Devil's Tor (30 page)

Then she suddenly wondered if he were married. …

Saltfleet, in fact, rather shunned the society of women, and, at thirty-six, was not married. With no active principle of aversion from the sex, he still told himself that the ways, tastes, desires, interests, instincts, and whole attitude to life, of women must perforce be so at variance with his own as a man, that any union of sentiment would entail the largest sacrifices on one side or the other; but, since no woman on earth probably could discard her sensuous, picturesque, and snobbish nature, it would nearly certainly be he that must conform. Against this, was the condition of his existing at all on the planet as a male; he recognised his liability at any time to a sexual storm, sweeping him off his feet. As one more interruption of the deadly monotony of life, it would be welcomed when it came, but he trusted to steer clear of insanity in his choice of the woman so to overwhelm him. Beauty he shrugged at, delicacy, refinement and culture were things of course, a sharp or sullen temper would be fatal; otherwise, he insisted only on
character.
He wished a companionship of contempt for the small and insipid in the world. Such a wife should not be practically unrealisable; yet the years glided by, and the women thrown to him by chance were all flawed. He was content to have the hardest things said about him. …

Helga accordingly was right in imagining his present silent preoccupation with her daughter, but wrong in attributing it to the beginning of an admiration. The unusualness of the girl's beauty alone would have made him a little subdued and thoughtful—particularly that queer, almost metaphysical light of her eyes, that was new to him in a woman, and should point to the possession of a singular soul. Nevertheless, though he was to meet her again more intimately, it seemed, had that been all it would have gone no further than such a careless impersonal appreciation of a young daughter in a strange house, very much his junior.

His business was with Drapier. He had been told where he was, he had made the necessary arrangements for getting hold of him, so there was really no more to detain him on the spot; but now this girl had suddenly introduced herself in the affair, and the more he thought of it, the more it appeared to him as if it might matter.

Her evident pride and distance of spirit, with her anxious air, cold address, and unconcealed progressive bewilderment—for one thing, she could not have all her mother's facts, she was in darkness about some part of the transaction, yet she was just as obviously interested, and a light was dawning on her, that he felt might be a new light for him as well. He believed it would be worth his while to spin out the interim, if it was to occupy not more than a minute or so. In herself, it was the transparent truth-weighing of her eyes and manner that had the effect of suggesting to him that she should be, not the centre, but the
height
of this household. She should have so great an influence. …

And in Drapier's conduct, all was by no means yet clear. There was a mystery afoot between him and his cousin, this Mrs. Fleming, of which he, Saltfleet, had heard possibly half the account, and the girl in the room another part. … Well! if he had no luck during the day, he would accept that invitation to dinner, and see the girl again, and try to get her story quietly. He already trusted her to tell him no lies, hold nothing back that was not confidential.

He could find no way of obtaining a private talk with her until then. …

Helga comprehended at last that he was not to resume and end his business, nor her daughter to take her departure, until she herself should give the signal. She was convinced that Ingrid was sensing a strangeness in the matter, and was lingering in the room, not from any active inquisitiveness, but instinctively, to learn more of it. It was so unlike her to fail in tact. However, she must be dismissed—and next, Saltfleet for Hugh might soon be back, and they were not to meet. She could acquaint Ingrid with the simple outline of the story and how he was to dine with them... and then perhaps the child would help her to dissuade him from pursuing Hugh on the moor; so superfluously, from his point of view, so dreadfully, from hers.

She caught at Ingrid's arm, to say:

"You must know, dear, Hugh made the acquaintance of Mr. Saltfleet and a friend in Tibet, only a little while before his return; and there they entrusted to him for safe-keeping a certain valuable. Now Mr. Saltfleet is here to reclaim it. … He is putting up at the 'Bell', and has consented to take dinner with us this evening, to meet Hugh. So the sensible view seems to be that it is perfectly unnecessary to go after him in this fog, when in any event they will be seeing one another in a few hours more. An out-of-the-way spot like Devil's Tor will be exceedingly hard to locate by a stranger to the district, on such a day. Isn't it so?"

