"And now,"she said,rising,"you really must take me to Lady Tresham!They will think that I am lost.""Are you still at your rooms?"he asked.
She nodded.
"Yes,only I'm having them spring-cleaned for a few days.I am staying at Tresham House.""May I come and see you there?"The man's quiet pertinacity kindled a sort of indignation in her.
The sudden weakness in her defences was unbearable.
"I think not,"she answered shortly."You don't know Lady Tresham,and they might not approve.Lady Tresham is rather old-fashioned.""Oh,Lady Tresham is all right,"he answered."I suppose I shall see you to-night if you are staying there.They have asked me to dinner!"She was taken aback and showed it.Again he had the advantage.He did not tell her that on his return he had found scores of invitations from people he had never heard of before.
"You are by way of going into society,then,"she answered insolently.
"I don't think I've made any particular efforts,"he answered.
"Money,"she murmured,"is an everlasting force!""The people of your world,"be answered,with a flash of contempt,"are the people who find it so."She was silent then,and Trent was far from being discouraged by her momentary irritability.He was crossing the lawn now by her side,carrying himself well,with a new confidence in his air and bearing which she did not fail to take note of.The sunlight,the music,and the pleasant air of excitement were all in his veins.
He was full of the strong joy of living.And then,in the midst of it all,came a dull,crashing blow.It was as though all his castles in the air had come toppling about his ears,the blue sky had turned to stony grey and the sweet waltz music had become a dirge.Always a keen watcher of men's faces,he had glanced for a second time at a gaunt,sallow man who wore a loose check suit and a grey Homburg hat.The eyes of the two men met.Then the blood had turned to ice in Trent's veins and the ground had heaved beneath his feet.It was the one terrible chance which Fate had held against him,and she had played the card.
Considering the nature and suddenness of the blow which had fallen upon him,Trent's recovery was marvellous.The two men had come face to face upon the short turf,involuntarily each had come to a standstill.Ernestine looked from one to the other a little bewildered.
"I should like a word with you,Trent,"Captain Francis said quietly.
Trent nodded.
"In five minutes,"he said,"I will return here -on the other side of the band-stand,say."Francis nodded and stood aside.Trent and Ernestine continued their progress towards the stand.
"Your friend,"Ernestine remarked,"seemed to come upon you like a modern Banquo!"Trent,who did not understand the allusion,was for once discreet.
"He is a man with whom I had dealings abroad,"he said,"I did not expect him to turn up here.""In West Africa?"she asked quickly.
Trent smiled enigmatically.
"There are many foreign countries besides Africa,"he said,"and I've been in most of them.This is box No.13,then.I shall see you this evening."She nodded,and Trent was free again.He did not make his way at once to the band-stand.Instead he entered the small refreshment-room at the base of the building and called for a glass of brandy.He drank it slowly,his eyes fixed upon the long row of bottles ranged upon the shelf opposite to him,he himself carried back upon a long wave of thoughts to a little West African station where the moist heat rose in fever mists and where an endless stream of men passed backward and forward to their tasks with wan,weary faces and slowly dragging limbs.What a cursed chance which had brought him once more face to face with the one weak spot in his life,the one chapter which,had he the power,he would most willingly seal for ever!From outside came the ringing of a bell,the hoarse shouting of many voices in the ring,through the open door a vision of fluttering waves of colour,lace parasols and picture hats,little trills of feminine laughter,the soft rustling of muslins and silks.
A few moments ago it had all seemed so delightful to him -and now there lay a hideous blot upon the day.
It seemed to him when he left the little bar that he had been there for hours,as a matter of fact barely five minutes had passed since he had left Ernestine.He stood for a moment on the edge of the walk,dazzled by the sunlight,then he stepped on to the grass and made his way through the throng.The air was full of soft,gay music,and the skirts and flounces of the women brushed against him at every step.Laughter and excitement were the order of the day.Trent,with his suddenly pallid face and unseeing eyes,seemed a little out of place in such a scene of pleasure.Francis,who was smoking a cigar,looked up as he approached and made room for him upon the seat.
"I did not expect to see you in England quite so soon,Captain Francis,"Trent said.
"I did not expect,"Francis answered,"ever to be in England again.
I am told that my recovery was a miracle.I am also told that I owe my Life to you!"Trent shrugged his shoulders.
