MANICHAEAN
02-05-2015, 05:28 AM
Clouded Judgement.
"Won't you come in?" he said, pausing to open the door for them. "The Countess will be very pleased to see you."
As he said this he glanced sharply at the two men with an Englishman's innate distrust of foreigners. He saw little in them however to criticise, and nothing to dislike. They on their side found him a tall Englishman of the typical standard—blue eyes, ruddy cheeks, and close cropped hair, not over dressed, and carrying with him an air of latent strength that, in spite of his good-humoured expression, would have made most people chary of offending him. When the two men entered the cabin, he closed the door behind them and ran lightly up the ladder to the bridge. Naples Bay was before him.
The Countess lay on the sofa viewing the two visitors with light grey eyes that expressed neither recognition, nor approval.
"Is it safe for me to tell you here?" the taller and younger of the two men enquired, and as he said it he looked anxiously about him, as if he feared the presence of eavesdroppers.
"As safe as it will be anywhere," the lady answered. "It is an Englishman's yacht, and, whatever we may say of them, they are not in the habit of listening at keyholes. Now what have you to tell me?"
“It is an affair of a delicate nature,” he responded in an uneasy manner.
"You have not told me what the affair is," the lady replied. "Unless you make haste, I fear I shall not be able to hear it to-night. It would be as well for you to remember that I am not my own mistress, and that, in return for his hospitality, my host has at least some claim upon my society."
Twenty minutes later they had left the yacht, and the Countess de Cigoli was apologizing to the Duke of Reid for the intrusion of her lawyer people on his yacht.
"It is really too hard," she said pathetically; "they give me no peace. When my husband died and I inherited his estates, he had no thought of the trouble and anxiety the management of them would cause me. My lawyers are perpetually grumbling because they cannot obtain interviews with me. I often think that they look upon me as a sort of Will-o'-the-Wisp, flickering about Europe, and impossible to catch. However, you will forgive me, will you not?"
The Duke had first met the Countess in Algiers a year before, and had fallen desperately in love with her before he had known her twenty-four hours. The mere fact that she did not encourage his attentions only served to attract him the more. They met at Cairo six months later—and now, when he discovered that it was in his power to do her a service by conveying her from Constantinople to Naples, he was only too glad to avail himself of the opportunity.
The Countess regarded him attentively for a moment. Was he really as innocent as he made out to be? No; one moment's examination was sufficient to convince her that, so far as he was concerned, all was as it should be.
Strolling to the port side of the bridge, she looked down at the boat-load of musicians who were strumming guitars, and bawling "Finiculi Finicula," with all the strength of their Southern lungs.
"What a way in which to spend one's life," said the Duke, as he joined her, and tossed some silver into the boat. "Fancy shouting that wretched thing, week after week, and year after year. Italy is a strange country and I suppose that if the truth were known, each of those men belongs to some secret society or another. Either the Mafia or some such organisation. How would you like to be a conspirator, Countess, and be always in dread of being caught?"
The Countess's hand clenched the silver rail before her, and, for a moment, her face turned pale.
"What an extraordinary question to ask," she began, fighting hard for her self-possession. "Do you want to frighten me out of my wits? I am afraid I should make the poorest conspirator imaginable. I should be too deficient in courage."
"I am not inclined to believe that," said the Duke, reflectively. "I think you would have plenty of courage when it was required."
"I am afraid you must think me an altogether remarkable person," she returned. "If you go on in this way, I shall scarcely have presence of mind enough to remain in your company.”
"Won't you come in?" he said, pausing to open the door for them. "The Countess will be very pleased to see you."
As he said this he glanced sharply at the two men with an Englishman's innate distrust of foreigners. He saw little in them however to criticise, and nothing to dislike. They on their side found him a tall Englishman of the typical standard—blue eyes, ruddy cheeks, and close cropped hair, not over dressed, and carrying with him an air of latent strength that, in spite of his good-humoured expression, would have made most people chary of offending him. When the two men entered the cabin, he closed the door behind them and ran lightly up the ladder to the bridge. Naples Bay was before him.
The Countess lay on the sofa viewing the two visitors with light grey eyes that expressed neither recognition, nor approval.
"Is it safe for me to tell you here?" the taller and younger of the two men enquired, and as he said it he looked anxiously about him, as if he feared the presence of eavesdroppers.
"As safe as it will be anywhere," the lady answered. "It is an Englishman's yacht, and, whatever we may say of them, they are not in the habit of listening at keyholes. Now what have you to tell me?"
“It is an affair of a delicate nature,” he responded in an uneasy manner.
"You have not told me what the affair is," the lady replied. "Unless you make haste, I fear I shall not be able to hear it to-night. It would be as well for you to remember that I am not my own mistress, and that, in return for his hospitality, my host has at least some claim upon my society."
Twenty minutes later they had left the yacht, and the Countess de Cigoli was apologizing to the Duke of Reid for the intrusion of her lawyer people on his yacht.
"It is really too hard," she said pathetically; "they give me no peace. When my husband died and I inherited his estates, he had no thought of the trouble and anxiety the management of them would cause me. My lawyers are perpetually grumbling because they cannot obtain interviews with me. I often think that they look upon me as a sort of Will-o'-the-Wisp, flickering about Europe, and impossible to catch. However, you will forgive me, will you not?"
The Duke had first met the Countess in Algiers a year before, and had fallen desperately in love with her before he had known her twenty-four hours. The mere fact that she did not encourage his attentions only served to attract him the more. They met at Cairo six months later—and now, when he discovered that it was in his power to do her a service by conveying her from Constantinople to Naples, he was only too glad to avail himself of the opportunity.
The Countess regarded him attentively for a moment. Was he really as innocent as he made out to be? No; one moment's examination was sufficient to convince her that, so far as he was concerned, all was as it should be.
Strolling to the port side of the bridge, she looked down at the boat-load of musicians who were strumming guitars, and bawling "Finiculi Finicula," with all the strength of their Southern lungs.
"What a way in which to spend one's life," said the Duke, as he joined her, and tossed some silver into the boat. "Fancy shouting that wretched thing, week after week, and year after year. Italy is a strange country and I suppose that if the truth were known, each of those men belongs to some secret society or another. Either the Mafia or some such organisation. How would you like to be a conspirator, Countess, and be always in dread of being caught?"
The Countess's hand clenched the silver rail before her, and, for a moment, her face turned pale.
"What an extraordinary question to ask," she began, fighting hard for her self-possession. "Do you want to frighten me out of my wits? I am afraid I should make the poorest conspirator imaginable. I should be too deficient in courage."
"I am not inclined to believe that," said the Duke, reflectively. "I think you would have plenty of courage when it was required."
"I am afraid you must think me an altogether remarkable person," she returned. "If you go on in this way, I shall scarcely have presence of mind enough to remain in your company.”