CHAPTER IX
INDIAN MAGIC
Upon entering her bedroom to change her dress for supper, Miss Innesfound it bright with firelight. On the bed her frock was laid out, hershoes were warming in the fender. Upon the rug before the hearth, thered glow of the flames intensifying the colour of her crimson saree, satthe Indian woman, cross-legged, her chin supported on her hand, gazingintently at something on the ground, near the fire. There was a warm,seductive sweetness in the air, like the faint breath of flowers.
Olwen, who had crept in with muscles drawn together to withstand thebiting cold, felt as if she had entered a conservatory unawares.
"Oh, what a lovely fire!" was her first impetuous cry. Then,reprovingly, "You must not spoil me like this. I came here to help you,not to make someone else to wait upon."
The ayah raised her soft eyes to the expressive little face of the girl,who had knelt upon the hearth beside her. "Missee must be served," shesaid in her curious, caressing voice. "I know it, first minute I seeher. The stars tell me. Sunia know about stars, she what you callwitch woman, you sahibs."
What girl of two-and-twenty is wholly destitute of curiosity concerningveiled destiny? Olwen's eyes grew big. "What do you mean," she asked,half laughing, half in earnest, "by saying that the stars told youthings about me?"
The ayah rose to her feet with the lithe movement of a creature withoutbones. She held her hands to Olwen, raised her to her feet, and theystood a moment, eye to eye.
Olwen felt her hands tingle.
"Missee make bargain with ole ayah? Ole ayah never seen Missee, neverknow Missee, all up to this night. If she can tell Missee things goneby, things what happen to her long ago, will Missee believe she knowwhat going to happen one day?"
There was something uncanny here. The Celtic blood ran warm in Olwen.Her voice shook a little. "Sunia, what can you know about me?" shechallenged smilingly.
The little brown hands were softly impelling her, so that she sank intoa well cushioned chair which stood beside the hearth. The Hinducrouched before her, her face in darkness, save when a wandering gleamfrom the blazing logs caught her eyes and made them flicker.
"My missee born upon the fells," she murmured. "Her folks carried hersouth--away south--but she came back. She born for the north, she neverstay in London town. She come north, always north, farther north, whereshe belong, where she stay, in her own place."
There was a silence, during which the girl held her breath, her senseslulled into a kind of stupor. She noted for the first time that twotiny earthen pots stood in the ashes of the hearth. From one of theseascended a minute, twisting jet of smoke, evidently the cause of thesubtle perfume which hung upon the air. The vapour seemed to be bindingher senses in some kind of enchantment; but the words already spoken bythe woman made her eager to hear more.
Bending forward, Sunia touched first one little pot, then the other,with her tiny brown hand; then, sitting back on her heels, she closedher eyes, holding her arms rigidly extended. They were covered withglass bangles. and her movement caused these to ring or chime musically.The sound of them died away very gradually--as it seemed to the excitedimagination of the girl, rhythmically--till all was still. The silencewas intense when the woman began to mutter:
"Two beside her when first she set her feet to earth ... two who aredivided by all but their love for her. Now one goes ... driven away ...the one she love most ... a man. He look back all a time ... but he go.And now the other she go too. More slow. Much more slow. She isalone. She is very much alone. I see her in a room with many others... but quite alone; always a-lone!"
The voice died away. Olwen was agitated far beyond her expectations.It was, as far as she could tell, out of the question that this womancould know the details of which she spoke. She closed her eyes, leaningback in her chair; and the soft chime of the bangles, as the thin brownarms sank upon their owner's knees, sounded like the last chord of somedim fantasia.
"Have I seen true, Missee?"
"Yes. Quite true. Oh, Sunia, tell me more, if you can see! That one Iloved--that one who went away--is he still living, or is he dead?"
"Dead," was the soft answer. "Missee when I see her, quite alone: tillthe north call and she have to come to the Pele. Now look! I takeMissee farther--only a little. I not see very plain this night, becausewe only begin. When Missee give me her thoughts more I see better."
Leaning forward, she laid her hand again, quite gently, upon the littleearthen pots, which had ceased to smoke. So far as Olwen could see, sheput nothing into them, applying merely the tips of her fingers; but atonce there ascended from each a thread of smoke, very distinct,ascending spirally. As the upward draught took them, the two smokesmingled, and rose, passing out of sight as if entwined.
"This one Missee's, that mine," said the sorceress. "My fate and hershave touched and come together. Never come undone now. Can't do. MeMissee's woman always."
As she spoke, the smoke vanished, the little pots contained only amorsel of grey ash.
Olwen did not speak for some long moments. She sat fascinated,hypnotised by the perfume and the weird prophecy.
After a while, she rallied her senses, and spoke with a desperate effortto be normal. "That must be nonsense. I have only come here for amonth. Most likely, at the end of that time, I shall go away, and youand I will never meet again."
"We may have to part," replied Sunia gravely. "I thought I saw aparting, and that is bad. But not for long. If you go, you come backagain. I very well can see that."
"You speak as if you were really a witch! I think I am afraid of you."
