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."A most lovely one,"Golias said, and from the sober tone of his voice I knew he had the same idea."She arrived not long after you left us to return a certain handkerchief.""Oh, God in Heaven!" Lucius cried."If I hadn't or if I hadn't been in such ahurry to be a damned fool.Why if I had waited to have another glass or two ofwine, say " He broke off, shaking his head.Then he said quietly, as though noexpression of his voice could contain his despair: "Gentlemen, the lady you hadthe happiness of seeing, and the one I cheated myself of seeing in time topreserve any chance of enjoying happiness, was Hermione Steingerd apHawthorn.She and her waiting woman were passing by just as I was leavingMiss Lescaut's room." "How could she tell you were off the reservation?" I demanded."Miss Lescaut left no doubt as to that." Lucious held out a hand whichsported a ring I had often noticed, for it was set with a ruby about the size of amaraschino cherry."It never crossed my mind that she had mercenary motives,but as I was leaving she tried to persuade me to give her this.It so happens thatthis was a gift from Lady Hermione in happier days.When I refused, the wenchbecame argumentative; and at the critical moment when I opened the door, shewas right behind me, scantily attired and complaining of my stinginess inrewarding specified services rendered."He rose and sank into the chair again."I couldn't speak, and my lady wouldnot.As if I did not exist, she walked on."Remembering the girl I had seen the night before, and the bedroom doll forwhom he had put himself in bad with her, I could see why he felt as he did.Itseemed to me that if he wanted a wife, he had better write Miss ap Hawthorn offthe books, soothsayer or no soothsayer, and look for somebody else as soon ashe caught his breath again."Is there anything I can do?" Jones burst out, when we were both silent."Well," I said, "you could cut your throat, but if you wait long enough, youprobably won't want to.It's tough, boy, but lots of things are."I felt genuinely sorry for Jones, yet there was no use in giving him falseassurances.When he nodded, haggardly accepting my opinion of the situation,I none the less gave up the idea of going back to sleep.It would be barbarous toleave him at the complete mercy of his thought, and with a sigh I swung mylegs out of bed."We'd better get breakfast," I muttered.Golias hadn't yet made any comment."Where is the Lady Hermione going?"he now spoke up."I hadn't had time to wonder about that." Lucius wrinkled his brow."Wasthere anybody with her besides her servant when she arrived?""No.And in addition to being unescorted she was traveling by stage coach.Doesn't that suggest something unusual?""Perhaps.What difference does it make?" Jones asked."If you could haveseen the way she looked at me.""She may expect to continue to look at you that way," Golias admitted.Heswung his legs to the floor in turn."But if she met something she liked worse,you mightn't seem so bad."That didn't appear very comforting to me, but Lucius straightened up."Doyou think she's in any danger?""I have no reason to think anything.But she is following an abnormal courseof procedure, and she must have strong reasons for doing so.Certainly if I wasinterested in the welfare of a young lady ""Interested! Welfare! Why I'd do anything! I don't even care whether she everspeaks to me again, if only she's all right.""In that case," Golias said, reaching for his pants, "it would seem that ourimmediate mission is to trace her route.We can do that, as well as locate thegeneral vicinity of her destination, by enquiring at stage stops along the way.Luckily, innkeepers as a class are both observant and garrulous."Whether or not he believed there was any point in the course he suggested, he had the medicine for Luc
."A most lovely one,"Golias said, and from the sober tone of his voice I knew he had the same idea."She arrived not long after you left us to return a certain handkerchief.""Oh, God in Heaven!" Lucius cried."If I hadn't or if I hadn't been in such ahurry to be a damned fool.Why if I had waited to have another glass or two ofwine, say " He broke off, shaking his head.Then he said quietly, as though noexpression of his voice could contain his despair: "Gentlemen, the lady you hadthe happiness of seeing, and the one I cheated myself of seeing in time topreserve any chance of enjoying happiness, was Hermione Steingerd apHawthorn.She and her waiting woman were passing by just as I was leavingMiss Lescaut's room." "How could she tell you were off the reservation?" I demanded."Miss Lescaut left no doubt as to that." Lucious held out a hand whichsported a ring I had often noticed, for it was set with a ruby about the size of amaraschino cherry."It never crossed my mind that she had mercenary motives,but as I was leaving she tried to persuade me to give her this.It so happens thatthis was a gift from Lady Hermione in happier days.When I refused, the wenchbecame argumentative; and at the critical moment when I opened the door, shewas right behind me, scantily attired and complaining of my stinginess inrewarding specified services rendered."He rose and sank into the chair again."I couldn't speak, and my lady wouldnot.As if I did not exist, she walked on."Remembering the girl I had seen the night before, and the bedroom doll forwhom he had put himself in bad with her, I could see why he felt as he did.Itseemed to me that if he wanted a wife, he had better write Miss ap Hawthorn offthe books, soothsayer or no soothsayer, and look for somebody else as soon ashe caught his breath again."Is there anything I can do?" Jones burst out, when we were both silent."Well," I said, "you could cut your throat, but if you wait long enough, youprobably won't want to.It's tough, boy, but lots of things are."I felt genuinely sorry for Jones, yet there was no use in giving him falseassurances.When he nodded, haggardly accepting my opinion of the situation,I none the less gave up the idea of going back to sleep.It would be barbarous toleave him at the complete mercy of his thought, and with a sigh I swung mylegs out of bed."We'd better get breakfast," I muttered.Golias hadn't yet made any comment."Where is the Lady Hermione going?"he now spoke up."I hadn't had time to wonder about that." Lucius wrinkled his brow."Wasthere anybody with her besides her servant when she arrived?""No.And in addition to being unescorted she was traveling by stage coach.Doesn't that suggest something unusual?""Perhaps.What difference does it make?" Jones asked."If you could haveseen the way she looked at me.""She may expect to continue to look at you that way," Golias admitted.Heswung his legs to the floor in turn."But if she met something she liked worse,you mightn't seem so bad."That didn't appear very comforting to me, but Lucius straightened up."Doyou think she's in any danger?""I have no reason to think anything.But she is following an abnormal courseof procedure, and she must have strong reasons for doing so.Certainly if I wasinterested in the welfare of a young lady ""Interested! Welfare! Why I'd do anything! I don't even care whether she everspeaks to me again, if only she's all right.""In that case," Golias said, reaching for his pants, "it would seem that ourimmediate mission is to trace her route.We can do that, as well as locate thegeneral vicinity of her destination, by enquiring at stage stops along the way.Luckily, innkeepers as a class are both observant and garrulous."Whether or not he believed there was any point in the course he suggested, he had the medicine for Luc
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