CHAPTER XII
THE WOMAN OF ADVENTURE
A moment's utter silence followed. The woman, with another gesture,drew off the aviator's cap she had worn; she pulled away thetight-fitting toupee that had been drawn over her head and that hadmasked her hair under its masculine disguise. With deft fingers sheshook out the masses of that hair--fine, dark masses that flowed downover her shoulders in streams of silken glory.
"Now you see me as I am!" said she, her voice low and just a littletrembling, but wholly brave. "Now, perhaps, you understand!"
"I--but you--" stammered the Master, for the first time in all hislife completely at a loss, dazed, staggered.
"Now you understand why I couldn't--wouldn't--let Dr. Lombardo dressmy wound."
"By the power of Allah! What does all this mean?" The Master's voicehad grown hoarse, unsteady. "A woman--_here_--!"
"Yes, a woman! The woman your expedition needs and must have, if deathand sickness happen, as happen they will The woman you would neverhave allowed to come--the woman who determined to come at all hazards,even death itself. The woman who--"
"But, Lord Almighty! Your papers! Your decorations!"
"Quite genuine," she answered, smiling at him with dark eyes,unafraid. Through all his dazed astonishment he saw the wonder ofthose eyes, the perfect oval of that face, the warm, rich tints of herskin even though overspread with the pallor of suffering.
"Madam," said he, trying to rally, "this is past all words Noexplanation can make amends for such deception. Still, the secret isyet yours--and mine. Until I decide what to do, it must be respected."
Past her he walked, to the door, and snapped the catch. She, turning,leaned against the table and smiled. He saw the gleam of perfectteeth. A strange figure she made, with loose hair cascading over hercoat, with knickers and puttees, with wounded arm slung in the breastof her jacket.
"Thank you for your consideration," she smiled. "It is on a par withmy conception of your character."
"Pray spare me your comments," he replied, coldly. He returned to hisdesk, but did not sit down there. Against it he leaned, crossed hisarms, and with somewhat lowered head studied her. "Your explanation,madam?"
"My papers are _en regle_," said she. "My decorations are genuine.Numbers of women went through the great war as men. I am one of them,that is all. Many were never discovered. Those who were, owed it towounds that brought them under observation. Had I not been wounded,you would never have known. I could have exercised my skill as anurse, without the fact of my sex becoming apparent.
"That was what I was hoping for and counting on. I wanted to servethis expedition both as a flyer and as a nurse. Fate willed otherwise.A chance bullet intervened. You know the truth. But I feel confident,already, that my secret is safe with you."
The light on her forehead, still a little ridged and reddened by thepressure of the edge of the mask, showed it broad, high, intelligent.Her eyes were deep and eager with a kind of burning determination. Thehand she had rested on the table clenched with the intensity of herappeal:
"Let me stay! Let me serve you all! I ask no more of life than that!"
The Master, knotting together the loose threads of his emotion, came astep nearer.
"Your name, madam!" he demanded.
"I cannot tell you. I am Captain Alfred Alden to you, still. Justthat. Nothing more."
"You continue insubordinate? Do you know, madam, that for this I couldorder you bound hand and foot, have you laid on the trap in the lowergallery, and command the trap to be sprung?"
His face grew hard, deep-lined, almost savage as he confrontedher--the only being who now dared stand against his will. She smiledoddly, as she answered:
"I know all that, perfectly well. And I know the open Atlantic lies amile or two below us, in the empty night. Nevertheless, you shallnot learn my name. All I shall tell you is this--that I am really anaviator. 'Aviatrix' I despise. I served as 'Captain Alden' for eightmonths on the Italian front and twenty-one months on the Western. I aman ace. And--"
"Never mind about all that!" the Master interrupted, raising hishand. "You are a woman! You are here under false colors. You gainedadmission to this Legion by means of false statements--"
"Ah, no, pardon me! Did I ever claim to be a man?"
"The impression you gave was false, and was calculated to be so. Thisis mere quibbling. A lie can be acted more effectively than spoken.All things considered, your life--"
"Is forfeited, of course. I understand that perfectly well. Andthat means two things, as direct corollaries. First, that you losea trained flyer and a woman with Red Cross training; a woman you maysorely need before this expedition is done. Second, you deny a humanbeing who is just as eager as you are for life and the spice ofadventure, just as hungry for excitement as you or any man here--youdeny me all this, everything, just because a stupid accident of birthmade me a woman!"
Her clenched right fist passionately struck the table at her side.
