Arthur Machen Ultimate Collection

by Arthur Machen

  I did not trouble to read it, and gave him the sequin, though I felt sure I should never see it again.

  Betty now treated me quite confidentially, and I felt I might ask her almost any questions.

  When we were at Montefiascone she said,—

  "You see my lover is only without money by chance; he has a bill of exchange for a large amount."

  "I believe it to be a forgery."

  "You are really too cruel."

  "Not at all; I only wish I were mistaken, but I am sure of the contrary. Twenty years ago I should have taken it for a good one, but now it's another thing, and if the bill is a good one, why did he not negotiate it at Sienna, Florence, or Leghorn?"

  "It may be that he had not the time; he was in such a hurry to be gone. Ah! if you knew all!"

  "I only want to know what you like to tell me, but I warn you again that what I say is no vague suspicion but hard fact."

  "Then you persist in the idea that he does not love me."

  "Nay, he loves you, but in such a fashion as to deserve hatred in return."

  "How do you mean?"

  "Would you not hate a man who loved you only to traffic in your charms?"

  "I should be sorry for you to think that of him."

  "If you like, I will convince you of what I say this evening."

  "You will oblige me; but I must have some positive proof. It would be a sore pain to me, but also a true service."

  "And when you are convinced, will you cease to love him?"

  "Certainly; if you prove him to be dishonest, my love will vanish away."

  "You are mistaken; you will still love him, even when you have had proof positive of his wickedness. He has evidently fascinated you in a deadly manner, or you would see his character in its true light before this."

  "All this may be true; but do you give me your proofs, and leave to me the care of shewing that I despise him."

  "I will prove my assertions this evening; but tell me how long you have known him?"

  "About a month; but we have only been together for five days."

  "And before that time you never accorded him any favours?"

  "Not a single kiss. He was always under my windows, and I had reason to believe that he loved me fondly."

  "Oh, yes! he loves you, who would not? but his love is not that of a man of honour, but that of an impudent profligate."

  "But how can you suspect a man of whom you know nothing?"

  "Would that I did not know him! I feel sure that not being able to visit you, he made you visit him, and then persuaded you to fly with him."

  "Yes, he did. He wrote me a letter, which I will shew you. He promises to marry me at Rome."

  "And who is to answer for his constancy?"

  "His love is my surety."

  "Do you fear pursuit?"

  "No."

  "Did he take you from a father, a lover, or a brother?"

  "From a lover, who will not be back at Leghorn for a week or ten days."

  "Where has he gone?"

  "To London on business; I was under the charge of a woman whom he trusted."

  "That's enough; I pity you, my poor Betty. Tell me if you love your Englishman, and if he is worthy of your love."

  "Alas! I loved him dearly till I saw this Frenchman, who made me unfaithful to a man I adored. He will be in despair at not finding me when he returns."

  "Is he rich?"

  "Not very; he is a business man, and is comfortably off."

  "Is he young?"

  "No. He is a man of your age, and a thoroughly kind and honest person. He was waiting for his consumptive wife to die to marry me."

  "Poor man! Have you presented him with a child?"

  "No. I am sure God did not mean me for him, for the count has conquered me completely."

  "Everyone whom love leads astray says the same thing."

  "Now you have heard everything, and I am glad I told you, for I am sure you are my friend."

  "I will be a better friend to you, dear Betty, in the future than in the past. You will need my services, and I promise not to abandon you. I love you, as I have said; but so long as you continue to love the Frenchman I shall only ask you to consider me as your friend."

  "I accept your promise, and in return I promise not to hide anything from you."

  "Tell me why you have no luggage."

  "I escaped on horseback, but my trunk, which is full of linen and other effects, will be at Rome two days after us. I sent it off the day before my escape, and the man who received it was sent by the count."

  "Then good-bye to your trunk!"

  "Why, you foresee nothing but misfortune!"

  "Well, dear Betty, I only wish my prophecies may not be accomplished. Although you escaped on horseback I think you should have brought a cloak and a carpet bag with some linen."

  "All that is in the small trunk; I shall have it taken into my room tonight."

  We reached Viterbo at seven o'clock, and found the count very cheerful.

  In accordance with the plot I had laid against the count, I began by shewing myself demonstratively fond of Betty, envying the fortunate lover, praising his heroic behaviour in leaving her to me, and so forth.

  The silly fellow proceeded to back me up in my extravagant admiration. He boasted that jealousy was utterly foreign to his character, and maintained that the true lover would accustom himself to see his mistress inspire desires in other men.

  He proceeded to make a long dissertation on this theme, and I let him go on, for I was waiting till after supper to come to the conclusive point.

  During the meal I made him drink, and applauded his freedom from vulgar prejudices. At dessert he enlarged on the duty of reciprocity between lovers.

  "Thus," he remarked, "Betty ought to procure me the enjoyment of Fanny, if she has reason to think I have taken a fancy to her; and per contra, as I adore Betty, if I found that she loved you I should procure her the pleasure of sleeping with you."

  Betty listened to all this nonsense in silent astonishment.

