Suddenly the girl felt very old and experienced, and miserably wise in the ways of the world. It was as if in some other incarnation she had known women like this, and their influence over men: how, if they tried, they could beguile chivalrous men into being sorry for them, and doing almost anything which they wished to be done.
A little while ago Victoria had been thinking and speaking of Margot Lorenzi as "poor girl," and urging Stephen to be true to her for his own sake as well as hers. But now, in a moment, everything had changed. A strange flash of soul-lightning had shown her the real Margot, unworthy of Stephen at her best, crushing to his individuality and aspirations at her worst. Victoria did not know what to think, what to do. In place of the sad and lonely girl she had pictured, here stood a woman already selfish and heartless, who might become cruel and terrible. No one had ever looked at Victoria Ray as Miss Lorenzi was looking now, not even Miluda, the Ouled Naïl, who had stared her out of countenance, curiously and maliciously at the same time.
"I have heard a great deal about Miss Ray in Algiers," Margot went on. "And I think—you willbothunderstand why I made this long, tiresome journey to Touggourt."
"There is no reason why Miss Ray should understand," said Stephen quickly. "It can't concern her in the least. On your own account it would have been better if you had waited for me in London. But it's too late to think of that now. I will go with you into the house."
"No," Margot answered. "Not yet. And you're not to put on such a tone with me—as if I'd done something wrong. I haven't! We're engaged, and I have a perfect right to come here, and find out what you've been doing while I was at the other side of the world. You promised to meet me at Liverpool—and instead, you were here—withher. You never even sent me word. Yet you're surprised that I came on to Algiers. Of course, when I wasthere, I heard everything—or what I didn't hear, I guessed. You hadn't bothered to hide your tracks. I don't suppose you so much as thought of me—poor me, who went to Canada for your sake really. Yes! I'll tell you why I went now. I was afraid if I didn't go, a man who was in love with me there—he's in love with me now and always will be, for that matter!—would come and kill you. He used to threaten that he'd shoot any one I might marry, if I dared throw him over; and he's the kind who keeps his word. So I didn't want to throw him over. I went myself, and stayed in his mother's house, and argued and pleaded with him, till he'd promised to be good and let me be happy. So you see—the journey was for you—to save you. I didn't want to see him again for myself, thoughhisis real love. You're cold as ice. I don't believe you know what love is. But all the same I can't be jilted by you—for another woman. I won't have it, Stephen—after all I've gone through. If you try to break your solemn word to me, I'll sue you. There'll be another casethat will drag your name before the public again, and not only yours——"
"Be still, Margot," said Stephen.
She grew deadly pale. "I will not be still," she panted. "Iwillhave justice. No one shall take you away from me."
"No one wishes to take me away," Stephen flung at her hotly. "Miss Ray has just refused me. You've spared me the trouble of taking her advice——"
"What was it?" Margot looked suddenly anxious, and at the same time self-assertive.
"That I should go at once to England—and to you."
Victoria took a step forward, then paused, pale and trembling. "Oh, Stephen!" she cried. "I take back that advice. I—I've changed my mind. You can't—you can't do it. You would be so miserable that she'd be wretched, too. I see now, it's not right to urge people to do things, especially when—one onlythinksone understands. She doesn't love you really. I feel almost sure she cares more for some one else, if—if it were not for things you have, which she wants. If you're rich, as I suppose you must be, don't make this sacrifice, which would crush your soul, but give her half of all you have in the world, so that she can be happy in her own way, and set you free gladly."
As Victoria said these things, she remembered M'Barka, and the prophecy of the sand; a sudden decision to be made in an instant, which would change her whole life.
"I'll gladly give Miss Lorenzi more than half my money," said Stephen. "I should be happy to think she had it. But even if you begged me to marry her, Victoria, I would not now. It's gone beyond that. Her ways and mine must be separate forever."
Margot's face grew eager, and her eyes flamed.
"What I want and insist on," she said, "is that I must have my rights. After all I've hoped for and expected, Iwon'tbe thrown over, and go back to the old, dull life of turning and twisting every shilling. If you'll settle thirty thousand pounds on me, you are free, so far as I care. I wouldn't marry a man who hated me, when there's one who adores me as if I were a saint—and I like him better than ever I did you—a lot better. I realize that more than I did before."
The suggestion of Margot Lorenzi as a saint might have made a looker-on smile, but Victoria and Stephen passed it by, scarcely hearing.
"If I give you thirty thousand pounds, it will leave me a poor man," he said.
"Oh,dogive her the money and be a poor man," Victoria implored. "I shall be so happy if we are poor—a thousand times happier than she could be with millions."
Stephen caught the hand that half unconsciously the girl held out to him, and pressed it hard. "If you will go back to your hotel now," he said to Margot, in a quiet voice, "I will call on you there almost at once, and we can settle our business affairs. I promise that you shall be satisfied."
Margot looked at them both for a few seconds, without speaking. "I'll go, and send a telegram to Montreal which will make somebody there happier than any other man in Canada," she answered. "And I'll expect you in an hour."
When she had gone, they forgot her.
"Do you really mean, when you say we—weshall be happy poor, that you'll marry me in spite of all?" Stephen asked.
"Oh, yes, if you want me still," Victoria said.
"Does a man want Heaven!" He took her in his arms and held her close, closer than he had held her the night at Toudja, when he had thought that death might soon part them. "You've brought me up out of the depths."
"Not I," the girl said. "Your star."
"Your star. You gave me half yours."
"Now I give it to you all," she told him. "And all myself, too. Oh, isn't it wonderful to be so happy—in the lightof our star—and to know that the others we love will be happy, too—my Saidee, and your Mr. Caird——"
"Yes," Stephen answered. "But just at this moment I can't think much about any one except ourselves, not even your sister and my best friend. You fill the universe for me."
"It's filled with love—and itislove," said Victoria. "The music is sweeter for us, though, because we know it's sweet for others. Icouldn'tlet her spoil your life, Stephen."
"My life!" he echoed. "I didn't know what life was or might be till this moment. Now I know."
"Now we both know," she finished.
Endpaper
Page and line numbers in these notes refer to the original printed text.
Obvious punctuation corrections have been applied silently where applicable.
As much as possible, the original spelling in the book has been preserved. The authors commonly use different hyphenation for several words throughout (for example, "note-book" onpage 283, line 9, as opposed to "notebook" onpage 285, line 16). There are mixes of English, American, and French spelling. The spelling of some names that appear only once or twice is ambiguous (for example, "Cheikh" onpage 55, line 27, and "Cheik" onpage 143, line 5). In cases like these, the text has been left as in the printed version.
The following appear to be typographical errors and have been corrected in this text.
Page 40, line 20: "Christo" (Cristo).Page 62, line 1: "dribge" (bridge).Page 77, line 4: "hautes" (hauts).Page 92, line 20: "filagree" (filigree).Page 99, line 9: "ècole" (école).Page 184, line 8: "khol" (kohl).Page 217, line 1: "Michèlet" (Michélet).Page 235, line 16: "Neville's" (Nevill's).Page 235, line 34: "Neville" (Nevill).Page 425, line 26: "massage" (message).Page 430, line 11: "usuper" (usurper).