"Wait here," he said; "I will fetch you a glass of negus," and disappeared. He had not thought to bring a chair, and she, looking about with an increasing faintness and finding none, saw that she was standing by the door of a small side-room. The crowd swerved back for the passage of the legate of France, and pressed upon her.
She opened the door, and went in.
The room was empty save for two gentlemen, who were quietly playing cards at a table. They looked up as she entered. They were M.
Beaucaire and Mr. Molyneux.
She uttered a quick cry and leaned against the wall, her hand to her breast. Beaucaire, though white and weak, had brought her a chair before Molyneux could stir.
"Mademoiselle - "
"Do not touch me!" she said, with such frozen abhorrence in her voice that he stopped short. "Mr. Molyneux, you seek strange company!""Madam," replied Molyneux, bowing deeply, as much to Beaucaire as to herself, "I am honored by the presence of both of you.
"Oh, are you mad!" she exclaimed, contemptuously.
"This gentleman has exalted me with his confidence, madam," he replied.
"Will you add your ruin to the scandal of this fellow's presence here? How he obtained entrance - ""Pardon, mademoiselle," interrupted Beaucaire. "Did I not say Ishould come? M. Molyneux was so obliging as to answer for me to the fourteen frien's of M. de Winterset and Meestaire Nash.""Do you not know," she turned vehemently upon Molyneux, "that he will be removed the moment I leave this room? Do you wish to be dragged out with him? For your sake, sir, because I have always thought you a man of heart, I give you a chance to save yourself from disgrace - and - your companion from jail. Let him slip out by some retired way, and you may give me your arm and we will enter the next room as if nothing had happened. Come, sir - ""Mademoiselle - "
"Mr. Molyneux, I desire to hear nothing from your companion. Had I not seen you at cards with him I should have supposed him in attendance as your lackey. Do you desire to take advantage of my offer, sir?""Mademoiselle, I could not tell you, on that night - ""You may inform your high-born friend, Mr. Molyneux, that I heard everything he had to say; that my pride once had the pleasure of listening to his high-born confession!""Ah, it is gentle to taunt one with his birth, mademoiselle? Ah, no! There is a man in my country who say strange things of that - that a man is not his father, but himself.""You may inform your friend, Mr. Molyneux, that he had a chance to defend himself against accusation; that he said all - ""That I did say all I could have strength to say. Mademoiselle, you did not see - as it was right - that I had been stung by a big wasp.
It was nothing, a scratch; but, mademoiselle, the sky went round and the moon dance' on the earth. I could not wish that big wasp to see he had stung me; so I mus' only say what I can have strength for, and stand straight till he is gone. Beside', there are other rizzons.
Ah, you mus' belief! My Molyneux I sen' for, and tell him all, because he show courtesy to the yo'ng Frenchman, and I can trus' him.
I trus' you, mademoiselle - long ago - and would have tol' you ev'rything, excep' jus' because - well, for the romance, the fon!
You belief? It is so clearly so; you do belief, mademoiselle?"She did not even look at him. M. Beaucaire lifted his hand appealingly toward her. "Can there be no faith in - in - he said timidly, and paused. She was silent, a statue, my Lady Disdain.
"If you had not belief' me to be an impostor; if I had never said Iwas Chateaurien; if I had been jus' that Monsieur Beaucaire of the story they tol' you, but never with the heart of a lackey, an hones'
man, a man, the man you knew, himself, could you - would you - "He was trying to speak firmly; yet, as he gazed upon her splendid beauty, he choked slightly, and fumbled in the lace at his throat with unsteady fingers. - "Would you - have let me ride by your side in the autumn moonlight?" Her glance passed by him as it might have passed by a footman or a piece of furniture. He was dressed magnificently, a multitude of orders glittering on his breast. Her eye took no knowledge of him.
"Mademoiselle-I have the honor to ask you: if you had known this Beaucaire was hones', though of peasant birth, would you - "Involuntarily, controlled as her icy presence was, she shuddered.
There was a moment of silence.
"Mr. Molyneux," said Lady Mary, "in spite of your discourtesy in allowing a servant to address me, I offer you a last chance to leave this room undisgraced. Will you give me your arm?""Pardon me, madam," said Mr. Molyneux.
Beaucaire dropped into a chair with his head bent low and his arm outstretched on the table; his eyes filled slowly in spite of himself, and two tears rolled down the young man's cheeks.
"An' live men are jus' - names!" said M. Beaucaire.
