De stille kracht. English

by Louis Couperus

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  And, despite their anxiety, the two sought each other all the oftener,feeling themselves now bound by indissoluble bonds. In the afternoonhe would steal to her room; and, despite their anxiety, they lostthemselves in wild embraces and then remained close together.

  "It must be nonsense, Leonie," he whispered.

  "Yes, but then what is it?" she murmured in return. "After all,I heard the moaning and heard the stone whizz through the air."

  "And then?"

  "What?"

  "If it is something ... suppose it is something that we can't explain?"

  "But I don't believe in it!"

  "Nor I.... Only...."

  "What?"

  "If it's something ... if it's something that we can't explain,then...."

  "Then what?"

  "Then ... it's not because of us!" he whispered, almostinaudibly. "Why, Oorip said so herself! It's because of papa!"

  "Oh, but it's too silly!"

  "I don't believe in that nonsense either."

  "The moaning ... of those animals."

  "And that stone ... must have been thrown by some wretched fellow... one of the servants, a beggar who is putting himself forward... or who has been bribed...."

  "Bribed? By whom?"

  "By ... by the regent...."

  "Why, Theo!"

  "Oorip said the moaning came from the palace...."

  "What do you mean?"

  "And that they wanted to torment papa from there...."

  "To torment him?"

  "Because the Regent of Ngadjiwa has been dismissed."

  "Does Oorip say that?"

  "No, I do. Oorip said that the regent had occult powers. That'snonsense, of course. The fellow's a scoundrel. He has bribed people... to worry papa."

  "But papa notices none of it...."

  "No.... We mustn't tell him either.... That's the best thing todo.... We must ignore it."

  "And the white hadji, Theo, whom Doddie saw twice.... And, when theydo table-turning at Van Helderen's, Ida sees him too...."

  "Oh, another tool of the regent's, of course!"

  "Yes, I expect that's true.... But it's wretched all the same,Theo.... Theo darling, I'm so frightened!"

  "Of that nonsense? Come, come!"

  "If it's anything, Theo ... it has nothing to do with us, you say?"

  He laughed:

  "What next? What could it have to do with us? I tell you, it's apractical joke of the regent's."

  "We oughtn't to be together any more."

  "No, no, I love you, I'm mad with love for you!"

  He kissed her fiercely. They were both afraid. But he rallied Leonie:

  "Come, Leonie, don't be so superstitious!"

  "When I was a child, my babu told me...."

  She whispered a story in his ear. He turned pale:

  "Leonie, what rot!"

  "Strange things happen here, in India.... If they bury somethingbelonging to you, a pocket-handkerchief or a lock of hair, they areable--simply by witchcraft--to make you fall ill and pine away anddie ... and not a doctor can tell what the illness is...."

  "That's rubbish!"

  "It's really true!"

  "I didn't know you were so superstitious!"

  "I used never to think of it. I've begun to think of it justlately.... Theo, can there be anything!"

  "There's nothing ... but kissing."

  "No, Theo, don't, be quiet, I'm frightened!... It's quite late. It getsdark so quickly. Papa has finished his sleep, Theo. Go away now, Theo... through the boudoir. I want to take my bath quickly. I'm frightenednowadays when it gets dark. There's no twilight, with the rains. Theevenings come all of a sudden.... The other day, I had not told them tobring a light into the bathroom ... and already it was so dark ... atonly half-past five ... and two bats were flying all over the place: Iwas so afraid that they would catch in my hair.... Hush! Is that papa?"

  "No, it's Doddie: she's playing with her cockatoo."

  "Go now, Theo."

  He went through the boudoir, and wandered into the garden. She got up,flung a kimono over the sarong which she had knotted loosely underher arms and called to Oorip:

  "Bring the bath-things."

  "Yes, mem-sahib."

  "Where are you, Oorip?"

  "Here, mem-sahib."

  "Where were you?"

  "Here, outside the garden-door, mem-sahib.... I was waiting," saidthe girl, meaningly, implying that she was waiting until Theo had gone.

  "Is the excellency sahib up?"

  "Yes ... had his bath, mem-sahib."

  "Then fetch the things for my bath.... Light the little lamp in thebathroom.... Yesterday evening the glass was broken and the lampnot filled...."

