Alcott, Louisa May - SSC 14 (25 page)

 
          
As
Manuel listened, an expression like a dark reflection of her own settled on his
face; a year of youth seemed to drop away; and with the air of one who puts
fear behind him, he took the hand, replaced the ring, resolutely accepted the
hard conditions, and gave all to love, only saying as he had said before,
"Soul and body, I belong to you; do with me as you will."

 
          
A
fortnight later Pauline sat alone, waiting for her husband. Under the pretext
of visiting a friend, she had absented herself a week, that Manuel might give
himself entirely to the distasteful task she set him. He submitted to the
separation, wrote daily, but sent no tidings of his progress, told her nothing
when they met that night, and had left her an hour before asking her to have
patience till he could show his finished work. Now, with her eye upon the door,
her ear alert to catch the coming step, her mind disturbed by contending hopes
and fears, she sat waiting with the vigilant immobility of an Indian on the
watch. She had not long to look and listen. Manuel entered hastily, locked the
door, closed the windows, dropped the curtains, then paused in the middle of
the room and broke into a low, triumphant laugh as he eyed his wife with an
expression she had never seen in those dear eyes before. It startled her, and,
scarcely knowing what to desire or dread, she asked eagerly, "You are come
to tell me you have prospered."

 
          
"Beyond
your hopes, for the powers of darkness seem to help us, and lead the man to his
destruction faster than any wiles of ours can do. I am tired, let me lie here
and rest. I have earned it, so when I have told all say, 'Love, you have done
well,' and I am satisfied."

 
          
He
threw himself along the couch where she still sat and laid his head in her
silken lap, her cool hand on his hot forehead, and continued in a muffled
voice.

 
          
"You
know how eagerly Gilbert took advantage of my willingness to play, and soon how
recklessly he pursued it, seeming to find the satisfaction you foretold, till,
obeying your commands, I ceased losing and won sums which surprised me. Then
you went, but I was not idle, and in the effort to extricate himself, Gilbert
plunged deeper into debt; for my desire to please you seemed to gift me with
redoubled skill. Two days ago I refused to continue the unequal conflict,
telling him to give himself no uneasiness, for I could wait. You were right in
thinking it would oppress him to be under any obligation to me, but wrong in
believing he would endure, and will hardly be prepared for the desperate step
he took to free himself. That night he played falsely, was detected, and though
his opponent generously promised silence for Babie's sake, the affair stole
out—he is shunned and this resource has failed. I thought he had no other, but
yesterday he came to me with a strange expression of relief, discharged the
debt to the last farthing, then hinted that my friendship with his wife was not
approved by him and must cease. This proves that I have obeyed you in all
things, though the comforting of Babie was an easy task, for, both loving you,
our bond of sympathy and constant theme has been Pauline and her
perfections."

 
          
"Hush!
No praise—it is a mockery. I am what one man's perfidy has made;
 
I may yet learn to be worthy of another man's
devotion. What more,
 
Manuel?"
 
         
"I
thought I should have only a defeat to show you, but today has given me a
strange success. At
noon
a gentleman arrived and asked for Gilbert.
He was absent, but upon offering information relative to the time of his
return, which proved my intimacy with him, this
Seguin
entered into conversation with me. His
evident desire to avoid Mrs. Redmond and waylay her husband interested me, and
when he questioned me somewhat closely concerning Gilbert's habits and
movements of late, my suspicions were roused; and on mentioning the debt so
promptly discharged, I received a confidence that startled me. In a moment of
despair Gilbert had forged the name of his former friend, whom he believed
abroad, had drawn the money and freed himself from my power, but not for long.
The good fortune which has led him safely through many crooked ways seems to
have deserted him in this strait. For the forgery was badly executed,
inspection raised doubts, and
Seguin
, just returned, was at his banker's an hour
after Gilbert, to prove the fraud; he came hither at once to accuse him of it
and made me his confidant. What would you have had me do, Pauline? Time was
short, and I could not wait for you."

 
          
"How
can I tell at once? Why pause to ask? What did you do?"

 
          
"Took a leaf from your book and kept accusation, punishment,
and power in my own hands, to be used in your behalf.
I returned the
money, secured the forged check, and prevailed on
Seguin
to leave the matter in my hands, while he
departed as quietly as he had come. Babie's presence when we met tonight
prevented my taking you into my counsels. I had prepared this surprise for you
and felt a secret pride in working it out alone. An hour ago I went to watch
for Gilbert. He came, I took him to his rooms, told him what I had done, added
that compassion for his wife had actuated me. I left him saying the possession
of the check was a full equivalent for the money, which I now declined to
receive from such dishonorable hands. Are you satisfied, Pauline?"

 
          
With
countenance and gestures full of exultation she sprang up to pace the room,
exclaiming, as she seized the forged paper, "Yes, that stroke was superb!
How strangely the plot thickens. Surely the powers of darkness are working with
us and have put this weapon in our hands when that I forged proved useless. By
means of this we have a hold upon him which nothing can destroy unless he
escape
by death. Will he, Manuel?"

 
          
"No;
there was more wrath than shame in his demeanor when I accused him. He hates me
too much to die yet, and had I been the only possessor of this fatal fact, I
fancy it might have gone hard with me; for if ever there was murder in a man's
heart it was in his when I showed him that paper and then replaced it next the
little poniard you smile at me for wearing. This is over. What next, my
queen?"

