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9
American Sunday Monthly Magazine Section
Guinevere's Lover,
Chapter XXI11
HAT could this mean? Only one
thing—Algernon would never
dare to speak so to her if she
had not given him the right to do
so. He is, at least, a gentleman,
and in society has now quite
courtly manners, just as his father
had. Is he then this beautiful
creature's—lover? Oh, Alas!—my son, my son——
For an hour or more, 1 sat stricken with horror and
grief, clutching the old silk curtains. The relentless,
inexorable Nemesis which hangs over this house and
this Bohun family is here with its awful shadow
again.
And Hugh and 1 broke the law—and these two arc
breaking the law this is our hideous punishment—
and the price is not yet paid.
The last rays of the sun seemed to flood the sky
with blood—and heavy purple clouds were gathering
in promise of coining storm.
* * * * *
We are here at Cowes again. The second year
we had the Guinevere we did not come for the Regatta
week, but ran over to France instead, so my memo
ries of the Gardens and the whole social aspect of
the place are of those days four years ago, when 1
parted from Hugh.
Langthorpe has taken a yacht this summer, and
Algernon and I are with him and Letitia, and a couple
of agreeable young men—his nephew, Henry Ger
maine, and Freddy Burgoyne. Algernon spends
his time rushing about in his motor boat. He
is perfectly reckless and goes at top speed whenever
he can. I do not allow myself to give way to the
anxiety this causes me.
Letitia says he is the most gorgeously beautiful
specimen of human youth there can be in England,
and that every woman who looks at him is moved
in some way. When nothing crosses him his man
ners are now charming also, and I perfectly under
stand Kathleen’s infatuation for him. She is so
hard anil devoid of sentiment herself, she does not
miss it in him. He has her in complete subjection,
and 1 believe he would actually beat her if she dis
obeyed him or made him jealous! They are two
primitive savages together. She is here on the
Ilermione with her father, and we see them con
stantly, and in the close intimacy of yachts, I cannot
help observing things. How the situation escapes
the notice of the rest of the party is a marvel to me.
The hours are a nightmare, and this afternoon Hugh
arrives for the week, and it will be absolutely im
possible, 1 fear, for him not to perceive something
of the case, only there is so little tenderness between
Algernon and Kathleen. They seem to tease one
another and chaff and not particularly desire to be
alone, except they will go off sometimes in an elec
tric launch Algernon has hired, and spend the whole
afternoon landed somewhere by themselves. They
say it is to play golf on one of the island courses.
Sometimes 1 tell myself that without the key of what
I know I should never suspect anything beyond a
boy and girl friendship and a similarity of tastes.
What Letitia thinks about Algernon and Kathleen
I do not know.
My mind is in chaos and I cannot sleep sometimes
for the awful dread.
Letitia and I and Langthorpe were having tea in
the gardens this afternoon at the outside fringe of
the crowd near the tent, at the corner where the
grass suddenly slopes down to the hedge, when Hugh
came from the Club-house and joined us. He had
just arrived. I was conscious of his approach,
although 1 was sitting sideways to him, and a pro
found emotion came over me. How are we to live in
the same neighborhood, if this is going to happen
always at the sight of him? He is certainly older
looking he is forty-three now, but his charm is as
great as ever. Letitia says it has augmented because
of his complete indifference and aloofness. And
even among this company ifXUttlOf 'Oj
of distinguished - looking
Englishmen he stands out
with a cachet of his own, more so than ever
with the grey in his hair.
His perfect manners covered the gene of
our meeting and he took a basket chair
and sent a waiter for some more tea. Then
he began to talk to Letitia. Bransdale
was almost finished and would Ire a com
fortable house in time, he told her. “It is
only fair that I should spend half the year
there now,” he said, “as I have spent so
much of my life already at Minton
Dremont.”
And then he asked, not addressing any
of us especially:
“ Where is Algernon? ”
“Up in the waterplane, or out in that
terror of a motor boat of his,” laughed
Langthorpe. “Algernon is a dasher at all
things. Glad he has not entrapped Henry
into his tastes; the pace he drives that boat
at is not safe, and Guinevere here can’t
do anything with him.”
Presently some new arrivals came to
ward my sister and brother-in-law, and
they rose to speak to them, sitting down
with them a pace or two off, and Hugh
and I were momentarily left alone.
“Guinevere,” he said very low, after a
little silence, “it is torture for me to see
you like this. Nothing is changed in the
least. I love you more madly than ever. I
came down here because, after this week,
1 am going away again into the wilds, and
1 thought it would look better to be seen
once more casually in civilization. I have
tried to do as you told me, but it is a
failure. I cannot get through the aching
days with the knowledge that you are
near and I may not be with you. I cannot
any longer bear nty life.”
“Nor I mine, Hugh,” I answered miser
ably. “I shall be glad when you are gone.
1 thought we were both strong last time
when you came to see me in my turret
room, and indeed I prayed for you—and
myself. But it is all of no use, and so it
is better for you to go.”
Hugh stretched out his long legs and
leaned back in his chair, looking straight
in front of him.
"1 shall stay away until Kathleen di
vorces me. She can under the circum
stances, for desertion, I suppose. It is
appallingly hard luck upon her to be tied
to me, and if she should ever fancy someone
else, I want to make it easy for her to get
rid of me.”
1 grew cold as he spoke. If he only
knew that Kathleen had already “fancied”
someone else, and that it is—Algernon.
And that fact, when it is known, will
turn the barrier that is now between him
self and me into one that nothing can ever
break down again in this world.
He saw my face growing whiter, I sup
pose, for he said anxiously:
“Guinevere, what is it? Is something
changed, then, and you do not any longer
care so much for me?”
“No, Hugh,” I answered. “Nothing is
changed, nor can I ever alter what I feel for you.
It is just the cruelty of the situation which weighs
upon me unbearably.”
“Darling,” he gasped, and then went on more
evenly. “I want to talk to you in peace just for t his one
afternoon. Comedown through the little door there on
towards the Green. We will say aloud to Letitia that
we are going to see the waterplanes, and we will walk
on right to the end of the parade where there will not
be a soul. Guinevere, do not refuse me this— there
are so many things 1 want to say before I go.”
T(iroc Weeks
r
in
an
I screamed aloud and found myself struggling in the arms
of the first mate I suppose in my agony I rushed
forward to get into the sea
I rose immediately and we joined Letitia’s group
indifferently, where Hugh made his announcement;
and then we strolled down and out of the narrow door
on to the sea wall, and so to the parade.
We hardly spoke while we were among the crowd
of tourists and sightseers, all coming or going toward
the sheds of the waterplanes, and then presently
we got beyond all that and were practically alone.
“ ^ ou know she has altered most of our garden,
darling,” Hugh said. “It hurt frightfully, but I
made it a rule not to curtail or interfere with any of