الفصل الفصل 26 · FACE TO FACE

. FACE TO FACE

Mimi was greatly distressed when she saw her cousin lying prone. She had

a few times in her life seen Lilla on the verge of fainting, but never

senseless; and now she was frightened. She threw herself on her knees

beside Lilla, and tried, by rubbing her hands and other measures commonly

known, to restore her. But all her efforts were unavailing. Lilla still

lay white and senseless. In fact, each moment she looked worse; her

breast, that had been heaving with the stress, became still, and the

pallor of her face grew like marble.

At these succeeding changes Mimi's fright grew, till it altogether

mastered her. She succeeded in controlling herself only to the extent

that she did not scream.

Lady Arabella had followed Caswall, when he had recovered sufficiently to

get up and walk--though stumblingly--in the direction of Castra Regis.

When Mimi was quite alone with Lilla and the need for effort had ceased,

she felt weak and trembled. In her own mind, she attributed it to a

sudden change in the weather--it was momentarily becoming apparent that a

storm was coming on.

She raised Lilla's head and laid it on her warm young breast, but all in

vain. The cold of the white features thrilled through her, and she

utterly collapsed when it was borne in on her that Lilla had passed away.

The dusk gradually deepened and the shades of evening closed in, but Mimi

did not seem to notice or to care. She sat on the floor with her arms

round the body of the girl whom she loved. Darker and blacker grew the

sky as the coming storm and the closing night joined forces. Still she

sat on--alone--tearless--unable to think. Mimi did not know how long she

sat there. Though it seemed to her that ages had passed, it could not

have been more than half-an-hour. She suddenly came to herself, and was

surprised to find that her grandfather had not returned. For a while she

lay quiet, thinking of the immediate past. Lilla's hand was still in

hers, and to her surprise it was still warm. Somehow this helped her

consciousness, and without any special act of will she stood up. She lit

a lamp and looked at her cousin. There was no doubt that Lilla was dead;

but when the lamp-light fell on her eyes, they seemed to look at Mimi

with intent--with meaning. In this state of dark isolation a new

resolution came to her, and grew and grew until it became a fixed

definite purpose. She would face Caswall and call him to account for his

murder of Lilla--that was what she called it to herself. She would also

take steps--she knew not what or how--to avenge the part taken by Lady

Arabella.

In this frame of mind she lit all the lamps in the room, got water and

linen from her room, and set about the decent ordering of Lilla's body.

This took some time; but when it was finished, she put on her hat and

cloak, put out the lights, and set out quietly for Castra Regis.

As Mimi drew near the Castle, she saw no lights except those in and

around the tower room. The lights showed her that Mr. Caswall was there,

so she entered by the hall door, which as usual was open, and felt her

way in the darkness up the staircase to the lobby of the room. The door

was ajar, and the light from within showed brilliantly through the

opening. She saw Edgar Caswall walking restlessly to and fro in the

room, with his hands clasped behind his back. She opened the door

without knocking, and walked right into the room. As she entered, he

ceased walking, and stared at her in surprise. She made no remark, no

comment, but continued the fixed look which he had seen on her entrance.

For a time silence reigned, and the two stood looking fixedly at each

other. Mimi was the first to speak.

"You murderer! Lilla is dead!"

"Dead! Good God! When did she die?"

"She died this afternoon, just after you left her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes--and so are you--or you ought to be. You killed her!"

"I killed her! Be careful what you say!"

"As God sees us, it is true; and you know it. You came to Mercy Farm on

purpose to break her--if you could. And the accomplice of your guilt,

Lady Arabella March, came for the same purpose."

"Be careful, woman," he said hotly. "Do not use such names in that way,

or you shall suffer for it."

"I am suffering for it--have suffered for it--shall suffer for it. Not

for speaking the truth as I have done, but because you two, with devilish

malignity, did my darling to death. It is you and your accomplice who

have to dread punishment, not I."

"Take care!" he said again.

"Oh, I am not afraid of you or your accomplice," she answered spiritedly.

"I am content to stand by every word I have said, every act I have done.

Moreover, I believe in God's justice. I fear not the grinding of His

mills; if necessary I shall set the wheels in motion myself. But you

don't care for God, or believe in Him. Your god is your great kite,

which cows the birds of a whole district. But be sure that His hand,

when it rises, always falls at the appointed time. It may be that your

name is being called even at this very moment at the Great Assize. Repent

while there is still time. Happy you, if you may be allowed to enter

those mighty halls in the company of the pure-souled angel whose voice

has only to whisper one word of justice, and you disappear for ever into

everlasting torment."

