He was going! Oh, heaven! she would never, never see him more! A cold
horror seized upon Beatrice, her blood seemed to stagnate. She trembled
so much that she could scarcely stand. Leaning forward, she looked
after him, with such a face of woe that even the policeman, who had
repented him of his forbearance, and was returning to send her away,
stood astonished. The two men had gone about ten yards, when something
induced Beatrice’s friend to look back. His eye fell upon the white,
agony-stricken face, now in the full glare of the gas lamp.
Beatrice saw him turn, and understood her danger. “Oh, good-bye,
Geoffrey!” she murmured, for a second allowing her heart to go forth
towards him. Then realising what she had done, she dropped her veil,
and went swiftly. The gentleman called “Tom”—she never learnt his
name—stood for a moment dumbfounded, and at that instant Geoffrey
staggered, as though he had been struck by a shot, turned quite white,
and halted.
“Why,” said his companion, “there is that lady again; we must have
passed quite close to her. She was looking after us, I saw her face in
the gaslight—and I never want to see such another.”
Geoffrey seized him by the arm. “Where is she?” he asked, “and what was
she like?”
“She was there a second ago,” he said, pointing to the pillar, “but
I’ve lost her now—I fancy she went towards the railway station, but I
could not see. Stop, is that she?” and he pointed to a tall person
walking towards the Abbey.
Quickly they moved to intercept her, but the result was not
satisfactory, and they retreated hastily from the object of their
attentions.
Meanwhile Beatrice found herself opposite the entrance to the
Westminster Bridge Station. A hansom was standing there; she got into
it and told the man to drive to Paddington.
Before the pair had retraced their steps she was gone. “She has
vanished again,” said “Tom,” and went on to give a description of her
to Geoffrey. Of her dress he had unfortunately taken little note. It
might be one of Beatrice’s, or it might not. It seemed almost
inconceivable to Geoffrey that she should be masquerading about London,
under the name of Mrs. Everston. And yet—and yet—he could have
sworn—but it was folly!
Suddenly he bade his friend good-night, and took a hansom. “The mystery
thickens,” said the astonished “Tom,” as he watched him drive away. “I
would give a hundred pounds to find out what it all means. Oh! that
woman’s face—it haunts me. It looked like the face of an angel bidding
farewell to Heaven.”
But he never did find out any more about it, though the despairing eyes
of Beatrice, as she bade her mute farewell, still sometimes haunt his
sleep.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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