His Hour Page 4

  CHAPTER IV

  Next day they started, escorted to the station by a troupe of gushingfriends. Their compartment was a bower of flowers, and as each momentwent by Tamara's equanimity was restored by the thought that she wouldsoon be out of the land of her disgrace.

  It is a tiresome journey to Alexandria--dusty and glaring and not ofgreat interest. They hurried on board the ship when they arrived,without even glancing at their fellow passengers following in thegangway. Neither woman was a perfect sailor and both were quiteovercome with fatigue. It promised to be a disagreeable night, too, sothey retired at once to their cabins, and were soon asleep.

  The next day, which was Sunday, the wind blew, but by the afternooncalmed down again, and Tamara decided to dress and go on deck.

  "Mrs. Hardcastle went up some hours ago; she was ready for luncheon,ma'am," her maid told her.

  "She left a message for you to join her when you woke."

  The ship was the usual sort of ship that goes from Alexandria toTrieste, and the two English ladies had secured places for their chairsin the most protected spot. Tamara rather looked forward to being ableto sit there in the moonlight and enjoy the Mediterranean.

  Her maid preceded her with her rug and cushion and book, and it was notuntil she was quite settled that she took cognizance of an empty chairat her other side.

  "You lazy child!" Millicent Hardcastle said. "To sleep all day likethis! It has been quite beautiful since luncheon, and I have had a mostagreeable time. That extremely polite nice young Russian Prince we metat the Khedive's ball is here, dear; indeed, that is his chair nextyou. He is with Stephen Strong. We have been talking for hours."

  Tamara felt suddenly almost cold.

  "I never saw him in the train or coming on board," she said, withalmost a gasp.

  "Nor did I, and yet he must have been just behind us. Our places atmeals are next him, too. So fortunate he was introduced, because onecould not talk to a strange man, even on a boat. I never can understandthose people who pick up acquaintances promiscuously; can you, dear?"

  "No," said Tamara, feebly.

  She was pondering what to do. She could not decline to know the Princewithout making some explanation to Millicent. She also could notflatter him so much. She must just be icily cold, and if he should befurther impertinent she could remain in her cabin.

  But what an annoying contretemps! And she had thought she should neversee him again!--and here until Wednesday afternoon, she would beconstantly reminded of the most disgraceful incident in her career. Allbrought upon herself, too, by her own action in having lapsed from therigid rules in which Aunt Clara had brought her up.

  If she had not answered him at the Sphinx--he could not have--but sherefused to dwell upon the shame of this recollection.

  She had quite half an hour to grow calm before the cause of her unrestcame even into sight, and when he did, it was to walk past in thecompany of their old friend, Stephen Strong.

  The Prince raised his cap gravely, and Tamara comforted herself bynoticing again how badly his clothes fitted him! How unsuitable, andeven ridiculous, they were to English eyes--That gave her pleasure!Also she must have a little fun with Millicent.

  "Has it struck you, Millie, the Prince is the same young man we saw inthe pyjamas on the veranda? I am surprised at your speaking to such aperson, even if he has been introduced!"

  Mrs. Hardcastle raised an aggrieved head.

  "Really, Tamara," she said, "I had altogether forgotten that unpleasantincident. I wish you had not reminded me of it. He is a mostrespectful, modest, unassuming young man. I am sure he would bedreadfully uncomfortable if he were aware we had seen him so."

  "I think he looked better like that than he does now," Tamara rejoined,spitefully. "Did you ever see such clothes?"

  Mrs. Hardcastle whisked right round in her chair and stared at herfriend. She was shocked, in the first place, that Tamara should speakso lightly of a breach of decorum; and, secondly, she was astonished atanother aspect of the case.

  "I thought you never saw him at all that morning!" she exclaimed.

  Tamara was nettled.

  "Your description was so vivid; besides, I looked back!"

  "You _looked back!_ Tamara! after I had told you he wasn't dressed! Mydear, how could you?"

  "Well, I did.--Hush! he is coming toward us," and Tamara hurriedlyopened a book and looked down.

  "At last Mrs. Loraine has arrived on deck," she heard Millicent say;and then, for convention's sake she was obliged to glance up and bowcoldly.

  The young man did not seem the least impressed; he sat down and pulledhis rug round his knees and gazed out at the sea. The sun had set, andthe moon would soon rise in all her full glory.

  There was hardly twilight and the ship's electric lights were alreadybeing lit. The old Englishman, Stephen Strong, greeted her and took thechair at Mrs. Hardcastle's other side. That lady was in one of herchatty moods, when each nicely expressed sentence fell from her lipsdirectly after the other--all so pleasant and easy to understand. Noone ever felt with Millicent he need use an atom of brain. These arethe women men like.

  Tamara pretended to read her book, but she was conscious of the nearproximity of the Prince. Nothing so magnetic in the way of apersonality had ever crossed her path as yet.

  He sat as still as a statue gazing at the sea. An uncontrollable desireto look at him shook Tamara, but she dominated it. The discomfort atlast grew so great that she almost trembled.

  Then he spoke:

  "Have you cat's eyes?" he asked.

