A Bottle in the Smoke: A Tale of Anglo-Indian Life

by Janet Milne Rae

  CHAPTER XXXIII.

  Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were welladvanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before theirdeparture, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usualto complete all arrangements. Not realising how late it was, shereckoned that he must have been detained by some important interviewwith a client. As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, herthoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoonand their extraordinary communication. It seemed to take shape in hermind for the first time and she sighed softly.

  "I only wish Mr. Morpeth had been Alfred's father! How differently hewould have brought him up from that silly aunt whose memory hedespises!"

  But the story was so evidently the outcome of malice that it was hardlyworthy of consideration. Perhaps this Leila Baltus had been a formeracquaintance of Alfred's. The thought had occurred to her before, andnow she felt certain of it, and yet it seemed strange in the light ofhis bitter prejudice against the Eurasian community. But evidently thegirl did owe him a grudge, and it was not pleasant to think of; soHester tried to dismiss the incident from her mind.

  She rose from her lounging chair and began to pace up and down theverandah, looking out on the moon-silvered lawn and drinking in thepeace of the midnight landscape. A slight movement of one of the sideblinds of the verandah which had not, like the others, been raised atsunset, now arrested her attention. She drew some steps nearer. Throughone of the chinks of the rattan, which was being gently pushed up, shecaught sight of a pair of eyes. For a moment she stood riveted to thespot with terror, then she turned with the intention of rousing the"maty," whom she knew to be stretched in deep slumber in the verandah atthe back of the house, but a voice whispered through thechinks--"Hester."

  The tone that fell on her ear was not familiar. Was it a ghostlypresence that had crept near her? Those eyes had looked so terrible.They were withdrawn now, and she heard a light footfall on the stepswhich froze her blood within her. Suddenly her husband stood before herin his strange garb and with so wild and distraught a bearing that herterror was hardly lessened.

  "Alfred," she gasped. "What is the matter? Why have you come like this?"

  "Hush, Hester, don't speak so loud. Nobody must hear. Are you quitealone? Nobody about--all the servants gone?" whispered her husband,glancing round furtively.

  "Alfred, what has--How awful you look--and that dress. What hashappened?"

  "Yes, I must look an awful guy! I'm sorry I've scared you! I might atleast have taken off the turban before I showed myself--seeing I'm not anative, anyhow," he added, with a bitter laugh. Then springing forwardhe took hold of his wife's trembling hands and wailed in a piteous tone:"Oh, Hester, you won't desert me? Whatever happens, whatever you mayhear about me. There will be many lies afloat. Hester, I'm in mortaltrouble, everything has tumbled to bits----"

  "Alfred, is it--is it that you've just found out--since you left thismorning--that Mr. Morpeth is your father?" she asked, holding his handsand looking into his eyes.

  "So you've heard that!" he gasped. "It's true what that fiend toldme----"

  "But why trouble about that?" said Hester gently. "I have just beenthinking how good it would be if it were true! I know you have hatedEurasians, but--but if your father is one, surely that prejudice willsnap like a gossamer thread. Think how noble he is--and Mark Cheveriltoo."

  As she spoke that name, a picture, like a benediction, sprang into hertroubled mind--those frank, honest eyes, that chivalrous protectivepresence--what would she not give to have Mark Cheveril with her at thisdifficult juncture to aid her in her persuasions, for she had not yetfathomed the abyss of trouble which seethed about her. "Why, Alfred, aparentage like that will be our pride," she went on, and her tone rangwith conviction.

  Her husband stared at her for an instant with a strange wistfulexpression in his eyes, then he shook his head and pulled his hand fromher grasp.

  "It's a lie," he shrieked. "A vile lie! I wouldn't touch the man withthe tongs! He's not my father. You're on the wrong track altogether,Hester, it's not that. Listen and I'll whisper," he added, turning withterrified eyes to stare at the long shadows thrown by the moonlight fromthe shrubs encircling the gravel sweep. "I'm a hunted man. They're afterme already--the police, I mean! I'm a criminal, Hester! In a mad momentI yielded to a vile temptation. The long and the short of it is thatI've made myself liable to conviction for forgery. I'm ruined."

  Then he narrated incoherently all that had led up to his using theMahomedan's name.

  Hester listened silently with strained eyes and a face of deadly pallor.Indeed she seemed unable to find utterance.

