"I see," she said. "I didn't think - anyone knew."
"Well, I do. I - I'm not going to talk about it. But what I want to impress upon you is that it's all over - it's past and done with."
She said in a low voice: "Some things don't pass."
"Look here, Audrey, it's no good brooding and remembering. Granted you've been through Hell. It does no good to go over and over a thing in your mind. Look forward - not back. You're quite young. You've got your life to live and most of that life is in front of you. Think of to-morrow, not of yesterday."
She looked at him with a steady, wide-eyed gaze that was singularly unrevealing of her real thoughts.
"And supposing," she said, "that I can't do that?" "But you must."
Audrey said gently: "I thought you didn't understand. I'm - I'm not quite normal about - some things, I suppose."
He broke in roughly: "Rubbish. You -" He stopped. "I - what?"
"I was thinking of you as you were when you were a girl - before you married Nevile. Why did you marry Nevile?"
Audrey smiled. "Because I fell in love with him."
"Yes, yes, I know that. But why did you fall in love with him? What attracted you to him so much?"
She crinkled her eyes as though trying to see through the eyes of a girl now dead.
"I think," she said, "it was because he was so "positive." He was so much the opposite of what I was myself. I always felt shadowy - not quite real. Nevile was very real. And so happy and sure of himself and so - everything that I was not." She added with a smile: "And very good-looking."
Thomas Royde said bitterly: "Yes, the ideal Englishman - good at sport, modest, good-looking, always the little pukka sahib - getting everything he wanted all along the line."
Audrey sat very upright and stared at him.
"You hate him," she said slowly. "You hate him very much, don't you?"
He avoided her eyes, turning away to cup a match in his hands as he relit the pipe that had gone out.
"Wouldn't be surprising if I did, would it?" he said indistinctly. "He's got everything that I haven't. He can play games, and swim, and dance, and talk. And I'm a tongue-tied oaf with a crippled arm. He's always been brilliant and successful and I've always been a dull dog. And he married the only girl I ever cared for."
She made a faint sound. He said savagely: "You've always known that, haven't you? You knew I cared about you ever since you were fifteen. You know that I still care -"
She stopped him.
"No. Not now."
"What do you mean - not now?"
Audrey got up. She said in a quiet, reflective voice: "Because - now -I am different."
"Different in what way?"
He got up too, and stood facing her.
Audrey said in a quick, rather breathless voice: "If you don't know, I can't tell you ... I'm not always sure myself. I only know -"
She broke off, and turning abruptly away she walked quickly back over the rocks towards the hotel.
Turning a corner of the cliff she came across Nevile. He was lying full length peering into a rock pool. He looked up and grinned.
"Hullo, Audrey."
"Hullo, Nevile."
"I'm watching a crab. Awfully active little beggar. Look, there he is."
She knelt down and stared where he pointed.
"See him?"
"Yes."
"Have a cigarette?"
She accepted one and he lit it for her. After a moment or two, during which she did not look at him, he said nervously: "I say, Audrey?"
"Yes?"
"It's all right, isn't it? I mean - between us."
"Yes. Yes, of course."
"I mean - we're friends and all that?"
"Oh, yes - yes, of course."
"I do want us to be friends."
He looked at her anxiously. She gave him a nervous smile.
He said conversationally: "It's been a jolly day, hasn't it? Weather good and all that?"
"Oh, yes - yes."
"Quite hot really for September."
There was a pause.
"Audrey -"
She got up.
"Your wife wants you; she's waving to you."
"Who - oh, Kay."
"I said your wife."
He scrambled to his feet and stood looking at her.
He said in a very low voice: "You're my wife, Audrey ..."
She turned away. Nevile ran down on to the beach and across the sand to join Kay.
IX
On their arrival at Gull's Point, Hurstall came out into the hall and spoke to Mary.
"Would you go up at once to her ladyship. Miss? She is feeling very upset and wanted to see you as soon as you got in."
