The Malefactor
Page 35
THE AWAKENING
Wingrave had risen to his feet. He was perfectly calm, but there was alook on his face which Juliet had never seen there before. Instinctivelyshe drew a little away, and Aynesworth took his place between them.
"Are you mad, Aynesworth?" Wingrave asked coolly.
"Not now," Aynesworth answered. "I have been mad to stay with you forfour years, to look on, however passively, at all the evil you havedone. I've had enough of it now, and of you! I came here to tell youso."
"A letter," Wingrave answered, "would have been equally efficacious.However, since you have told me--"
"I'll go when I'm ready," Aynesworth answered, "and I've more to say.When I first entered your service and you told me what your outlook uponlife was, I never dreamed but that the years would make a man of youagain, I never believed that you could be such a brute as to carry outyour threats. I saw you do your best to corrupt a poor, silly littlewoman, who only escaped ruin by a miracle; I saw you deal out what mighthave been irretrievable disaster to a young man just starting in life.Since your return to London, you have done as little good, and as muchharm, with your millions as any man could."
Wingrave was beginning to look bored.
"This is getting," he remarked, "a little like melodrama. I have noobjection to being abused, even in my own garden, but there are limitsto my patience. Come to the point, if you have one."
"Willingly," Aynesworth answered. "I want you to understand this. I havenever tried to interfere in any of your malicious schemes, although Iam ashamed to think I have watched them without protest. But this oneis different. If you have harmed, if you should ever dare to harm thischild, as sure as there is a God above us, I will kill you!"
"What is she to you?" Wingrave asked calmly.
"She--I love her," Aynesworth answered. "I mean her to be my wife."
"And she?"
"She looks upon me as her greatest friend, her natural protector, andprotect her I will--even against you."
Wingrave shrugged his shoulders.
"It seems to me," he said, "that the young lady is very well off as sheis. She has lived in my house, and been taken care of by my servants.She has been relieved of all the material cares of life, and she hasbeen her own mistress. I scarcely see how you, my young friend, could dobetter for her."
Aynesworth moved a step nearer to him. The veins on his forehead wereswollen. His voice was hoarse with passion.
"Why have you done this for her?" he demanded, "secretly, too, you aman to whom a good action is a matter for a sneer, who have deliberatelyproclaimed yourself an evil-doer by choice and destiny? Why have youconstituted yourself her guardian? Not from kindness for you don't knowwhat it is; not from good nature for you haven't any. Why, then?"
Wingrave shrugged his shoulders.
"I admit," he remarked coolly, "that it does seem rather a problem; weall do unaccountable things at times, though."
"For your own sake," Aynesworth said fiercely, "I trust that this isone of the unaccountable things. For the rest, you shall have no otherchance. I shall take her to Truro tonight."
"Are you sure that she will go?"
"I shall tell her the truth."
"And if she does not believe you?"
"She will! If you interfere, I shall take her by force."
"I interfere!" Wingrave remarked. "You need not be afraid of that. Theaffair as it stands is far too interesting. Call her, and make yourappeal."
"I shall tell her the truth," Aynesworth declared.
"By all means! I shall remain and listen to my indictment. Quite a novelsensation! Call the young lady, by all means, and don't spare me."
Aynesworth moved a few steps up the path. He called to her softly, andshe came through the little iron gates from the rose gardens. Shewas very pale, and there was a gleam in her eyes which was like fear.Aynesworth took her by the hand and led her forward.
"You must be brave, dear," he whispered. "I am compelled to say somedisagreeable things. It is for your good. It is because I care for youso much."
She looked towards Wingrave. He was sitting upon the garden seat, andhis face was absolutely expressionless. He spoke to her, and his cold,precise tone betrayed not the slightest sign of any emotion.
"Aynesworth," he remarked, "is going to tell you some interesting factsabout myself. Please listen attentively as afterwards you will be calledupon to make a somewhat important decision."
She looked at him a little wistfully and sighed. There was no traceany longer of her companion of the last few weeks. It was the stern andgloomy stranger of her earlier recollections who sat there with foldedarms.
"Is it really necessary?" she asked.
"Absolutely," Aynesworth answered hurriedly. "It won't take long, butthere are things which you must know."
"Very well," she answered, "I am listening."
Aynesworth inclined his head towards the place where Wingrave sat.
"I will admit," he said, "that the man there, whom I have served for thelast four years and more, never deceived me as to his real character andintentions. He had been badly treated by a woman, and he told me plainlythat he entered into life again at war with his fellows. Where he couldsee an opportunity of doing evil, he meant to do it; where he couldbring misery and suffering upon anyone with whom he came into contact,he meant to grasp the opportunity. I listened to him, but I neverbelieved. I told myself that it would be interesting to watch his life,and to see the gradual, inevitable humanizing of the man. So I enteredhis service, and have remained in it until today."
He turned more directly towards Juliet. She was listening breathlesslyto every word.
"Juliet," he said, "he has kept his word. I have been by his side, andI speak of the things I know. He has sought no one's friendship who hasnot suffered for it, there is not a man or woman living who owes him theacknowledgment of a single act of kindness. I have seen him deliberatelyscheme to bring about the ruin of a harmless little woman. I have seenhim exact his pound of flesh, even at the cost of ruin, from a boy. Itell you, Juliet, of my own knowledge, that he has neither heart norconscience, and that he glories in the evil that his hand finds to do.Even you must know something of his reputation--have heard something ofhis doings, under the name he is best known by in London--Mr. Wingrave,millionaire."
She started back as though in terror. Then she turned to Wingrave, whosat stonily silent.
"It isn't true," she cried. "You are not--that man?"
He raised his eyes and looked at her. It seemed to her that there wassomething almost satanic in the smile which alone disturbed the serenityof his face.
"Certainly I am," he answered; "when I returned from America, itsuited me to change my identity. You must not doubt anything thatMr. Aynesworth says. I can assure you that he is a most truthful andconscientious young man. I shall be able to give him a testimonial witha perfectly clear conscience."
Juliet shuddered as she turned away. All the joy of life seemed to havegone from her face.
"You are Mr. Wingrave--the Mr. Wingrave. Oh! I can't believe it," shebroke off suddenly. "No one could have been so kind, so generous, as youhave been to me."
She looked from one to the other of the two men. Both were silent, butwhereas Aynesworth had turned his head away, Wingrave's position andattitude were unchanged. She moved suddenly over towards him. One handfell almost caressingly upon his shoulder. She looked eagerly into hisface.
"Tell me--that it isn't all true," she begged. "Tell me that yourkindness to me, at least, was real--that you did not mean it to be formy unhappiness afterwards. Please tell me that. I think if you asked me,if you cared to ask me, that I could forgive everything else."
"Every vice, save one," Wingrave murmured, "Nature has lavished upon me.I am a poor liar. It is perfectly true that my object in life hasbeen exactly as Aynesworth has stated it. I may have been more or lesssuccessful--Aynesworth can tell you that, too. As regards yourself--"
"Yes?" she exclaimed.
"
I congratulate you upon your escape," Wingrave said. "Aynesworth isright. Association of any sort with me is for your evil!"
She covered her face with her hands. Even his tone was different.She felt that this man was a stranger, and a stranger to be feared.Aynesworth came over to her side and drew her away.
"I have a cart outside," he said. "I am going to take you to Truro--"
Wingrave heard the gate close after them--he heard the rumble of thecart in the road growing fainter and fainter. He was alone now in thegarden, and the darkness was closing around him. He staggered to hisfeet. His face was back in its old set lines. He was once more at warwith the world.