A Woman's Will Part 23

"That's easily done; you know we can go whenever we want to. What time shall I call for you?"

"I'll be ready after eight."

"I'll come about quarter past, and we can stroll about first and see something of the night side of Zurich."

"The night side of everything here is so beautiful," said Rosina; "the shops that are temptation incarnate by day become after dark nothing but bottomless pits into which all my money and my good resolutions tumble together."

By this time they had crossed the bridge and followed the Uto nearly to the Badeanstalt; it seemed time to turn their faces hotel-ward, and so they did so, and parted for an hour or two, during which to dine and to dress were the main objects in life for each.

Then about half-past eight Monsieur l'Americain came for his country-woman, and both went out into the charm and glow of the Continental night, with no other thought than that of enjoying a placid and uninterrupted evening amidst the music and electric lights of the Tonhalle. That such was not to be the case was one of the secrets of the immediate future, and the advantage of the future, when it is immediate, is that it is soon forced to stand and deliver as regards its secrets.

Rosina, totally unconscious of what was impending over her head, entered fully into the spirit of gayety which prevailed, and absorbed the pleasure of the scene with open heart and hands. It is good to grow to womanhood (or manhood) without losing a child's capacity for spontaneous enjoyment,--to be capable of joy without knowing the reason why, to be flooded with enthusiasm for one knows not what. It was our lady's luck to possess this charm, and to be able to give herself up wholly to the end in view, and drink its gla.s.s to the dregs,--which in her life had generally proved to be sugar and to be almost as good as the liquid,--only requiring a spoon.

The concert, as is the way with summer concerts, was so arranged as to be easily varied with something cool and refres.h.i.+ng; and when her escort suggested that they should do as all the others did, a table was found, and they sat down to ices and fairy cakes, amid the flowers and colored lights.

It was about nine o'clock, and Rosina, in spite of the environments, was beginning to realize forcibly that more interesting men than the one before her undoubtedly did exist, when the ice that she was putting in her mouth suddenly seemed to glide the full length of her spine, giving her a terrible sensation of frozen fright. She had just heard somebody behind her speaking in German to the _garcon_, and German, French, or English, that voice was unmistakable. How, what, or why she knew not, but _he_ was surely there behind her, and the instant after he pa.s.sed close at her side.

Of course it was Von Ibn, and the look that he gave her as he bowed, and walked on at once, dyed her face as deeply as ever a face was dyed in all the world before. She looked after him with a sort of gasp in her eyes, forgetting the man opposite her, the crowd around her, everybody, everything, except that one tall figure which with the pa.s.sing of each instant was disappearing more and more among the labyrinth of tables and people. She saw him pause at last and seem to hesitate, and her heart throbbed wildly in her throat as she felt, with that strange instinctive intuition which continues to follow one train of thought while our very life seems paralyzed by another, that if he took a seat with his back to her, the action would be witness to a displeasure far beyond what he must be feeling if he so placed himself as to be able to watch her.

He stood still, with his usual halt for deliberation, and then, at the end of a long minute, seated himself so that his profile was presented to her view.

"Now," she said to herself, "he will look away very carefully for a while, and then he will look at us;" and with the thought her breath mounted tumultuously.

The music, which had been playing loudly, wound up to a cras.h.i.+ng pitch just here, and then ceased suddenly. With its ceasing her escort, who rejoiced in the well-known "wide-awake American look," and saw all that was to be seen within his range of vision, spoke:

"You knew that man who just pa.s.sed, didn't you?"

She started, having forgotten the very existence of him who addressed her.

"Yes, oh, yes," she said confusedly; "I know him very well indeed," and then she was choked to silence by Von Ibn, who turned and gave her a carefully cold look of complete unrecognition. It was too elaborate to be genuine, but it made her feel sick all over; for where other women had brains or souls, Rosina had a heart, and again a heart, and yet once more a heart. And that heart was not only the mainspring of her physical life, but it was also the source of all her thoughts and actions. Von Ibn's haughty stare pierced it to the very centre; she knew exactly what he was thinking, and the injustice of appearances goaded her to distraction. She did not stop to consider whether his own re-appearance was or was not an unworthy trick; she only writhed painfully under the lash of his vast displeasure. The American continued to probe her face with his eyes, but for that she cared not a whit; her only care was for those other eyes, those two great dark-circled, heavy-lidded eyes which knew no mask and tore her to the quick. Her mind fled here and there among the possibilities of the present, and found but one end to every vista, and that end grew momentarily in importance until she felt that at all costs he who glowered from afar must learn the falsity of his own imaginings and so restore her peace of mind to her. She looked upon her American friend as a mere means towards that end, a tool to quickly accomplish that which her impatience could no longer delay. So she leaned suddenly forward and threw herself upon his mercy.

