Brothel

“ Instantly she felt the horse make a supreme [174] leap, another and yet more, till soon, through her half-opened eyelids the girl could see that the enveloping cloud of dirt and dust was falling behind. Now a steady, even voice was saying, “Slow, old boy! Easy, easy! All right Eagle; take your time, boy! Slow, slow!” Bess could feel the arm’s muscles relaxing with the slackening speed of the horse; hear a deep, indrawn breath of relief, and see through the dust-covered hair which nearly veiled her face, a man’s features o’er spread with grime, yet white with pallor. ”

“ What an expression of human understanding lighted up the deep blue eyes, as the girl said to her, “Good morning, Sister; are you enjoying God’s beautiful sunshine?”
“Yes, dear; Sister Mary Joseph can scarcely be inveigled indoors now that the sun is becoming so fervent. Well! Well!” the nun interrupted, “if here isn’t Henry West! See! Sister Mary Joseph, who has honored us with a visit today!”
Henry West stepped forward holding his sombrero in his hands. “This is Miss Bess Fletcher, James’ sister;” he said, “and Bess, this is Sister Mary Joseph, and Sister Agnes.” ”

“ Learn if you can what it means! When again you try to destroy a woman’s life—let your fingers seek this everlasting seal; and for God’s sake, if not your own and her’s, let the purport of the brand restrain you!”
Without another word he loosened the man, placed him again in the saddle and turned the horse’s head toward the east where already a great, round moon lighted the way. West gave [267] the horse a cut with the quirt and soon horse and man were out of sight.
In an unconscious heap upon the ground lay Bess, where she had fallen as the smoke from the burning flesh filled her nostrils. ”

“ You are, I know, very fond of all your brothers and sisters, and would not give them any pain willingly. Now remember, my boy, in future, that a pain of the mind, such as this fright, is infinitely worse than a severe blow, and it is not manly to hurt the weaker ones in any way.'
"Alan was really sorry for the end of his freak, and he kissed Ethel, and remembered the lesson I have no doubt. But the silly little girl never liked me again, although Nurse washed me white, in her careful way, scrubbing off all the red paint with which Alan had so profusely embellished me. ”

“ On she walked, close to Henry West’s side, now unconsciously touching the reins and now patting the shoulder wet with beads of pain. Suddenly—with an almost human cry the horse gave a plunge and fell to the ground! West stood aside—for a moment immovable and still—then with a reluctant yet decisive movement drew his gun from his holster. Bess sprang quickly to his side and grasped both his arms with her own! Thrusting up her face till her breath fanned his cheek she cried, “Don’t—Henry—he shall not die! All this just because I forgot your warning—because I am a fool—a horrid—careless girl!” ”

“ The Breton turned a stolid face on him. "Yes, I hear. But I am not good at running. Is Monsieur Augustin ready?"
"As ready as he is ever like to be. Where are you taking me?"
"To a fisherman's cottage just outside Porhoët. There is no one there but a woman—Madame Rozel."
"The fisherman's wife?"
"His widow, some say," responded Grain d'Orge. And he then added the somewhat surprising information: "It is she who has acted as the agent of the late Monsieur Alexis here."
"Really!" said La Vireville—not that he was particularly surprised at the choice of a woman for such a post. ”

“ Now her eyelids gave a brief quiver, her lips parted in a soft sigh, and her hands fell listlessly by her side. Then he spoke, in a voice so low that it was scarcely audible, so tender that its caress seemed like music.
“Come here, dear!” Lifting one hand in an appealing gesture, he held it poised for a moment and then let it rest gently on a fluffy brown head, which moved slowly and irresolutely near to him. Lifting the girl’s face so that he could look directly into the eyes, he said: “Tell me—have I no right to love you, or to make you—make you love in return? ”

“ Just then she saw Mr. Davis lifting his hat to her, both in recognition and farewell, as he walked to a man holding a beautiful saddle horse. The Indian agent glanced back at the tall, graceful girl, with her pretty traveling dress and hat of brown. She could not know that he noted with [16] what an air she walked, head and shoulders erect, chin up aggressively, nor that he thought:
“Gad! but she is great! And what a treat after three years of Indians. I shall certainly see you often, Miss Fletcher.”
“Do you see him anywhere, James?” Bess was all animation.
“West? No, sister. ”

