Man and Maid

Alathea's face was a study! I watched her lazily. How had I ever thought

her plain? Even in those first days, disguised with the horn spectacles,

and the tornback hair, the contour of her little face is so perfectly

oval, and her neck so round and long, but not too long. There is not the

least look of scragginess about her, just extreme slenderness, a

small-boned creature of perhaps five foot four or five, with childish

outline. To-day in the becoming little grey frock, and even with the

glasses on she is lovely, perhaps she seems so to me because I now know

that the glasses are not necessary. The expression of her mouth said,

"Am I being tricked? Does the man mean to seize me when he gets me

alone? Shall I run away and have done with it?"

She was restless, her old serenity seems to have deserted her.

"I wanted to ask you," I began calmly, "What you would like to do

immediately after the wedding. I mean would you prefer that we went to

Versailles? The passport business makes everything so difficult, or

would you rather go down to the Riviera? Or just stay at the flat?"

"I don't care in the least," she replied ungraciously.

"Then if you don't care, we will stay at the flat, because if I do not

interrupt my treatment I shall be the sooner well to go to England. Have

you engaged a maid?"

"Yes."

"You will give orders that your trunks are sent in in the morning, then,

and that she has everything ready for you."

"Very well."

All this time her face was turned away from me as much as possible. For

one second a fear came to me that after all perhaps it is real hate she

has for me, which will be unsurmountable, and I was impelled to ask her: "Alathea, do you detest the idea of marrying me so much that you would

rather break the whole thing?"

She turned and faced me now, and I feel sure blue fire was coming from

those beautiful eyes, could I have seen them!

"It is not a question of what I would wish or not, nor of my feelings in

any way. I am going through with the ceremony, and shall be your

permanent secretary, because I am under great monetary obligations to

you, and wish for security for my family in the future. You put it to me

that you wanted to buy me, and I could name the price--you have overpaid

it. I shall not go back upon my promise, only I want to feel perfectly

sure that you will expect nothing more of me than what we have

arranged."