The Project Gutenberg EBook of December Love, by Robert Hichens This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: December Love Author: Robert Hichens Release Date: April 22, 2006 [EBook #6616] Last Updated: September 24, 2016 Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DECEMBER LOVE *** Produced by Dagny; John Bickers; David Widger DECEMBER LOVE By Robert Hichens CONTENTS DECEMBER LOVE PART ONE CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI PART TWO CHAPTER I PART THREE CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI PART FOUR CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV PART FIVE CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI PART SIX CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER IX CHAPTER X CHAPTER XI CHAPTER XII CHAPTER XIII CHAPTER XIV CHAPTER XV CHAPTER XVI CHAPTER XVII CHAPTER XVIII DECEMBER LOVE By Robert Hichens PART ONE CHAPTER I Alick Craven, who was something in the Foreign Office, had been living in London, except for an interval of military service during the war, for several years, and had plenty of interesting friends and acquaintances, when one autumn day, in a club, Francis Braybrooke, who knew everybody, sat down beside him and began, as his way was, talking of people Braybrooke talked well and was an exceedingly agreeable man, but he seldom discussed ideas His main interest lay in the doings of the human race, the “human animal,” to use a favorite phrase of his, in what the human race was “up to.” People were his delight He could not live away from the centre of their activities He was never tired of meeting new faces, and would go to endless trouble to bring an interesting personality within the circle of his acquaintance Craven’s comparative indifference about society, his laziness in social matters, was a perpetual cause of surprise to Braybrooke, who nevertheless was always ready to do Craven a good turn, whether he wanted it done to him or not Indeed, Craven was indebted to his kind old friend for various introductions which had led to pleasant times, and for these he was quite grateful Braybrooke was much older than most people, though he seldom looked it, and decades older than Craven, and he had a genial way of taking those younger than himself in charge, always with a view to their social advancement He was a very ancient hand at the social game; he loved to play it; and he wanted as many as possible to join in, provided, of course, that they were “suitable” for such a purpose Perhaps he slightly resembled “the world’s governess,” as a witty woman had once called him But he was really a capital fellow and a mine of worldly wisdom On the occasion in question, after chatting for about an hour, he happened to mention Lady Sellingworth—“Adela Sellingworth,” as he called her Craven did not know her, and said so in the simplest way “I don’t know Lady Sellingworth.” Braybrooke sat for a moment in silence looking at Craven over his carefully trimmed grey and brown beard “How very strange!” he said at last “Why is it strange?” “All these years in London and not know Adela Sellingworth!” “I know about her, of course I know she was a famous beauty when King Edward was Prince of Wales, and was tremendously prominent in society after he came to the throne But I have never seen her about since I have been settled in London To tell the honest truth, I thought Lady Sellingworth was what is called a back number.” “Adela Sellingworth a back number!” Braybrooke bristled gently and caught his beard-point with his broad-fingered right hand His small, observant hazel eyes rebuked Craven mildly, and he slightly shook his head, covered with thick, crinkly and carefully brushed hair “Well—but,” Craven protested “But surely she long ago retired from the fray! Isn’t she over sixty?” “She is about sixty But that is nothing nowadays.” “No doubt she had a terrific career.” “Terrific! What do you mean exactly by terrific?” “Why, that she was what used to be called a professional beauty, a social ruler, immensely distinguished and smart and all that sort of thing But I understood that she suddenly gave it all up I remember someone telling me that she abdicated, and that those who knew her best were most surprised about it.” “A woman told you that, no doubt.” “Yes, I think it was a woman.” “Anything else?” “If I remember rightly, she said that Lady Sellingworth was the very last woman one had expected to do such a thing, that she was one of the old guard, whose motto is ‘never give up,’ that she went on expecting, and tacitly demanding, the love and admiration which most men only give with sincerity to young women long after she was no more young and had begun to lose her looks Perhaps it was all lies.” “No, no There is something in it.” He looked meditative “It certainly was a sudden business,” he presently added “I have often thought so It came about after her return from Paris some ten years ago—that time when her jewels were stolen.” “Were they?” said Craven “Were they!” Braybrooke’s tone just then really did rather suggest the world’s governess despite all she had