Page:The Climber (Benson).djvu/272

262 was a new splendour in his wife's face to-night, a radiance that outshone herself. He could not quite catch what she said to Charlie, nor did he hear Charlie's answer, but he, too, was kindled beyond his wont. And then the moment afterwards each of them shot a quick, stealthy glance at him. He scarcely knew that he noticed it; it was only afterwards that he remembered having done so.

The barbarous English custom, or so Lucia called it, of men remaining in the dining-room to drink wine after dinner, did not prevail in her house, and she had but just got into the drawing-room when Charlie strolled up to her. She welcomed him with a smile.

"Well, deserter?" she said.

"But I have come back," he said, "voluntarily. Am I to be punished?"

"Yes," she said, "you are condemned to take a little stroll with me. Will you?"

Then quite suddenly she heard that her own voice was trembling and barely audible. Edgar was standing close, and he looked at her.

"Is it wise to go out?" he said. "Have you not a little hoarseness to-night?"

"Oh, grandmamma, grandmamma!" said she. "Come out, Chubby. I love walking in the dusk. One never quite knows what is going to happen. Something may jump out upon you from the bushes."

As so often before, she took Charlie's arm, and talking and laughing, they went out into the night. Though more often than not, as last night, many of the party strolled out of doors after dinner, it so happened that now nobody followed Lucia and her companion. It had been oppressively hot all day, and with sunset a bank of clouds had begun to rise out of the south, and had spread over the whole sky, so that but little light filtered through. It was just possible to see the grey glimmer of the garden walk and distinguish it from the darker hue of the grass; it was possible, but scarcely more than that, to distinguish the black outline of the trees against the sky. And as they stepped out of the light into the hot thick darkness, it was as if they had stepped into another world altogether, where there was no one but themselves. All thought of Edgar, of Maud, all remembrance of other things faded; all that had any significance was out here in the darkness.