The Master of the Ceremonies

by George Manville Fenn

saw that the Major's back was towardshim, and then bent over his kettle again, and began pushing half-burnedscraps of wood beneath, making the fire roar and the pitch heat quickly,and he did not look up again till the Major had walked away, when hebegan to brush again at the boat as if relieved, ending by giving oneleg a tremendous slap, and stopping short as if to think.

  The Major had some time to wait, and he passed a good deal of it walkingup and down, as if watching a sail in the offing, till fortune favouredhim; so that as he was approaching the cottage again, Claire came outquickly, and, seeing him, started and turned to walk in the otherdirection, out on the downs and round by the London Road into the town.

  She repented on the instant, and wished that she had faced him boldlyand passed on. But she was excited and confused by her visit, which hadto her a curious suggestion of wrong-doing in it; and she was leavingthe place, feeling agitated and guilty, when, seeing the Major, she hadturned sharply to walk on, trembling, and hoping that he had not seenher. The hope died out on the instant, for she heard his steps, withthe soft _clink, clink_ of the rowels of his spurs; but he kept hisdistance till they were well beyond the cottages, and then rapidlyclosed up.

  What would he think of her visit there? What would he say? were thequestions Claire asked herself as she walked rapidly on to reach thestile that bounded the cornfield she would have to turn into and crossto get into the London Road; and all the time, _clink, clink--clink,clink_, those spurs rang on her ears, and came nearer and nearer.

  The stile at last; and, trembling with eagerness, she was about tocross, when the Major passed her quickly, leaped over, and turnedsmilingly to face her with:

  "Allow me, my dear Miss Denville. We meet at last." END OF VOLUME ONE.

  Volume Two, Chapter I.

  AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN.

  Claire shrank back for a moment, and her natural womanly timidity urgedher to turn and hurry home by the way she had come.

  But that would be showing Major Rockley that she was afraid of him, andthis she wished to keep a secret in her own breast.

  Bowing slightly, then, she declined the offer of his hand, stepped overthe stile, and went on.

  With anyone else Rockley would have felt bound to retire, but he onlylaughed. Claire was the daughter of the poor minister of fashion, wholived by the fees and offerings he received from new-comers; and he didnot feel himself called upon to treat her as a lady.

  "Why, my dear Miss Denville," he said, laughing, "what have I done thatyou should try to cut me like this? I am ignorant. Come, shake hands."

  He held his out, as he walked by her side, and she turned upon him alook full of indignation.

  "Are you not making a mistake, sir?" she said coldly.

  "Mistake? No. My dear Claire, why do you treat me like this? Howabsurd it is to refuse my letters, and play coquette when we meet. Herehave I been watching for such an opportunity as this for weeks."

  Claire's eyes flashed at his assumption, but she made no reply, andwalked on.

  "How can you be so absurd," he whispered, as he kept pace with her stepfor step, "when you know how I love you?"

  "Major Rockley!" she cried, stopping short and facing him, "by whatright do you insult me like this?"

  "How beautiful she is!" he said in a low tone.

  Claire bit her lips, and, divining that he was disposed to treat her asone in an entirely different rank of life, she hurried on along thepath, with the tall corn waving on either side, trembling with dread andindignation, as she realised that he was behaving to her as he might tosome servant-girl.

  "Say what you like to me. Be angry. Punish me. I cannot help it," hewhispered. "Your beauty maddens me, as it has done all these wearymonths, and I must speak to you now."

  "Major Rockley, I am alone and unprotected. I ask you, as a gentleman,to leave me."

  "And as an officer and a gentleman I would leave you, but my passionmasters me. Sweet Claire, whom I love so dearly, how can you be socruel and so hard?"

  He tried to take her hand, but she shrank from him and turned back.

  "No, no, little one, you are not going to serve me like that!" he cried,darting before her. "Come, how can you be so absurd?" he whispered."We are quite alone. No one can see our meeting, and yet you aretrifling with me, and wasting golden moments. You know I love you."

