'It is one fact, sir, that I am a widow,' she said. 'It is another fact, that I am going to be married again.'
There she paused, and smiled at some thought that occurred to her.
Doctor Wybrow was not favourably impressed by her smile--there was something at once sad and cruel in it. It came slowly, and it went away suddenly. He began to doubt whether he had been wise in acting on his first impression. His mind reverted to the commonplace patients and the discoverable maladies that were waiting for him, with a certain tender regret.
The lady went on.
'My approaching marriage,' she said, 'has one embarrassing circumstance connected with it. The gentleman whose wife I am to be, was engaged to another lady when he happened to meet with me, abroad: that lady, mind, being of his own blood and family, related to him as his cousin. I have innocently robbed her of her lover, and destroyed her prospects in life. Innocently, I say--because he told me nothing of his engagement until after I had accepted him.
When we next met in England--and when there was danger, no doubt, of the affair coming to my knowledge--he told me the truth.
I was naturally indignant. He had his excuse ready; he showed me a letter from the lady herself, releasing him from his engagement.
A more noble, a more high-minded letter, I never read in my life.
I cried over it--I who have no tears in me for sorrows of my own!
If the letter had left him any hope of being forgiven, I would have positively refused to marry him. But the firmness of it--without anger, without a word of reproach, with heartfelt wishes even for his happiness--the firmness of it, I say, left him no hope.
He appealed to my compassion; he appealed to his love for me.
You know what women are. I too was soft-hearted--I said, Very well: yes! In a week more (I tremble as I think of it)we are to be married.'
She did really tremble--she was obliged to pause and compose herself, before she could go on. The Doctor, waiting for more facts, began to fear that he stood committed to a long story. 'Forgive me for reminding you that I have suffering persons waiting to see me,' he said. 'The sooner you can come to the point, the better for my patients and for me.'
The strange smile--at once so sad and so cruel--showed itself again on the lady's lips. 'Every word I have said is to the point,' she answered. 'You will see it yourself in a moment more.'
She resumed her narrative.
'Yesterday--you need fear no long story, sir; only yesterday--I was among the visitors at one of your English luncheon parties.
A lady, a perfect stranger to me, came in late--after we had left the table, and had retired to the drawing-room. She happened to take a chair near me; and we were presented to each other.
I knew her by name, as she knew me. It was the woman whom I had robbed of her lover, the woman who had written the noble letter.
Now listen! You were impatient with me for not interesting you in what I said just now. I said it to satisfy your mind that I had no enmity of feeling towards the lady, on my side.
I admired her, I felt for her--I had no cause to reproach myself.
This is very important, as you will presently see. On her side, I have reason to be assured that the circumstances had been truly explained to her, and that she understood I was in no way to blame.
Now, knowing all these necessary things as you do, explain to me, if you can, why, when I rose and met that woman's eyes looking at me, I turned cold from head to foot, and shuddered, and shivered, and knew what a deadly panic of fear was, for the first time in my life.'
The Doctor began to feel interested at last.
'Was there anything remarkable in the lady's personal appearance?' he asked.
'Nothing whatever!' was the vehement reply. 'Here is the true description of her:--The ordinary English lady; the clear cold blue eyes, the fine rosy complexion, the inanimately polite manner, the large good-humoured mouth, the too plump cheeks and chin: these, and nothing more.'
'Was there anything in her expression, when you first looked at her, that took you by surprise?'
'There was natural curiosity to see the woman who had been preferred to her; and perhaps some astonishment also, not to see a more engaging and more beautiful person; both those feelings restrained within the limits of good breeding, and both not lasting for more than a few moments--so far as I could see. I say, "so far,"because the horrible agitation that she communicated to me disturbed my judgment. If I could have got to the door, I would have run out of the room, she frightened me so! I was not even able to stand up--I sank back in my chair; I stared horror-struck at the calm blue eyes that were only looking at me with a gentle surprise.
To say they affected me like the eyes of a serpent is to say nothing.
I felt her soul in them, looking into mine--looking, if such a thing can be, unconsciously to her own mortal self. I tell you my impression, in all its horror and in all its folly! That woman is destined (without knowing it herself) to be the evil genius of my life.
Her innocent eyes saw hidden capabilities of wickedness in me that Iwas not aware of myself, until I felt them stirring under her look.
If I commit faults in my life to come--if I am even guilty of crimes--she will bring the retribution, without (as I firmly believe)any conscious exercise of her own will. In one indescribable moment I felt all this--and I suppose my face showed it.
The good artless creature was inspired by a sort of gentle alarm for me. "I am afraid the heat of the room is too much for you;will you try my smelling bottle?" I heard her say those kind words;and I remember nothing else--I fainted. When I recovered my senses, the company had all gone; only the lady of the house was with me.
