"She's told me nothing except that she wishes to be with her friends.It's quite natural that she should want to go to them."Owen visibly controlled himself."Of course--quite natural." He spoke to Sophy."But why didn't you tell me so? Why did you come first to my step-mother?"Anna intervened with her calm smile."That seems to me quite natural, too.Sophy was considerate enough to tell me first because of Effie."He weighed it."Very well, then: that's quite natural, as you say.And of course she must do exactly as she pleases."He still kept his eyes on the girl."Tomorrow," he abruptly announced, "I shall go up to Paris to see you.""Oh, no--no!" she protested.
Owen turned back to Anna."NOW do you say that nothing's happened?"Under the influence of his agitation Anna felt a vague tightening of the heart.She seemed to herself like some one in a dark room about whom unseen presences are groping.
"If it's anything that Sophy wishes to tell you, no doubt she'll do so.I'm going down now, and I'll leave you here to talk it over by yourselves."As she moved to the door the girl caught up with her."But there's nothing to tell: why should there be? I've explained that I simply want to be quiet." Her look seemed to detain Mrs.Leath.
Owen broke in: "Is that why I mayn't go up tomorrow?""Not tomorrow!"
"Then when may I?"
"Later...in a little while...a few days...""In how many days?"
"Owen!" his step-mother interposed; but he seemed no longer aware of her."If you go away today, the day that our engagement's made known, it's only fair," he persisted, "that you should tell me when I am to see you."Sophy's eyes wavered between the two and dropped down wearily."It's you who are not fair--when I've said Iwanted to be quiet."
"But why should my coming disturb you? I'm not asking now to come tomorrow.I only ask you not to leave without telling me when I'm to see you.""Owen, I don't understand you!" his step-mother exclaimed.
"You don't understand my asking for some explanation, some assurance, when I'm left in this way, without a word, without a sign? All I ask her to tell me is when she'll see me."Anna turned back to Sophy Viner, who stood straight and tremulous between the two.
"After all, my dear, he's not unreasonable!""I'll write--I'll write," the girl repeated.
"WHAT will you write?" he pressed her vehemently.
"Owen," Anna exclaimed, "you are unreasonable!"He turned from Sophy to his step-mother."I only want her to say what she means: that she's going to write to break off our engagement.Isn't that what you're going away for?"Anna felt the contagion of his excitement.She looked at Sophy, who stood motionless, her lips set, her whole face drawn to a silent fixity of resistance.
"You ought to speak, my dear--you ought to answer him.""I only ask him to wait----"
"Yes," Owen, broke in, "and you won't say how long!"Both instinctively addressed themselves to Anna, who stood, nearly as shaken as themselves, between the double shock of their struggle.She looked again from Sophy's inscrutable eyes to Owen's stormy features; then she said: "What can Ido, when there's clearly something between you that I don't know about?""Oh, if it WERE between us! Can't you see it's outside of us--outside of her, dragging at her, dragging her away from me?" Owen wheeled round again upon his step-mother.
Anna turned from him to the girl."Is it true that you want to break your engagement? If you do, you ought to tell him now."Owen burst into a laugh."She doesn't dare to--she's afraid I'll guess the reason!"A faint sound escaped from Sophy's lips, but she kept them close on whatever answer she had ready.
"If she doesn't wish to marry you, why should she be afraid to have you know the reason?""She's afraid to have YOU know it--not me!""To have ME know it?"
He laughed again, and Anna, at his laugh, felt a sudden rush of indignation.
"Owen, you must explain what you mean!"
He looked at her hard before answering; then: "Ask Darrow!"he said.
"Owen--Owen!" Sophy Viner murmured.
XXIV
Anna stood looking from one to the other.It had become apparent to her in a flash that Owen's retort, though it startled Sophy, did not take her by surprise; and the discovery shot its light along dark distances of fear.
The immediate inference was that Owen had guessed the reason of Darrow's disapproval of his marriage, or that, at least, he suspected Sophy Viner of knowing and dreading it.This confirmation of her own obscure doubt sent a tremor of alarm through Anna.For a moment she felt like exclaiming: "All this is really no business of mine, and I refuse to have you mix me up in it--" but her secret fear held her fast.
Sophy Viner was the first to speak.
"I should like to go now," she said in a low voice, taking a few steps toward the door.
Her tone woke Anna to the sense of her own share in the situation."I quite agree with you, my dear, that it's useless to carry on this discussion.But since Mr.Darrow's name has been brought into it, for reasons which I fail to guess, I want to tell you that you're both mistaken if you think he's not in sympathy with your marriage.If that's what Owen means to imply, the idea's a complete delusion."She spoke the words deliberately and incisively, as if hoping that the sound of their utterance would stifle the whisper in her bosom.
Sophy's only answer was a vague murmur, and a movement that brought her nearer to the door; but before she could reach it Owen had placed himself in her way.
"I don't mean to imply what you think," he said, addressing his step-mother but keeping his eyes on the girl."I don't say Darrow doesn't like our marriage; I say it's Sophy who's hated it since Darrow's been here!"He brought out the charge in a tone of forced composure, but his lips were white and he grasped the doorknob to hide the tremor of his hand.
