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Upon this, Maurice broke away from his seconds; drew off one of his gloves; and stepping close up to Romayne, struck him on the face with the glove. "Have you no quarrel with me now?" the young Frenchman asked. "Must I spit on you, as my father did?" His seconds dragged him away, and apologized to us for the outbreak. But the mischief was done. Romayne's fiery temper flashed in his eyes.
"Repetition of the great Caesar's experience veni vidi vici, eh? What?" "So say I," said Jack Romayne. "It has been a very real pleasure to know you, Jane. For my part, I shan't forget your visit to me, and the talks we have had together." "You have all been good to me. I cannot tell you how I feel about it." Jane's voice was a little tremulous, but her smile was as bright as ever.
Receiving this information without much appearance of interest, the housekeeper put another question, to which, judging by her manner, she attached a certain importance. The answer to this was decidedly in the negative. Mr. Romayne and Miss Eyrecourt had declined to taste it. My lord had tried it, and had left it on his plate. My lady alone had really eaten her share of the misplaced dish.
As things were, he knew perfectly well that the more seriously Romayne was annoyed, in his presence, the better his own private interests would be served. Accordingly, he stood apart, silently observant of Stella. In spite of Winterfield's reassuring reply to her letter, Stella instinctively suspected and dreaded the Jesuit.
Father Benwell took both Romayne's hands in his, and pressed them fervently. "I am proud of you!" he said. "We shall all be proud of you, when I write word to Rome of what has passed between us. But no, Romayne! this must not be. I admire you, feel with you; and I refuse. On behalf of the Church, I say it I refuse the gift." "Wait a little, Father Benwell! You don't know the state of my affairs.
"Are you actually simple enough, Stella, to think that a man of Romayne's temper would have made you his wife if you had told him of the Brussels marriage?" "Why not?" "Why not! Would Romayne would any man believe that you really did part from Winterfield at the church door? Considering that you are a married woman, your innocence, my sweet child, is a perfect phenomenon!
Toward evening Penrose awoke. I showed him the telegram. Throughout our voyage, the prospect of seeing Romayne again had been the uppermost subject in his thoughts. In the extremity of his distress, he declared that he would accompany me to Paris by the night train. Remembering how severely he had felt the fatigue of the short railway journey from Portsmouth, I entreated him to let me go alone.
Stella thought of Romayne's tastes, all in favor of modest retirement, and of her mother's tastes, all in favor of ostentation and display. She frankly owned the result produced in her own mind. "I am afraid to consult my mother about our marriage," she said. Romayne looked astonished. "Do you think Mrs. Eyrecourt will disapprove of it?" he asked. Stella was equally astonished on her side.
"What future?" he asked, eagerly. "Am I free to choose? Must I remind you that a man with a wife cannot think only of himself?" "Suppose you were not a man with a wife." "What do you mean?" "Romayne, I am trying to break my way through that inveterate reserve which is one of the failings in your character.
There was Romayne, entering the room, to answer for himself. What was the attraction which drew the unsocial student to an evening party? Major Hynd's eyes were on the watch. When Romayne and Stella shook hands, the attraction stood self-revealed to him, in Miss Eyrecourt.
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