Chapter II: Iris and Ralph

It was not difficult for Rees to carry out his resolution. Captain Barton wanted to see the sights and the ladies had to accompany him. He was not interested in caves, he preferred to be in the open air. But Mrs. Henderson persuaded him to see the largest and most beautiful of the underground wonders, and when he found that they would not need Rees to act as guide, as the owner always showed people through it himself, he decided to go. He also wanted to ascend one of the highest mountains, but as soon as he heard it would be necessary to take Rees with them for that expedition he decided not to go. He had evidently made up his mind not to visit any place where they would need the guide.

But the day they went to the big caves, to his consternation and annoyance Iris remained outside and no persuasion either from himself or her cousin would induce her to go in.

So the girl stayed near the entrance, sitting against a large satin-barked gum-tree, looking into the wonderful Tasmanian sunlight, which is like no other sunlight in the world! It was warm and impetuous, yet not fierce; dazzling, but not glaring; full of strength, yet tender, glad, vigorous, exuberant, but often suggesting an underlying sadness.

Iris looked into the effulgent splendour with eyes which smiled a little unsteadily. It was so strange to be near the dear cave again, where that alluring voice had called to her from the chasm, where Justin had come to her--and the first soft swellings of love had stirred in her breast as his arms enfolded her and she lay softly pressed against his heart.

Her pulses quickened.

Each day, each meeting since that hour, had brought them more hopelessly under the enthralling powers of love, till at last its mighty force had swept them into that delirious whirlpool of bliss when they had stood in the moonlit garden together, and the delicious strength of his embrace had almost made her faint by its intolerable sweetness. Then, as they stood by the broken, dilapidated gate, the awful look of good-bye had come into his dear eyes, and now----

The golden sunlight suddenly seemed to be a long distance away, so did the tall majestic trees with their glinting shiny leaves.

Within the hill Mrs. Henderson and Ralph made their way through the many chambers and tunnels of the cave.

“I wonder what made Iris so determined to stay outside,” queried Ralph, with badly disguised ill-humour.

“I think it was because she had a great fright here last time we came,” explained Mrs. Henderson, when the guide was a little in front and out of hearing. “She stayed behind in one of the tunnels; unfortunately her lamp went out, and if Mr. Rees had not happened to be there and stayed with her, I don’t know what the poor girl would have done. I should have died with terror if I had been in her place, having to spend a whole afternoon in that eerie darkness!”

“Do you mean to say she was here the whole afternoon in the dark with that man!” There was consternation and horror in his words.

“Yes, it must have been at least a couple of hours before we came back. But it was all right being with Mr. Rees: he is one of the nicest men I have ever met, and any woman might trust herself with him, I might say for ever.”

Captain Barton said no more. He had learnt by this time that both ladies had such an unbounded admiration for the driver that nothing seemed able to shake their faith in him, and the knowledge both vexed and amazed him. Whatever had made them feel about him as they did? He was only a driver and guide, a social nonentity, a being beneath the notice of people of their status. Yet both ladies treated him not only as an equal but as a friend they held in highest esteem. What was the secret of his unlimited popularity?

Of course he had been told of some of Rees’s heroic deeds. But what were they? The man was only posing to gain the notice of his superiors; such actions were only tricks to mount the social ladder. That was all. Captain Barton felt sure of this in his own mind. Rees must be only an impostor with high aspirations. What could suit him better than to win the heart of the beautiful rich Iris Dearn, the daughter of a peer, belonging to one of the oldest families in England? Iris was young and inexperienced: she might easily be taken in by his poses of lofty heroism; and the driver had other attractions as well. Ralph had to admit that he was an unusually good-looking fellow, slim, strong and graceful, and there was an air of dignified refinement about him, in spite of his rough tweed clothes and humble position, which of course made him all the more dangerous. Captain Barton felt sure he had come out in the nick of time to save Iris from ruin and disaster. He must save her. Yet how was he to accomplish this? There was only one way, to try and belittle Rees in her eyes. But this also would be difficult, partly because he knew nothing against the man, and partly because ever since the day he arrived Iris had made no references to the driver, and had pointedly refused to discuss him every time he had opened the subject. But if only he could find out something definite against the man, and produce proofs, then he would make both ladies listen and convince them that they had been completely taken in by an unscrupulous, designing impostor.