The sudden death of Lilla caused consternation among Mimi's friends and

well-wishers. Such a tragedy was totally unexpected, as Adam and Sir

Nathaniel had been expecting the White Worm's vengeance to fall upon

themselves.

Adam, leaving his wife free to follow her own desires with regard to

Lilla and her grandfather, busied himself with filling the well-hole with

the fine sand prepared for the purpose, taking care to have lowered at

stated intervals quantities of the store of dynamite, so as to be ready

for the final explosion. He had under his immediate supervision a corps

of workmen, and was assisted by Sir Nathaniel, who had come over for the

purpose, and all were now staying at Lesser Hill.

Mr. Salton, too, showed much interest in the job, and was constantly

coming in and out, nothing escaping his observation.

Since her marriage to Adam and their coming to stay at Doom Tower, Mimi

had been fettered by fear of the horrible monster at Diana's Grove. But

now she dreaded it no longer. She accepted the fact of its assuming at

will the form of Lady Arabella. She had still to tax and upbraid her for

her part in the unhappiness which had been wrought on Lilla, and for her

share in causing her death.

One evening, when Mimi entered her own room, she went to the window and

threw an eager look round the whole circle of sight. A single glance

satisfied her that the White Worm in _propria persona_ was not visible.

So she sat down in the window-seat and enjoyed the pleasure of a full

view, from which she had been so long cut off. The maid who waited on

her had told her that Mr. Salton had not yet returned home, so she felt

free to enjoy the luxury of peace and quiet.

As she looked out of the window, she saw something thin and white move

along the avenue. She thought she recognised the figure of Lady

Arabella, and instinctively drew back behind the curtain. When she had

ascertained, by peeping out several times, that the lady had not seen

her, she watched more carefully, all her instinctive hatred flooding back

at the sight of her. Lady Arabella was moving swiftly and stealthily,

looking back and around her at intervals, as if she feared to be

followed. This gave Mimi an idea that she was up to no good, so she

determined to seize the occasion for watching her in more detail.

Hastily putting on a dark cloak and hat, she ran downstairs and out into

the avenue. Lady Arabella had moved, but the sheen of her white dress

was still to be seen among the young oaks around the gateway. Keeping in

shadow, Mimi followed, taking care not to come so close as to awake the

other's suspicion, and watched her quarry pass along the road in the

direction of Castra Regis.

She followed on steadily through the gloom of the trees, depending on the

glint of the white dress to keep her right. The wood began to thicken,

and presently, when the road widened and the trees grew farther back, she

lost sight of any indication of her whereabouts. Under the present

conditions it was impossible for her to do any more, so, after waiting

for a while, still hidden in the shadow to see if she could catch another

glimpse of the white frock, she determined to go on slowly towards Castra

Regis, and trust to the chapter of accidents to pick up the trail again.

She went on slowly, taking advantage of every obstacle and shadow to keep

herself concealed.

At last she entered on the grounds of the Castle, at a spot from which

the windows of the turret were dimly visible, without having seen again

any sign of Lady Arabella.

Meanwhile, during most of the time that Mimi Salton had been moving

warily along in the gloom, she was in reality being followed by Lady

Arabella, who had caught sight of her leaving the house and had never

again lost touch with her. It was a case of the hunter being hunted. For

a time Mimi's many turnings, with the natural obstacles that were

perpetually intervening, caused Lady Arabella some trouble; but when she

was close to Castra Regis, there was no more possibility of concealment,

and the strange double following went swiftly on.

When she saw Mimi close to the hall door of Castra Regis and ascending

the steps, she followed. When Mimi entered the dark hall and felt her

way up the staircase, still, as she believed, following Lady Arabella,

the latter kept on her way. When they reached the lobby of the turret-

rooms, Mimi believed that the object of her search was ahead of her.

Edgar Caswall sat in the gloom of the great room, occasionally stirred to

curiosity when the drifting clouds allowed a little light to fall from

the storm-swept sky. But nothing really interested him now. Since he

had heard of Lilla's death, the gloom of his remorse, emphasised by

Mimi's upbraiding, had made more hopeless his cruel, selfish, saturnine

nature. He heard no sound, for his normal faculties seemed benumbed.

Mimi, when she came to the door, which stood ajar, gave a light tap. So

light was it that it did not reach Caswall's ears. Then, taking her

courage in both hands, she boldly pushed the door and entered. As she

did so, her heart sank, for now she was face to face with a difficulty

which had not, in her state of mental perturbation, occurred to her.