The Indiscretion of the Duchess Part 13

she cried in indignation, that was, I think, for the most part feigned.

Certainly the d.u.c.h.ess did not look very alarmed. But in regard to what she said, the old lady was bound to have a word.

"What is Mr. Aycon to you, my child?" said she solemnly. "He is nothing--nothing at all to you, my child."

"Well, I want him to be less than nothing to Mlle. Delha.s.se," said the d.u.c.h.ess, with a pout for her protector and a glance for me.

"Mlle. Delha.s.se is very angry with me just now," said I.

"Oh, why?" asked the d.u.c.h.ess eagerly.

"Because she gathered that I thought she ought to wait for an invitation from you, before she went to your house."

"She should wait till the Day of Judgment!" cried the d.u.c.h.ess.

"That would not matter," observed the Mother Superior dryly.

Suddenly, without pretext or excuse, the d.u.c.h.ess turned and walked very quickly--nay, she almost ran--away along the path that encircled the group of graves. Her eye had bidden me, and I followed no less briskly. I heard a despairing sigh from the poor old lady, but she had no chance of overtaking us. The audacious movement was successful.

"Now we can talk," said the d.u.c.h.ess.

And talk she did, for she threw at me the startling a.s.sertion:

"I believe you're falling in love with Mlle. Delha.s.se. If you do, I'll never speak to you again!"

"If I do," said I, "I shall probably accept that among the other disadvantages of the entanglement."

"That's very rude," observed the d.u.c.h.ess.

"Nothing with an 'if' in it is rude," said I speciously.

"Men must be always in love with somebody," said she resentfully.

"It certainly approaches a necessity," I a.s.sented.

The d.u.c.h.ess glanced at me. Perhaps I had glanced at her; I hope not.

"Oh, well," said she, "hadn't we better talk business?"

"Infinitely better," said I; and I meant it.

"What am I to do?" she asked, with a return to her more friendly manner.

"Nothing," said I.

It is generally the safest advice--to women at all events.

"You are content with the position? You like being at the hotel perhaps?"

"Should I not be hard to please, if I didn't?"

"I know you are trying to annoy me, but you shan't. Mr. Aycon, suppose my husband comes over to Avranches, and sees you?"

"I have thought of that."

"Well, what have you decided?"

"Not to think about it till it happens. But won't he be thinking more about you than me?"

"He won't do anything about me," she said. "In the first place, he will want no scandal. In the second, he does not want me. But he will come over to see her."

"Her" was, of course, Marie Delha.s.se. The d.u.c.h.ess a.s.signed to her the sinister distinction of the simple p.r.o.noun.

"Surely he will take means to get you to go back?" I exclaimed.

"If he could have caught me before I got here, he would have been glad.

Now he will wait; for if he came here and claimed me, what he proposed to do would become known."

There seemed reason in this; the d.u.c.h.ess calculated shrewdly.

"In fact," said I, "I had better go back to the hotel."

"That does not seem to vex you much."

"Well, I can't stay here, can I?" said I, looking round at the nunnery.

"It would be irregular, you know."

"You might go to another hotel," suggested she.

"It is most important that I should watch what is going on at my present hotel," said I gravely; for I did not wish to move.

"You are the most--" began the d.u.c.h.ess.

But this bit of character-reading was lost. Slow but sure, the Mother Superior was at our elbows.

"Adieu, Mr. Aycon," said she.

I felt sure that she must manage the nuns admirably.

"Adieu!" said I, as though there was nothing else to be said.

"Adieu!" said the d.u.c.h.ess, as though she would have liked to say something else.

And all in a moment I was through the gateway and crossing the paddock.

But the d.u.c.h.ess ran to the gate, crying:

"Mind you come again to-morrow!"

My expedition consumed nearly two hours; and one o'clock struck from the tower of the church as I slowly climbed the hill, feeling (I must admit it) that the rest of the day would probably be rather dull. Just as I reached the top, however, I came plump on Mlle. Delha.s.se, who appeared to be taking a walk. She bowed to me slightly and coldly. Glad that she was so distant (for I did not like her looks), I returned her salute, and pursued my way to the hotel. In the porch of it stood the waiter--my friend who had taken such an obliging view of my movements the night before. Directly he saw me, he came out into the road to meet me.