Captain Barton was so sure that the evidence he wanted could be found, that he even descended to hint to his chauffeur he could please him greatly by gaining information about Rees. But alas! he had received no satisfaction from that quarter; all the man could find out was only absurdly in his favour. The people in the neighbourhood simply worshipped him and considered him the whitest man in the district. He had evidently deceived them too, commented Captain Barton to himself, as each piece of annoying information regarding the driver’s gallant or chivalrous behaviour was poured into his unwilling ears.

Captain Barton had come out with the determination to win Iris and take her back with him. But though he had been with her now for ten days he was horribly conscious that he had not made any real progress towards his goal. She was charming; but in spite of her friendliness he was aware that her whole underlying nature was closed to him. It seemed impossible to make any advances, and somehow he felt, though he could not exactly explain why, that Rees was the greatest obstacle to his suit. He was not ostentatiously in the way, in fact he kept very much out of it; all the same Captain Barton felt sure that he was the real cause of his defeat and he hated him accordingly.

“Iris,” he began one day after lunch when they were alone in their private sitting-room, “do you know your cousin and I are very anxious about you; you look so pale and you always used to have such a splendid colour.”

“Oh, I am very well, only a little tired, perhaps a little run down--every one gets run down sometimes.”

“Well, then, you ought to have a change; there is nothing like a change when one does not feel fit. You have been here nearly two months, I believe; and I don’t think the place quite agrees with you. Amy and I were talking about it this morning--we really can’t bear to see you looking like this. We both think if we took you for a long tour all over the island it would set you up again. You would like to see the whole of the island, wouldn’t you?” he added, knowing how much she admired Tasmania.

CRADLE MOUNT.]

“I am afraid travelling would tie me too much just now; but if you would care to go, please don’t consider me at all--I shall be all right.”

“Iris, you know we could not possibly leave you here alone.”

“I should not be alone; Miss Smith is always here----”

“Oh, you know that it’s impossible. Besides, Amy and I could not go by ourselves, and in any case we should not enjoy anything without you.”

“I am sorry, but I cannot possibly go with you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want to stay here until the end of the summer, as we arranged.”

Ralph came over and stood facing her. “Iris, why do you want to stay here?” he demanded.

“Perhaps for the same reason you want to get me away,” she answered, meeting his eyes steadily.

“What does that mean?” he asked in an agitated voice.

“Why do you want to get me away?” she inquired evenly.

“Because I think the change would do you good and because----”

“Yes?”

“Because I am afraid if you stay here----”

“Yes?” she said again.

“Hang it all, Iris, I am not blind! Don’t you think I can see that you are under the influence of----? And if it is not stopped, if you don’t break away at once, you will ruin your life. That is the honest truth, Iris--I want to save you from ruin.”

The earnestness in his words touched her.

“Ralph,” she said very quietly, “if it is really as you say, do you think it at all likely that some days’ touring--or even weeks or months--would make the slightest difference?”

Her seriousness alarmed him. “But, Iris, of course I did not mean to insinuate that it was anything serious like that. I wouldn’t insult you by suggesting such a thing.”

“I should not feel at all insulted.”

“Iris, surely--you, a _lady_!”

“Even a lady I believe may sometimes be true to her--friends.” She spoke a little haughtily now.

“But surely a lady would choose her friends among her own class?”

“She would certainly choose them among congenial spirits.”

“Can there be congenial spirits--_here_?”

“Ralph, I think you and I had better not discuss that subject; we shall only disagree if we do.”

“You will not come away, then?”

“No.” She looked at him with eyes which did not waver in their determination.

Captain Barton turned from her impatiently. “Iris, you ought never to have come to this place.”