           
There was energy in the speaker's
tone but none in attitude or aspect, as, still lying where she had left him, he
pillowed his head upon his arm and turned toward her a face already worn and
haggard with the feverish weariness that had usurped the blithe serenity which
had been his chiefest charm a month ago. Pausing in her rapid walk, as if
arrested by the change that seemed to strike her suddenly, she recalled her
thoughts from the dominant idea of her life and, remembering the youth she was
robbing of its innocent delights, answered the wistful look which betrayed the
hunger of a heart she had never truly fed, as she knelt beside her husband and,
laying her soft cheek to his, whispered in her tenderest accents, "I am
not wholly selfish or ungrateful, Manuel. You shall rest now while I sing to
you, and tomorrow we will go away among the hills and leave behind us for a
time the dark temptation which harms you through me."

 
          
"No!
Finish what you have begun. I will have all or nothing, for if we pause now you
will bring me a divided mind, and I shall possess only the shadow of a wife.
Take Gilbert and Babie with us, and end this devil's work without delay. Hark!
What is that?"

 
          
Steps
came flying down the long hall, a hand tried the lock,
then
beat impetuously upon the door, and a low voice whispered with shrill
importunity, "Let me in! Oh, let me in!"

 
          
Manuel
obeyed the urgent summons, and Mrs. Redmond, half dressed, with streaming hair
and terror-stricken face, fled into Pauline's arms, crying incoherently,
"Save me! Keep me! I never can go back to him; he said I was a burden and
a curse, and wished I never had been born!"

 
          
"What
has happened, Babie? We are your friends. Tell us, and let us comfort and
protect you if we can."

 
          
But
for a time speech was impossible, and the poor girl wept with a despairing
vehemence sad to see, till their gentle efforts soothed her; and, sitting by
Pauline, she told her trouble, looking oftenest at Manuel, who stood before
them, as if sure of redress from him.

 
          
"When
I left here an hour or more ago I found my rooms still empty, and, though I had
not seen my husband since morning, I knew he would be displeased to find me waiting,
so I cried myself to sleep and dreamed of the happy time when he was kind, till
the sound of voices woke me. I heard Gilbert say, 'Babie is with your wife, her
maid tells me; therefore we are alone here. What is this mysterious affair,
Laroche?' That tempted me to listen, and then, Manuel, I learned all the shame
and misery you so generously tried to spare me. How can I ever repay you, ever
love and honor you enough for such care of one
so
helpless and forlorn as I?"

 
          
"I
am repaid already. Let that pass, and tell what brings you here with such an
air of fright and fear?"

 
          
"When
you were gone he came straight to the inner room in search of something, saw
me, and knew I must have heard all he had concealed from me so carefully. If
you have ever seen him when that fierce temper of his grows ungovernable, you
can guess what I endured. He said such cruel things I could not bear it, and
cried out that I would come to you, for I was quite wild with terror, grief,
and shame, that seemed like oil to fire. He swore I should not, and oh,
Pauline, he struck me! See, if I do not tell the living truth!"

 
          
Trembling
with excitement, Mrs. Redmond pushed back the wide sleeve of her wrapper and
showed the red outline of a heavy hand. Manuel set his teeth and stamped his
foot into the carpet with an indignant exclamation and the brief question,
"Then you left him, Babie?"

 
          
"Yes,
although he locked me in my room, saying the law gave him the right to teach
obedience. I flung on these clothes, crept noiselessly along the balcony till
the hall window let me in, and then I ran to you. He will come for me. Can he
take me away? Must I go back to suffer any more?"

 
          
In
the very act of uttering the words, Mrs. Redmond clung to Manuel with a cry of
fear, for on the threshold stood her husband. A comprehensive glance seemed to
stimulate his wrath and lend the hardihood wherewith to confront the three,
saying sternly as he beckoned, "Babie, I am waiting for you."

 
          
She
did not speak, but still clung to Manuel as if he were her only hope. A glance
from Pauline checked the fiery words trembling on his lips, and he too stood
silent while she answered with a calmness that amazed him:

 
          
"Your
wife has chosen us her guardians, and I think you will scarcely venture to use
force again with two such witnesses as these to prove that you have forfeited
your right to her obedience and justify the step she has taken."

 
          
With
one hand she uncovered the discolored arm, with the other held the forgery before
him. For a moment Gilbert stood daunted by these mute accusations, but just
then his ire burned hottest against Manuel; and believing that he could deal a
double blow by wounding Pauline through her husband, he ignored her presence
and, turning to the young man, asked significantly, "Am I to understand
that you refuse me my wife, and prefer to abide by the consequences of such an
act?"

 
          
Calmed
by Pauline's calmness, Manuel only drew the trembling creature closer, and
answered with his haughtiest mien, "I do; spare yourself the labor of
insulting me, for having placed yourself beyond the reach of a gentleman's
weapon, I shall accept no challenge from a—"

 
          
A
soft hand at his lips checked the opprobrious word, as Babie, true woman
through it all, whispered with a broken sob, "Spare him, for I loved him
once."

 
          
Gilbert
Redmond had a heart, and, sinful though it was, this generous forbearance wrung
it with a momentary pang of genuine remorse, too swiftly followed by a selfish
hope that all was not lost if through his wife he could retain a hold upon the
pair which now possessed for him the strong attraction of both love and hate.
In that brief pause this thought came, was accepted and obeyed, for, as if
yielding to an uncontrollable impulse of penitent despair, he stretched his
arms to his wife, saying humbly, imploringly, "Babie, come back to me, and
teach me how I may retrieve the past. I freely confess I bitterly repent my
manifold transgressions, and submit to your decree alone; but in executing justice,
oh, remember mercy! Remember that I was too early left fatherless, motherless,
and went astray for want of some kind heart to guide and cherish me. There is
still time. Be compassionate and save me from myself. Am I not punished enough?
Must death be my only comforter? Babie, when all others cast me off, will you
too forsake me?"