"A man's world! That's what this world is called; that's what it is!And you--of all men--are living down to that idea! You--_the Master!_"
The man's face changed color. It grew a little pale, with deepeninglines. He passed a hand over his forehead, a hand that for the firsttime trembled with indecision. His strong teeth gnawed at his lowerlip. Never before had he lacked words, but now he found none.
The woman exclaimed, her voice incisive, eager, her eyes burning:
"It is because you _are_ a master of men, and of yourself, that I havetaken this chance! It is because I have heard of your absolute senseof justice and fair play, your appreciation of unswerving loyaltyand of the heart that dares! Now you understand. I have only one morething to say."
"And what is that?"
"If you respect my secret and let me go with you on this greatenterprise, no man aboard the Eagle of the Sky will serve you any moreloyally than I. No man will venture more, endure more, suffer more--ifsuffering has to be. I give you my word of honor on that, as a fighterand--a woman!"
"Your word of honor as--"
"A woman! Do you understand?"
Silence again. Their eyes met. The Master's were first to lower.
"Your life is spared," he answered. "That is a concession to your sex,madam. Had you been a man, I would inevitably have put you to death.As it is, you shall live. And you shall remain with us--"
"Thank God for that!"
"Till we reach land. There you must leave _Nissr_."
"I shall not leave it alive," the woman declared, her eyes showingdilated pupils of resentment, of anger. "I haven't come this far to bethrown aside like a bit of worthless gear!"
"You and your machine will be cast off, over the first land we touch,"the Master repeated doggedly. "Whatever information you may give,cannot injure us, and--"
"Stop! Not another word like that, to me!"
Her eyes were blazing now; her right fist quivered in air.
"You accuse me of treason," she cried. "Oh, what injustice, what--"
"I accuse you of nothing, save of having deceived us all, and of beingvery much _deplacee_ here. The deception shall continue, as far as theothers are concerned. You came to us, as a man. You shall go asone. Your secret shall be absolutely respected, by me. But, madam,understand one thing clearly."
"What is that?" she demanded, still trembling with indignation.
"The fact that you are a woman has no weight with me, so far as yourpersuading me to let you remain of the party may be concerned. Womenhave never counted in my life. Their wiles, arts, graces, tears, meannothing to me. Their entreaties seem futile. Their arguments appearlike trivial puerilities.
"Other men are sometimes influenced by such. I tell you now, madam, Ishall not be. Your entreaties will have no weight. When the timecomes for you to leave _Nissr_, I trust you will go quietly, with nodistressing scene."
A certain grimness showed in the woman's face, making it sternlyheroic as the face of Medea or Zenobia. She answered:
"Do you t
hink me the type that entreats, that sheds tears, thatexercises wiles?"
"We won't discuss your personality, madam! This interview is drawingto an end. Until we reach land, nothing can be done. Nothing, but tolook out for your injury. Common humanity demands that your wound bedressed. Is it a serious hurt?"
"Not compared with the hurt you are inflicting, in banishing me fromthe Flying Legion!"
"Come, madam, refrain from extravagant speeches! What is your wound?"
"A clean shot through the left arm, I think, a little below theshoulder."
"I realize, of course, that to have Dr. Lombardo dress it would revealyour sex. Could you in any way manage the dressing, yourself?"
"If given antiseptics and bandages, yes."
"They shall be furnished, also a stateroom."
"That will excite comment."
"It may," the Master answered, "but there is no other way. I willmanage everything privately, myself. Then I will let it transpire thatthere was some injury to the face, as well, and that the mask had tobe removed. I can let the impression get about that you refused toallow anyone but me see your mutilated face.
"I can also hint that I have helped you with the dressing, and haveordered you to keep your stateroom for a while. When it comes time toleave _Nissr_, I will dispatch you as a messenger. Thus your secretwill remain intact. Besides, no one will dare inquire into anything.No one ventures to discuss or question any decision of mine."
Something of hard arrogance sounded in the Master's voice. The womanthanked him, her eyes penetrant, keenly intelligent, even a triflemocking. One would have said she was weighing this strange man inthe balance of judgment, was finding him of sterling stuff, yet wasperhaps cherishing a hope, not untinged with malice, that some day aturn of fate might humble him. The Master seemed to sense a little ofthis, and took a milder tone.
"I must compliment you on one thing, madam," said he, with just thewraith of a smile. "Your acting has been perfection itself. And thefortitude with which you have borne the discomfort of that mask formore than a week, to achieve your ends, cannot be too highly praised."
"Thank you," she replied. "I would have stood _that_ a year, to be oneof your Legion! But now--tell me! Isn't there any possibility of yourreversing your decision?"
"None, madam."
"Isn't there anything I can say or do to--"
"Remember, you told me just a minute ago you were not the type ofwoman who entreats!"
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