Ingrid returned her mother a perturbed look. That some of her fancies had thus hit the mark gave her no pleasure; she was conscious only of her unquiet heart because of Hugh, while, as a background, dully wondering what her mother wanted, that she should be so reluctant to let this man seek him on the Tor.

"If Mr. Saltfleet has travelled in Tibet," she answered spiritlessly, "I should think he ought to have no difficulty in finding Devil's Tor at least."

Then, to the surprise of both the others, she turned with an unexpected swift impulsiveness to Saltfleet himself.

"Since I am consulted, I wish you
would
try to get in touch with Hugh Drapier."

"You have something for him?" he suggested, puzzled.

"No; but there is a disagreeable idea in my head that all isn't well with him."

Saltfleet viewed her.

"May I ask if it has any foundation?"

"No. … But twice already he has been nearly killed on the same Tor, in two days."

"A sinister spot! I presume, by the lightning and earthquake you before mentioned?"

"Yes."

"Then that has probably affected your imagination, and it is an example of unconscious superstition. However, I shall be happy to end your anxiety if I can, and I will be off in another minute."

Though he had never smiled, his mouth gave Ingrid the same impression as smiling, and some quick access of dislike and pride impelled her not to wait here for his departure, but to make her own excuses forthwith. So, with a simple word of thanks to him for his promised service, and another of apology for her intrusion, she left the room.

The two remaining facing each other alone were silent again for a moment. Then Saltfleet said:

"I fancy I can't be wrong in thinking that you are rather definitely against my pursuing Drapier this morning, and your motive, I conceive, is that you want to get in your first word with him—which, on your private information, of which I know nothing, may be a quite sensible and wise precaution. Now that I have pledged myself to your daughter, I must go. But, as you point out, it is very possible that I may miss him; so, in case you do secure your talk in advance, I beg you to make the situation entirely clear to him.

"I am aware we cannot proceed by law. Arsinal must decide how we are to proceed. But Drapier cannot be so eccentric as to be incapable of receiving a serious warning, and accordingly I do warn him here and now, through you, Mrs. Fleming, that we did not undertake that trip to Tibet merely that he might add to his personal museum an object to which he may have taken an unprogressive fancy. … Please assure him as forcibly as you know how, that we shall incur new risks and further disagreeables, rather than resign in so cowardly a way a thing that by the laws of acquisition and priority belongs to us, and by that of honour definitely does
not
belong to him. I have quite identified myself with Arsinal in this business. I will take from Drapier neither the open cynical flouting of our just claim, nor a postponement on any account whatsoever. We shall listen to no proposals."

Helga had grown very pale.

"A quarrel won't help you, Mr. Saltfleet."

"The dispute in words will not help us, I admit. … So now we are back to where I shied before! Very well! We mean this I am speaking for Arsinal too. If pushed, we shall not hesitate to resort to action to get back our property."

"You mean violence?"

"It sounds unreal; and in fact I am aware that we are here in England, the great stronghold of legal security. But we are vastly concerned, so that, short of utter lunacy of operation, we shall actually stick at
nothing. …
I repeat Arsinal will range himself beside me in this. He is a man who will always sacrifice to principle; while I can be exceedingly hard when exasperated. Drapier will be unwise to put these assertions to the test."

"I certainly hope the need will not arise," rejoined Helga coldly, "for this I know of Hugh Drapier, that he comes of a very hard stock himself, and is the last man to be frightened from a course by threats. I think I won't do you the disservice to pass on any such message. If he's merely being restrained by personal regard for you both, the open breach will give him exactly what he needs. As to a risk, I don't doubt he will be very well able to take care of himself."

"I can't insist that you shall serve as intermediary; so I shall try to see him myself."

"And I cannot prevent that. Yet promise me, Mr. Saltfleet, that in case you do meet outside this house before I have spoken to him, there will not be anything—fatal to the later understanding."

