“Then if you didn’t plan it, why didn’t you let me know why you were coming to Belgrade? Why not tell me who you were really? Why not give me time and means to avoid you? Oh, it is intolerable! You knew I was to play jackal for the Queen with the American money-man. Elma herself told you I was what she calls the Queen’s advocate. Ugh!”
“I don’t like to hear you speak of the Baroness von Tulken by her Christian name, as if she were your friend.”
“Is it one of the conditions of your financial business that you control the friendships of the Court of Belgrade?”
She was unreasonably angry, and, of course, abominably unjust.
“I don’t see why you do me that injustice? I could not possibly know that the Queen would intentionally throw us together, and as for humiliation——”
“You knew it yesterday. The Baroness—Elma, told you so.” I smiled at the aggressive way in which she paused and threw up her head as she made the correction in the name; and the smile irritated her to still further anger. “I dislike evasion and pretence, Mr. Bergwyn.”
I winced a bit under the lash of her words, and paused; and just at that moment my memory played me a prank. That scene at the camp when we had our first sharp will contest leapt suddenly into my thoughts, and when her face had worn pretty much the same resolute angry expression. Then I leaned back in my chair and replied very deliberately:
“That’s just where you’re wrong, I think. If you knew anything about me you’d know I like evasion and pretence and falsehood. The man who can do a dirty unmanly trick in the dirtiest and most selfish way is just my type; and if he can do it to a woman—in the way I’ve done it to you, for instance—he’s my hero. Of course, he must be a big sort of brute; cunning, despicable, and mean; a clever beast at getting women into a false position so that he can enjoy a laugh to himself by making them suffer—and the more they suffer the more he hugs himself. You know the kind of man; you must, because from what you’ve said about me——”
“I don’t wish to hear any more about your ideals, thank you.”
“I was only filling in the details to your rough outline. But what I want you to understand is, your outline is right and that you have just such a brute to deal with in me.”