第31章

THE INFLUENCE OF STELLA.

ENTERING the hall, Father Benwell heard a knock at the house door.The servants appeared to recognize the knock--the porter admitted Lord Loring.

Father Benwell advanced and made his bow.It was a perfect obeisance of its kind--respect for Lord Loring, unobtrusively accompanied by respect for himself."Has your lordship been walking in the park?" he inquired.

"I have been out on business," Lord Loring answered; "and Ishould like to tell you about it.If you can spare me a few minutes, come into the library.Some time since," he resumed, when the door was closed, "I think I mentioned that my friends had been speaking to me on a subject of some importance--the subject of opening my picture gallery occasionally to the public.""I remember," said Father Benwell."Has your lordship decided what to do?""Yes.I have decided (as the phrase is) to 'go with the times,'

and follow the example of other owners of picture g alleries.

Don't suppose I ever doubted that it is my duty to extend, to the best of my ability, the civilizing influences of Art.My only hesitation in the matter arose from a dread of some accident happening, or some injury being done, to the pictures.Even now, I can only persuade myself to try the experiment under certain restrictions.""A wise decision, undoubtedly," said Father Benwell."In such a city as this, you could hardly open your gallery to anybody who happens to pass the house-door.""I am glad you agree with me, Father.The gallery will be open for the first time on Monday.Any respectably-dressed person, presenting a visiting card at the offices of the librarians in Bond Street and Regent Street, will receive a free ticket of admission; the number of tickets, it is needless to say, being limited, and the gallery being only open to the public two days in the week.You will be here, I suppose, on Monday?""Certainly.My work in the library, as your lordship can see, has only begun.""I am very anxious about the success of this experiment," said Lord Loring."Do look in at the gallery once or twice in the course of the day, and tell me what your own impression is."Having expressed his readiness to assist "the experiment" in every possible way, Father Benwell still lingered in the library.

He was secretly conscious of a hope that he might, at the eleventh hour, be invited to join Romayne at the dinner-table.

Lord Loring only looked at the clock on the mantel-piece: it was nearly time to dress for dinner.The priest had no alternative but to take the hint, and leave the house.

Five minutes after he had withdrawn, a messenger delivered a letter for Lord Loring, in which Father Benwell's interests were directly involved.The letter was from Romayne; it contained his excuses for breaking his engagement, literally at an hour's notice.

"Only yesterday," he wrote, "I had a return of what you, my dear friend, call 'the delusion of the voice.' The nearer the hour of your dinner approaches, the more keenly I fear that the same thing may happen in your house.Pity me, and forgive me."Even good-natured Lord Loring felt some difficulty in pitying and forgiving, when he read these lines."This sort of caprice might be excusable in a woman," he thought."A man ought really to be capable of exercising some self-control.Poor Stella! And what will my wife say?"He walked up and down the library, with Stella's disappointment and Lady Loring's indignation prophetically present in his mind.

There was, however, no help for it--he must accept his responsibility, and be the bearer of the bad news.

He was on the point of leaving the library, when a visitor appeared.The visitor was no less a person than Romayne himself.

"Have I arrived before my letter?" he asked eagerly.

Lord Loring showed him the letter.

"Throw it into the fire," he said, "and let me try to excuse myself for having written it.You remember the happier days when you used to call me the creature of impulse? An impulse produced that letter.Another impulse brings me here to disown it.I can only explain my strange conduct by asking you to help me at the outset.Will you carry your memory back to the day of the medical consultation on my case? I want you to correct me, if Iinadvertently misrepresent my advisers.Two of them were physicians.The third, and last, was a surgeon, a personal friend of yours; and _he_, as well as I recollect, told you how the consultation ended?""Quite right, Romayne--so far."