The Story of Antony Grace Part 63

"Am I to take that as final?" he said hoa.r.s.ely.

"Yes. How can I reply otherwise to your violence?"

"Violence! It is enough to drive a man mad! But, once more, Miriam, give me your verbal answer to the note I sent you this morning. Yes or no. Pause before you answer, for you do not know how much depends upon it. You have made me desperate. Don't leave me to repent of what I have done."

"John, dear John!" she said softly, "I am alone in the world, with none to guide me, and I have prayed for help that I might give a right answer to your request."

"Yes," he said, with his lip curling, "and it is--"

"It is for both our sakes, John," she said softly; "I could not in justice to us both say yes, now; it must be _no_!"

He did not speak, but stood glaring at her for a few moments. Then, looking very white, and drawing in his breath with a long, low hiss, he turned upon his heel and left the room.

For a few minutes Miss Carr sat gazing at the door through which he had pa.s.sed, and then, turning and seeing my hot, flushed face, she seemed to recall Mr Lister's words about me, and she took my hand, sitting very quietly for a time.

"When people are angry, Antony," she said quietly, "they say things they do not intend or mean. You must forgive Mr Lister his words about you--for my sake."

"I will do what you wish," I said, and then I began wondering whether I ought to tell Miss Carr what I knew about Mr Lister's affairs, for it seemed to me that the words I had heard must be true, and that this was the explanation of his great anxiety to fix the day.

A dozen times over the words were on my lips, but I felt that it would seem as if I took advantage of my position, and were trying to blacken Mr Lister to gain her favour. More likely, I thought, it would make her bitter and angry against me, and, reflecting that she had determinedly insisted that he should wait six months for her answer, I remained silent.

Miss Carr strove very hard to make me forget the unpleasantry of the early part of my visit, but she was at times very quiet and subdued, and I believe we both looked upon it as a relief when the time came for my departure.

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.

A WEDDING TRIP.

"You're getting such a fine gent now. Ant'ny," said Revitts to me one morning; "but, if so be as you wouldn't mind, Mary and me's made up our minds to have a bit of a trip out, a kind of s'rimp tea, just by way of celebrating my being made sergeant, and getting well again."

"Why, my dear old Bill," I cried, "why should I mind your having a trip?

Where are you going?"

"Well, you see, it's a toss up, Ant'ny; Gravesend's best for s'rimps, but Hampton Court's the nicer sorter place for a day, and Mary ain't never been."

"Then go to Hampton Court," I said.

"Hampton Court it is, Mary," he said. "That settles it."

"And I hope you'll both enjoy yourselves."

"What, won't you come?" said Revitts blankly.

"Come! what--with you?" I said.

"Why, of course, Ant'ny. You don't suppose we should care about going alone. Won't you come?"

"You didn't ask me."

"Oh, come now; that I did!" he exclaimed.

"That you did not," I said stoutly. "Did he, Mary?"

"He meant to, Master Antony," said Mary, looking up with a very red face, and one hand apparently in a grey boxing-glove, though it was only one of Revitts' worsted stockings, in need of another darn.

"Well, I'll ask you now, then," exclaimed Revitts. "Will you come along with us?"

"When?"

"Sat'day next, being your half-holiday."

"Yes," I said, "but I must write and tell Miss Carr I'm not coming till Sunday."

"That's settled, then," said Revitts, holding out his big hand for me to shake; and I could not help noticing how thin and soft it was; but he was fast recovering his strength, and was again on duty.

We walked down from Pentonville together, and as we went along, he introduced the subject of his accident for the first time for some weeks.

"You wouldn't think as I'm a-trying hard to conjure out who it was fetched me that crack on the head, Antony?"

"No," I said; "I thought you had forgotten all about it."

"Not I," he said, shaking his head. "What, me, a sergeant, just promoted, and let a case like that go by without conjuring it out! Why, it couldn't be done! I should feel as if I was a disgrace to the force.

That's speaking 'ficially," he said. "Now, speaking as a man, I've got this here to say, that I shan't rest comfortable till I've put something on that there fellows wrists."

"And shall you know him again?" I asked.

"Know him! Out o' ten thousand--out o' ten millions o' men. I only wish I knew the gal. It would be such a clue."

"It's no use to be revengeful, Bill," I said. "Let it go. It brought Mary up to town."

"Yes, it did, didn't it?" he said, with the sheepish, soft look coming over his face for a moment. But it was gone directly, and he was the officer once more. "'Taint revengeful," he said; "it's dooty. We can't let outrageous outrages like that take place in the main streets. No, Antony: I feel as if my reputation's at stake, to find out who did that, and I shan't rest till I do."

We parted then, and the rest of the week pa.s.sed swiftly away. I told Hallett that I was going to spend the afternoon out on the Sat.u.r.day, so that most likely I should go to Miss Carr's on the Sunday, and he was not to expect me for my usual walk with him, one which had grown into a custom; and being thus clear, I went off in the morning to Westminster, it being understood that I was to meet Revitts and Mary at the White Horse Cellar. Piccadilly, and go down to Hampton Court at midday by the omnibus.

Punctual to my time, I went across the park and up Saint James's Street and saw Revitts and Mary, long before I reached them, by the show they made. Mary was in white book muslin, with a long blade silk scarf, and a bonnet that I could not pretend to describe, save that over it she carried a blue parasol shot with red; and Revitts was in black frock-coat, buff waistcoat, and white trousers, with a tremendous show of collar standing bolt out of a sky-blue watered-silk stock, while his hat shone as if it was a repet.i.tion of the patent leather of his shoes.

I instinctively felt that something was the matter as I drew near them, and, but for my genuine love and respect for them both, I believe I should have run away. I rebuked my cowardly shame directly after, though, and went up and shook hands.

There was not a vestige of tantrums left in Mary's countenance, for it had softened itself into that dreadful smile--the same that was playing upon Revitts' face, as he kept looking at her in a satisfied, half-imbecile way, before giving me a nudge with his elbow, covering his mouth with his hand, and exclaiming in a loud whisper,--

"We've been and done it, Ant'ny! Pouf!" This last was a peculiar laugh in which he indulged, while Mary cast down her eyes.

"Done it!--done what? What does he mean, Mary?"

Mary grew scarlet, and became puzzled over the b.u.t.ton of one of her white kid gloves.

"Here, what do you mean, Bill?" I said.