  "The mem-sahib never used to have the lamp lit in the bathroom."

  "Oorip ... has anything happened ... this afternoon?"

  "No, everything has been quiet.... But oh, when the night comes!... Allthe servants are frightened, mem-sahib.... Cook says she won'tstay...."

  "Oh, what a fuss!... Oorip, promise her five guilders ... as a present... if she stays...."

  "The butler is frightened too, mem-sahib."

  "Oh, what a fuss!... I've never known such a fuss, Oorip...."

  "No, mem-sahib."

  "I have always been able to arrange matters so well.... But theseare things...!"

  "What can one do, mem-sahib?... Things are stronger than men...."

  "Mightn't it really be wild cats ... and a man throwing stones?"

  "Come, come, mem-sahib!"

  "Well, bring my bath-things.... Don't forget to light the littlelamp...."

  The maid left the room. The dusk began to fall softly through theair, soft as velvet after the rain. The great residency stood stillas death amid the darkness of its giant banyans. And the lampswere not yet lit. In the front-verandah, Van Oudijck, by himself,lay in his pyjamas on a wicker chair, drinking tea. In the garden,the dense shadows were gathering like strips of immaterial velvetfalling heavily from the trees.

  "Lamp-boy!"

  "Yes, mem-sahib."

  "Come, light the lamps! Why do you begin so late? Light the lamp inmy bedroom first...."

  She went to the bathroom. She went past the long row of store-roomsand servants' rooms which shut off the back-garden. She looked up atthe banyan-tree in whose top branches she had heard the little soulsmoaning. The branches did not move, there was not a breath of wind,the air was sultry and oppressive with a threatening storm, with raintoo heavy to fall. In the bathroom, Oorip was lighting the little lamp.

  "Have you brought everything, Oorip?"

  "Yes, mem-sahib."

  "Haven't you forgotten the big bottle with the white toilet-water?"

  "Isn't this it, mem-sahib?"

  "Yes, that's right.... But do give me a fine towel for my face infuture. I'm always telling you to give me a fine towel. I hate thesecoarse ones...."

  "I'll run and fetch one."

  "No, no! Stay here, stay and sit by the door."

  "Yes, mem-sahib."

  "And you must have the keys seen to by a locksmith.... We can't lockthe bathroom-door.... It's too silly, when there are visitors."

  "I'll remember to-morrow."

  "Mind you don't forget."

  She shut the door. The maid squatted down outside the closed door,patient and resigned under the big and little things of life, knowingnothing but loyalty to her mistress, who loaded her with prettysarongs and paid her wages in advance as often as she wanted them.

  In the bathroom the little nickel lamp gleamed faintly over thepale-green marble of the wet floor; over the water brimming in thesquare sunk bath.

  "I'll have my evening bath a little earlier in future," thought Leonie.

  She removed her kimono and sarong; and, standing naked, she glanced inthe mirror at her soft, milk-white contours, the rounded outlines ofan amorous woman. Her fair hair shone like gold; and a pearly lustrespread from her shoulders over her bosom and vanished in t
he shadowof her small, round breasts. She lifted her hair, admiring herself,examining herself for a chance wrinkle, feeling whether her flesh washard and firm. One of her hips arched outwards, as she rested herweight on one leg; and a long white high-light curved caressinglypast her thigh and knee, disappearing at the instep. But she gavea start as she stood thus absorbed in admiration: she had meant tohurry. She quickly tied her hair into a knot, covered herself witha lather of soap and, taking the scoop, poured the water over herbody. It flowed heavily down her in long smooth streams; and hergleaming shoulders, breasts and hips shone like marble in the lightof the little lamp.... Yes, she would bathe earlier in future. Itwas already dark outside.

