His Hour by Elinor Glyn
CHAPTER VII
The next day was the last of the Russian old year--the 13th of Januarynew style--and when Tamara appeared about ten o'clock in hergodmother's own sitting-room, a charming apartment full of the mostinteresting miniatures and bibelots collected by the great Ardacheff,friend of Catherine II., she found the Princess already busy at herwriting table.
"Good-morning, my child," she said. "You behold me up and working at atime when most of my countrywomen are not yet in their baths. We keeplate hours here in the winter, while it is dark and cold. You will getquite accustomed to going to bed at two and rising at ten; butto-night, if it pleases you to fall in with what is on the tapis foryou, I fear it will be even four in the morning before you sleep.Prince Milaslavski has telephoned that he gives a party at his house onthe Fontonka, to dine first and then go on to a cafe to hear theBohemians sing. It is a peculiarity of the place these Bohemians--weshall drink in the New Year and then go. It will not bore you. No? Thenit is decided," and she pressed a lovely little Faberger enamel bellwhich lay on the table near, and one of the innumerable servants, whoseemed to be always waiting in the galleries, appeared. She spoke tohim in Russian, and then took up the telephone by her side, andpresently was in communication with the person she had called.
"It is thou, Gritzko? Awake? Of course she is awake, and here in theroom. Yes, it is arranged--we dine--not until nine o'clock?--you cannotbe in before. Bon. Now promise you will be good.--Indeed, yes.--Ofcourse any English lady would be shocked at you--So!--I tell you she isin the room--pray be more discreet," and she smiled at Tamara, and thencontinued her conversation. "No, I will not talk in Russian, it is veryrude.--If you are not completely _sage_ at dinner we shall not goon.--I am serious! Well, good-bye,"--and with a laugh the Princess putthe receiver down.
"He says nothing would shock you--he is sure you understand the world!Well, we must amuse ourselves, and try and restrain him if he grows toowild."
"He is often wild, then?" Tamara said.
The Princess rose and stood by the window looking out on the thicklyfalling snow.
"I am afraid--a little--yes, though never in the wrong situation; aboveall things Gritzko is a gentleman; but sometimes I wish he would takelife less as a game. One cannot help speculating how it can end."
"Has he no family?" Tamara asked.
"No, everyone is dead. His mother worshipped him, but she died when hewas scarcely eighteen, and his father before that. His mother is hisadored memory. In all the mad scenes which he and his companions, I amafraid, have enacted in the Fontonka house, there is one set of roomsno one has dared to enter--her rooms--and he keeps flowers there, andan ever-burning lamp. There is a strange touch of sentiment andmelancholy in Gritzko, and of religion too. Sometimes I think he isunhappy, and then he goes off to his castle in the Caucasus or toMilaslav, and no one sees him for weeks. Last year we hoped he wouldmarry a charming Polish girl--he quite paid her attention for severalnights; but he said she laughed one day when he felt sad, and answeredseriously when he was gay, and made crunching noises with her teethwhen she ate biscuits!--and her mother was fat and she might grow sotoo! And for these serious reasons he could not face her at breakfastfor the rest of his life! Thus that came to an end. No one has anyinfluence upon him. I have given up trying. One must accept him as heis, or leave him alone--he will go his own way."
Tamara had ceased fighting with herself about the interest she took inconversations relating to the Prince. She could not restrain her desireto hear of him, but she explained it now by telling herself he was arather lurid and unusual foreign character, which must naturally be aninteresting study for a stranger.
"It was an escape for the girl at least, perhaps," she said, when thePrincess paused.
"Of that I am not sure; he is so tender to children and animals, andhis soul is full of generosity and poetry--and justice too. PoorGritzko," and the Princess sighed.
Then Tamara remembered their conversation during their night ride fromthe Sphinx, and she felt again the humiliating certainty of howcommonplace he must have found her.
Presently the Princess took her to see the house. Every room filledwith relics of the grand owners who had gone before. There wereportraits of Peter the Great, and the splendid Catherine, in almostevery room.
"An Empress so much misjudged in your country, Tamara," her godmothersaid. "She had the soul and the necessities of a man, but she was trulygreat."
Tamara gazed up at the proud _debonnaire_ face, and she thought how athome they would think of the most unconventional part of her character,to the obliteration of all other aspects, and each moment she wasrealizing how ridiculous and narrow was the view from the standpointfrom which she had been made to look at life.
