第58章

Now that she was in the throes of an indecision, whose ending, one way or the other, must be so tremendous, now that she was in the very swirl, she let no sign at all escape her; the Colonel and even his wife were deceived into thinking that after all no great harm had been done.It was grateful to them to think so, because of that stewardship at Monte Carlo, of which they could not render too good account.The warm sleepy days, with a little croquet and a little paddling on the river, and much sitting out of doors, when the Colonel would read aloud from Tennyson, were very pleasant.To him--if not to Mrs.Ercott--it was especially jolly to be out of Town 'this confounded crowded time of year.' And so the days of early June went by, each finer than the last.

And then Cramier came down, without warning on a Friday evening.

It was hot in London...the session dull....The Jubilee turning everything upside down....They were lucky to be out of Town!

A silent dinner--that!

Mrs.Ercott noticed that he drank wine like water, and for minutes at a time fixed his eyes, that looked heavy as if he had not been sleeping, not on his wife's face but on her neck.If Olive really disliked and feared him--as John would have it--she disguised her feelings very well! For so pale a woman she was looking brilliant that night.The sun had caught her cheeks, perhaps.That black low-cut frock suited her, with old Milanese-point lace matching her skin so well, and one carnation, of darkest red, at her breast.

Her eyes were really sometimes like black velvet.It suited pale women to have those eyes, that looked so black at night! She was talking, too, and laughing more than usual.One would have said: Awife delighted to welcome her husband! And yet there was something--something in the air, in the feel of things--the lowering fixity of that man's eyes, or--thunder coming, after all this heat! Surely the night was unnaturally still and dark, hardly a breath of air, and so many moths out there, passing the beam of light, like little pale spirits crossing a river! Mrs.Ercott smiled, pleased at that image.Moths! Men were like moths; there were women from whom they could not keep away.Yes, there was something about Olive that drew men to her.Not meretricious--to do her justice, not that at all; but something soft, and-fatal;like one of these candle-flames to the poor moths.John's eyes were never quite as she knew them when he was looking at Olive; and Robert Cramier's--what a queer, drugged look they had! As for that other poor young fellow--she had never forgotten his face when they came on him in the Park!

And when after dinner they sat on the veranda, they were all more silent still, just watching, it seemed, the smoke of their cigarettes, rising quite straight, as though wind had been withdrawn from the world.The Colonel twice endeavoured to speak about the moon: It ought to be up by now! It was going to be full.

And then Cramier said: "Put on that scarf thing, Olive, and come round the garden with me."Mrs.Ercott admitted to herself now that what John said was true.

Just one gleam of eyes, turned quickly this way and that, as a bird looks for escape; and then Olive had got up and quietly gone with him down the path, till their silent figures were lost to sight.

Disturbed to the heart, Mrs.Ercott rose and went over to her husband's chair.He was frowning, and staring at his evening shoe balanced on a single toe.He looked up at her and put out his hand.Mrs.Ercott gave it a squeeze; she wanted comfort.

The Colonel spoke:

"It's heavy to-night, Dolly.I don't like the feel of it."