The Definite Object Part 64

Sobbing, the boy got to his feet, and taking his hat, crossed slow-footed to the door; there he paused to look back at her, but her staring eyes gazed through him and, turning hopelessly away, he brushed his sleeve across his cheek and, treading slow and heavily along the pa.s.sage, was gone.

Dry-eyed she stood awhile, then sank again beside the table and crouched there with face bowed between outstretched arms, and hands tight clenched. Evening began to fall, but still she sat huddled there, motionless, and uttering no sound, and still her eyes were tearless.

At last she stirred, conscious of a quick, firm step near by, and, thrilling to that sound, rose and stood with her back to the fading light as Ravenslee entered.

"Dear," said he, tender and eager, "I found the door open--did you leave it for me? Why, Hermione--oh, my love, what is it?" and he would have caught her to him, but she held him away and questioned him, quick-breathing:

"You are--Geoffrey Ravenslee--the millionaire--aren't you?"

"Why--er--I--I'm afraid I am," he stammered. "I'm sorry you found it out so soon, dearest; I wanted to tell you after we--"

"Oh, why didn't you tell me before--why didn't you? No--please wait!

You--you caught my--brother, didn't you?" she went on breathlessly; "he had broken in--was burgling your house, wasn't he--wasn't he?"

"How in the world," began Ravenslee, flinching, "who told--"

"He broke into your house to--steal, didn't he--didn't he?"

"But, good heavens--that was all forgotten and done with long ago!

They'd made the poor chap drunk--he didn't know what he was doing--it's all forgotten long ago! Dear heart, why are you so pale? G.o.d, Hermione--nothing can alter our love!"

"No, nothing can alter our love," she repeated in the same dull tones.

"Oh, no, nothing can ever alter that; even though you deceived me I shall always love you, I can't help it. And just because I do love you so, and because I am a thief's sister, I--oh, I can never be your wife--I couldn't, could I?"

"By G.o.d, Hermione, but you shall!" As he spoke he caught her in his arms, pa.s.sionate arms that drew and held her close. Very still and unresisting she lay in his embrace, uttering no word; and stooping, he kissed her fiercely--her lips, her eyes, her white throat, her hair, and, silent still, she yielded herself to his caresses.

"You are mine, Hermione, mine always and forever! You are the one woman I long for--the wife nature intended for me! You are mine, Hermione!"

Very softly she answered, her eyes closed:

"I felt at the first there was a gulf dividing us--and now--this gulf is wider--so wide it can never be crossed by either of us. Your world is not my world, after all--you are Geoffrey Ravenslee and I am only--what I am. Newport and Fifth Avenue are a long way from h.e.l.l's Kitchen and Tenth Avenue, and they can never--never come together. And I--am a thief's sister, so please, please loose me--oh, have mercy and--let me go."

His arms fell from her and, s.h.i.+vering, she sank beside the table, and the pale agony of her face smote him.

"But you love me, Hermione?" he pleaded.

"If I had only known," she sighed, "I might not have learned to love you--quite so much! If I had only known!" Her voice was soft and low, her blue eyes wide and tearless, and because of this, he trembled.

"Hermione," said he gently, "all this week I have been planning for you and Arthur. I have been dreaming of our life together, yours and mine, a life so big, so wonderful, so full of happiness that I trembled, sometimes, dreading it was only a dream. Dear, the gates of our paradise are open; will you shut me out? Must I go back to my loneliness?"

"I shall be lonely, too!" she murmured brokenly. "But better, oh, far better loneliness than that some day--" she paused, her lips quivering.

"Some day, Hermione?"

"You should find that you had married not only a scrubwoman but--the sister of a--thief!" Suddenly she sprang to her feet, her clinging arms held him to her bosom and, drawing down his head, she pressed her mouth to his; holding him thus, she spoke, her voice low and quick and pa.s.sionate:

"Oh, my love, my love! I do love you with every thought, with every part of me--so much, so very much that my heart is breaking, I think. But, dearest, my love is such that I would be everything fair and beautiful for you, everything proud and good and n.o.ble for you if I could. But I am only Hermy Chesterton, a Tenth Avenue girl, and--my brother--So I'm going to send you away, back to your own world, back to your own kind because--because I do love you so! Ah, G.o.d, never doubt my love, but--you must go--"

"Never, Hermione, never!"

"You must! You will, I know, because your love is a big, generous love--because you are chivalrous and strong and gentle--because I beg and implore you if you have any pity for me--go--"

"But why?--Why?"

"Oh, must I tell you that--can't you understand?"

"Why must I go, Hermione?"

"Because," she murmured, her yearning arms close about him, her face close hidden against his breast, "because I'll never--marry you--now--but I love you--love you so much that I'm afraid--ah, not of you. So, I must be alone--quite alone--to fight my battle. And now--now that I've shown you all my heart, told you all my weakness, you'll go for my sake--just for my sake--won't you?"

"Yes--I'll--go!" he answered slowly.

"Away from here--to-night?"

"Yes," he answered hoa.r.s.ely, "yes!"

Then Hermione fell suddenly before him on her knees, and, before he could stay her, had caught his hands, kissing them, wetting them with her tears, and pressing them pa.s.sionately to her bosom.

"I knew," she cried, "I knew that you were strong and gentle and--good.

Good-by--oh, my love--good-by!"

"Hermione," said he, kissing her bowed head, "oh, my Hermione, I love you with a love that will die only when I do. I want you, and I'll never lose hope of winning you--some day, never give up my determination to marry you--never, so help me G.o.d!"

Then swiftly he turned away but, reaching the door, stooped and picked up M'Ginnis's neckerchief and, recognising it, crumpled it in fierce hand; so, with it clenched in griping fingers, he hurried away and left her there upon her knees.

CHAPTER x.x.x

HOW GEOFFREY RAVENSLEE DEPARTED FROM h.e.l.l'S KITCHEN

"What, back again already, Mr. Geoffrey?" exclaimed Mrs. Trapes, poking her head around the kitchen door, as Ravenslee entered the flat, "back so soon?"

"Only for a minute, Mrs. Trapes."

"Supper'll be ready soon--your wedding supper, eh, Mr. Geoffrey? You'll have it here with me, you an' Hermy, o' course! Smells kind o' good, don't it?"

"Delicious, Mrs. Trapes!"

"Delicious is the word, Mr. Geoffrey--stooed beef with carrots--"

"And onions, Mrs. Trapes--onions, I'm sure?"

"Well, I'll not deny a onion here an' there, Mr. Geoffrey--a stoo needs 'em."

"Ah, I knew it!" sighed Ravenslee. "I grieve that I shan't be able to eat it."