The Call of the Blood

She was silent for a little while. She looked out over the great view,

now falling into a strange repose. This was the land he had loved, the

land he had belonged to.

"I should like to hear the 'Pastorale' now," she said, presently. "But

Sebastiano--" A new thought seemed to strike her. "I wonder how some

women can bear their sorrows," she said. "Don't you, Emile?"

"What sorrows do you mean?" he asked.

"Such a sorrow as poor Lucrezia has to bear. Maurice always loved me.

Lucrezia knows that Sebastiano loves some one else. I ought to be trying

to comfort Lucrezia. I did try. I did go to pray with her. But that was

before. I can't pray now, because I can't feel sure of almost anything. I

sometimes think that this happened without God's meaning it to happen."

"God!" Artois said, moved by an irresistible impulse. "And the gods, the

old pagan gods?"

"Ah!" she said, understanding. "We called him Mercury. Yes, it is as if

he had gone to them, as if they had recalled their messenger. In the

spring, before I went to Africa, I often used to think of legends, and

put him--my Sicilian--"

She did not go on. Yet her voice had not faltered. There was no

contortion of sorrow in her face. There was a sort of soft calmness about

her almost akin to the calmness of the evening. It was the more

remarkable in her because she was not usually a tranquil woman. Artois

had never known her before in deep grief. But he had known her in joy,

and then she had been rather enthusiastic than serene. Something of her

eager humanity had left her now. She made upon him a strange impression,

almost as of some one he had never previously had any intercourse with.

And yet she was being wonderfully natural with him, as natural as if she

were alone.

"What are you going to do, my friend?" he said, after a long silence.

"Nothing. I have no wish to do anything. I shall just wait--for our

child."

"But where will you wait? You cannot wait here. The heat would weaken

you. In your condition it would be dangerous."

"He spoke of going. It hurt me for a moment, I remember. I had a wish to

stay here forever then. It seemed to me that this little bit of earth and

rock was the happiest place in all the world. Yes, I will go, Emile, but

I shall come back. I shall bring our child here."