Mary hurried up the stairs. She found Lady Tressilian looking white and shaken.
"Dear Mary, I'm so glad you have come. I am feeling most distressed. Poor Mr. Treves is dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes, isn't it terrible? So sudden. Apparently he didn't even get undressed last night. He must have collapsed as soon as he got home."
"Oh, dear, I am sorry."
"One knows, of course, that he was delicate. A weak heart. I hope nothing happened while he was here to overstrain it? There was nothing indigestible for dinner?"
"I don't think so - no, I am sure there wasn't. He seemed quite well and in good spirits."
"I am really very distressed. I wish, Mary, that you would go to the Balmoral Court and make a few inquiries of Mrs. Rogers. Ask her if there is anything we can do. And then the funeral. For Matthew's sake I would like to do anything we could. These things are so awkward at a hotel."
Mary spoke firmly.
"Dear Camilla, you really must not worry. This has been a shock to you."
"Indeed it has."
"I will go to the Balmoral Court at once and then come back and tell you all about things."
"Thank you, Mary dear; you are always so practical and understanding." "Please try and rest now. A shock of this kind is so bad for you."
Mary Aldin left the room and came downstairs. Entering the drawing-room she exclaimed: "Old Mr. Treves is dead. He died last night after returning home."
"Poor old boy," exclaimed Nevile. "What was it?"
"Heart, apparently. He collapsed as soon as he got in."
Thomas Royde said thoughtfully: "I wonder if the stairs did him in?"
"Stairs?" Mary looked at him inquiringly.
"Yes. When Latimer and I left him he was just starting up. We told him to take it slow."
Mary exclaimed: "But how very foolish of him not to take the lift."
"The lift was out of order."
"Oh, I see. How very unfortunate! Poor old man."
She added: "I am going round there now. Camilla wants to know if there is anything we can do."
Thomas said: "I'll come with you."
They walked together down the road and round the corner to the Balmoral Court.
Mary remarked : "I wonder if he has any relatives who ought to be notified?"
"He didn't mention anyone."
"No, and people usually do. They say 'my niece' or 'my cousin.'"
"Was he married?"
"I believe not."
They entered the open door of the Balmoral Court.
Mrs. Rogers, the proprietress, was talking to a tall middle-aged man, who raised a friendly hand in greeting to Mary.
"Good afternoon. Miss Aldin."
"Good afternoon, Dr. Lazenby. This is Mr. Royde. We came round with a message from Lady Tressilian to know if there is anything we can do."
"That's very kind of you, Miss Aldin," said the hotel proprietress. "Come into my room, won't you?"
They all went into the small comfortable sitting-room and Dr. Lazenby said: "Mr. Treves was dining at your place last night, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
"How did he seem? Did he show any signs of distress?"
"No, he seemed very well and cheerful."
The doctor nodded.
"Yes, that's the worst of these heart cases. The end is nearly always sudden. I had a look at his prescriptions upstairs and it seems quite clear that he was in a very precarious state of health. I shall communicate with his London doctor, of course."
"He was very careful of himself always," said Mrs. Rogers. "And I'm sure he had every care here we could give him."
"I'm sure of that, Mrs. Rogers," said the doctor tactfully. "It was just some tiny additional strain, no doubt."
"Such as walking upstairs," suggested Mary.
"Yes, that might do it. In fact, almost certainly would - that is, if he ever walked up those three flights - but surely he never did anything of that kind?"
"Oh, no," said Mrs. Rogers. "He always used the lift. Always. He was most particular."
"I mean," said Mary, "that with the lift being out of order last night - "
Mrs. Rogers was staring at her in surprise.
"But the lift wasn't out of order at all yesterday. Miss Aldin."
"Excuse me," said Royde. "I came home with Mr. Treves last night. There was a placard on the lift saying 'Out of order.'"
Mrs. Rogers stared.
"Well, that's an odd thing. I'd have declared there was nothing wrong with the lift - in fact, I'm sure there wasn't. I'd have heard about it if there was. We haven't had anything go wrong with the lift (touching wood) since - oh, not for a good eighteen months. Very reliable it is."