For luncheon quite a number of guests arrived, the Princess, she foundafterward, was hardly ever alone.
"I don't care to go out, Tamara, as a rule, to dejeuner," she said,"but I love my house to be filled with young people and mirth."
The names were very difficult for Tamara to catch, especially as theyall called each other by their _petits noms_--all having been friendssince babyhood, if not, as often was the case, related by ties ofblood; but at last she began to know that "Olga" was the CountessGleboff, and "Sonia," the Princess Solentzeff-Zasiekin--both young,under thirty, and both attractive and quite _sans gene_.
"Olga" was little and plump, with an oval face and rather prominenteyes, but with a way of saying things which enchanted Tamara's ear. Hermanner was casualness itself, and had a wonderful charm; and anotherthing struck her now that she saw them in daylight, not a single womanpresent--and there were six or seven at least--had even the slightestpowder on her face. They were as nature made them, not the faintest aidfrom art in any way. "They cannot be at all coquette like the French,"she thought, "or even like us in England, or they could not all dotheir hair like that whether it suits them or no! But what charm theyhave--much more than we, or the French, or any one I know."
They were all so amusing and gay at lunch and talked of teeny scandalswith a whimsical humor at themselves for being so small, which wasdelightful, and no one said anything spiteful or mean. Quantities ofpleasant things were planned, and Tamara found her days arranged for aweek ahead.
That night, as they drove to Prince Milaslavski's dinner, an annoyingsense of excitement possessed Tamara. She refused to ask herself why.Curiosity to see the house of this strange man--most likely--in anycase, emotion enough to make her eyes bright.
It was one of the oldest houses in Petersburg, built in the time ofCatherine, about 1768, and although in a highly florid rococo style ofdecoration, as though something gorgeous and barbaric had amalgamatedwith the Louis XV., still it had escaped the terrible wave of 1850vandalism, and stood, except for a few Empire rooms, a monument of itstime.
Everything about it interested Tamara. The strange Cossack servants inthe hall; the splendid staircase of stone and marble, and then finallythey reached the salons above.
"One can see no woman lives here," she thought, though the one theyentered was comfortable enough. Huge English leather armchairs elbowedsome massively gilt seats of the time of Nicholas I., and an uglyEnglish high fender with its padded seat, surrounded the blazing logfire.
The guests were all assembled, but host, there was not!
"What an impertinence to keep them waiting like this," Tamara thought!However, no one seemed to mind but herself, and they all stood laughingor sitting on the fender in the best of spirits.
"I will bet you," said Olga Gleboff, in her attractive voice, "thatGritzko comes in with no apology, and that we shall none of us be ableto drag from him where he has been!"
As she spoke he entered the room.
"Ah! you are all very early," he said, shaking their hands in frankwelcome. "So good of you, dear friends. Perhaps I am a little late, youwill forgive me, I know; and now for Zacouska, a wolf is tearing at myvitals, I feel, and yours too. It is nine o'clock!"
Then the dining-room doors at the side
Some of the men were elderly, and a number the husbands of the variousladies; there were a few young officers and several diplomats from theEmbassies, too. But young or old, all were gay and ready to enjoy life.
"You must taste some vodka, Madame," Prince Milaslavski said, pouring asmall glass at Tamara's side. "You will not like it, but it is Russian,and you must learn. See I take some, too, and drink your health!"
Tamara bowed and sipped the stuff, which she found very nasty, with awhiff of ether in it. And then they all trouped to the large table inthis huge dining-hall.
Tamara sat on her host's right hand, and Princess Sonia on his left.
To-night his coat was brown and the underdress black, it was quite asbecoming as the others she had seen him in, with the strange belt andgold and silver trimmings and the Eastern hang of it all, and his greatdark gray-blue eyes blazed at Tamara now and then with a challenge inthem she could hardly withstand.
"Now tell us, Gritzko, what did you do in Egypt this year?" PrincessSonia said. "It is the first time that no histories of your ways havecome to our ears--were you ill?--or bored? We feared you were dead."
"On the contrary, I was greatly alive," he answered gravely. "I wasstudying mummies and falling in love with the Sphinx. And just at theend I had a most interesting kind of experience; I came upon whatlooked like a woman, but turned out to be a mummy and later froze intoa block of ice!"
"Gritzko!" they called in chorus. "Can anyone invent such impossiblestories as you!"
