steep and deep and sterile, under fields no plough can tame,
dip the cliffs full-fledged with poppies red as love or shame.
—swinburne.
and it was in consequence of monseigneur the archbishop's advice, and of maman's desire that this advice be acted upon, that anon we see master legros, tailor-in-chief to his majesty, the king of france, journeying with his daughter to england.
but this was chiefly, too, because of what daniel pye, the informer, had gone over to paris to say. nothing would take it out of rose marie's head that it was her duty now, if ever, to be loyal to the man who was still her husband in the sight of god. he could repudiate her—if his holiness gave him leave—but two great wrongs could never make one simple right.
she, rose marie, had no dispensation to break the marriage vows of eighteen years ago. she had done no wrong to justify a dissolution of that marriage. her husband was her husband; he was in danger of losing his honour and his life. she could at least give him timely warning.
if she failed in this, her duty, then indeed would she deserve the scorn of the world, the repudiation and the disgrace which pertains to the unfaithful wife.
on a beautiful sunny day early in october, master legros and his daughter first caught sight of the white cliffs of england gleaming beneath the kiss of the radiant sun. rose marie had sat silently, meditatively, in the prow[315] of the boat; she had gazed during the past few hours into that distant horizon whereon trembled a heat-laden mist. the titanic band of gilded atoms had long hidden from her view the shores of that mysterious country wherein he dwelt.
england to her meant the land where michael kestyon lived, and with aching eyes and throbbing heart she watched and watched, waiting for that first view when the mist would part and reveal to her the soil on which his foot was wont to tread. how starved was her heart that even that thought was a solace; the sensation of putting her foot down on the selfsame land whereon he dwelt was almost a consolation.
she gazed at the white cliffs like one anhungered, and as the slowly-moving boat drew nearer to this new land of promise, the sun slowly setting in the west changed with a touch of the fairy wand the white cliffs into gold.
she thought england beautiful both in the long twilight when mysterious veils of grey and mauve soften the outlines of the distant landscape, and in the glory of noon when tiny clouds chase one another across a sky of tender sapphire blue. she loved the early morning when every blade of grass on the crest of the cliffs at dover was adorned by a tiny brilliant diamond, and she loved the midday sun which had drawn the breath of the dew until its soul had passed into delicate golden vapours.
she loved the quaintly-arrayed army of fruit trees in the orchards, the tender green of the lawns, the ruddy tints of early autumn which clothed the hillside with a brilliant mantle of gold. no! she could not believe that in this land of beauty, of peace and of plenty, all men were born traitors, all men were liars and thieves of honour.
some subtle change came over them, no doubt, and their[316] bravery, their loyalty, passed away from them, revealing the devil which had taken possession of their soul. she would persist in thinking that michael, whom she had loved, was a different man to the one who stood before her, accused and self-convicted—more shamed than she whom he had wronged.
thus her thoughts kept her body alert and she scarcely felt the fatigue of that long, lumbering drive on the stage-coach between dover and london. there was so much to see and so much to think on and to plan. the very next day her father should seek out my lord of stowmaries and tell him all that was brewing against him. it was surely more than likely that my lord would be grateful and in his gratitude strive to undo the mischief which his own wantonness had created.
what this would mean to rose marie she had not even dared to ask herself. a strong sense of right and of justice and an overwhelming love for her parents had prompted her to offer herself a willing sacrifice for their happiness. her own poor heart was already so bruised, so battered, almost broken in its agony of sorrow, what mattered a little more humiliation, a few more tears, another pang?
rose marie sighed with regret when in the gloaming the stage-coach finally left behind it the orchards and green pastures of kent and rattled over the cobblestones of the big city. at seven o'clock, with much rattle of chains and billets, many shouts from driver and ostler and much champing of bits, the big vehicle swung through the gates of the yard at savage's bell inn near lud gate. here the tailor and his daughter meant to put up, the hostelry having been warmly recommended to him by several business friends who travelled to and fro from london to paris.
[317] as rose marie climbed down from the top of the coach, it seemed to her that despite the fast-gathering gloom within the enclosed yard, she could recognise the face of master daniel pye among the crowd who were assembled to witness the arrival of the coach.
the face disappeared in the crowd almost as soon as she had recognised it, but the brief vision left her with a great sense of satisfaction that obviously the journey had not been undertaken in vain. the man had taken the trouble to watch and to wait, obviously fearing that his nefarious plans might be frustrated by those whom he had hoped to enlist on his side.
neither rose marie nor good m. legros slept much that night. the fatigue of the journey, the sound of many voices jabbering in a tongue unfamiliar to their ear, chased sleep resolutely away. only toward early morning did father and daughter, each in their respective very uncomfortable beds, fall into troubled slumber.
master legros dreamt of the morrow's meeting with his lordly son-in-law, and rose marie fell asleep wondering in what quarter of the great city dwelt the man whose very image she would wish to blot out of her memory.