  Now, when there was a legitimate chance to look at him, she found herorbs glued to her book.

  "Of course not!" she said, icily.

  "Then of what use to pretend you are reading in this gloom? Themiserable lantern is not good for a gleam."

  Tamara was silent. She even turned a page. She would be irritating, too!

  "That ball was a sight," he continued. "Did you see the harem ladiespeeping from their cage? They looked fat and ugly enough to be wiselykept there. What a lot of fools they must have thought us, cavortingfor their amusement."

  "Poor women!" said Tamara. Her voice was the primmest thing in voicesshe had ever heard.

  "Why poor women?" he asked. "They have all the pleasures of the body,and no anxieties; nothing but the little excitement of trying now andthen to poison their rivals! It is the poor Khedive!--Think of hishaving to wade through all that fat mass to find one pretty one!"

  The tone of this conversation displeased Tamara. She did not wish toenter into the ethics of the harem. She wished he would be silentagain, only that deep voice of his was so pleasant! His English waswonderful, too, with hardly the least accent; and when she did allowherself to look at him she could not help admiring the way his hairgrew, back from a forehead purely Greek. His nose was short and rathersquare, while those too beautifully chiseled lips of his had anexpression of extraordinary charm. His whole personality breathedattraction, every human being who approached him was conscious of it.As for his eyes, they were enormous, with broad full lids, mystical,passionate, and yet unconcerned. Always they suggested somethingEastern, though on the whole he was fair. Tamara's own soft brown hairwas only a shade lighter than his.

  She was not sure yet, but now thought his eyes were gray.

  She could have asked him a number of questions she wanted answered, butshe refrained. He suddenly turned and looked at her full in the face.He had been gazing fixedly at the sea, and these movements of quicknesswere disconcerting, especially as Tamara found herself caught in theact of studying his features.

  "What on earth made you go to the Sphinx?" he asked.

  Anger rose in Tamara; the inference was not flattering, in his speech,or the tone in which he uttered it.

  "To count the number of stones the creature is made of, of course," shesaid. "Those technical things are what one would go for at that time ofnight."

  And now her companion rippled with laughter, infectious, joyouslaughter.


  "Ah, you are not so stupid as I thought!" he said, frankly. "You lookedpoetic and fine with that gauze scarf around your head sittingthere--and then afterwards. Wheugh! It was like a pretty wax doll. Iregretted having wasted the village on you. All that is full of meaningfor me."

  Tamara was interested in spite of her will to remain reserved, althoughshe resented the wax-doll part.

  "Yes?"--she faltered.

  "You can learn all the lessons you want in life from the Sphinx," hewent on. "What paltry atoms you and I are, and how little we matter toanyone but ourselves! She is cruel, too, and does not hesitate to tearone in pieces if she wishes and she could make one ready to get drunkon blood."

  Tamara rounded her sweet eyes.

  "Then the village there, full of men with the passions of animals,living from father to son forever the same, wailing for a death,rejoicing at a birth, taking strong physical pleasure in their marriagerights and their women, and beating them when they are tired; but youare too civilized in your country to understand any of these things."

  Tamara was stirred; she felt she ought to be shocked.

  Contrary to her determination, she asked a question:

  "Then you are not civilized in yours?"

  "Not nearly so badly," he said. "The primitive forces of life stillgive us emotions, when we are not wild; when we are then it is thejolliest hell."

  Tamara was almost repulsed. How could one be so odd as this man? shethought. Was he a type, or was he mad, or just only most annoyinglyattractive and different from any one else? She found herself thrilled.Then with a subtle change he turned and almost tenderly wrapped therug, which had blown a little down, more securely round her.

  "You have such a small white face," he said, the words a caress. "Onemust see that you are warm and the naughty winds do not blow you away."

  Tamara shivered; she could not have told why.

  After this the conversation became general.

  Millicent joined in with her obvious remarks. The sea was muchsmoother; they would be able to eat some dinner; she had heard therewas a gipsy troupe on board in the third-class, and how nice it wouldbe to have some music!

  And something angered Tamara in the way the Prince assisted in allthis, out-commonplacing her friend in commonplaces with the suavestpoliteness, while his grave face betrayed him not even by a twinkle inthe eye. Only when he caught hers; then he laughed a sudden shortlaugh, and he whispered:

  "What a perfect woman! everything in the right place. Heaven! at thebest times she would do her knitting, and hand one a child every year!I'll marry when I can find a wife like that!"

  Tamara was furious. She resented his ridicule of Millicent, and she washorrified at the whole speech; so, gathering her rug together, she saidshe was cold, and asked Mr. Strong to pace the deck with her. Nor wouldshe take the faintest further notice of the Prince, until they all wentbelow to the evening meal.

  At dinner he seemed to be practically a stranger again. He was Tamara'sneighbor, but he risked no startling speeches; in fact, he hardly spoketo her, contenting himself with discussing seafaring matters with thecaptain, and an occasional remark to Stephen Strong, who sat beyondMrs. Hardcastle. It was unnecessary for her to have decided beforehandto snub him; he did not give her the chance.