Phroso: A Romance Page 2

  CHAPTER II

  A CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY

  Until the moment of our parting came, I had no idea that BeatriceHipgrave felt my going at all. She was not in the habit of displayingemotion, and I was much surprised at the reluctance with which shebade me good-bye. So far, however, was she from reproaching me thatshe took all the blame on herself, saying that if she had been kinderand nicer to me I should never have thought about my island. In thisshe was quite wrong; but when I told her so, and assured her that Ihad no fault to find with her behaviour, I was met with an almostpassionate assertion of her unworthiness and an entreaty that I shouldnot spend on her a love that she did not deserve. Her abasement andpenitence compelled me to show, and indeed to feel, a good deal oftenderness for her. She was pathetic and pretty in her unusualearnestness and unexplained distress. I went the length of offering toput off my expedition until after our wedding; and although shebesought me to do nothing of the kind, I believe that we might in theend have arranged matters on this footing had we been left toourselves. But Mrs Hipgrave saw fit to intrude on our interview atthis point, and she at once pooh-poohed the notion, declaring that Ishould be better out of the way for a few months. Beatrice did notresist her mother's conclusion; but when we were alone again, shebecame very agitated, begging me always to think well of her, andasking if I were really attached to her. I did not understand thismood, which was very unlike her ordinary manner; but I responded witha hearty and warm avowal of confidence in her; and I met her questionsas to my own feelings by pledging my word very solemnly that absenceshould, so far as I was concerned, make no difference, and that shemight rely implicitly on my faithful affection. This assurance seemedto give her very little comfort, although I repeated it more thanonce; and when I left her, I was in a state of some perplexity, for Icould not follow the bent of her thoughts nor appreciate the feelingsthat moved her. I was however considerably touched, and upbraidedmyself for not having hitherto done justice to the depth and sincerityof nature which underlay her external frivolity. I expressed thisself-condemnation to Denny Swinton, but he met it very coldly, andwould not be drawn into any discussion of the subject. Denny was notwont to conceal his opinions and had never pretended to beenthusiastic about my engagement. This attitude of his had nottroubled me before, but I was annoyed at it now, and I retaliated byasseverating my affection for Beatrice in terms of even exaggeratedemphasis, and hers for me with no less vehemence.

  These troubles and perplexities vanished before the zest and interestwhich our preparations and start excited. Denny and I were like a pairof schoolboys off for a holiday, and spent hours in forecasting whatwe should do and how we should fare on the island. These speculationswere extremely amusing, but in the long run they were proved to be,one and all, wide of the mark. Had I known Neopalia then as well as Icame to know it afterwards, I should have recognised the futility ofattempting to prophesy what would or would not happen there. As itwas, we span our cobwebs merrily all the way to Rhodes, where wearrived without event and without accident. Here we picked up Hogvardtand embarked on the smart little steam yacht which he had procured forme. A day or two was spent in arranging our stores and buying whatmore we wanted, for we could not expect to be able to purchase anyluxuries in Neopalia. I was rather surprised to find no letter for mefrom the old lord, but I had no thought of waiting for a formalinvitation, and pressed on the hour of departure as much as I could.Here, also, I saw the first of my new subjects, Hogvardt havingengaged a couple of men who had come to him saying that they were fromNeopalia and were anxious to work their passage back. I was delightedto have them, and fell at once to studying them with immenseattention. They were fine, tall, capable-looking fellows, and the two,with ourselves, made a crew more than large enough for our littleboat; for both Denny and I could make ourselves useful on board, andHogvardt could do something of everything on land or water, whileWatkins acted as cook and steward. The Neopalians were, as they statedin answer to my questions, brothers; their names were Spiro andDemetri, and they informed us that their family had served the lordsof Neopalia for many generations. Hearing this, I was less inclined toresent the undeniable reserve and even surliness with which they metmy advances. I made allowance for their hereditary attachment to theoutgoing family, and their natural want of cordiality towards theintruder did not prevent me from plying them with many questionsconcerning my predecessors on the throne of the island. Myperseverance was ill-rewarded, but I succeeded in learning that theonly member of the family on the island, besides the old lord was agirl whom they called 'the Lady Euphrosyne,' the daughter of thelord's brother who was dead. Next I asked after my friend of theOptimum Restaurant, Constantine. He was this lady's cousin once ortwice removed--I did not make out the exact degree of kinship--butDemetri hastened to inform me that he came very seldom to the island,and had not been there for two years.

  'And he is not expected there now?' I asked.

  'He was not when we left, my lord,' answered Demetri, and it seemed tome that he threw an inquiring glance at his brother, who addedhastily,

  'But what should we poor men know of the Lord Constantine's doings?'

  'Do you know where he is now?' I asked.

  'No, my lord,' they answered together, and with great emphasis.

  I cannot deny that something struck me as peculiar in their manner,but when I mentioned my impression to Denny he scoffed at me.

  'You've been reading old Byron again,' he said scornfully. 'Do youthink they're corsairs?'

  Well, a man is not a fool simply because he reads Byron, and Imaintained my opinion that the brothers were embarrassed at myquestions. Moreover I caught Spiro, the more truculent-looking of thepair, scowling at me more than once when he did not know I had my eyeon him.

  These little mysteries, however, did nothing but add sauce to mydelight as we sprang over the blue waters; and my joy was completewhen, on the morning of the day I had appointed, the seventh of May,Denny cried 'Land!' and looking over the starboard bow I saw the cloudon the sea that was Neopalia. Day came bright and glorious, and as wedrew nearer to our enchanted isle we distinguished its features andconformation. The coast was rocky save where a small harbour opened tothe sea, and the rocks ran up from the coast, rising higher and highertill they culminated in a quite respectable peak in the centre. Thetelescope showed cultivated ground and vineyards, mingled with woods,on the slopes of the mountain; and about half-way up, sheltered onthree sides, backed by thick woods, and commanding a splendidsea-view, stood an old grey battlemented house.

  'There's my house,' I cried in natural exultation, pointing with myfinger. It was a moment in my life, a moment to mark.

  'Hurrah!' cried Denny, throwing up his hat in sympathy.

  Demetri was standing near and met this ebullition with a grim smile.

  'I hope my lord will find the house comfortable,' said he.

  'We shall soon make it comfortable,' said Hogvardt; 'I daresay it'shalf a ruin now.'

  'It's good enough now for a Stefanopoulos,' said the fellow with asurly frown. The inference we were meant to draw was plain even to thepoint of incivility.

  At five o'clock in the evening we entered the harbour of Neopalia, andbrought up alongside a rather crazy wooden jetty which ran some fiftyfeet out from the shore. Our arrival appeared to create greatexcitement. Men, women, and children came running down the narrowsteep street which climbed up the hill from the harbour. We heardshrill cries, and a hundred fingers were pointed at us. We landed;nobody came forward to greet us. I looked round, but saw no one whocould be the old lord; but I perceived a stout man who wore an air ofimportance, and walking up to him I asked him very politely if hewould be so good as to direct me to the inn; for I had discovered fromDemetri that there was a modest house where we could lodge that night;I was too much in love with my island to think of sleeping on boardthe yacht. The stout man looked at Denny and me; then he looked atDemetri and Spiro, who stood near us, smiling their usual grim smiles.At last he answered my question by another
, a rather abrupt one:

  'What do you want, sir?' And he lifted his tasselled cap a few inchesand replaced it on his head.

  'I want to know the way to the inn,' I answered.

  'You have come to visit Neopalia?' he asked.

  A number of people had gathered round us now, and all fixed their eyeson my face.

  'Oh,' said I carelessly, 'I'm the purchaser of the island, you know. Ihave come to take possession.'

  Nobody spoke. Perfect silence reigned for half a minute.

  'I hope we shall get on well together,' I said, with my pleasantestsmile.

  Still no answer came. The people round still stared. But presently thestout man, altogether ignoring my friendly advances, said curtly,

  'I keep the inn. Come. I will take you to it.'

  He turned and led the way up the street. We followed, the peoplemaking a lane for us and still regarding us with stony stares. Dennygave expression to my feelings as well as his own;

  'It can hardly be described as an ovation,' he observed.

  'Surly brutes!' muttered Hogvardt.

  'It is not the way to receive his lordship,' agreed Watkins, more insorrow than in anger. Watkins had very high ideas of the deference dueto his lordship.

  The fat innkeeper walked ahead; I quickened my pace and overtook him.

  'The people don't seem very pleased to see me,' I remarked.

  He shook his head, but made no answer. Then he stopped before asubstantial house. We followed him in, and he led us upstairs to alarge room. It overlooked the street, but, somewhat to my surprise,the windows were heavily barred. The door also was massive and hadlarge bolts inside and outside.

  'You take good care of your houses, my friend,' said Denny with alaugh.

  'We like to keep what we have, in Neopalia,' said he.

  I asked him if he would provide us with a meal, and, assentinggruffly, he left us alone. The food was some time in coming, and westood at the window, peering through our prison bars. Our high spiritswere dashed by the unfriendly reception; my island should have beenmore gracious; it was so beautiful.

  'However it's a better welcome than we should have got two hundredyears ago,' I said with a laugh, trying to make the best of thematter.

  Dinner, which the landlord himself brought in, cheered us again, andwe lingered over it till dusk began to fall, discussing whether Iought to visit the lord, or whether, seeing that he had not come toreceive me, my dignity did not demand that I should await his visit;and it was on this latter course that we finally decided.

  'But he'll hardly come to-night,' said Denny, jumping up. 'I wonder ifthere are any decent beds here!'

  Hogvardt and Watkins had, by my directions, sat down with us; theformer was now smoking his pipe at the window, while Watkins was busyoverhauling our luggage. We had brought light bags, the rods, guns,and other smaller articles. The rest was in the yacht. Hearing bedsmentioned, Watkins shook his head in dismal presage, saying,

  'We had better sleep on board, my lord.'

  'Not I! What, leave the island now we've got here? No, Watkins!'

  'Very good, my lord,' said Watkins impassively.

  A sudden call came from Hogvardt, and I joined him at the window.

  The scene outside was indeed remarkable. In the narrow paved street,gloomy now in the failing light, there must have been fifty or sixtymen standing in a circle, surrounded by an outer fringe of women andchildren; and in the centre stood our landlord, his burly figureswaying to and fro as he poured out a low-voiced but vehementharangue. Sometimes he pointed towards us, oftener along the ascendingroad that led to the interior. I could not hear a word he said, butpresently all his auditors raised their hands towards heaven. I sawthat some of the hands held guns, some clubs, some knives; and all themen cried with furious energy, '_Nai, Nai._ Yes, yes!' Then the wholebody--and the greater part of the grown men on the island must havebeen present--started off in compact array up the road, the innkeeperat their head. By his side walked another man whom I had not noticedbefore; he wore an ordinary suit of tweeds, but carried himself withan assumption of much dignity; his face I could not see.

  'Well, what's the meaning of that?' I exclaimed, looking down on thestreet, empty again save for groups of white-clothed women, who talkedeagerly to one another, gesticulating and pointing now towards ourinn, now towards where the men had gone.

  'Perhaps it's their Parliament,' suggested Denny; 'or perhaps they'verepented of their rudeness and are going to erect a triumphal arch.'

  These conjectures, being obviously ironical, did not assist thematter, although they amused their author.

  'Anyhow,' said I, 'I should like to investigate the thing. Suppose wego for a stroll?'

  The proposal was accepted at once. We put on our hats, took sticks,and prepared to go. Then I glanced at the luggage.

  'Since I was so foolish as to waste my money on revolvers--?' said I,with an inquiring glance at Hogvardt.

  'The evening air will not hurt them,' said he; and we each stowed arevolver in our pockets. We felt, I think, rather ashamed of ourtimidity, but the Neopalians certainly looked rough customers. Leadingthe way to the door I turned the handle; the door did not open. Ipulled hard at it. Then I looked at my companions.

  'Queer,' said Denny, and he began to whistle.

  Hogvardt got the little lantern, which he always had handy, andcarefully inspected the door.

  'Locked,' he announced, 'and bolted top and bottom. A solid door too!'and he struck it with his fist. Then he crossed to the window andlooked at the bars; and finally he said to me, 'I don't think we canhave our walk, my lord.'

  Well, I burst out laughing. The thing was too absurd. Under cover ofour animated talk the landlord must have bolted us in. The bars madethe window no use. A skilled burglar might have beaten those bolts,and a battering ram would, no doubt, have smashed the door; we hadneither burglar nor ram.

  'We're caught, my boy,' said Denny, 'nicely caught! But what's thegame?'

  I had asked myself that question already, but had found no answer. Totell the truth, I was wondering whether Neopalia was going to turn outas conservative a country as the Turkish Ambassador had hinted. It wasWatkins who suggested an answer.

  'I imagine, my lord,' said he, 'that the natives' (Watkins alwayscalled the Neopalians 'natives') 'have gone to speak to the gentlemanwho sold the island to your lordship.'

  'Gad,' said Denny, 'I hope it'll be a pleasant interview!'

  Hogvardt's broad good-humoured face had assumed an anxious look. Heknew something about the people of these islands; so did I.

  'Trouble, is it?' I asked him.

  'I'm afraid so,' he answered, and then we turned to the window again,except Denny, who wasted some energy and made a useless din bybattering at the door till we beseeched him to let it alone.

  There in the room we sat for nearly two hours. Darkness fell; thewomen had ceased their gossiping, but still stood about the street andin the doorways of their houses. It was nine o'clock before mattersshowed any progress. Then came shouts from the road above us, theflash of torches, the tread of men's feet in a quick triumphant march.Next the stalwart figures of the picturesque fellows, with their whitekilts gleaming through the darkness, came again into sight, seemingwilder and more imposing in the alternating glare and gloom of thetorches and the deepening night. The man in tweeds was no longervisible. Our innkeeper was alone in front. And all, as they marched,sang loudly a rude barbarous sort of chant, repeating it again andagain; while the women and children, crowding out to meet the men,caught up the refrain in shrill voices, till the whole air seemed fullof it. So martial and inspiring was the rude tune that our feet beganto beat in time with it, and I felt the blood quicken in my veins. Ihave tried to put the words of it into English, in a shape as rough, Ifear, as the rough original. Here it is:

  'Ours is the land! Death to the hand That filches the land! Dead is that hand, Ours is the land!

  'Forever we hold it, Dead's he that sold
it! Ours is the land, Dead is the hand!'

  Again and again they hurled forth the defiant words, until at lastthey stopped opposite the inn with one final long-drawn shout ofsavage triumph.

  'Well, this is a go,' said Denny, drawing a long breath. 'What are thebeggars up to?'

  'What have they been up to?' I asked; for I could not doubt that thesong we had heard had been chanted over a dead Stefanopoulos twohundred years before. At this age of the world the idea seemed absurd,preposterous, horrible. But there was no law nearer than Rhodes, andthere only Turk's law. The sole law here was the law of theStefanopouloi, and if that law lost its force by the crime of the handwhich should wield it, why, strange things might happen even to-day inNeopalia. And we were caught in the inn like rats in a trap.

  'I don't see,' remarked old Hogvardt, laying a hand on my shoulder,'any harm in loading our revolvers, my lord.'

  I did not see any harm in it either, and we all followed Hogvardt'sadvice, and also filled our pockets with cartridges. I wasdetermined--I think we were all determined--not to be bullied by theseislanders and their skull-and-crossbones ditty.

  A quarter of an hour passed; then there came a knock at the door,while the bolts shot back.

  'I shall go out,' said I, springing to my feet.

  The door opened, and the face of a lad appeared.

  'Vlacho the innkeeper bids you descend,' said he; and then, catchingsight perhaps of our revolvers, he turned and ran downstairs again athis best speed. Following him we came to the door of the inn. It wasringed round with men, and directly opposite to us stood Vlacho. Whenhe saw me he commanded silence with a gesture of his hand, andaddressed me in the following surprising style.

  'The Lady Euphrosyne, of her grace, bids you depart in peace. Go,then, to your boat and depart, thanking God for His mercy.'

  'Wait a bit, my man' said I; 'where is the lord of the island?'

  'Did you not know that he died a week ago?' asked Vlacho, withapparent surprise.

  'Died!' we exclaimed one and all.

  'Yes, sir. The Lady Euphrosyne, Lady of Neopalia, bids you go.'

  'What did he die of?'

  'Of a fever,' said Vlacho gravely; and several of the men round himnodded their heads and murmured in no less grave assent, 'Yes, of afever.'

  'I am very sorry for it,' said I. 'But as he sold the island to mebefore he died, I don't see what the lady, with all respect to her,has got to do with it. Nor do I know what this rabble is doing aboutthe door. Bid them disperse.'

  This attempt at _hauteur_ was most decidedly thrown away. Vlachoseemed not to hear what I said. He pointed with his finger towards theharbour.

  'There lies your boat. Demetri and Spiro cannot go with you, but youwill be able to manage her yourselves. Listen now! Till six in themorning you are free to go. If you are found in Neopalia one minuteafter, you will never go. Think and be wise.' And he and all the rest,as though one spring moved the whole body, wheeled round and marchedoff up the hill again, breaking out into the old chant when they hadgone about a hundred yards. We were left alone in the doorway of theinn, looking, I must admit, rather blank.

  Upstairs again we went, and I sat down by the window and gazed out onthe night. It was very dark, and seemed darker now that the gleamingtorches were gone. Not a soul was to be seen. The islanders, havingput matters on a satisfactory footing, were off to bed. I satthinking. Presently Denny came to me, and put his hand on my shoulder.

  'Going to cave in, Charley?' he asked.

  'My dear Denny,' said I, 'I wish you were at home with your mother.'

  He smiled and repeated, 'Going to cave in, old chap?'

  'No, by Jove, I'm not!' cried I, leaping up. 'They've had my money,and I'm going to have my island.'

  'Take the yacht, my lord,' counselled Hogvardt, 'and come back withenough force from Rhodes.'

  Well, here was sense; my impulse was nonsense. We four could notconquer the island. I swallowed my pride.

  'So be it,' said I. 'But look here, it's only just twelve. We mighthave a look round before we go. I want to see the place, you know.'For I was very sorely vexed at being turned out of my island.

  Hogvardt grumbled a little at my proposal, but here I overruled him.We took our revolvers again, left the inn, and struck straight up theroad. We met nobody. For nearly a mile we mounted, the way becomingsteeper with every step. Then there was a sharp turn off the mainroad.

  'That will lead to the house,' said Hogvardt, who had studied the mapof Neopalia very carefully.

  'Then we'll have a look at the house. Show us a light, Hogvardt. It'sprecious dark.'

  Hogvardt opened his lantern and cast its light on the way. Butsuddenly he extinguished it again, and drew us close into the rocksthat edged the road. We saw coming towards us, in the darkness, twofigures. They rode small horses. Their faces could not be seen; but asthey passed our silent motionless forms, one said in a clear, sweet,girlish voice:

  'Surely they will go?'

  'Ay, they'll go or pay the penalty,' said the other voice. At thesound of it I started. For it was the voice of my neighbour in therestaurant, Constantine Stefanopoulos.

  'I shall be near at hand, sleeping in the town,' said the girl'svoice, 'and the people will listen to me.'

  'The people will kill them if they don't go,' we heard Constantineanswer, in tones that witnessed no great horror at the idea. Then thecouple disappeared in the darkness.

  'On to the house!' I cried in sudden excitement. For I was angry now,angry at the utter humbling scorn with which they treated me.

  Another ten minutes' groping brought us in front of the old grey housewhich we had seen from the sea. We walked boldly up to it. The doorstood open. We went in and found ourselves in a large hall. The woodenfloor was carpeted here and there with mats and skins. A long tableran down the middle; the walls were decorated with mediaeval armour andweapons. The windows were but narrow slits, the walls massive anddeep. The door was a ponderous iron-bound affair; it shamed even thestout doors of our inn. I called loudly, 'Is anyone here?' Nobodyanswered. The servants must have been drawn off to the town by theexcitement of the procession and the singing; or, perhaps, there wereno servants. I could not tell. I sat down in a large armchair by thetable. I enjoyed the sense of proprietorship; I was in my own house.Denny sat on the table by me, dangling his legs. For a long while noneof us spoke. Then I exclaimed suddenly:

  'By Heaven, why shouldn't we see it through?' I rose, put my handsagainst the massive door, and closed and bolted it, saying, 'Let themopen that at six o'clock in the morning.'

  'Hurrah!' cried Denny, leaping down from his table, on fire withexcitement in a moment.

  I faced Hogvardt. He shook his head, but he smiled. Watkins stood bywith his usual imperturbability. He wanted to know what his lordshipdecided--that was all; and when I said nothing more, he asked,

  'Then your lordship will sleep here to-night?'

  'I'll stay here to-night, anyhow, Watkins,' said I. 'I'm not going tobe driven out of my own island by anybody.'

  As I spoke, I brought my fist down on the table with a crash. And thento our amazement we heard, from somewhere in the dark recesses of thehall where the faint light of Hogvardt's lantern did not reach, a lowbut distinct groan, as of someone in pain. Watkins shuddered, Hogvardtlooked rather uncomfortable; Denny and I listened eagerly. Again thegroan came. I seized the lantern from Hogvardt's hand, and rushed inthe direction of the sound. There, in the corner of the hall, on acouch covered with a rug, lay an old man in an uneasy attitude,groaning now and then and turning restlessly. By his side sat an oldserving-woman in weary heavy slumber. In a moment I guessed thetruth--part of the truth.

  'He's not dead of that fever yet,' said I.