  "Speak, Hester," wailed her husband, when he had told her all. "Don'tstand staring at me like a ghost. I've come to say good-bye, Hester! Icouldn't resist that. Mind, I did it for you--to get money to go to thehills, and now I'll have to flee an outcast and alone!"

  "But how--where?" asked Hester in bewildered tones, as if she was onlybeginning to have a glimmering of the dreadful import of the revelationwhich she had just heard.

  "Well, listen--I might dodge the police if I can get off to-night. I'vegot some hours in front of them still. I can't for the life of me steadymy thoughts to make any plan. Hester, help me!" he wailed feebly. "Ican't, I won't see the inside of an Indian jail!"

  Hester's eyes dilated with horror, but she seemed unable to utter aword.

  "Look here, wife, if I could only get hold of some disguise I might getoff by the early train to Beypore, and go on to Karrachi and ship there.I've got a pal there who will help me, and see me through this scrape ifI could only reach Beypore without being caught. Ah, but I shouldn'thave told you--I should have kept that dark! Never mind now, you're mywife and you can keep a secret. Can't you plan out any make-up thatwould serve my turn--male or female?"

  Hester's mind was already at work. She had so far grasped the desperatesituation. Pain and shame gnawed at her spirit, and the unspoken wailrang in her heart, "Oh, how could he commit such a dreadful crime?" Eventhe query rose in her mind, "Was it right to help him?" If she did not,the issue was certain according to his own showing. When morning dawnedhe would be dragged off to prison. That slender body, those high strungnerves would not stand that even for a day! "O God, help me," shemurmured, looking on the cowering figure of her husband. "The issues arewith Thee, but surely it is for me, his wife, to help him at thisterrible hour--all I can!"

  "Oh, save me, Hester, save me!" implored her husband. "The morning willbe on us, and they'll drag me off as sure as fate."

  "Listen to me, Alfred," began Hester, in a quiet firm voice. "Will youwait here for a moment? I think I have a plan, but I must go up-stairsand see ayah about it. You need not fear her, she'll be quitefaithful----"

  "Anyhow we must risk it," he interrupted, with a ring of hope in hisvoice. "I'll wait, Hester, but be quick, there's not a moment to lose."

  Left alone Mr. Rayner threw himself on one of the lounging chairs, then,feeling faint, he remembered that he had not tasted food for many hours.

  "Shan't whisper that to her, or she'd be insisting on a good squaremeal, and that might cost me dear."

  He made his way to the dining-room and lit one of the candles in thecandelabra which stood on the table. He went to the sideboard and pouredhimself out a glass of brandy and drank it eagerly. The stimulant nervedhim for a little, but he began to grow impatient for his wife's return.

  Meanwhile Hester's brain was at work up-stairs. In a whisper she hadconfided to her ayah that her husband must hurry off at once because hehad done something bad which had been found out.

  "Something veree bad," repeated the ayah, shaking her head. "Poorgentleman, what a pity it is done find out!"

  "When we do wrong it is always found out by God, ayah," replied Hester."His punishment must come unless we repent and make amends. But I feelwe must give him some help. I want to dress my husband in some clothesas u
nlike his own as possible. Where is that saree and jacket you usedto wear in the cold weather. Will you sell it to me, ayah?"

  "Sell, missus? I giving, not selling. I go fetch this veree minute."

  Hester then hurried downstairs quickly, divulging the plan to herhusband.

  "First-rate idea!" he said, springing up from his chair. "You're agenius, Hester!"

  "Come then," she answered, drawing his arm through hers and leading himup-stairs.

  The ayah stood in readiness, holding the required garments.

  "Awfully good of you, ayah," said Mr. Rayner almost lightly. "I'll sendyour saree back again, or better still, your missus will buy you a newone!"

  The red saree was soon deftly arranged by the ayah, but when she drewback to regard her work, she shook her head.

  "Ai, ai, thatt _feringhi_ white face will spoil all!"

  "She's right, Hester," said Rayner, fixing hopeless eyes on his wife.

  Hester silently went to her _almirah_, remembering a little box ofcolouring powders which had been given her by a visitor to the Rectorywhen some charades were on foot, and her brothers had to be hastilytransformed into Red Indians. She had returned the box next morning, buther friend had said, "Keep it, my dear, you may find it useful yet!" Sherecalled the words with a sad smile. Yes, she thought, she would find ituseful now to help the flight of her husband, to whom she had not been ayear married, and to save him, if possible, from being convicted as aforger!