"No need. I only show you I Missee's woman," was the simple answer, "soyou let me do things for you. I do everything for my Missee, and thatmake ole ayah very happy."
As she spoke, she arose, went to the basin, and poured hot water intoit.
Arising with resolution, Olwen passed her hand over her eyes as if toclear away cobwebs. It needed a real effort of will-power to wrenchherself back to everyday life. Only the fear of being late for supperthis first evening enabled her to unfasten her serge frock and slip outof it. Sunia had lit more candles, so that the room was now full oflight. She stood a moment, gazing approvingly at the rounded outlinesof the girl's form. Then, making her sit down, she folded a huge towelabout her, brought the basin to a chair near, and bathed face, throatand arms with water which, like the air of the room, was subtlyperfumed. As she wiped the wet skin with the softest damask, shemuttered that there was no time to-night to make Missee reallybeautiful, but later on she would massage her properly. She let downher hair once more and rearranged it, this time with a triflingdifference of effect which was most becoming. She changed shoes andstockings, and finally put on the simple little frock of dull greenvelveteen.
Wholly subdued by the woman's spell, whatever it was, the girl made nofurther objections. As she submitted passively to her ministrations, itwas with a feeling that all this had happened before; that in someprevious incarnation she had been thus attended. She did not rebel,even when the woman came to her holding in her hands a gauze scarf,curiously embroidered in dull gold.
"Cold, down them stone steps. Missee put this over her shoulders," shemurmured.
"Oh, what a lovely scarf!"
"Belonged a Begum once. Just right for my Missee," said the woman,adjusting it over the girl's shoulders. The mirror was too small forOlwen to see the full effect; but the glimpse she did obtain wassatisfactory. The gold of the scarf was the gold of her hair.
"I will wear this scarf if it pleases you," she softly said, "Only youknow it's yours, not mine."
"All a same," said the woman simply. "I just glad my Missee like it."
As she spoke, the big clock over the gatehouse tolled eight in its deep,sad tones. The ayah collected the hot-water can and other things, andcarried them off into the adjoining room.
"Is that where you sleep,
Sunia?"
"Yes, Missee. You and me on this floor. My Sahib, he sleep next roomto Madam, underneath."
Olwen felt glad to know that she had someone near her, although thewoman made her half afraid.
"Missee better go down," said Sunia, reappearing. "Take a light."
She put a candle in a glass shade into the girl's hand, and, turningaway with a last inhalation of the curious fragrance of her chamber,Miss Innes went down the twisting stair a little shakily, feelingoverexcited and queer. Yesterday seemed cut off from to-day by someimpassable barrier.
As she reached the floor below her, she came face to face with youngGuyse, candle in hand, obeying the supper-bell like herself. He stoppedshort, a startled look on his face, which disappeared almost at once, togive place to his usual cocksure smile.
"I thought at first you were a fairy," he said. "You are turned out,upon my word! Determined not to leave me a single loophole of escape,aren't you?"
"Unfortunately, you are not speaking my language. I can't understand asingle word you say," was the stiff retort.
"Ah, that reminds me! I'll have my first lesson after supper."
"It's very cold here. Will you go first, or shall I?"
"Let me lead the way," he replied, turning on his heel.
Madam awaited them in the dining-room. She had made no change in herattire. "Oh, dear," said she fretfully, as Olwen came in, "you havemade yourself smart!"
Olwen laughed, glad to expend some of her bottled-up excitement.
"This is Sunia's doing, the scarf is hers. She begged me to put it on.I thought it was her pretty way of telling me that my frock was a bitshabby for the occasion, so I did as she asked."
"Well, you look very nice, I must own. You pay for dressing, as theysay. It is years since I have seen anybody prettily dressed."
Ninian made a restless movement
"In my husband's lifetime we had a house in town as well as a bigcountry place," went on his mother. "Ninian doesn't realise at all howmuch I miss it."
Her son was very red. "Mother, what is the use of talking so? You knowI can't help it."
Madam sighed deeply, but as the ayah now entered, with a silver entreedish in her hand, they sat down to table and the subject dropped. Ithad one good effect, for it made Ninian exert himself to talk, so as toturn the current of Madam's thoughts. Olwen was grateful to him formaking conversation, for her own fancy was so full of thefortune-telling as to make it impossible for her to fix her thoughts onanything else. Later, when the ayah had left the room, she could nolonger resist speaking of what had occurred. "Is not your Sunia aclairvoyante?" she asked. "She has been saying most extraordinarythings to me."
Madam stared in faint surprise. "What kind of things?"
"About my childhood and early life. Things she could not possibly haveknown. She spoke of my parents, 'divided in everything but their lovefor me.' That is, unfortunately, true, but she could not have known itby any ordinary means."
As she spoke, she caught Mr. Guyse's eye. There was an expression in itwhich held her attention, but which she could not analyse. It wasrather like pity. As their eyes met, he rose from table with a nervouslaugh. "She's an old humbug," he said. "Don't listen to her, don't lether bore you. Shall I tell her to let you alone?"
"Oh, please don't tell tales of me! She has been so kind, she has doneall she could for me. I--I didn't mind her saying that, only it seemeda bit uncanny."