“What is the use of discussing that, either?” she said, a little wearily.

Ralph paced the floor excitedly. Then he came over to the window and stood before her again. “Iris, why will you allow that man to have such a hold over you?” his genuine concern touched her once more.

“Do we have power to give or withdraw what you call people’s hold over us?”

“Yes, most certainly.”

“Ralph, I am afraid you know nothing about it. If some one had a great influence over you could you stop it at will?”

“Yes, in the first stages; if I didn’t consider the person worthy I should certainly stop it then.”

“But if you thought your--friend worthy?”

“Of course that would be a different matter. But that is not a case in point.”

“Yes it is, for I think him worthy.”

“Iris, you can’t honestly think so?”

“I most certainly do. Now, Ralph, I have been frank with you; your genuine friendship demanded it. But it is not a subject I care to discuss with you again. I have also told you, so that you may understand how absolutely useless it is to try and--and--interfere with--this influence. And now I must leave you and go and read to Mr. Green: I am afraid I have rather neglected him since you came.”

* * * * *

“It is best he should know,” thought Iris to herself with a sigh, as she stood before the mirror in her room putting on a picturesque summer hat. She had noticed little disturbing symptoms in Ralph during the last few days, which made her fear that he did not merely regard her as his childhood’s companion and friend; some deeper feeling had begun to show itself below his smooth, gay exterior. It was partly to check these disquieting indications that she had spoken so plainly that afternoon.

She looked more closely at her reflection in the glass. Ralph was right, she had grown distinctly pale, and there were large shadows round her deep blue eyes, which made them strangely dark and turned their sparkle into unearthly radiance.

Love had made this change in her--_Love_!

She smiled a smile which was not a smile.

Ah! how could Justin be so cruel--how could he--how could he? Of course he thought it was for her good, she quite understood that--she did not understand his motive as a smaller-minded woman might have done. But how blind he was--how blind! How utterly ignorant of the deeps in a woman’s love! And her greatest suffering consisted in seeing the disastrous effect it was having on him--he too, was growing pale and thin. Miss Smith had confided her anxiety about him to her that morning. He had grown listless and hardly spoke a word; she was afraid he was on the point of a serious illness.

The tall, pale girl looked absently into the mirror as she began to put on her gloves. What was she to do? He kept out of her way and gave her no chance to speak to him alone. He made his usual pleasant remarks as he passed their table, or as they met in the hall going to or from the dining-room; but not once had she seen him for a moment alone. Sometimes at meals she caught his eyes fixed upon her when he had not expected her to look in his direction, and the sorrow and utter hopelessness she had surprised in the beautiful grey depths on such occasions had brought an almost intolerable ache to her heart.

But how was she to help him? He seemed so absolutely unreachable at present. His strange lofty strength, his unrelenting determination, had somehow placed him in a sphere where even she seemed unable to touch him. Each day widened the gulf between them, placed him farther away from her; each day made her cheeks whiter, her eyes larger and more ethereally beautiful. But she still held her head high, her lovely young form erect, and as she was whirled about in the car from one place to another, she talked and laughed in her brilliant light graceful way.

She had finished buttoning her gloves and she crossed the floor to get a parasol matching the soft summer tints of her gown. Then she suddenly stood still in the middle of the room. “Oh Justin! Justin!” she cried, throwing out her lovely young arms with a tense eager gesture. “How can you--how can you? Why have you taught me this terribly sweet lesson of love if you only want me to unlearn it? Why have you made me care for you in this awful, desperate way, so that I am ready to go through fire and water, ready to run any risk, make any sacrifice, if I might only be near you and become utterly yours? Don’t you know I only ask one thing from life, now: just to be yours--yours absolutely? Why are you so blind--why don’t you understand--why are you making us both suffer this torment? Don’t you know it is worse than anything the future could ever bring, even if you----? Oh Justin!” she finished brokenly, her lovely face raised imploringly, lips aquiver, large eyes closed and the long lashes shading her cheeks, suddenly shining wet in the warm afternoon sunlight.