'I spoke of papa and Everett.For myself,--of course, I have separated myself from everybody.'
'Never from me.You may be ten times his wife, but you cannot separate yourself from me.Getting up in the morning and going to bed at night I still tell myself that you are the one woman that I love.Stay with us, and you shall be honoured,--as that man's wife of course, but still as the dearest friend we have.'
'I cannot stay,' she said.'He has told me that I am to go, and I am in his hands.When you have a wife, Arthur, you will wish her to do your bidding.I hope she will for your sake, without that pain I have in doing it.Good-bye, dear friend.'
She put her hand out and he grasped it, and stood for a moment looking at her.Then he seized her in his arms and kissed her brow and her lips.'Oh, Emily, why were you not my wife? My darling, my darling!'
She had hardly extricated herself when the door opened, and Lopez stood in the room.'Mr Fletcher,' he said, very calmly, 'what is the meaning of this?'
'He has come to bid me farewell,' said Emily.'When going on so long a journey one likes to see one's old friends,--perhaps for the last time.' There was something of indifference to his anger in her tone, and something also of scorn.
Lopez looked from one to the other, affecting an air of great displeasure.'You know, sir,' he said, 'that you cannot be welcome here.'
'But he has been welcome,' said his wife.
'And I look upon your coming as a base act.You are here with the intention of creating discord between me and my wife.'
'I am here to tell her that she has a friend to trust to, if she ever wants a friend,' said Fletcher.
'And you think that such trust as that would be safer than trust in her husband? I cannot turn you out of this house, sir, because it does not belong to me, but I desire you to leave at once the room which is occupied by my wife.' Fletcher paused a moment to say good-bye to the poor woman, while Lopez continued with increased indignation.'If you do not go at once you will force me to desire her to retire.She shall not remain in the same room with you.'
'Good-bye, Mr Fletcher,' she said, again putting out her hand.
But Lopez struck it up, not violently, so as to hurt her, but still with eager roughness.'Not in my presence,' he said.'Go, sire, when I desire you.'
'God bless you, my friend,' said Arthur Fletcher.'I pray that Imight live to see you back in the old country.'
'He was--kissing you,' said Lopez, as soon as the door was shut.
'He was,' said Emily.
'And you tell me so to my face, with such an air as that!'
'What am I to tell you when you ask me? I did not bid him kiss me.'
'But afterwards you took his part as his friend.'
'Why not? I should lie to you if I pretended that I was angry with him for what he did.'
'Perhaps you will tell me that you love him.'
'Of course I love him.There are different kinds of love, Ferdinand.There is that which a woman gives to a man when she would fain mate with him.It is the sweetest love of all, if it would only last.And there is another love,--which is not given, but which is won, perhaps through long years, by old friends.I have none older than Arthur Fletcher, and none who are dearer to me.'
'And you think it right that he should take you in his arms and kiss you?'
'On such an occasion, I could not blame him.'
'You were ready enough to receive it, perhaps.'
'Well, I was.He has loved me well, and I shall never see him again.He is very dear to me, and I was parting from him for ever.It was the first and the last, and I did not grudge it to him.You must remember, Ferdinand, that you are taking me across the world from all my friends.'
'Psha,' he said, 'that is all over.You are not going anywhere that I know of,--unless it be out onto the streets when your father shuts his door on you.' And so saying he left the room without another word.