He gave her another self-conscious look, then turned away and lit hispipe without replying.
"Let's go to the billiard-room," he said at length. "Come along, Ma."
Mrs. Guyse rose with evident unwillingness, and began to look for hershawl. Olwen found it, and put it over her shoulders. "The room willbe as cold as a well," said she fretfully. "Understand, Nin, that I gooff to bed in an hour's time."
"All right," replied her son shortly.
They mounted to the floor immediately above, and the puzzle as to wherethey kept the library was solved. This great apartment had evidentlybeen the refectory or banqueting hall. It had been altered into alibrary by the Tudor Guyse, who had cut windows so recklessly; andMadam's dead husband had turned it into a billiard-room.
It covered the whole floor space of the tower, except for a small bit atthe north end. On this side were three arched doors, enriched withball-flower moulding, the easternmost leading to the chapel, the westernto the priest's room, the central one to a small windowless space knownas the dungeon.
Above the fine bookcases was oak panelling, on which hung a few inferioroil paintings of dead Guyses.
Near the south end of the west wall was a very large oriel, with awindow seat and table and chairs. So large was the apartment that thefull-sized billiard table looked quite small in it, and left plenty ofspace for settles and arm-chairs round about the Tudor fireplace, withthe Guyse arms carved above.
The existence of this noble room delighted Olwen. It changed the wholecharacter of the place. Here was an ideal spot for reading or writing.There were several fine screens in stamped leather, which would excludedraughts. The western oriel, commanding a view of the lovely GuyseburnDale, would be utterly delightful in summer-time.
Ninian seemed pleased at her naive admiration. He displayed to her thepoor bare little chapel, destitute of all plenishing, and the two otherapartments. Olwen wondered how the priest could close his eyes atnight, if there were a prisoner in solitary confinement next door tohim. Young Guyse laughed, and said that the Border folk, priests andlaity alike, were a hard-bitten lot, and that in those days compassionwas hardly counted as a virtue. It was as badly out of fashion asdiscipline and obedience are now.
"I must own that I believe my ancestors to have been a set ofbloody-minded thieves," he remarked with candour.
"They're but little changed now," observed his mother, from her seat bythe fire.
"Thanks, Ma, don't lose a chance," he flung back negligently, going tothe rack to choose cues.
He found that Olwen had somewhat underrated her own skill. He gave hera big handicap, and she actually beat him. Mrs. Guyse, who at first satlanguidly reading the paper, presently sat up, and at last even left herplace to watch them. They all three became quite animated, and whenMadam suddenly recollected herself and said she was going to bed atonce, it was more than half-past ten.
Olwen, though the game was not finished, put away her own cue, and beganto collect the lady's workbag and cushions.
"Oh, stay and finish your game! Don't let Ninian be able to say that Itook you off before the end," said the hostess pettishly.
"But please I am very tired," said Olwen, "I am quite ready to say goodnight."
She said it with so much firmness that Ninian, who had flung down hiscue and marched upon her with the evident intention of sharp protest,said not a single word, but allowed them both to disappear, through thenarrow door, with a candle to guide the steps of Madam on the darkstairs.
When they reached the lady's own quarters, the girl followed her intothe sitting-room, and, setting down the candle, asked modestly for a fewdirections.
"I'm very anxious, of course, to do exactly as you wish," said she. "Atwhat hour is breakfast, and should you expect me to make the tea orcoffee?"
Madam stood irresolutely by the table, twisting her hands together as ifworried almost beyond endurance. Her face was set in obstinate lines."To come down to breakfast I absolutely decline," said she in adesperate voice. "I haven't done such a thing for years, and it can'tbe expected of me."
Olwen was so astonished that she stood with her mouth open.
"I suppose you have no objection to breakfasting with my son? You seemto be extremely particular," said Madam after a pause.
"I am here to carry out your orders," was the girl's reply. "I shall doas you wish, of course. At what hour does Mr. Guyse breakfast?"
"At eight o'clock."
"And you would like me to be down and to breakfast with him?"
&
nbsp; "He would," was the surprising answer.
Olwen shrugged her shoulders. "Then," she went on, as steadily as shecould, "at what time should I come to you? Is there anything you wouldlike me to do, or shall I begin at once upon the library books?"
With a weary gesture, the lady dropped into a chair.
"Really, Miss Innes, I cannot be bothered like this. I am tired--I wishto sleep. Go to bed, for goodness' sake, and when I am up to-morrowperhaps I shall have some orders for you. I am usually dressed abouteleven."
"Thank you," was the meek response. "That was all I wanted to know. Iam sorry to be importunate, but I feel a little strange at first."
"Yes, yes, I know. Good night. I hope you will be comfortable. Suniasays your bed is soft, but comfort in this jail of a place seems a thingone can't even imagine." She turned, with a harsh laugh, upon the girlas she withdrew. "When I married Ninian's father I had never put on myown stockings in my life! I was a millionaire's daughter! Andnow--look at me! Look at my house! Look at my clothes! Even the sightof a girl from a town upsets me!"
The Lonely Stronghold Page 9