  "I confess, my dear count," I replied, "that, theoretically speaking, your system strikes me as sublime, and calculated to bring about the return of the Golden Age; but I am afraid it would prove absurd in practice. No doubt you are a man of courage, but I am sure you would never let your mistress be enjoyed by another man. Here are twenty-five sequins. I will wager that amount that you will not allow me to sleep with your wife."

  "Ha! ha! You are mistaken in me, I assure you. I'll bet fifty sequins that I will remain in the room a calm spectator of your exploits. My dear Betty, we must punish this sceptic; go to bed with him."

  "You are joking."

  "Not at all; to bed with you, I shall love you all the more."

  "You must be crazy, I shall do nothing of the kind."

  The count took her in his arms, and caressing her in the tenderest manner begged her to do him this favour, not so much for the twenty-five Louis, as to convince me that he was above vulgar prejudices. His caresses became rather free, but Betty repulsed him gently though firmly, saying that she would never consent, and that he had already won the bet, which was the case; in fine the poor girl besought him to kill her rather than oblige her to do a deed which she thought infamous.

  Her words, and the pathetic voice with which they were uttered, should have shamed him, but they only put him into a furious rage. He repulsed her, calling her the vilest names, and finally telling her that she was a hypocrite, and he felt certain she had already granted me all a worthless girl could grant.

  Betty grew pale as death, and furious in my turn, I ran for my sword. I should probably have run him through, if the infamous scoundrel had not fled into the next room, where he locked himself in.

  I was in despair at seeing Betty's distress, of which I had been the innocent cause, and I did my best to soothe her.

  She was in an alarming state. Her breath came with difficulty, her eyes seemed ready to start out of her head, her lips were blo
odless and trembling, and her teeth shut tight together. Everyone in the inn was asleep. I could not call for help, and all I could do was to dash water in her face, and speak soothing words.

  At last she fell asleep, and I remained beside her for more than two hours, attentive to her least movements, and hoping that she would awake strengthened and refreshed.

  At day-break I heard l'Etoile going off, and I was glad of it. The people of the inn knocked at our door, and then Betty awoke.

  "Are you ready to go, my dear Betty?"

  "I am much better, but I should so like a cup of tea."

  The Italians cannot make tea, so I took what she gave me, and went to prepare it myself.

  When I came back I found her inhaling the fresh morning air at the window. She seemed calm, and I hoped I had cured her. She drank a few cups of tea (of which beverage the English are very fond), and soon regained her good looks.

  She heard some people in the room where we had supped, and asked me if I had taken up the purse which I had placed on the table. I had forgotten it completely.

  I found my purse and a piece of paper bearing the words, "bill of exchange for three thousand crowns." The impostor had taken it out of his pocket in making his bet, and had forgotten it. It was dated at Bordeaux, drawn on a wine merchant at Paris to l'Etoile's order. It was payable at sight, and was for six months. The whole thing was utterly irregular.

  I took it to Betty, who told me she knew nothing about bills, and begged me to say nothing more about that infamous fellow. She then said, in a voice of which I can give no idea,—

  "For pity's sake do not abandon a poor girl, more worthy of compassion than blame!"

  I promised her again to have all a father's care for her, and soon after we proceeded on our journey.

  The poor girl fell asleep, and I followed her example. We were awoke by the vetturino who informed us, greatly to our astonishment, that we were at Monterosi. We had slept for six hours, and had done eighteen miles.

  We had to stay at Monterosi till four o'clock, and we were glad of it, for we needed time for reflection.

  In the first place I asked about the wretched deceiver, and was told that he had made a slight meal, paid for it, and said he was going to spend the night at La Storta.

  We made a good dinner, and Betty plucking up a spirit said we must consider the case of her infamous betrayer, but for the last time.

  "Be a father to me," said she; "do not advise but command; you may reckon on my obedience. I have no need to give you any further particulars, for you have guessed all except the horror with which the thought of my betrayer now inspires me. If it had not been for you, he would have plunged me into an abyss of shame and misery."

  "Can you reckon on the Englishman forgiving you?"

  "I think so."

  "Then we must go back to Leghorn. Are you strong enough to follow this counsel? I warn you that if you approve of it, it must be put into execution at once. Young, pretty, and virtuous as you are, you need not imagine that I shall allow you to go by yourself, or in the company of strangers. If you think I love you, and find me worthy of your esteem, that is sufficient regard for me. I will live with you like a father, if you are not in a position to give me marks of a more ardent affection. Be sure I will keep faith with you, for I want to redeem your opinion of men, and to shew you that there are men as honourable as your seducer was vile."

  Betty remained for a quarter of an hour in profound silence, her head resting on her elbows, and her eyes fixed on mine. She did not seem either angry or astonished, but as far as I could judge was lost in thought. I was glad to see her reflective, for thus she would be able to give me a decided answer: At last she said:

  "You need not think, my dear friend, that my silence proceeds from irresolution. If my mind were not made up already I should despise myself. I am wise enough at any rate to appreciate the wisdom of your generous counsels. I thank Providence that I have fallen into the hands of such a man who will treat me as if I were his daughter."

  "Then we will go back to Leghorn, and start immediately."