"I must tell you," she cried hurriedly, "I know him very well--very, very well. I did not know that he was in Zurich, and he--he did not expect to see me here. I want to speak to him; I must speak to him--I must!" And then, without paying any attention to the other's look of astonishment, she added with haste, "I wish that you would go to him and beg him to come to me for five minutes. I only want five minutes. And some day, perhaps, I'll be able to do you a good turn too."

The American did not look exactly rejoiced over this latest development in their acquaintance, but he rose from his chair and asked what name he should address the stranger by. Rosina told him, and he was sufficiently unversed in the world of music to have never heard it before and to experience a difficulty in getting it straight now.

"Von Ibn, Von Ibn," Rosina repeated impatiently. "Oh, I am so much obliged to you; he--he--"

She stopped; some queer grip was at her throat. Her companion was touched; he had never imagined her going all to pieces like that, and he felt sorry for the terrible earnestness betrayed in her voice and manner.

"I'll go," he said, "and he shall be here in five minutes."

Then he walked away, and she bent her eyes upon her music-card, asking herself if it was possible that not four full days had elapsed since the first one left her to seek Von Ibn at her request. This time she did not look after the messenger, she could not; she only felt able to breathe and try to grow calmer so that whatever might--

Ah, the long minutes!

Then a voice at her side said, almost harshly:

"You wish to speak to me, madame!"

She looked up and straight into his eyes; their blackness was so cool and hard that some women's courage would have been daunted; but the courage of Rosina was a mighty one that rose with all opposing difficulties.

"Why are you not _en route_ to Leipsic?" she asked.

"Why are you not in Constance?" he retorted.

"Sit down," she said, "and I will tell you."

"I do not wish to take the place of your friend," he answered, with a stab of sharpest contempt.

"I think that he will not return for a little."

Von Ibn remained standing, in the att.i.tude of one detained against his inclination. She could not but resent the att.i.tude, but she felt that her need of the moment required the swallowing of all resentment, and she did so. She was not able to raise her eyes to his a second time, but fixed them instead upon her card, and began in a low tone:

"Monsieur, I intended going--"

"I can't hear what you say," he interrupted.

"You'll have to sit down then; I can't speak any louder; I'm afraid that I shall cry," in spite of herself her voice trembled at the last words.

"Why should you cry?" he asked, and he sat down at the table beside her, and, leaning his chin upon his hand, turned his eyes upon her with a look that blended undisguised anger with a strange and pa.s.sionate hunger.

She was biting her lip,--the under one,--unconscious of the fact that by so doing she rendered the corners of her mouth quite distracting; but he perceived both cause and result, and both the anger and the hunger in his gaze deepened as he looked, apparently in a blacker humor than ever.

"Why should you cry?" he said again, after a minute; "you are in a beautiful spot, listening to most excellent music, and you had with you (before I come) a friend very agreeable. Why should you cry?"

She clasped her hands hard and fast together.

"Oh," she exclaimed, "I--I hardly know how to speak in the noise and the crowd! I feel quite crazy! I don't know what I am saying--" she stopped short.

He leaned a little towards her.

"Let us walk outside a minute," he said. "Monsieur will surely know that we are not far. In the air it is better,--yes?"

"But what will he think?"

"_Mon Dieu_, let him think what he will! I also have had thinking this night. Let him think a little."

He rose as he spoke, and she rose too. Already the anger in his eyes was fading fast before the sight of her so genuine emotion. They went out into the garden, and there she took up her explanation again.

"You thought I stayed here because of that man, didn't you?"

"_Donnerwetter!_" he cried violently; "here he returns already again!"

It was indeed the American, approaching as fast as the crowd would let him. His face bore a curious expression. One might have gathered from it that he was much more clever, or much more stupid, than the vast majority gave him credit for being. The instant that he was near enough to speak, he began in out-of-breath accents:

"I've just met some people that I haven't seen in years, and they want me to drive with them up by the University and see the town by moonlight, and I wondered if I could find you here in three-quarters of an hour--"

Rosina looked at him helplessly, divining that he supposed a degree of friends.h.i.+p between herself and Von Ibn which would cause his proposition to be most warmly welcome.