  She dried herself hurriedly, with a rough towel. She just rubbedherself, briskly, with the white ointment which Oorip always prepared,her magic elixir of youth, suppleness and firm whiteness.... At thatmoment, she saw on her thigh a small red spot. She paid no attention toit, thinking that there must have been something in the water, a tinyleaf, a dead insect. She rubbed it off. But, while rubbing herself, shesaw two or three larger spots, deep scarlet, on her chest. She turnedsuddenly cold, not knowing what it was, not understanding. She rubbedherself down again; and she took the towel, on which the spots had leftsomething slimy, like clotted blood. A shiver ran over her from headto foot. And suddenly she saw. The spots came out of the corners ofthe bathroom--how and where she did not see--first small, then large,as though spat out by a dribbling, betel-chewing mouth. Cold as ice,she gave a scream. The spots, now closer together, became full, likeblobs of purple saliva spat against her. Her body was soiled and filthywith a grimy, dribbling redness. One spot struck her in the eye...."

  The slimy blobs of spittle marked the greenish white of the floor andfloated in the water that had not yet run off. They also fouled thewater in the bath and dissolved in filth. She was all red, stained andunclean, as though defiled by a foul scarlet shame which invisiblebetel-chewing mouths hawked and spat upon her from the corners ofthe room, aiming at her hair, her eyes, her breasts, her flanks. Sheuttered yell upon yell, driven crazy by the strangeness of what washappening. She rushed to the door, tried to open it, but there wassomething amiss with the handle. For the key was not turned in thelock, the bolt was not shot. She felt her back spat upon again andagain; and the red dripped off her. She screamed for Oorip and heardthe girl outside the door, pulling and pushing.

  At last the door yielded. And, desperate, mad, distraught, insane,naked, befouled, she threw herself into her maid's arms. The servantscame running up. She saw Van Oudijck, Theo and Doddie hastening fromthe back-verandah. In her utter madness, with her eyes staring widely,she felt ashamed not of her nudity but of her defilement. The maidhad snatched the kimono, also befouled, from the handle of the doorand threw it round her mistress.

  "Keep away!" Leonie yelled, desperately. "Don't come any nearer!" shescreamed, madly. "Oorip, Oorip, take me to the swimming-bath! A lamp,a lamp ... in the swimming-bath!"

  "What is it, Leonie?"

  She refused to say:

  "I've ... trodden ... on a ... toad!" she screamed. "I'm afraid... of itch!... Don't come any nearer! I've got nothing on!...Keep away! Keep away!... A lamp, a lamp ... a lamp,I tell you ... in the swimming-bath!... No, Otto! Keep away! Keepaway! I'm undressed! Keep away!... Bring a la-amp!"

  The servants scurried past one another. One of them brought a lampto the swimming-bath.

  "Oorip! Oorip!"

  She clutched her maid:

  "They've spat at me ... with betel-juice!... They've spat ... at me... with betel-juice!... They've spat ... at me ... with betel-juice!"

  "Hush, mem-sahib!... Come along ... to the swimming-bath!"

  "Wash me, Oorip!... Oorip, my hair, my eyes!... O God, I can tasteit in my mouth!..."

  She sobbed despairingly; the maid dragged her along.

  "Oorip! First look ... look and see ... if they're spitting ... inthe swimming-bath too!"

  The maid went in, shivering:

  "There's nothing there, mem-sahib."

  "Quick then, Oorip, bathe me, wash me."

  She flung off the kimono; her beautiful body became visible in thelight of the lamp, as though soiled with dirty blood.

  "Oorip, wash me.... No, don't go for soap: water will do!... Don'tleave me alone! Oorip, wash me here, can't you?... Burn thekimono! Oorip!"

  She ducked in the swimming-bath and swam round desperately; the maid,half-undressed, went in after her and washed her.

  "Quick, Oorip! Quick: only the worst places!... I'mfrightened! Presently ... presently they'll be spitting here!... Inthe bedroom next, Oorip!... Call out that there's to be no one in thegarden! I won't put the kimono on again! Quickly, Oorip, call out! Iwant to get away!"

  The maid called across the garden, in Javanese.

  Leonie, all dripping, stepped out of the water and, naked and wet,flew past the servants' rooms, with the maid behind her. Inside thehouse, Van Oudijck, frantic with anxiety, came running towards her.

  "Go away, Otto! Leave me alone! I've ... I've got nothing on!" shescreamed.

  And she rushed into her room and, when Oorip had followed her, lockedall the doors.

  In the garden, the servants crept together, under the sloping roofof the verandah, close to the house. The thunder was muttering softlyand a silent rain was beginning to fall....