The Witness for the Defense | Page 3

tremor in her voice and all the
confidence gone out of it. Almost it appealed that she should not be put
to shame before herself.
"It would have been a little humiliating to remember, if that had been
true."
Then upon the ground she saw the shadow of Thresk's horse creep up
until the two rode side by side. She looked at him quickly with a

doubtful wavering smile and looked down again. What did all the
trouble in his face portend? Her heart thumped and she heard him say:
"Stella, I have something very difficult to say to you."
He laid a hand gently upon her arm, but she wrenched herself free.
Shame was upon her--shame unendurable. She tingled with it from
head to foot. She turned to him suddenly a face grown crimson and
eyes which brimmed with tears.
"Oh," she cried aloud, "that I should have been such a fool!" and she
swayed forward in her saddle. But before he could reach out an arm to
hold her she was upright again, and with a cut of her whip she was off
at a gallop.
"Stella," he cried, but she only used her whip the more. She galloped
madly and blindly over the grass, not knowing whither, not caring,
loathing herself. Thresk galloped after her, but her horse, maddened by
her whip and the thud of the hoofs behind, held its advantage. He
settled down to the pursuit with a jumble of thoughts in his brain.
"If to-day were only ten years on ... As it is it would be madness ...
madness and squalor and the end of everything ... Between us we
haven't a couple of pennies to rub together ... How she rides! ... She
was never meant for Brixton ... No, nor I ... Why didn't I hold my
tongue? ... Oh what a fool, what a fool! Thank Heaven the horses come
out of a livery stable ... They can't go on for ever and--oh, my God!
there are rabbit-holes on the Downs." And his voice rose to a shout:
"Stella! Stella!"
But she never looked over her shoulder. She fled the more desperately,
shamed through and through! Along the high ridge, between the bushes
and the beech-trees, their shadows flitted over the turf, to a jingle of
bits and the thunder of hoofs. Duncton Beacon rose far behind them;
they had crossed the road and Charlton forest was slipping past like
dark water before the mad race came to an end. Stella became aware
that escape was impossible. Her horse was spent, she herself reeling.
She let her reins drop loose and the gallop changed to a trot, the trot to

a walk. She noticed with gratitude that Thresk was giving her time. He
too had fallen to a walk behind her, and quite slowly he came to her
side. She turned to him at once.
"This is good country for a gallop, isn't it?"
"Rabbit-holes though," said he. "You were lucky."
He answered absently. There was something which had got to be said
now. He could not let this girl to whom he owed--well, the only holiday
that he had ever taken, go home shamed by a mistake, which after all
she had not made. He was very near indeed to saying yet more. The
inclination was strong in him, but not so strong as the methods of his
life. Marriage now--that meant to his view the closing of all the
avenues of advancement, and a life for both below both their needs.
"Stella, just listen to me. I want you to know that had things been
different I should have rejoiced beyond words."
"Oh, don't!" she cried.
"I must," he answered and she was silent. "I want you to know," he
repeated, stammering and stumbling, afraid lest each word meant to
heal should only pierce the deeper. "Before I came here there was no
one. Since I came here there has been--you. Oh, my dear, I would have
been very glad. But I am obscure--without means. There are years in
front of me before I shall be anything else. I couldn't ask you to share
them--or I should have done so before now."
In her mind ran the thought: what queer unimportant things men think
about! The early years! Wouldn't their difficulties, their sorrows be the
real savour of life and make it worth remembrance, worth treasuring?
But men had the right of speech. Not again would she forget that. She
bowed her head and he blundered on.
"For you there'll be a better destiny. There's that great house in the Park
with its burnt walls. I should like to see that rebuilt and you in your
right place, its mistress." And his words ceased as Stella abruptly

turned to him. She