done, all the years she had lived through, there was something youthful in her still Perhaps it was that which persistently held out hands to youth! The thought struck him and the tenderness was lessened in his eyes “Seymour, you are hiding something from me,” she said “Adela, give me a little time! I am going to tell you my news.” “Yes, yes, please do!” “I want my tea,” he said, with a smile “Oh, I beg your pardon!” “How young you are!” he said “Young! How can you say such a thing?” “Now really, Adela! As if I could ever be sarcastic with you!” “That remark could only be sarcastic.” He sipped his tea “No; you will always have youth in you It is undying It makes half your charm, my dear And perhaps—” “Yes?” “Well, perhaps it has caused most of the trouble in your life.” She looked down “Our best gifts have their—what shall I say—their shady side, I suppose And we seem to have to pay very often for what are thought of as gifts But now I must tell you.” “Yes.” And then he began to relate to her, swiftly although he was old, the events of his mission She listened, and while she listened she sat very still She had looked up Her eyes were fixed upon him Presently he reached the point in his narrative where Arabian walked into Dick Garstin’s studio Then she moved She seemed suddenly seized with an uncontrollable restlessness He went on without looking at her, but he heard her movements, the rustle of her gown, the touch of her hand on a sofa cushion, on the tea-table, the chink of moved china, touching other china And two or three times he heard the faint sound of her breathing He knew she was suffering intensely, and he believed it was because of the haunting, inexorable remembrance of the enticement that abominable fellow, Arabian, had had for her But he had to go on And he went on till he came to the scene in the flat at Rose Tree Gardens “You—you went to his room!” she then said, interrupting him “Yes.” He heard her sigh But she said nothing more He told what had happened in the flat, but not fully He said nothing of Arabian’s mention of her name, but he did tell her that he himself had spoken of her, had said that he was a friend of hers And finally he told her how, carried away by indignation, he had spoken of his and Miss Van Tuyn’s knowledge that Arabian had stolen her jewels “I didn’t mean to tell him that,” he added “But—well, it came out I—I hope you forgive me?” He did not wait for her answer, but told her of his abrupt departure from the flat, and of his subsequent visit to Miss Van Tuyn, of what he had learnt at the hotel, and of what he had done there “The police!” she said, as if startled “But if—if there should be a scandal! Oh, Seymour, that would be too horrible! I couldn’t bear that! He might—it might come out! And my name—” She got up from the sofa Her face looked drawn with an anxiety that was like agony He got up too “It was only a threat But in any case it will be all right, Adela.” “But we don’t know what he may do!” she said, with desperation “Wait till you know what he has done.” “What has he done?” And then he told her of the outrage in the studio When he was silent she made a slight swaying movement and took hold of the mantelpiece He saw by her face that she had grasped at once what Arabian’s action implied Flight! “You see—he’s done with We’ve done with the fellow!” he said at last as she did not speak “Yes.” Her face, when not interfered with, was always pale But now it looked horribly, unnaturally white Relief, he believed, had shaken her in the very soul “Adela, did you think your good deed was going to recoil on you?” he said “Did you really think it was going to bring punishment on you? I don’t believe things go like that even in this distracted, inexplicable old world.” “Don’t they? Mightn’t they?” “Surely not You have saved that girl You have paid back that scoundrel And you have nothing to fear.” “Why did you look at me like that when you came into the room?” “But you are—” “No You haven’t told me something Tell me!” “Be happy in the good result of your self-sacrifice, Adela.” “I want you to tell me There is something I know there is.” “Yes But it only concerns me.” “Seymour, I don’t believe that!” He was silent, looking at her with the old dog’s eyes But now there was something else in them besides faithfulness “Well, Adela,” he said at last, “I believe very much in absolute sincerity between real friends But I suppose friendship must be very real indeed to stand absolute sincerity Don’t you think so?” “Yes, I do But our friendship is as real as any friendship can be, I think.” “Yes, but on my side it is mixed up, it has always been mixed up, with something else.” “Yes, I know,” she said in a low voice “And besides I’m afraid, if I speak quite frankly, I shall hurt you, my dear!” “Then—hurt me, Seymour!” “Shall I? Can I do that?” “Be frank with me I have been very frank with you I have told you.” “Yes, indeed You have been nobly, gloriously frank Well, then—that horrible fellow did say something which I haven’t told you, something that, I confess it, has upset me.” “What was it?” she said, still in the