  "My only doubt is how to manage my reconciliation with Sir B—— M——. I have no doubt he will pardon me eventually; but though he is tender and good-hearted he is delicate where a point of honour is concerned, and subject to sudden fits of violence. This is what I want to avoid; for he might possibly kill me, and then I should be the cause of his ruin."

  "You must consider it on the way, and tell me any plans you may think of."

  "He is an intelligent man, and it would be hopeless to endeavour to dupe him by a lie. I must make a full confession in writing without hiding a single circumstance; for if he thought he was being duped his fury would be terrible. If you will write to him you must not say that you think me worthy of forgiveness; you must tell him the facts and leave him to judge for himself. He will be convinced of my repentance when he reads the letter I shall bedew with my tears, but he must not know of my whereabouts till he has promised to forgive me. He is a slave to his word of honour, and we shall live together all our days without my ever hearing of this slip. I am only sorry that I have behaved so foolishly."

  "You must not be offended if I ask you whether you have ever given him like cause for complaint before."

  "Never."

  "What is his history?"

  "He lived very unhappily with his first wife; and he was divorced from his second wife for sufficient reasons. Two years ago he came to our school with Nancy's father, and made my acquaintance. My father died, his creditors seized everything, and I had to leave the school, much to Nancy's distress and that of the other pupils. At this period Sir B—— M—— took charge of me, and gave me a sum which placed me beyond the reach of want for the rest of my days. I was grateful, and begged him to take me with him when he told me he was leaving England. He was astonished; and, like a man of honour, said he loved me too well to flatter himself that we could travel together without his entertaining more ardent feelings for me than those of a father. He thought it out of the question for me to love him, save as a daughter.

  "This declaration, as you may imagine, paved the way for a full agreement."

  "'However you love me,' I said, 'I shall be well pleased, and if I can do anything for you I shall be all the happier.'

  "He then gave me of his own free will a written promise to marry me on the death of his wife. We started on our travels, and till my late unhappy connection I never gave him the slightest cause for complaint."

  "Dry your eyes, dear Betty, he is sure to forgive you. I have friends at Leghorn, and no one shall find out that we have made acquaintance. I will put you in good hands, and I shall not leave the town till I hear you are back with Sir B—— M——. If he prove inexorable I promise never to abandon you, and to take you back to England if you like."

  "But how can you spare the time?"

  "I will tell you the truth, my dear Betty. I have nothing particular to do at Rome, or anywhere else. London and Rome are alike to me."

  "How can I shew my gratitude to you?"

  I summoned the vetturino, and told him we must return to Viterbo. He objected, but I convinced him with a couple of piastres, and by agreeing to use the post horses and to spare his own animals.

  We got to Viterbo by seven o'clock, and asked anxiously if no one had found a pocket-book which I pretended I had lost. I was told no such thing had been found, so I ordered supper with calmness, although bewailing my loss. I told Betty that I acted in this sort to obviate any difficulties which the vetturino might make about taking us back to Sienna, as he might feel it his duty to place her in the hands of her supposed husband. I had up the small trunk, and after we had forced the lock Betty took out her cloak and the few effects she had in it, and we then inspected the adventurer's properties, most likely all he possessed in the world. A few tattered shirts, two or three pairs of mended silk stockings, a pair of breeches, a hare's foot, a pot of grease, and a score of little books-plays or comic operas, and lastly
a packet of letters; such were the contents of the trunk.

  We proceeded to read the letters, and the first thing we noted was the address: "To M. L'Etoile, Actor, at Marseilles, Bordeaux, Bayonne, Montpellier, etc."

  I pitied Betty. She saw herself the dupe of a vile actor, and her indignation and shame were great.

  "We will read it all to-morrow," said I; "to-day we have something else to do."

  The poor girl seemed to breathe again.

  We got over our supper hastily, and then Betty begged me to leave her alone for a few moments for her to change her linen and go to bed.

  "If you like," said I, "I will have a bed made up for me in the next room."

  "No, dear friend, ought I not to love your society? What would have become of me without you?"

  I went out for a few minutes, and when I returned and came to her bedside to wish her good night, she gave me such a warm embrace that I knew my hour was come.

  Reader, you must take the rest for granted. I was happy, and I had reason to believe that Betty was happy also.

  In the morning, we had just fallen asleep, when the vetturino knocked at the door.

  I dressed myself hastily to see him.

  "Listen," I said, "it is absolutely necessary for me to recover my pocket-book, and I hope to find it at Acquapendente."

  "Very good, sir, very good," said the rogue, a true Italian, "pay me as if I had taken you to Rome, and a sequin a day for the future, and if you like, I will take you to England on those terms."

  The vetturino was evidently what is called wide awake. I gave him his money, and we made a new agreement. At seven o'clock we stopped at Montefiascone to write to Sir B—— M——, she in English, and I in French.

  Betty had now an air of satisfaction and assurance which I found charming. She said she was full of hope, and seemed highly amused at the thought of the figure which the actor would cut when he arrived at Rome by himself. She hoped that we should come across the man in charge of her trunk, and that we should have no difficulty in getting it back.

  "He might pursue us."