  "Once more, Major Rockley, will you leave me? You insult me bystaying."

  "No, I will not leave you," he whispered excitedly; "and I do not insultyou."

  "I am alone now, sir, but I have a father--brothers, who shall call youto account for this!" she cried, with her eyes full of indignation.

  "Don't," he whispered imploringly. "You make your eyes flash and yourface light up in a way that drives me frantic. Claire, if you speak tome like that again, I shall risk being seen, and take you to my heart tocover those lips with kisses. No, no; don't shrink away; only be gentlewith me, and talk sensibly. Let us be closer friends, dear. Come, letthere be an end to all this coy nonsense. There, we understand oneanother now. That's better."

  He seized her hand, and drew it through his arm; but, with a display ofstrength that he had not expected, she snatched it away, and stood palewith anger and indignation.

  She hurried forward the next moment, but he laughingly kept at her side.

  Claire turned and retreated, but he was still there; and, choking downher sobs, she walked as fast as she could towards the stile she hadcrossed.

  It seemed evident to her that the Major must know the reason for hervisit to the fisherman's cottage, or he would never have dared to treather with such bold insolence; and as she walked on he kept close besideher, pressing his suit in the most daringly insulting manner, while sheceased her protests now, and walked on in silence.

  "It is the only way to deal with her," he said to himself; "and, afterthis outburst to keep up appearances, we shall be on the best of terms."

  Claire had gone farther in her excitement than she had thought possible,and it seemed now that she would never reach the stile. Beyond that,there might be people who would help her; and in any case, thefishermen's cottages were not many hundred yards away.

  In spite of her silence, the Major kept on his passionate addresses andprotestations, pleading his inability to obtain a hearing from herbefore; and at last, irritated by her silence, he caught her by the armand held it fast.

  "No, no; you are not going yet," he said, speaking angrily. "What sortof a man do you take me for, that you play with me like this?"

  "Major Rockley, will you loose my arm?"

  "Claire Denville, will you promise to meet me to-night where I willname?"

  "I am a defenceless woman, sir, and this is an insult--an outrage. Willyou loose my arm?"

  "You are a cruel coquette," he cried passionately. "Is this yourtreatment, after the months of glances you have given me to lure me on?"

  "Will you loose my arm, sir?"

  "Will you be a sensible girl?" he whispered. "How can you be so absurd?Look about you: we are too far off for anyone to see who we are, and ifthey could see us, why should we care? What is the world to us? Come,Claire, my darling."

  He tried to draw her towards him, but she struggled to get free andreach the stile in the tall hedge that separated them from the baredowns beyond.

  The tears of rage and indignation were in Claire's eyes as she felt herhelplessness, and saw how thoroughly she was in Rockley's power. Thereseemed to be nothing she could do but scream for help, and from that sheshrank.

  Turning suddenly upon him, with her eyes flashing, she exclaimed:

  "Major Rockley! as a gentleman I ask you to cease this cowardlypursuit."

  "Claire Denville, as the woman I adore and have set my mind to win, Iask you to cease this silly heroic nonsense. My dear child, is it tomake terms?"

  She snatched her hand by an angry movement from his grasp, and reachedthe stile; but he was too quick for her, catching her and drawing herback to clasp her in his arms
.

  "You shall not say I wasted my opportunity," he whispered. "If I am tobe punished by you, it shall be for something more than words. Thiskiss is to be the first of millions that you shall pay me back, and--Curse the fellow!"

  There was a quick step, a hand was laid on the stile, and RichardLinnell vaulted over, white with jealous anger. For, coming along thedowns, he had seen Claire cross the stile, followed by Rockley, and,half mad with rage, he had gazed at them for a moment or two, and then,feeling that all was over, and that there was no more love for him inthe world, since the woman he had worshipped could be so light as tomake appointments with the greatest libertine in the town, he walkedstraight back for the parade.

  It was all plain enough; there had been an understanding between Claireand the