“ There was a pause, in which no one stirred, and then the girl, slowly walking up to Borotte, her pistol levelled, said: “You low coward—to shoot a man from behind; and you want to be a decent girl's husband! These men that say they're my brothers are brutes, but you're a sneak. If you stir a step I'll fire.”
The cowardice of Borotte was almost ridiculous. He dared not harm the girl, and her brothers could not prevent her harming him. Here there came a knocking at the front door. The other brothers had come, and found it locked. Pierre saw the crisis, and acted instantly. ”

“ I need friends, and you will keep my secret. If Henry marries Aliénor, he will be the strongest man in France—stronger than the king. But if—if that should happen which would prevent such a marriage—”
“Stop, my lord!” Cercamon interrupted. “I can hear no more. What you have said I will not disclose to your brother; but I am his vassal, bound to him by the strongest ties of loyalty and regard. I will ride to Tours alone.”
Geoffrey sighed.
“As you will. I am sorry, for you could have helped me—and I you. I fear greatly that your refusal will prevent me from saving Pierre in his dire peril.” ”

“ Valentine put her arm round her. “My child, you shame me! You have more courage than I! Have you not given your brother to the same danger, and more than your brother?”
Marthe hid her face on the elder woman’s shoulder, and thus, the dark head and the golden-grey together, they were when the door at the end of the great salon opened. Mlle de la Vergne drew away at the sound, and both ladies looked up. On the threshold stood the tall figure of the Duc de Trélan, with two aides-de-camp behind him; and the aides-de-camp were Roland and Artamène. ”

“ Fletcher told me I should find you here, and he assured me that you would be glad to see me,” he said. He did not look directly at her as he exaggerated the truth. “Are you not glad, little girl?”
Since the evening when the white roses had come and the card had been read to the others, Bess had not felt so confused nor embarrassed when Davis had been spoken of. Now that James and Henry and Mrs. West knew that Davis cared for her and that he came purposely to see her, she [150] tried to overcome her aversion for the man. ”

“ Abruptly she turned to hurry back to the hotel, when, in the distance, she heard the clatter of approaching hoofs. A little alarm of fear and loneliness stirred in her breast and she hurried down the road. All the bravado with which she had left her brother had suddenly deserted her, and she could feel the heart-throbs in her throat nearly choking her. She did not even glance up the road, although she heard the hoof-beats ever coming nearer. “What if it should be Indians!” The thought filled her with ever-increasing alarm. ”

“ If a faint wonder tempers the acquiescence of the hearer, it does not reach her companion’s ear.
“He had called him ‘Rupert of the Rhine’ in the afternoon; that is always a very bad sign. Nothing makes Rupert wince so much as being called ‘Rupert of the Rhine.’”
Mrs. Darcy’s neck turns a little aside, so as partially to avert a face on which a scarcely sketched{33} smile that has not much real amusement in it is dimly visible.
“But things turned out better than I expected,” pursues the girl, with a lilt of recovering spirits in her not very low but yet agreeable voice. ”

“ Some said that Henry West knew of some ‘crooked work’ Davis had been carrying on, yet he could not say a word while he lived on the reserve and was under the authority of the Indian Agent. But this was conjecture. No one but Henry West and his God knew the circumstances which made him hate the man with all the powers of his soul.
West had asked Mrs. White, the post trader’s wife, if she would kindly take care of Miss Fletcher until he should be able to return for her. Bess, utterly exhausted, permitted herself to be led into the dark, cool sitting-room of the hotel. ”

“ She took hold of his arm and pulled him close to her. So they stood, the fresh, rosy, smiling girl, with wilful [78] brown tresses over her face, clinging to the dark, stalwart man on one side and to her fair-skinned brother on the other. Silently they watched the rain, which fell in gusty sheets.
The horses had shifted and stood dejectedly with their tails against the increasing onslaughts.
“Poor old baby Mauchacho,” said Bess, tenderly; “I wish there was room to crowd you in here, too.” ”

