
"Tako, let me--I mean you do not understand--"
But he was gone. Jane sat trembling. A sense of defeat was on her.Worse than that, she felt that she had done us all immeasurableharm. Tako's anger might react upon Don and me. As a matter of fact,if it did he concealed it, for we saw no change in his attitude.
Tolla rejoined Jane within a moment. If Tako spoke to her outsideJane did not know it. But she was at once aware that the other girlhad been listening; Tolla's face was white and grim. She came in,busied herself silently about the room.
Jane turned from the window. "You heard us, Tolla?"
"Yes, I heard you! You with your crooked look staring at him--"
"Why, Tolla, I did not!"
"I saw you! Staring at him so that he would think you beautiful!Asking him, with a boldness beyond that of any woman I could everimagine--asking him if he planned you for his harem!"
* * * * *
She stood over Jane, staring down with blazing eyes. "Oh, I heardyou! And I heard him telling you how noble are his motives! Onewoman, just for him!"
"But, Tolla--"
"Do not lie to me! I heard him sneering at me--telling you of thisone woman just for him! And you are that woman! Hah! He thinks thatnow, does he? He thinks he will make you love him as I love him. AsI love him! And what does he know of that! What woman's love canmean!"
"Tolla! Don't be foolish. I didn't--I never had any desire to--"
"What do your desires concern me? He thinks he will win you withtales of his conquests! A great man, this Tako, because he willdevastate New York!"
This was the fury of a woman scorned. She was wholly beside herself,her words tumbling, incoherent, beyond her will, beyond herrealization of what she was saying.
"A great conquest to make you love him! With his giant projector hewill subdue New York! Hah! What a triumph! But it is the weapon'spower, not his! He and all his army--these great brave and warlikemen--why I alone with that weapon could turn--"
She stopped abruptly. The red flush of frenzied anger drained fromher cheeks.
Jane leaped to her feet. "What do you mean? With that giantprojector--"
But Tolla was standing frozen, with all her anger gone and horror atwhat she had said flooding her.
"What do you mean, Tolla?" insisted Jane, seizing her. "What couldyou do with that giant projector?"
"Let me go!" Tolla tried to jerk away.
"I won't let you go! Tell me what you were going to say!"
"Let me go!" Tolla got one hand loose and struck Jane in the face.But Jane again seized the wrist. In the scuffle they overturned achair.
"I won't let you go until you--"
And then Tako, Don and I, hearing the uproar, burst in upon them.Jane let go her hold, and Tolla broke into sobs, and sank to thefloor.
And both of them were sullen and silent under our questioning.