“I suppose you’re staying with the captain? Well, I shall be there every day, I’ve no doubt; you’ll see far too much of me.”
He laughingly assured her that that was impossible, ran down the steps and waved his hand to her where she stood leaning over the balcony, and went rapidly down the avenue. To reach the gate he had to take a sharp turn, which drew him out of sight of the house; when within a few yards of it a woman’s figure came swiftly from among the trees, and Mrs. Dawson, bareheaded and white-faced, confronted him.
He was on the point of holding out his hand and bidding her good-night, when he saw that she had come there of set and serious purpose; she was actually trembling in her eagerness to speak. He looked at her in some astonishment, not knowing what to say or do; she stood resolutely between him and the gate.
“Why do you come here like a thief, to whisper with her in the darkness?” she asked. Her voice was suppressed and she glanced uneasily in the direction of the house, as though fearful of being overheard.
“I don’t come like a thief,” said Comethup indignantly. “Why, I came here to-night for the first time for five years, just to see her, and she saw me from the balcony and came down.”
“The first time for five years! Why do you lie to me? There are things I can’t tell you, but my eyes are keener for her, my hearing stronger, all my senses more alive, than for any one else. That’s because—because I love her. Why do you lie to me? Do you think I haven’t seen you creep into the garden and call softly to her and whisper with her in the shadows, and then creep away again—yes, like a thief, I say? I’ve seen her sit by that window night after night listening to catch the faintest sound; I’ve seen the light in her eyes after you’ve left her. Tell me—in God’s name, tell me!—what would you do with her?” She came at him fiercely, with her hands held straight at her sides and clinched, and with her head thrust forward at him.
“Look here, Mrs. Dawson,” said Comethup helplessly, “you’re making some horrible mistake. I swear to you I haven’t set foot in this town for five years; I’ve been travelling all over Europe. I came down by the train from London this morning, and walked round here to see her to-night. You’re making a mistake.”
She came still nearer to him and looked into his eyes; perhaps she read the truth there. She looked at him in perplexity for a moment, and then, muttering something to herself, turned swiftly and began to make her way back to the house. But Comethup sprang after her and caught her arm.
“Stop!” he said. “You mustn’t go like that. There’s something here I don’t understand.”
She tried to free herself from his grasp. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I—I suppose I have made a mistake,” she said uneasily.