"You mean, an assault! But the unqualified promise is rather difficult. I am ready enough to undertake that in the event of a clear-cut disagreement between us, the principle I shall act on will be the simple recovery of our article, with the least expenditure of time and temper. I am equally ready to assure you that I am really too little concerned with your cousin personally to bear him any grudge for the attempted embezzlement, beyond the heat necessarily generated in the act of prevention. … Pray understand that I am nowise trying to intimidate you—especially as, according to your own account he is not the sort of man to be so coerced. I am informing him, through you, that we are determined, by fair means or foul, to get back the prize we won in Tibet."

"Tell me straight out—supposing that you do meet him alone, and he confesses to having it on him, or you strongly suspect
it..."

Saltfleet moved impatiently.

"The precise shape of an affair depends on so many factors. If he carried the stone, it stands to sense it would be my best opportunity to get it from him. If he refused it, I should doubtless become annoyed. Farther than that, it would hardly be possible to predict."

"He is not a weakling."

"I cannot see how this conversation is to help any longer, Mrs. Fleming."

And as she stared at him without reply in timid mournfulness, he proceeded, while slowly starting for the door: "You have said yourself that we cannot invoke the law. You have said that he is not to be moved by threat. If he disregards his honour, how can we appeal to that? What other course is open to us than force?—unless we are to employ cunning, to which I at least don't care to descend. Nor would
you
wish us to burgle this house, for example?"

"You can hardly be serious in that."

"Then be pleased to clear your mind, and ask yourself in quietness what Drapier has left us to do except the other!"

Helga returned from escorting him to the porch door, but not to go back into the drawingroom. Instead, she sought her own chamber. Standing there without plan or purpose, nearly insensible of her environment, she seemed for the first few moments only to be recovering her composure, that Saltfleet's call had quite driven to the winds.

She continued unsure, even, if he was still to dine with them that evening. She did not know whether he was a friend or an enemy. His last spoken words at the door had been to name a time in the afternoon for his return to the house in case he should miss Hugh during the morning. So, before making different arrangements, she had better wait till Hugh came in. It depended, supposing they shouldn't meet at all during the day, on whether Saltfleet would consider the harsh emphasis of his language towards the last to have cancelled their preceding more courteous understanding. Yet if nothing had happened before the evening, she would have to assume that his acceptance stood. That was one thing settled. …

Her condition of mind was peculiar. Still more curiously, it recalled occasional mental overtakings in the past that really had been due to quite a different order of causation. Especially after some beautiful and emotional day from home, or it might be only a few hours in the society of a rich nature, or simply upon returning to her people from some holiday remarkable for joy and incident, she had felt as a spiritual atmosphere, and marvelled at, this same disappearance from her life of what, but so lately, had seemed to show itself its climax and mystical explanation, with the silent succeeding of an emptiness that allowed her to feel her soul at last. Truly it was not emptiness at all, but a fullness so abundant that she could never be sure if the aftermath were not greater than the harvest.

And now that Saltfleet had removed his quite vivifying personality, which so long as he was still with her had produced such a welter of disorderly fancies in her head, she was aware for one time more of that quiet and sudden plunge of her soul into a vacuum, that resembled an interregnum of beauty between the ending of a wonderful dream and the cold taking up of the duties of the day.

She judged the force of his nature by the standard of this effect upon her. Her fears were not departed with his going, but, with the ceasing of the channels of new shock and ugliness, their image was softened to something of the enchanting unreality of a reflection in dark water. Against the dread of his suprising Hugh on the foggy moor, against her hopelessness for the whole misery into which Hugh had dragged his life by this ignominious obsession, against her newly sprung up, incomprehensible, rejected yet obstinately lingering delusion of a menace to Ingrid's peace from Saltfleet, was surely to be set the enhancement of her existence by this accidental encounter with an individual so unlike all others living; whose type, if type he had, must be sought among the furious world of twenty centuries ago!...