His Hour

Chapter 15

Tamara and her godmother did not meet until nearly lunchtime next day.

A little before that meal the Princess came into her room. Tamara was

still in bed, perfectly exhausted with the strain of the night. The

Princess wore an anxious look of care, as she walked from the window to

the dressing table and then back again. Finally she sat down and took

up a glove which was lying on a cushion near.

"Tamara, you saw I talked last night with Valonne, and this morning I

sent for Serge Grekoff, but he would not come, so I got Valonne again."

She paused an instant. "I was extremely worried last night about

Gritzko. I dare say you were not to blame, dear, but--"

"Please tell me, Marraine," and poor Tamara sat up and pushed her hair

back.

"It appears, as far at I can gather, they all dined at the Fontonka

house--Boris Varishkine and Gritzko have always been great friends--and

at the end of dinner--Valonne imagines, because no one is sure what

took place between them at this stage--Gritzko, it is supposed, said to

Boris in quite an amiable way that he did not wish him to dance the

Mazurka with you, but to relinquish his right in his--Gritzko's--

favor."

She paused again, and Tamara's eyes fixed themselves in fascinated fear

on her face. The Princess, after smoothing out the glove in her hand

with a nervous energy, went on:

"They had all had quite enough champagne, of course, and apparently

Boris refused, and suggested that they should toss up, and whoever won

the toss should have first shot in the dark."

"Yes," said Tamara faintly.

"You know, dear, our boys are often very wild, and they have a game

they play when they are at the end of their tether for something to do

when quartered in some hopeless outpost--a kind of blind-man's-buff--

only it is all in the dark, and the blind man stands in the middle of

the room and the rest clap hands and then dodge, and he fires his

revolver at the point the sound seems to come from, and the object is

not to get shot. You may have noticed Sasha Basmanoff has no left

thumb? He lost it last year on just such a night."

"Oh! Marraine, how dreadful!" Tamara said.

"It is perhaps not a very civilized game," the Princess continued, "but

we are not discussing that, I am telling you what occurred. Well, from

this point Valonne and the rest were eyewitnesses. Gritzko and Boris,

still laughing in rather a strained way, said they had some slight

difference of opinion to settle, and had decided to do it in the

ballroom, in the dark. I won't go into details of how many steps to the

right or left, the impromptu seconds arranged, only it was settled when

Sasha at one end and Serge at the other should shut the doors they

should both fire, and if in three times neither was shot, both should

give up their claim."

"It is too horrible! and for such a trifle," Tamara said, clutching the

bedclothes, and the Princess went on.

"Valonne said they were both hit in the first round, and all the

company burst into the room. Nothing seemed very serious, and they

laughed and shook hands. So Valonne left to be in time for the ball,

but this morning, he told me, he found Boris Varishkine had had a

shoulder wound which bled very badly and quite prevented his coming,

while Gritzko was shot through the flesh of the right arm, and as soon

as they could bind it up decently, as you know, he came on."

Tamara's face was as white as her pillow. She clasped her hands with a

movement of anguish.

"Oh! Marraine, I am too unhappy," she wailed. "Indeed, indeed, I did

nothing to cause this. You heard me, I only said to Count Varishkine I

was looking forward to the dance. He is impossible, Gritzko. Oh! let me

go home!"

"Alas! my child, what would be the good of that? If you went off

tonight instead of coming to Moscow, it might create a talk; what we

want is to prevent a scandal, to hush everything up. None of these men

will tell, and your name will not be dragged into it. And if we go on

our trip amicably as was arranged it will discountenance rumor. Gritzko

and Boris are quite friends again. And if anything about the shooting

does leak out, if no one has further cause for connecting you with it,

they will generally think it merely one of Gritzko's mad parties. For

heaven's sake let it all blow over, and after Moscow and a reasonable

time, not to appear too hurried, you shall go home."

"But meanwhile, how can I know that he won't shoot at Jack? or do some

other awful thing! He does not love me really a bit, Marraine. It is

all out of pride and devilment because he wants to win and conquer me

and add me to his scalps, and I won't be conquered. I tell you I

won't!" and Tamara clenched her hands.

The Princess did not know what to say, she was not perfectly sure in

her own mind as to Gritzko's feelings, and she was too thoroughly

acquainted with his ways to hazard any theory as to his possible acts.

She felt it might not be fair to assure her godchild that he truly

loved her. She could only think of tiding over matters for the time

being.

"Tamara, dearest, could you at least try to keep the peace on our

trip?" she asked. "Be gentle with him, and do not excite him in any

way."

Tamara buried her face in her pillows, she was too English to be

dramatic and sob; but when she spoke her soft voice trembled a little

and her eyes glistened with tears.

"He is horribly cruel, Marraine," she said.

"Why should he treat me as he does. I won't--I won't bear it."

The Princess sighed.

"Tamara, forgive me for asking you, but I must, I feel I must. Do you--

love him, child?"

Then passion flamed up in Tamara's white face, her secret was her own,

and she would defend it even from this kind friend--so--"I believe I

hate him!" she said.

