When he stood up to meet her she gave a little gasp, and took a step back.
"Why, you! Ramon! How could you? You shouldn't have come. You know youshouldn't. I didn't mean that {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} I had no idea.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}"
He came forward and took her hand and led her to a settee. Despite all herprotests he could see very plainly that he had scored heavily in his ownfavour. She was flustered with excitement and pleasure. Like all women,she was captivated by sudden, decisive action and loved the surprising andthe dramatic.
They sat side by side, looking at each other, smiling, making unimportantremarks, and then looking at each other again. Ramon felt that she hadchanged. She was as pretty as ever, and never had she stirred him morestrongly. But her appeal seemed more immediate than before; she seemedless remote. The innocence of her wide eyes was a little less noticeableand their flash of recklessness a little more so. It seemed to him thather mouth was larger, which may have been due to the fact that she hadrouged it a little too much. She wore a pink decollete with straps overthe shoulders one of which kept slipping down and had to be pulled upagain.
Ramon was tremulous with a half-acknowledged anticipation, but he heldhimself strongly in hand. He felt that he had an advantage over her--thathe was more at ease and she less so than at any previous meeting--and hemeant to keep it.
But she was rapidly regaining her composure, and took refuge in a ratherformal manner.
"Are you going to be here long?" she enquired in the conventional tone ofmock-interest.
"Just a week or so on business," he explained, determined not to beoutpointed in the game. "I had to come some time this spring, and when Igot your note I thought I would come while you are here."
"But I'll be here the rest of my life probably. This is where I live. Youought to have come when my husband was here. I'd like to have you meethim. As it is, I can't see much of you, of course.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}"
He refused to be put out by this coldness, but tried to strike a moreintimate note.
"Tell me about your marriage," he asked. "Are you really happy?{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} Do youlike it?"
She looked at the floor gravely.
"You shouldn't ask that, of course," she reproved. "Everyone who has justbeen married is very, very happy.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} No, I don't like it a darn bit."
"It's not what you expected, then."
"I don't know what I expected, but from the way people talk about it andwrite about it you would certainly think it was something wonderful--loveand passion and bliss and all that, I mean. I feel that I've either beenlied to or cheated {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} of course," she added with a little side glance athim, "I didn't exactly love my husband.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}" She blushed and looked downagain; then laughed softly and rather joyfully for a lady with a brokenheart.
"If mother could only hear me now!" she observed.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} "She'd faint. I don'tcare.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} That's just the way I feel.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} I don't care! All my life I've beentrained and groomed and prepared for the grand and glorious event ofmarriage. I've been taught it's the most wonderful thing that can happento anyone. That's what all the books say, and all the people I know. Andhere it turns out to be a most uncomfortable bore.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}"
He looked gravely sympathetic.
"Do you think it would have been different with--someone you did love?" heenquired cautiously.
She gave him another quick thrilling glance.
"I don't know," she said.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} "Maybe {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} I felt so different about you."
Their hands met on the settee and they both moved instinctively a littlecloser together.
Suddenly she jerked away from him, looking him in the eyes with her headthrown back and a smile of irony on her lips.
"Aren't we a couple of idiots?" she demanded.
"No!" he declared with fierce emphasis, and throwing an arm about her,pounced on her lips.
Just then a bell boy passed the door. They jerked apart and upright veryself-consciously. Then they looked at each other and laughed. But theireyes quickly became deep and serious again, and their fingers entangled.
She sighed in mock exasperation.
"For Heaven's sake, say something!" she demanded. "We can't sit here andmake eyes at each other all evening. Besides I'm compromising my pricelessreputation. It's after ten o'clock. I've got to go." She rose, and heldout her hand, which he took without saying anything.
"Good night," she said. "I think you were mean to come and camp on me thisway {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} dumb as ever, I see {~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} well, good night."
She went to the door, stopped and looked back, smiled and disappeared.
Ramon went down to the lobby and roamed all over the two floors whichconstituted the public part of the hotel. He looked at everything andsmoked a great many cigarettes, thus restlessly whiling away an hour. Thenhe went to a writing room. He collected some telegrams and letters abouthim and appeared to be very busy. When a bell boy went by, he rappedsharply on the desk with a fifty-cent piece, and as the boy stopped,tossed it to him.
"Get me the key to 207!" he ordered sharply; then turned back to hisimaginary business.
"Yes sir," said the boy. He returned in a few minutes with the key.
Ramon sat for a long moment looking at it, tremulous with a greatanticipation. He was divided between a conviction that she expected himand a fear that she did not.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} His fear proved groundless.
The Blood of the Conquerors Page 37
