by Thomas Hardy
XXX
Louis began his stratagem by calling at the tower one afternoon, as if onthe impulse of the moment.
After a friendly chat with Swithin, whom he found there (having watchedhim enter), Louis invited the young man to dine the same evening at theHouse, that he might have an opportunity of showing him some interestingold scientific works in folio, which, according to Louis's account, hehad stumbled on in the library. Louis set no great bait for St. Cleevein this statement, for old science was not old art which, havingperfected itself, has died and left its secret hidden in its remains. ButSwithin was a responsive fellow, and readily agreed to come; being,moreover, always glad of a chance of meeting Viviette _en famille_. Hehoped to tell her of a scheme that had lately suggested itself to him aslikely to benefit them both: that he should go away for a while, andendeavour to raise sufficient funds to visit the great observatories ofEurope, with an eye to a post in one of them. Hitherto the only bar tothe plan had been the exceeding narrowness of his income, which, thoughsufficient for his present life, was absolutely inadequate to therequirements of a travelling astronomer.
Meanwhile Louis Glanville had returned to the House and told his sisterin the most innocent manner that he had been in the company of St. Cleevethat afternoon, getting a few wrinkles on astronomy; that they had grownso friendly over the fascinating subject as to leave him no alternativebut to invite St. Cleeve to dine at Welland the same evening, with a viewto certain researches in the library afterwards.
'I could quite make allowances for any youthful errors into which he mayhave been betrayed,' Louis continued sententiously, 'since, for ascientist, he is really admirable. No doubt the Bishop's caution willnot be lost upon him; and as for his birth and connexions,--those hecan't help.'
Lady Constantine showed such alacrity in adopting the idea of havingSwithin to dinner, and she ignored his 'youthful errors' so completely,as almost to betray herself. In fulfilment of her promise to see himoftener she had been intending to run across to Swithin on that identicalevening. Now the trouble would be saved in a very delightful way, by theexercise of a little hospitality which Viviette herself would not havedared to suggest.
Dinner-time came and with it Swithin, exhibiting rather a blushing andnervous manner that was, unfortunately, more likely to betray their causethan was Viviette's own more practised bearing. Throughout the mealLouis sat like a spider in the corner of his web, observing themnarrowly, and at moments flinging out an artful thread here and there,with a view to their entanglement. But they underwent the ordealmarvellously well. Perhaps the actual tie between them, through being somuch closer and of so much more practical a nature than even their criticsupposed it, was in itself a protection against their exhibiting thatultra-reciprocity of manner which, if they had been merely lovers, mighthave betrayed them.
After dinner the trio duly adjourned to the library as had been planned,and the volumes were brought forth by Louis with the zest of abibliophilist. Swithin had seen most of them before, and thought butlittle of them; but the pleasure of staying in the house made him welcomeany reason for doing so, and he willingly looked at whatever was putbefore him, from Bertius's Ptolemy to Rees's Cyclopaedia.
The evening thus passed away, and it began to grow late. Swithin who,among other things, had planned to go to Greenwich next day to view theRoyal Observatory, would every now and then start up and prepare to leavefor home, when Glanville would unearth some other volume and so detainhim yet another half-hour.
'By George!' he said, looking at the clock when Swithin was at lastreally about to depart. 'I didn't know it was so late. Why not stayhere to-night, St. Cleeve? It is very dark, and the way to your place isan awkward cross-cut over the fields.'
'It would not inconvenience us at all, Mr. St. Cleeve, if you would careto stay,' said Lady Constantine.
'I am afraid--the fact is, I wanted to take an observation at twentyminutes past two,' began Swithin.
'Oh, now, never mind your observation,' said Louis. 'That's only anexcuse. Do that to-morrow night. Now you will stay. It is settled.Viviette, say he must stay, and we'll have another hour of these charmingintellectual researches.'
Viviette obeyed with delightful ease. 'Do stay, Mr St. Cleeve!' she saidsweetly.
'Well, in truth I can do without the observation,' replied the young man,as he gave way. 'It is not of the greatest consequence.'
Thus it was arranged; but the researches among the tomes were notprolonged to the extent that Louis had suggested. In three-quarters ofan hour from that time they had all retired to their respective rooms;Lady Constantine's being on one side of the west corridor, Swithin'sopposite, and Louis's at the further end.
Had a person followed Louis when he withdrew, that watcher would havediscovered, on peeping through the key-hole of his door, that he wasengaged in one of the oddest of occupations for such a man,--sweepingdown from the ceiling, by means of a walking-cane, a long cobweb whichlingered on high in the corner. Keeping it stretched upon the cane hegently opened the door, and set the candle in such a position on the matthat the light shone down the corridor. Thus guided by its rays hepassed out slipperless, till he reached the door of St. Cleeve's room,where he applied the dangling spider's thread in such a manner that itstretched across like a tight-rope from jamb to jamb, barring, in itsfragile way, entrance and egress. The operation completed he retiredagain, and, extinguishing his light, went through his bedroom window outupon the flat roof of the portico to which it gave access.
Here Louis made himself comfortable in his chair and smoking-cap,enjoying the fragrance of a cigar for something like half-an-hour. Hisposition commanded a view of the two windows of Lady Constantine's room,and from these a dim light shone continuously. Having the window partlyopen at his back, and the door of his room also scarcely closed, his earretained a fair command of any noises that might be made.