“ It was sent to you at Ardroy, and Aunt Marget despatched one of the MacMartin lads hither with it; and meeting me by the bridge just now he gave it to me for you. It is from France, I think.”
“I do not know the hand,” said Alison, studying the superscription, and finally breaking the seal. Ewen looked out of the window; but he did not see any of the passers-by.
Suddenly there was an exclamation from the girl beside him on the window seat. He turned; her face was drained of colour.
“My father . . . Ewen, Ewen, I must go at once—he is very ill . . . dying, they think. Oh, read!” ”

“ You are husband to my uncle’s sister; you have been faithful and gracious to me; you are such a man as the earth has seldom seen. Call off your spears; let my men go in peace. Why should the blood of Jutes stand between us?”
Finn’s eyes glowed.
“Duty to your uncle’s ghost binds you,” he answered slowly. “Duty to those who have taken my wage binds me. Think you I would leave to your swords those Jutes who have served me? This fight must go on till Dane or Frisian fall. Better that the death of one of us should end it than that a thousand men should perish!”
Hengist nodded. ”

“ At the question, the Père Longuemare raised his eyes sorrowfully to heaven, but made no answer; his silence expressed the surprise of an unsophisticated mind and the gravity of a man of religion who fears to utter empty words.
"You, the girl Gorcut," the President asked, turning to Athenaïs, "do you admit plotting in conjunction with Brotteaux?"
Her answer was softly spoken:
"Monsieur Brotteaux, to my knowledge, has done nothing but good. He is a man of the sort we should have more of; there is no better sort. Those who say the contrary are mistaken. ”

“ She advanced and held up her hand, which he grasped in both his own as he whispered—“Bee!”
Bess laughingly pulled her aside, and leading her over to the other side of the table waited an instant for Mrs. West to introduce the stranger [229] to her son. Berenice returned the firm pressure of the man’s hand as she smiled frankly into his deep eyes. The tempting viands were being shamefully ignored. One girl was too busy with her merry jests, while another could scarcely answer all the interrogatives which were being hurled at her by James. ”

“ Brodrick had wanted to take him away to a sanatorium, but Prothero had refused flatly to be taken anywhere. The traveller was tired of travelling. He loved with passion this place where he had found peace, where his wandering genius had made its sanctuary and its home. His repugnance was so violent and invincible that the Doctor had agreed with Laura that it would do more harm than good to insist on his removal. She must do as best she could, with (he suggested) the assistance of a trained nurse. ”

“ Today as she came into the sick-room, all rosy and fresh after her ride, he looked at her with admiration. She had never looked half so charming to him before; the simple white dress made her girlish, and the bunch of yellow blossoms thrust into the loose knot of brown hair, just behind her ear, gave her a saucy air. She was brushing the hair from her brow as she approached the chair in which he was sitting.
“I envy you your ride and the fresh air, Miss Fletcher. ”

“ The rest, with their ponies and the steers, were clambering up the steep incline of the bank and were entirely oblivious to the danger of their companion, their bodies, all dripping, gleaming like burnished copper in the dazzling sunshine. Springing upon their ponies they rode hurriedly to the approaching ferry, to wrap their naked bodies in the blankets which Fletcher was bringing across. Only West was conscious of the peril of the one Indian, except those on the ferry who had seen the struggle, and Bess, who had ridden Mauchacho down to where West was standing. ”

“ I’d think shame to say such a thing!”
“And are you not Hieland yourself, Miss Grant?” enquired her lover. “And was there never cattle-lifting done in Glenmoriston?”
“Cattle!” exclaimed Alison, the other dimple in evidence. “That I should be likened, by him that’s contracted to be married to me, to a steer or a cow!”
“I likened you to no such thing! You are like a hind, a hind that one sees just a glimpse of before it is gone, drinking at the lake on a misty morning. Oh, my heart’s darling,” he went on, dropping into Gaelic, “do not make jests upon our marriage! ”

“ His dear voice, at least, was not altered. “I shall tell Madame Grévérend, when she returns, to make ready——”
“How concerned are women with food! I have no wish to eat at present; I only want to be sure that I am here,” said her husband, half laughing. “If you go away to give orders, m’eudail, I may perhaps fancy I am back on the sea again, or . . . back on the sea,” he repeated rather hastily, turning his head a moment aside.
“You are here,” said Alison earnestly, as if he really needed the assurance; “you are here, Ewen, heart’s dearest, and I always knew that you would come!” ”