Fair Margaret - Page 155/206

He turned deliberately, till he could see neither Margaret nor the

Aphrodite, and he leaned heavily on the table, with bent head, resting

the weight of his body on the palms of his hands, and remaining quite

motionless for some time.

He heard her go towards the door. Without looking round he slowly shook

his head.

'Don't be afraid of me,' he said, in a low voice. 'It's all over, now.

I'll let you out in a moment.' 'Yes.' She waited quietly by the door, which she did not understand how to

open. Presently he moved a little, and his head sank lower between his

shoulders; then he spoke again, but still without turning towards her.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I did not know I could be such a brute. Forgive

me, will you?' As usual, when he was very much in earnest, there was something rudely

abrupt about his speech.

'It was my fault,' Margaret answered from the door. 'I should not have

come.' Even after her escape, something about him still pleased her. The

maiden that had been brought to bay was scarcely safe, before the human

woman began to be drawn to him again by that sympathy of flesh and

blood that had nearly cost her more than life.

But Margaret revolted against it now, as soon as she knew what it was

that made her speak kindly.

'I'm not afraid of you,' she said, almost coldly, 'but I want you to

let me out, please.' He straightened himself and turned slowly to her. The dark red colour

was gone from his cheeks, he was suddenly pale and haggard, and if he

had not been really young, he would have looked old; as it was, his

face was drawn and pinched as if by sharp physical suffering. He drew

two or three quick, deep breaths as he came towards her.

He stood beside her a moment, and then without a word, he unfastened

the door. It swung inwards and stood open. Margaret saw that it was

thickly padded to prevent any sound from passing, and that there was

another padded door beyond it which she had not noticed when she had

entered. He understood her look of doubt.

'That one is open now,' he said. 'It locks and unlocks itself as I shut

or open the inner door.' He was willing to let her see how completely she had been cut off from

the outer world; and she realised the truth and shuddered.

'Good-bye,' she said, abruptly, as if he were not to go downstairs with

her, and she made a step to pass him.