In due time faint movements became audible; whereupon, returning to hisroom, he re-entered the corridor and listened intently. All was silentagain, and darkness reigned from end to end. Glanville, however, gropedhis way along the passage till he again reached Swithin's door, where heexamined, by the light of a wax-match he had brought, the condition ofthe spider's thread. It was gone; somebody had carried it off bodily, asSamson carried off the pin and the web. In other words, a person hadpassed through the door.
Still holding the faint wax-light in his hand Louis turned to the door ofLady Constantine's chamber, where he observed first that, though it waspushed together so as to appear fastened to cursory view, the door wasnot really closed by about a quarter of an inch. He dropped his lightand extinguished it with his foot. Listening, he heard a voicewithin,--Viviette's voice, in a subdued murmur, though speakingearnestly.
Without any hesitation Louis then returned to Swithin's door, opened it,and walked in. The starlight from without was sufficient, now that hiseyes had become accustomed to the darkness, to reveal that the room wasunoccupied, and that nothing therein had been disturbed.
With a heavy tread Louis came forth, walked loudly across the corridor,knocked at Lady Constantine's door, and called 'Viviette!'
She heard him instantly, replying 'Yes' in startled tones. Immediatelyafterwards she opened her door, and confronted him in her dressing-gown,with a light in her hand. 'What is the matter, Louis?' she said.
'I am greatly alarmed. Our visitor is missing.'
'Missing? What, Mr. St. Cleeve?'
'Yes. I was sitting up to finish a cigar, when I thought I heard a noisein this direction. On coming to his room I find he is not there.'
'Good Heaven! I wonder what has happened!' she exclaimed, in apparentlyintense alarm.
'I wonder,' said Glanville grimly.
'Suppose he is a somnambulist! If so, he may have gone out and brokenhis neck. I have never heard that he is one, but they say that sleepingin strange places disturbs the minds of people who are given to that sortof thing, and provokes them to it.'
'Unfortunately for your theory his bed has not been touched.'
'Oh, what then can it be?'
Her brother looked her full in the face. 'Viviette!' he said sternly.
She seemed puzzled. 'Well?' she replied, in simple tones.
'I heard voices in your room,' he continued.
'Voices?'
'A voice,--yours.'
'Yes, you may have done so. It was mine.'
'A listener is required for a speaker.'
'True, Louis.'
'Well, to whom were you speaking?'
'God.'
'Viviette! I am ashamed of you.'
'I was saying my prayers.'
'Prayers--to God! To St. Swithin, rather!'
'What do you mean, Louis?' she asked, flushing up warm, and drawing backfrom him. 'It was a form of prayer I use, particularly when I am introuble. It was recommended to me by the Bishop, and Mr. Torkinghamcommends it very highly.'
'On your honour, if you have any,' he said bitterly, 'whom have you therein your room?'
'No human being.'
'Flatly, I don't believe you.'
She gave a dignified little bow, and, waving her hand into the apartment,said, 'Very well; then search and see.'
Louis entered, and glanced round the room, behind the curtains, under thebed, out of the window--a view from which showed that escape thence wouldhave been impossible,--everywhere, in short, capable or incapable ofaffording a retreat to humanity; but discovered nobody. All he observedwas that a light stood on the low table by her bedside; that on the bedlay an open Prayer-Book, the counterpane being unpressed, except into alittle pit beside the Prayer Book, apparently where her head had restedin kneeling.
'But where is St. Cleeve?' he said, turning in bewilderment from theseevidences of innocent devotion.
'Where can he be?' she chimed in, with real distress. 'I should so muchlike to know. Look about for him. I am quite uneasy!'
'I will, on one condition: that you own that you love him.'
'Why should you force me to that?' she murmured. 'It would be no suchwonder if I did.'
'Come, you do.'
'Well, I do.'
'Now I'll look for him.'
Louis took a light, and turned away, astonished that she had notindignantly resented his intrusion and the nature of his questioning.
At this moment a slight noise was heard on the staircase, and they couldsee a figure rising step by step, and coming forward against the longlights of the staircase window. It was Swithin, in his ordinary dress,and carrying his boots in his hand. When he beheld them standing thereso motionless, he looked rather disconcerted, but came on towards hisroom.
Lady Constantine was too agitated to speak, but Louis said, 'I am glad tosee you again. Hearing a noise, a few minutes ago, I came out to learnwhat it could be. I found you absent, and we have been very muchalarmed.'
'I am very sorry,' said Swithin, with contrition. 'I owe you a hundredapologies: but the truth is that on entering my bedroom I found the skyremarkably clear, and though I told you that the observation I was tomake was of no great consequence, on thinking it over alone I felt itought not to be allowed to pass; so I was tempted to run across to theobservatory, and make it, as I had hoped, without disturbing anybody. IfI had known that I should alarm you I would not have done it for theworld.'
Swithin spoke very earnestly to Louis, and did not observe the tenderreproach in Viviette's eyes when he showed by his tale his decided notionthat the prime use of dark nights lay in their furtherance of practicalastronomy.
Everything being now satisfactorily explained the three retired to theirseveral chambers, and Louis heard no more noises that night, or rathermorning; his attempts to solve the mystery of Viviette's life here andher relations with St. Cleeve having thus far resulted chiefly inperplexity. True, an admission had been wrung from her; and even withoutsuch an admission it was clear that she had a tender feeling for Swithin.How to extinguish that romantic folly it now became his object toconsider.