by Thomas Hardy
V.
Five hours after the despatch of that telegram Captain De Stancy wasrattling along the coast railway of the Riviera from Genoa to Nice.He was returning to England by way of Marseilles; but before turningnorthwards he had engaged to perform on Miss Power's account a peculiarand somewhat disagreeable duty. This was to place in Somerset's hands ahundred and twenty-five napoleons which had been demanded from her by amessage in Somerset's name. The money was in his pocket--all in gold,in a canvas bag, tied up by Paula's own hands, which he had observed totremble as she tied it.
As he leaned in the corner of the carriage he was thinking over theevents of the morning which had culminated in that liberal response. Atten o'clock, before he had gone out from the hotel where he had taken uphis quarters, which was not the same as the one patronized by Paulaand her friends, he had been summoned to her presence in a mannerso unexpected as to imply that something serious was in question.On entering her room he had been struck by the absence of thatsaucy independence usually apparent in her bearing towards him,notwithstanding the persistency with which he had hovered near her forthe previous month, and gradually, by the position of his sister, andthe favour of Paula's uncle in intercepting one of Somerset's lettersand several of his telegrams, established himself as an intimate memberof the travelling party. His entry, however, this time as always,had had the effect of a tonic, and it was quite with her customaryself-possession that she had told him of the object of her message.
'You think of returning to Nice this afternoon?' she inquired.
De Stancy informed her that such was his intention, and asked if hecould do anything for her there.
Then, he remembered, she had hesitated. 'I have received a telegram,'she said at length; and so she allowed to escape her bit by bit theinformation that her architect, whose name she seemed reluctant toutter, had travelled from England to Nice that week, partly to consulther, partly for a holiday trip; that he had gone on to Monte Carlo, hadthere lost his money and got into difficulties, and had appealed to herto help him out of them by the immediate advance of some ready cash. Itwas a sad case, an unexpected case, she murmured, with her eyes fixed onthe window. Indeed she could not comprehend it.
To De Stancy there appeared nothing so very extraordinary in Somerset'sapparent fiasco, except in so far as that he should have applied toPaula for relief from his distresses instead of elsewhere. It was aself-humiliation which a lover would have avoided at all costs, hethought. Yet after a momentary reflection on his theory of Somerset'scharacter, it seemed sufficiently natural that he should leanpersistently on Paula, if only with a view of keeping himself linked toher memory, without thinking too profoundly of his own dignity. Thatthe esteem in which she had held Somerset up to that hour suffereda tremendous blow by his apparent scrape was clearly visible in her,reticent as she was; and De Stancy, while pitying Somerset, thanked himin his mind for having gratuitously given a rival an advantage whichthat rival's attentions had never been able to gain of themselves.
After a little further conversation she had said: 'Since you are to bemy messenger, I must tell you that I have decided to send the hundredpounds asked for, and you will please to deliver them into no hands buthis own.' A curious little blush crept over her sobered face--perhaps itwas a blush of shame at the conduct of the young man in whom she hadof late been suspiciously interested--as she added, 'He will be on thePont-Neuf at four this afternoon and again at eleven tomorrow. Can youmeet him there?'
'Certainly,' De Stancy replied.
She then asked him, rather anxiously, how he could account for Mr.Somerset knowing that he, Captain De Stancy, was about to return toNice?
De Stancy informed her that he left word at the hotel of his intentionto return, which was quite true; moreover, there did not lurk in hismind at the moment of speaking the faintest suspicion that Somerset hadseen Dare.
She then tied the bag and handed it to him, leaving him with a sereneand impenetrable bearing, which he hoped for his own sake meant anacquired indifference to Somerset and his fortunes. Her sending thearchitect a sum of money which she could easily spare might be setdown to natural generosity towards a man with whom she was artisticallyco-operating for the improvement of her home.
She came back to him again for a moment. 'Could you possibly get therebefore four this afternoon?' she asked, and he informed her that hecould just do so by leaving almost at once, which he was very willingto do, though by so forestalling his time he would lose the projectedmorning with her and the rest at the Palazzo Doria.
'I may tell you that I shall not go to the Palazzo Doria either, ifit is any consolation to you to know it,' was her reply. 'I shall sitindoors and think of you on your journey.'
The answer admitted of two translations, and conjectures thereon filledthe gallant soldier's mind during the greater part of the journey. Hearrived at the hotel they had all stayed at in succession about sixhours after Somerset had left it for a little excursion to San Remo andits neighbourhood, as a means of passing a few days till Paula shouldwrite again to inquire why he had not come on. De Stancy saw no one heknew, and in obedience to Paula's commands he promptly set off on footfor the Pont-Neuf.
Though opposed to the architect as a lover, De Stancy felt for him asa poor devil in need of money, having had experiences of that sorthimself, and he was really anxious that the needful supply entrustedto him should reach Somerset's hands. He was on the bridge five minutesbefore the hour, and when the clock struck a hand was laid on hisshoulder: turning he beheld Dare.
Knowing that the youth was loitering somewhere along the coast, for theyhad frequently met together on De Stancy's previous visit, the lattermerely said, 'Don't bother me for the present, Willy, I have anengagement. You can see me at the hotel this evening.'
'When you have given me the hundred pounds I will fly like a rocket,captain,' said the young gentleman. 'I keep the appointment instead ofthe other man.'
De Stancy looked hard at him. 'How--do you know about this?' he askedbreathlessly.
'I have seen him.'
De Stancy took the young man by the two shoulders and gazed into hiseyes. The scrutiny seemed not altogether to remove the suspicion whichhad suddenly started up in his mind. 'My soul,' he said, dropping hisarms, 'can this be true?'
'What?'
'You know.'
Dare shrugged his shoulders; 'Are you going to hand over the money orno?' he said.
'I am going to make inquiries,' said De Stancy, walking away with avehement tread.
'Captain, you are without natural affection,' said Dare, walking by hisside, in a tone which showed his fear that he had over-estimated thatemotion. 'See what I have done for you. You have been my constant careand anxiety for I can't tell how long. I have stayed awake at nightthinking how I might best give you a good start in the world byarranging this judicious marriage, when you have been sleeping as soundas a top with no cares upon your mind at all, and now I have got intoa scrape--as the most thoughtful of us may sometimes--you go to makeinquiries.'
'I have promised the lady to whom this money belongs--whose generosityhas been shamefully abused in some way--that I will deliver it into nohands but those of one man, and he has not yet appeared. I therefore goto find him.'
Dare laid his hand upon De Stancy's arm. 'Captain, we are both warm, andpunctilious on points of honour; this will come to a split between us ifwe don't mind. So, not to bring matters to a crisis, lend me ten poundshere to enable me to get home, and I'll disappear.'
In a state bordering on distraction, eager to get the young man outof his sight before worse revelations should rise up between them, DeStancy without pausing in his walk gave him the sum demanded. He soonreached the post-office, where he inquired if a Mr. Somerset had leftany directions for forwarding letters.
It was just what Somerset had done. De Stancy was told that Mr. Somersethad commanded that any letters should be sent on to him at the HotelVictoria, San Remo.
It was now evident that the scheme of gett
ing money from Paula waseither of Dare's invention, or that Somerset, ashamed of his firstimpulse, had abandoned it as speedily as it had been formed. De Stancyturned and went out. Dare, in keeping with his promise, had vanished.Captain De Stancy resolved to do nothing in the case till further eventsshould enlighten him, beyond sending a line to Miss Power to inform herthat Somerset had not appeared, and that he therefore retained the moneyfor further instructions.