One of Our Conquerors - World eBook Library

One of Our Conquerors
ness to London City was borne down by the more human
burst of gratitude to the dying woman, who had spared him,
as much as she could, a scene of the convulsive pathetic, and
had not called on him for any utterance of penitence. That
worm-like thread of voice came up to him still from sextondepths:
it sounded a larger forgiveness without the word. He
felt the sorrow of it all, as he told Nataly; at the same time
bidding her smell ‘the marvellous oxygen of the park.’ He
declared it to be quite equal to Lakelands.
She slightly pressed his arm for answer. Perhaps she did
not feel so deeply? She was free of the horrid associations
with the scent of Marechale. At any rate, she had comported
herself admirably!
Victor fancied he must have shuddered when he passed by
Jarniman at the door, who was almost now seeing his mistress’s
ghost—would have the privilege to-morrow. He called a cab
and drove to Mrs. John Cormyn’s, at Nataly’s request, for
Nesta and mademoiselle: enjoying the Londonized odour of
the cab. Nataly did not respond to his warm and continued
eulogies of Mrs. Burman; she rather disappointed him. He
talked of the gold and white furniture, he just alluded to the
Cupid: reserving his mental comment, that the time-piece
was all astray, the Cupid regular on the swing:—strange,
touching, terrible, if really the silly gilt figure symbolized! …
And we are a silly figure to be sitting in a cab imagining such
things!—When Nesta and mademoiselle were opposite, he
had the pleasure to see Nataly take Nesta’s hand and hold it
until they reached home. Those two talking together in the
brief words of their deep feeling, had tones that were singularly
alike: the mezzo-soprano filial to the divine maternal
contralto. Those two dear ones mounted to Nataly’s room.
The two dear ones showed themselves heart in heart together
once more; each looked the happier for it. Dartrey
was among their dinner-guests, and Nataly took him to her
little blue-room before she went to bed. He did not speak of
their conversation to Victor, but counselled him to keep her
from excitement. ‘My dear fellow, if you had seen her with
Mrs. Burman!’ Victor said, and loudly praised her coolness.
She was never below a situation, he affirmed.
He followed his own counsel to humour his Nataly. She
began panting at a word about Mr. Barmby’s ready services.
When, however, she related the state of affairs between
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