  She set about her work, executing it as skilfully as on that happyevening when she had won golden opinions for her clever imitation of thecolouring of Red Indians. The old ayah forgot her misery, and fairlyclapped her hands when she saw the result. Even Mr. Rayner, when hesurveyed himself in the mirror after having the saree draped round hishead, said with a relieved air:

  "Hester, you're an angel! I declare I'll pass for an old ayah going tovisit my granddaughter. Of course my lovely nut brown hue will soon wearoff but it may last till I reach--ah, I mustn't mention the place,though! But I'm afraid those bare feet, though brown enough, will takebadly to the road, and yet my shoes would give me away."

  "But master must have ring on his toe," cried the ayah, and the kindlyold woman transferred her own ring from her toe to his.

  "You'll need to hurry, Alfred," said Hester. "The dawn is beginning tosteal in."

  When her husband caught sight of her grief-stricken face, the briefcourage which his successful disguise had imparted began to give way.

  "Oh, I can't do it, Hester," he moaned. "I'm not fit to go through withit. I'll rather stay and be caught, like a rat in a trap," and he threwhimself down on a sofa.

  Hester's brave spirit rose with the desperate crisis.

  "You must carry out your plan, Alfred. It's too late to draw backnow--unless it is any sense that it is wrong to go that makes youshrink? You must not let your faint heart get the upper hand," she saidfirmly, almost dragging him from the sofa. "Alfred, I want to saysomething to you," she whispered, as they went downstairs to theverandah. "Will you try to think of what you've done? It's so terrible!Will you cry to God to make you feel the shame and the sin of it all? Itis never too late to seek His forgiveness. Nothing else really mattersbut that in the end," she said softly, and her eyes pleaded more thanher words.

  "You're a saint," murmured her husband, looking into her face with anawed air. "God bless you, my sweet wife! I was never worthy of you. OldWorsley was right there."

  Even in her woe Hester felt surprise at these words. "He's dreaming,"she thought, but the time for words was past. Not one moment longercould she allow him to linger. She urged him to go, but he threw himselfinto a chair.

  "It's you who are sending me away," he groaned. "I never thought itwould end so. I won't be hoofed out by you like this! No, don't lay afinger on me," he cried, pushing her away as she stooped over himcaressingly, as a mother might over a rebellious child. "You'll spoil mymake-up if you touch me and then my only chance of escape will be gone!"After a moment he recovered himself and started up. "Look here, Hester,how could I forget? You must share in my gold--I've got plenty here," hesaid, pulling out one of the bags he had stowed away in the remnants ofEnglish clothing which he had retained beneath the thickly pleated foldsof the red saree. "See, I'll give you half----"

  "Of the money you stole!" cried his wife, with a ring of scorn in hervoice. "Not a penny of it! Come what may, it must all be returned to theMahomedan, whoever he is," she added with decision. The incident seemedto brace her thoughts, though she was conscious that the fact of herhusband offering her a share of his theft emphasised the gulf betweenthem. Something of this seemed to strike him also. He stood staring ather with misery in his eyes.

  "Oh, Hester, what a hideous mess I've brought you into!" he burst forth."But you'll not forsake me, will you? This horrid hunt for me will notlast long. I'll get off scot free, never fear. We may be able to meetsoon and go to England together. I'll send you word. If not together,I'll hurry there, and you'll meet me, won't you, dear?" he asked,clinging to her.

  Hester started back on seeing the growing light of the sky.

  "Alfred, you're forgetting the risk you run by lingering like this. Youmust go as long as it is possible. See, it will be day soon. Oh, do go,I implore you," she cried in terror, thinking she heard sounds in theback verandah, and almost pushing him down the steps. "I cannot let youperish! Go, go, oh, do go!"

  "I fear I can't risk my make-up by an embrace," he said lightly, lookingback as he began to go down the steps. But when he reached the gravel,he darted up again and threw his arms round her trembling figure,kissing her passionately; then he fled, just as the silver dawn waschasing the last shadows of night from the sky.

  Hester stood a silent statuesque figure, watching her husband as hedisappeared along the avenue of casuarina trees. Then her dauntlessspirit gave way and she fell down in a faint.