After a while the Princess left her, they having come to the agreement

that Tamara should do all that she could to keep the peace; but when

she was alone she decided to speak to Gritzko as little as possible

herself, and to ignore him completely. There would be no Boris and no

one to make him jealous. She would occupy herself with Stephen Strong,

and the sight-seeing, and even Sonia's husband, who was a bore and old,

too; but the prospect held out no charms for her. She knew that she

loved him deeply--this wild, fierce Gritzko--more deeply than ever

today, and the tears, one after another, trickled down her pale cheeks.

If there was not a chance of any happiness, at least she must go home

keeping some rag of self-respect. She firmly determined that he should

not see the slightest feeling on her side, it should be restrained or

perhaps capricious even, as his own.

Their train for Moscow started at nine o'clock, and the whole party had

arranged to dine at the Ardcheff house at seven and then go to the

station.

Nothing of the scandal of the night seemed to have transpired, for no

one even hinted at anything about it.

Gritzko was still very pale, but appeared none the worse, and the

atmosphere seemed to have resumed a peaceful note.

The five sleeping compartments reserved for this party of ten were all

in a row in one carriage, and Tamara and the Princess, on the plea of

fatigue, immediately retired to their berths for the night, Tamara not

having addressed a single direct word to Gritzko. So far, so well. But

when she was comfortably tucked into the top berth, and an hour or so

later was just falling off to sleep, he knocked at the door, and the

Princess believing it to be the ticket-collector opened it, and he put

his head in. The shade was drawn over the lamp and the compartment was

in a blue gloom. Tamara was startled by hearing her godmother say:

"Gritzko! Thou! What do you want, dear boy, disturbing us like this?"

"I came to ask you to tie up my arm," he said. "I was practising with a

pistol yesterday, and it went off and the bullet grazed the skin, and

the damned thing has begun bleeding again. I know you are a trained

nurse, Tantine. Serge, who is with me, has tried and made a ridiculous

mess of it, so I brought the bandage to you."

He now pulled back the shade and they saw he was standing there quite

_sans gne_ in the same kind of blue silk pyjamas Tamara

remembered to have seen once before, and his eyes, far from being

tragic or serious, had the naughtiest, most mischievous twinkle in

them, while he whispered to the Princess and enlisted her sympathy for

his pain.

"Gritzko, dearest child, but you are suffering! But let me see! only

wait in the passage until I have my dressing-gown, and then come in

again."

Tamara now thought it prudent to crouch down in the clothes and

pretend to be asleep, while the kind Princess got up and arranged

herself.

Then with a gentle tap this poor wounded one came in.

Tamara was conscious that her godmother was murmuring horrified and

affectionate solicitations, as she busily set to work. She was also

conscious that Gritzko was standing with his shoulder leant against her

berth. He was so tall he could look at her, in spite of her retirement

to the farthest side, and she was horribly conscious of the magnetic

power exercised by his eyes. She longed quite to open hers, she longed

really to look. She felt so nervous she almost gave a silly little

laugh, but her will won, and her long eyelashes remained resting on her

cheek.

"You darling. You are doing it beautifully!" he presently said, and

then more softly, "I had no idea how pretty your friend is! and how

soundly she sleeps! Do you think I might kiss her, Tantino? I have

always wanted to, only she is of such a severity I have been too

frightened. May I, Tantine?" And his voice sounded coaxing and sweet,

and Tamara felt sure he was caressing the Princess' hair with his free

hand, for that lady kept murmuring.

"Tais toi!--Gritzko--have done! How can I bind your arm if you conduct

yourself so! Not a moment of stillness! Truly what a naughty child--

keep still!" Then she spoke more severely to him in Russian, and he

laughed while he answered, and then presently the bandage was done, and

standing on tip-toe he looked full at Tamara.

"And you think I must not kiss her? Oh! you are a most cruel Tantine!

She is sound asleep and would never know, and it would be just one of

the things which could cool my fever and help my arm."

But the Princess interposed, sternly, and getting really annoyed with

him, he was forced to go. But first he kissed her hand and thanked her

and purred affection and gratitude with his astonishing charm, and the

Princess' voice grew more and more mollified as she said: "There--

there--what a boy! Gritzko, dear child, begone!"

And all this while, with her long eyelashes resting upon her cheek,

Tamara apparently slept peacefully on.

But when the door was safely shut and bolted, the Princess addressed

her.

"You are not really asleep, Tamara, I suppose," she said. "You have

heard? Is he not difficult. What is one to do with him? I can never

remain angry long. Those caresses! Mon Dieu! I wish you would love each

other and marry and go and live at Milaslv, and then we others might

have a little peace and calm!"

"Marry him," and Tamara raised herself in bed. "One might as well marry

a panther in a jungle, it would be quite as safe!" she said.

But the Princess shook her head. "There you are altogether wrong," she

replied. "Once there were no continuous obstacles to his will, he would

be gentle and adoring, he would be as tender and thoughtful as he is to

me when I am ill."

Then into Tamara's brain there rushed visions of the unutterable

pleasure this tenderness would mean, and she said:

"Don't let us talk;--I want to sleep, Marraine."

And in the morning they arrived at Moscow.