"I suppose you will be glad to see your friend Mr. Demorest when you
go back," she said pleasantly; "for of course he will be at Hymettus
awaiting you."
He turned eagerly, as he always did at the name. But even then he felt
that Demorest was no longer of such importance to him. He felt, too,
that he was not yet quite sure of his voice or even what to say. As he
hesitated she went on half playfully: "It seems hard that you had to
come all the way here on such a bootless errand. You haven't even seen
your wife yet."
The mention of his wife recalled him to himself, oddly enough, when
Demorest's name had failed. But very differently. Out of his whirling
consciousness came the instinctive feeling that he could not see her
now. He turned, crossed the room, sat down on the sofa beside Mrs.
Horncastle, and without, however, looking at her, said, with his eyes on
the floor, "No; and I've been thinking that it's hardly worth while to
disturb her so early to-morrow as I should have to go. So I think it's
a good deal better to let her have a good night's rest, remain here
quietly with you to-morrow until the stage leaves, and that both of you
come over together. My horse is still saddled, and I will be back at
Hymettus before Demorest has gone to bed."
He was obliged to look up at her as he rose. Mrs. Horncastle was sitting
erect, beautiful and dazzling as even he had never seen her before.
For his resolution had suddenly lifted a great weight from her
shoulders,--the dangerous meeting of husband and wife the next morning,
and its results, whatever they might be, had been quietly averted. She
felt, too, a half-frightened joy even in the constrained manner in which
he had imparted his determination. That frankness which even she had
sometimes found so crushing was gone.
"I really think you are quite right," she said, rising also, "and,
besides, you see, it will give me a chance to talk to her as you
wished."
"To talk to her as I wished?" echoed Barker abstractedly.
"Yes, about Van Loo, you know," said Mrs. Horncastle, smiling.
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