Jewelry theft -- Fiction; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Love stories; Mystery fiction
“Are you here for long?”
“I do not quite know. That depends.”
His large eyes were fixed upon her as he said this, and she longed to
ask him what intentions he had with regard to her. He had never made
love to her. He had never even been what is sometimes called “foolish”
with her. Not a word to which she could object had ever come from his
lips. By no action had he ever claimed anything from her. And yet she
felt that in some way he was governing her, was imposing his will on
her. Certainly he had once followed her in the street. But on that
occasion he had not known who she was. Now, as he gazed at her, she felt
certain that he had formed some definite project with regard to her, and
meant to carry it out at whatever cost. Garstin said he, Arabian, was in
love with her. Probably he was. But if he was in love with her, why
did he never hint at it when they were alone together except by the
expression in his eyes? She asked herself why she was afraid of him,
and the answer she seemed to get was that his reticence frightened her.
There was something in his continued inaction which alarmed her. It was
a silence of conduct which lay like a weight upon her. She felt it now
as he stared at her.
“What do you want with me?”
That was what she longed, and yet was afraid, to say to him. Did he know
how violently she was attracted by him and how fiercely he sometimes
repelled her? No doubt he did. No doubt he knew that at times she
believed him to be horrible, suspected him of nameless things, of
abominable relationships; no doubt he knew that she was degradingly
jealous of him. When his eyes were thus fixed upon her she felt that he
knew everything that was going on in her with which he had to do. Yet he
never spoke of his knowledge.
His reserve almost terrified her. That was the truth.
The dark man with the light eyes brought in tea on a large silver tray.
She began to drink it hastily.
“You--forgive me for asking--you will not leave London because of this
sad news?” said Arabian.
“Do you mean for America?”
“Yes.”
Miss Van Tuyn had not thought of such a possibility till he alluded
to it. She could not, of course, be at her father’s funeral. That was
impossible. But suddenly it occurred to her that she had no doubt come
into a very large fortune. There might be business to do. She might have
to cross the Atlantic. At the thought of this possibility her sense of
confusion and almost of mental blackness increased, and yet she realized
more vividly than before the death of her father.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. No, thank you. I won’t smoke. I must
go. I ought never to have come after receiving such news.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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