low voice, and bending her small head a little like one expecting punishment “He alluded to a friend of yours He mentioned that nice boy I met here, young Craven?” “Yes?” “I really can’t get what he said over my lips, Adela.” “I know what he said You needn’t tell me.” The were both silent for a minute Then she came close to him “Seymour, perhaps you want to ask me a question about Mr Craven But— don’t! You needn’t I have done, absolutely done, with all that side of my life which you hate A part of my nature has persecuted me It has often led me into follies and worse, as you know But I have done with it Indeed, indeed I can answer for myself I wouldn’t dare to speak like this to you, the soul of sincerity, if I couldn’t But I’ll prove it to you Seymour, you know what I am I dare say you have always known But the other night I told you myself.” “Yes.” “If I hadn’t I shouldn’t dare now to ask you what I am going to ask you Is it possible that you still love me enough to care to be more than the friend you have always been to me?” “Do you mean—” He paused “Yes,” she said “I ask nothing more of life than that, Adela.” “Nor do I, dear Seymour.” CHAPTER XVII That evening Miss Van Tuyn learnt through the telephone from Lady Sellingworth what had happened in Dick Garstin’s studio during the previous night On the following morning at breakfast time she learnt from Sir Seymour that the flat in Rose Tree Gardens had been abruptly deserted by its tenant, who had left very early the day before She was free from persecution, and, of course, she realized her freedom; but, so strange are human impulses, she was at first unable to be happy in her knowledge that the burden of fear had been lifted from her The misfortune which had fallen on Dick Garstin obsessed her mind Her egoism was drowned in her passionate anger at what Arabian had done She went early to the studio and found Garstin there alone “Hulloh, Beryl, my girl!” he said, in his usual offhand manner “Come round to see the remains?” “Oh, Dick!” she exclaimed, grasping his hand “Oh, I’m so grieved, so horrified! What an awful thing to happen to you! And it’s all my fault! Where— what have you done with—” “What’s left do you mean? Go and see for yourself.” She hurried upstairs to the studio When he followed he found her standing before the mutilated picture, which was still in its place, with tears rolling down her flushed cheeks “Good God! Beryl! What’s up? What are you whimpering about?” “How you must hate me!” she said, in a broken voice “How you must hate me!” “Rubbish! What for?” “This has all happened because of me If it hadn’t been for me you would never have painted him.” “I painted the fellow to please myself.” “But I asked you to get him to come here.” “What you ask, or don’t ask, doesn’t bother me.” She gazed at him through her tears as if in surprise “Dick, I never thought you could be like this,” she said “Like what? What’s all the fuss about?” he exclaimed irritably “I always thought you were really a brute.” “That showed your sound judgment.” “How can you take it like this? Your masterpiece—ruined! For you’ll never do anything like it again.” “That’s probably gospel truth My girl, you are standing in front of my epitaph on the Cafe Royal There it is Look well at it! I’ve buried my past, and I’m going to start again And who do you think is to be my next victim?” “Who?” “You’ll never guess—a gentleman!” “A gentleman? What do you mean, Dick? The word has gone out.” “But not the thing, thank God, so long as Sir Seymour Portman keeps about on his dear old pins.” “You are going to paint Sir Seymour?” “I am! Think I can do him?” She looked at him for a moment, and her violet eyes searched him as if to see whether he were worthy Then she said soberly: “Yes, Dick.” “Then let’s turn the damned epitaph with its hole to the wall!” And he lifted what remained of Arabian’s portrait from the easel and threw it into a dark corner of the studio CHAPTER XVIII One evening, some ten days later, before any rumour of Lady Sellingworth’s new decision had gone about in the world of London, before even Braybrooke knew, on coming home from the Foreign Office Craven found a note lying on the table in the tiny hall of his flat He picked it up and saw Miss Van Tuyn’s handwriting He had not seen either her or Lady Sellingworth since the evening when they had met in the Bella Napoli Both women had come into his life together And it seemed to him that both had gone out of it together His acquaintance, or friendship, with them had been a short episode in his pilgrimage, and apparently the episode was definitely over But now—here was a letter from the beautiful girl! He took it up, carried it into his sitting-room, and tore open the envelope “CLARIDGE’S “Thursday “MY DEAR MR CRAVEN,—I am going back to Paris almost directly and should very much like to see you if possible to say good-bye Have you a few minutes to spare any time? If so, do come round to the hotel and let us have a last little talk.