"Perhaps," suggested the doctor, "some porter or hall-boy put that notice up when he was off duty?"
"It's an automatic lift, doctor; it doesn't need anyone to work it." "Ah, yes, so it is. I was forgetting."
"I'll have a word with Joe," said Mrs. Rogers. She bustled out of the room, calling, "Joe - Joe."
Dr. Lazenby looked curiously at Thomas. "Excuse me, you're quite sure, Mr. - er -" "Royde," put in Mary. "Quite sure," said Thomas.
Mrs. Rogers came back with the porter. Joe was emphatic that nothing whatever had been wrong with the lift on the preceding night. There was such a placard as Thomas had described - but it was tucked away under the desk and hadn't been used for over a year.
They all looked at each other and agreed it was a most mysterious thing. The doctor suggested some practical joke on the part of one of the hotel visitors, and perforce they left it at that.
In reply to Mary's inquiries, Dr. Lazenby explained that Mr. Treves' chauffeur had given him the address of Mr. Treves' solicitors, and he was communicating with them and that he would come round and see Lady Tressilian and tell her what was going to be done about the funeral.
Then the busy, cheerful doctor hurried off and Mary and Thomas walked slowly back to Gull's Point.
Mary said: "You're quite sure you saw that notice, Thomas?"
"Both Latimer and I saw it."
"What an extraordinary thing!" said Mary.
X
It was the 12th of September. "Only two more days," said Mary Aldin. Then she bit her lip and flushed.
Thomas Royde looked at her thoughtfully. "Is that how you feel about it?"
"I don't know what's the matter with me," said Mary. "Never in all my life have I been so anxious for a visit to come to an end. And usually we enjoy having Nevile so much. And Audrey, too."
Thomas nodded.
"But this time," went on Mary, "one feels as though one were sitting on dynamite. At any minute the whole thing may explode. That's why I said to myself first thing this morning: 'Only two days more.' Audrey goes on Wednesday and Nevile and Kay on Thursday."
"And I go on Friday," said Thomas.
"Oh, I'm not counting you. You've been a tower of strength. I don't know what I should have done without you."
"The human buffer?"
"More than that. You've been so kind and so - so calm. That sounds rather ridiculous, but it really does express what I mean."
Thomas looked pleased, though slightly embarrassed.
"I don't know why we've all been so het up," said Mary reflectively. "After all, if there were an - an outburst - it would be awkward and embarrassing, but nothing more."
"But there's been more to your feeling than that."
"Oh, yes, there has. A definite feeling of apprehension. Even the servants feel it. The kitchen-maid burst into tears and gave notice this morning - for no reason at all. The cook's jumpy - Hurstall is all on edge - even Barrett, who is usually as calm as a - a battleship - has shown signs of nerves. And all because Nevile had this ridiculous idea of wanting his former and his present wife to make friends and so soothe his own conscience."
"In which ingenious idea he has singularly failed," remarked Thomas.
"Yes. Kay is - is getting quite beside herself. And really, Thomas, I can't help sympathising with her."
She paused. "Did you notice the way Nevile looked after Audrey as she went up the stairs last night? He still cares about her, Thomas. The whole thing has been the most tragic mistake."
Thomas started filling his pipe.
"He should have thought of that before," he said in a hard voice.
"Oh, I know. That's what one says. But it doesn't alter the fact that the whole thing is a tragedy. I can't help feeling sorry for Nevile."
"People like Nevile -" began Thomas, and then stopped. "Yes?"
"People like Nevile think they can always have everything their own way - and have everything they want, too. I don't suppose Nevile has ever had a set-back over anything in his life till he came up against this business of Audrey. She's out of his reach. No good his making a song and dance about it. He's just got to lump it."
"I suppose you're quite right. But you do sound hard. Audrey was so much in love with Nevile when she married him - and they always got on together so well."
