Nell, of Shorne Mills Part 85

He raised himself on his elbow and looked at her fixedly, his breath coming fast, his eyes searching hers.

"Ah!" he said. "You think that if he came to the countess and whined for the things, she would have given them to him out of sheer pity! Is that it?"

Nell shook her head.

"One can't imagine his being such a cur, such a fool, as to do it!" he said, sinking back. "And yet that is what I am! See how weak and cowardly I am, Nell! I promised that I would never again trouble you with my love; that I would be content to be your friend--your friend only; and yet a few days' sickness, and I am crawling at your feet and begging you to take compa.s.sion on me! And you'd do it!--yes, I know what you meant when you said that the man would try for the diamonds again!--out of womanly pity you would! Oh, shame on me for a cur to take advantage of my weakness!"

"Hush, hus.h.!.+" she said brokenly. "I meant what I said; I--I----" She tried to smile. "I am a woman, and--and may change my mind!"

"But not your heart!" he said. He raised himself on his elbow again.

"For G.o.d's sake, don't tempt me! I--I am not strong enough to resist. I want my diamonds so badly, you see, that I would stoop to stealing them.

Nell, don't tempt me!"

He sank back, and put his hand over his eyes as if to shut out the beautiful face of the girl he loved.

Nell sank into a chair, and sat silent for a moment; then she said, in a low voice:

"I want to tell you the truth."

He took his hand away from his eyes, and fixed them on her downcast face.

"Go on," he said. "Tell me everything; why--why you have aroused a hope--the dearest hope of my life----But no; it never was a hope, only a hopeless longing. Ah! if you knew what such love meant, you would forgive me for my weakness, for my cowardice. To long day and night! If you knew!"

"Perhaps I do!" she whispered, in so low a voice that it was wonderful he should have heard her. But he did hear, and he turned to her quickly.

"You! And I--I never guessed it! Oh, forgive me! forgive me! Then indeed there never was any hope for me. I understand! How blind I have been!

Who----No; I've no right to ask. Now I understand the look in your eyes which has often haunted and puzzled me. Oh, what a blind, blundering fool I have been all this time!"

"Hus.h.!.+" she said, still so low that he could only just hear the broken murmur. "I--I am glad you did not know. I--I would not have told you now, if--if it were not all past and done with!"

"Nell!" he said.

"Yes, it is all past and done with," she repeated. "And--and I want to forget it. I want you--to help me! Oh! must I speak more plainly? Won't you understand? If you will be content to take me--knowing what I have told you--if you will be content to wait until I--I have quite forgotten! and I shall soon, very soon----"

He stretched out his hand to her, an eager cry on his lips.

"Content!" he said. "You ask me if I shall be content!"

Then, as she put out her hand to meet his, he saw her face. It was white to the lips, and there was a look in her eyes more full of agony than his own had worn at his worst times. He let his hand fall on the bed.

"Is it all past?" he asked doubtfully.

She was about to speak the word "Yes," when a voice came from below through the open window. It was Drake talking to d.i.c.k. The blood flew to her face, her brows came together, and she shrank as if some one had struck her.

Falconer, with his eyes fixed upon her, heard the voice, saw the change on her face. The light died out of his eyes, and slowly, very slowly, he drew his hand back.

Nell stood looking before her, her lips set tightly, her eyes downcast.

It was a terrible moment, in which she appeared under a spell so deep as to cause her to forget the presence of the man beside her. And, as he watched her, the life seemed to die out of his face as well as his eyes.

The door opened, and d.i.c.k came in.

"Drake's come to inquire after the patient," he said. "How are we, Falconer?"

"Better," said Falconer, with a smile; "much better. Couldn't you persuade Miss Lorton to take down the report, d.i.c.k?"

d.i.c.k nodded commandingly at Nell.

"Yes; you go, Nell."

She hesitated a moment; then she raised her head and glanced at Falconer reproachfully.

"Yes, I will go," she said, almost defiantly.

Drake leaned against the rails in the sunlight, softly striking his riding whip against his leg. His horse's bridle was. .h.i.tched over the gate, and as he waited for d.i.c.k he thought of the time when the bridle had been hitched over another gate.

He heard a step lighter than d.i.c.k's on the stairs behind him, and slowly turned his head. The sun was streaming through the doorway, so that the slim, graceful figure and lovely face were set as in an aureole. A thrill ran through him, the color rose to his bronzed face, and he stood motionless and speechless for a moment; then he raised his hat.

"How is Mr. Falconer?" he asked.

He had not seen her since the night of the burglary, the night he had held her in his arms, and the blunt question sounded like a mockery set against the aching longing of his heart.

"He is better," she said.

Her eyes rested on him calmly, and she spoke quite steadily, so that he did not guess that her heart was beating wildly, and that she had to clench the hand beside her in her effort to maintain her composure.

"I am glad," he said simply. "It has been an anxious time--must be so still--for you, I am afraid."

"Yes," she said.

He stood looking at her, and then away from her, and then at her again, as if his eyes must return to her against his will.

"I--I am glad to see you. I wanted to tell you--to thank you for what you did for me the other night. You know that I owe you my life?"

She shook her head and forced a smile.

"Isn't that rather an--exaggeration, Lord Angleford?"

He bit his lip at the "Lord Angleford." And yet how else could she address him?

"No," he said; "it is the simple truth. The man would have shot me."

"Then I am glad," she said quietly, as if there were no more to be said.

He bit his lip again.

"You are looking pale and thin."

"Oh, no," she said. "I am quite well."