—Yours sincerely, “BERYL VAN TUYN.” When he had read this brief note Craven was struck, as he had been struck when he had read Lady Sellingworth’s letter to him, by a certain finality in the wording Good-bye—a last little talk! Miss Van Tuyn might have put “au revoir,” might have omitted the word “last.” He looked at the clock It was not very late—only half-past five He decided to go at once to the hotel And he went Miss Van Tuyn was at home He went up in the lift and was shown into her sitting-room He waited there for a few minutes Then the door opened and she came in smiling “How good of you to come so soon! I hardly expected you.” “But—why not?” he said, as he took her hand She glanced at him inquiringly, he thought, then said: “Oh, I don’t know! You’re a busy man, and have lots of engagements Let us sit by the fire.” “Yes.” They sat down, and there was a moment of silence For once Miss Van Tuyn seemed slightly embarrassed—not quite at her ease Craven did not help her He still remembered the encounter in Glebe Place with a feeling of anger He still felt that he moved in a certain darkness, that both Lady Sellingworth and Miss Van Tuyn had been unkind to him, had treated him if not badly, at any rate in a way that was unfriendly, and, to him, inexplicable He did not want to seem hurt, but, on the other hand, he did not feel that it was incumbent upon him to rush forward with gracious eagerness, or to show any keen desire for the old, intimate relations So he just sat there trying not to look stiff, but not making any effort to look charming and sympathetic “Have you seen Adela lately?” Miss Van Tuyn said at last, breaking the silence “No,” he said “Not since the night when we met in the Bella Napoli.” “Oh, that’s too bad!” “Why too bad?” “I thought you were such friends!” “Scarcely that, I think,” replied Craven, in his most definitely English manner “I like Lady Sellingworth very much, but she has swarms of friends, and I can’t expect her to bother very much about me.” “But I don’t think she has swarms of friends.” “Perhaps nobody does Still, she knows a tremendous number of people.” “I am sure she likes you,” said Miss Van Tuyn “Do go and see her sometimes I think—I think she would appreciate it.” “No doubt I shall see her again Why not?” “Don’t you like her anymore?” “Of course I do.” Suddenly she leaned forward, almost impulsively, and said: “You remember I had a sort of cult for Adela?” “Did you?” “But you know I had! Well, I only want to tell you that it isn’t a cult now I have got to know Adela better, to know her really I used to admire her as a great lady Now I love her as a splendid woman She’s rare That is the word for her Once—not long ago—I was talking to a man who knows what people are And he summed Adela up in a phrase He said she was a thoroughbred We young ones—modern, I suppose we are—we can learn something from her I have learnt something Isn’t that an admission? For the young generation to acknowledge that it has something to learn from—from what are sometimes called the ‘has beens’!” Craven looked at her and noticed with surprise that her violet eyes were clouded for a moment, as if some moisture had found its way into them Perhaps she saw that look of his For she laughed, changed the conversation, and from that moment talked in her usual lively way about less intimate topics But when Craven presently got up to go she returned for a moment to her former more serious mood As he took her hand to say good-bye she said: “Perhaps we shall meet again—perhaps not I don’t know when I shall be back in London I’m soon going over to America with Fanny But don’t think too badly of me.” “I? How could I think badly of you?” “Oh, yes—you might! There are things I can’t explain which may easily have given you a nasty impression of me If I could explain them perhaps you would remember me more pleasantly Anyhow, I shall always think of you as one of my friends Good-bye.” And then she moved away, and he went to the door But just as he was going he turned round and said: “Au revoir!” She made a little kind gesture with her left hand, but she said nothing At that moment she was thinking of Adela End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of December Love, by Robert Hichens *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DECEMBER LOVE *** ***** This file should be named 6616-h.htm or 6616-h.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/6/6/1/6616/ Produced by Dagny; John Bickers; David Widger Updated editions will replace the previous one the old editions will be renamed Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the 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Title: December Love Author: Robert Hichens Release Date: April 22, 2006 [EBook #6616] Last Updated: September 24, 2016 Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DECEMBER LOVE ***... *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DECEMBER LOVE *** Produced by Dagny; John Bickers; David Widger DECEMBER LOVE By Robert Hichens CONTENTS DECEMBER LOVE PART ONE CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI...The Project Gutenberg EBook of December Love, by Robert Hichens This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever