The Blood-Red Cross | Page 4

a doctor, Mr. Druce, from your question."
"But answer me," I said.
She was silent for a minute; then she said, slowly:--
"You are good, and I think I ought to tell you. But will you regard it as
a secret? You wonder, perhaps, how it is that I don't wear a low dress in
the evening. I will tell you why. On my neck, just below the throat,
there grew a wart or mole--large, brown, and ugly. The Italian doctors
would not remove it on account of the position. It lies just over what
they said was an aberrant artery, and the removal might cause very
dangerous haemorrhage. One day Madame saw it; she said the doctors
were wrong, and that she could easily take it away and leave no mark
behind. I hesitated for a long time, but yesterday, when Lady Kennedy
spoke to me as she did, I made up my mind. I wired to Madame and
went to her to-day. She gave me chloroform and removed the mole. My
neck is bandaged up and it smarts a little. I am not to remove the
bandage until she sees me again. She is very pleased with the result,
and says that my neck will now be beautiful like other women's, and
that I can on the night of the ball wear the lovely Brussels lace dress
that Lady Kennedy has given me. That is my secret. Will you respect
it?"
I promised, and soon afterwards we reached the end of our journey.
A few days went by. One morning at breakfast I noticed that the little
signora only played with her food. An open letter lay by her plate.

Rowland, by whose side she always sat, turned to her.
"What is the matter, Antonia?" he said. "Have you had an unpleasant
letter?"
"It is from----"
"From whom, dear?"
"Madame Sara."
"What did I hear you say?" cried Lady Kennedy.
"I have had a letter from Madame Sara, Lady Kennedy."
"That shocking woman in the Strand--that adventuress. My dear, is it
possible that you know her? Her name is in the mouth of everyone. She
is quite notorious."
Instantly the room became full of voices, some talking loudly, some
gently, but all praising Madame Sara. Even the men took her part; as to
the women, they were unanimous about her charms and her genius.
In the midst of the commotion little Antonia burst into a flood of tears
and left the room. Rowland followed her. What next occurred I cannot
tell, but in the course of the morning I met Lady Kennedy.
"Well," she said, " that child has won, as I knew she would. Madame
Sara wishes to come here, and George says that Antonia's friend is to
be invited. I shall be glad when the marriage is over and I can get out of
this. It is really detestable that in the last days of my reign I should have
to give that woman the entrŽe to the house."
She left me, and I wandered into the entrance hall. There I saw
Rowland. He had a telegraph form in his hands, on which some words
were written.
"Ah, Druce!" he said. "I am just sending a telegram to the station. What!
do you want to send one too?"

For I had seated myself by the table which held the telegraph forms.
"If you don't think I am taking too great a liberty, Rowland," I said,
suddenly, "I should like to ask a friend of mine here for a day or two."
"Twenty friends, if you like, my dear Druce. What a man you are to
apologize about such a trifle! Who is the special friend?"
"No less a person than Eric Vandeleur, the police-surgeon for
Westminster."
"What! Vandeleur--the gayest, jolliest man I have ever met! Would he
care to come?"
Rowland's eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"I think so; more especially if you will give me leave to say that you
would welcome him."
"Tell him he shall have a thousand welcomes, the best room in the
house, the best horse. Get him to come by all means, Druce."
Our two telegrams were sent off. In the course of the morning replies in
the affirmative came to each.
That evening Madame Sara arrived. She came by the last train. The
brougham was sent to meet her. She entered the house shortly before
midnight. I was standing in the hall when she arrived, and I felt a
momentary sense of pleasure when I saw her start as her eyes met mine.
But she was not a woman to be caught off her guard. She approached
me at once with outstretched hand and an eager voice.
"This is charming, Mr. Druce," she said. "I do not think anything
pleases me