"I assure you I am speaking the truth. Is it not so, Madame?" And helooked at Tamara and smiled with fleeting merry mockery in his eyes."See," and he again turned to his guests, "Madame has been in Egypt shetells me, and should be able to vouch for my truth."
Tamara pulled herself together.
"I think the Sphinx must have cast a spell over you, Prince," she said,"so that you could not distinguish the real from the false. I saw nowomen who were mummies and then turned into ice!"
Some one distracted Princess Sonia's attention for a moment, and thePrince whispered, "One can melt ice!"
"To find a mummy?" Tamara asked with grave innocence. "That would bethe inverse rotation."
"And lastly a woman--in one's arms," the Prince said.
Tamara turned to her neighbor and became engrossed in his conversationfor the rest of the repast.
All the women, and nearly all the men, spoke English perfectly, andtheir good manners were such that even this large party talked in thestrange guest's language among themselves.
"One must converse now as long as one can," her neighbor told her,"because the moment we have had coffee everyone will play bridge, andno further sense will be got out of them. We are a little behind therest of the world always in Petersburg, and while in England and Paristhis game has had its day, here we are still in its claws to a point ofmadness, as Madame will see."
And thus it fell about.
Prince Milaslavski gave Tamara his arm and they found coffee awaitingthem in the salon when they returned there, and at once the rubberswere made up. And with faces of grave pre-occupation this lately merrycompany sat down to their game, leaving only the Prince and one ladyand Tamara unprovided for.
"Yes, I can play," she had said, when she was asked, "but it bores meso, and I do it so badly; may I not watch you instead?"
The lady who made the third had not these ideas, and she sat down neara table ready to cut in. Thus the host and his English guest were leftpractically alone.
"I did not mean you to play," he said, "I knew you couldn't--I arrangedit like this."
"Why did you know I couldn't?" Tamara asked. "I am too stupid perhapsyou think!"
"Yes--too stupid and--too sweet."
"I am neither stupid--nor sweet!" and her eyes flashed.
"Probably not, but you seem so to me.--Now don't get angry at once, itmakes our acquaintance so fatiguing, I have each time to be presentedover again."
Then Tamara laughed.
"It really is all very funny," she said.
"And how is the estimable Mrs. Hardcastle?" he asked, when he hadlaughed too--his joyous laugh. "This is a safe subject and we can siton the fender without your wanting to push me into the fire over it."
"I am not at all sure of that," answered Tamara. She could not resisthis charm, she could not continue quarrelling with him; somehow itseemed too difficult here in his own house, so she smiled as she wenton. "If you laugh at my Millicent, I shall get very angry indeed."
"Laugh at your Millicent! The idea is miles from my brain--did not Itell you when I could find a wife like that I would marry--what morecan I say!" and the Prince looked at her with supreme gravity. "Did shetell 'Henry' that a devil of a Russian bear had got drunk and flung agipsy into the sea?"
"Possibly. Why were you so--horrible that night?"
"Was I horrible?"
"Probably not, but you seemed so to me," Tamara quoted his late words.
"I seem horrible--and you seem sweet."
"Surely the stupid comes in too!"
"Undoubtedly, but Russia will cure that, you will not go away for along time."
"In less than four weeks."
"We shall see," and the Prince got up and lit another cigarette. "Youdo not smoke either? What a little good prude!"
"I am not a prude!" Tamara's ire rose again. "I have tried often withmy brother Tom, and it always makes me sick. I would be a fool, not aprude, to go on, would not I?"
"I am not forcing you to smoke. I like your pretty teeth best as theyare!"
Rebellion shook Tamara. It was his attitude toward her--one of supremeunconcerned command--as though he had a perfect right to take hispleasure out of her conversation, and play upon her emotions, accordingto his mood. She could have boxed his ears.
"How long ago is it since we danced in Egypt--a fortnight, or more? Youmove well, but you don't know anything about dancing," he went on."Dancing is either a ridiculous jumping about of fools, who have nomore understanding of its meaning than a parcel of marionettes. Or itis an expression of some sort of emotion. The Greeks understood that intheir Orchiesis, each feeling had its corresponding movement. For me itmeans a number of things. When a woman is slender and pliant and smoothof step, and if she pleases me otherwise, then it is not waste oftime!--Tonight I shall probably get drunk again," and he flicked theash off his cigarette with his little finger; and even though Tamarawas again annoyed with him, she could not help noticing that his handswere fine and strong.
"But you were not drunk on the ship--you could not even plead that,"she said, almost shocked at herself for speaking of anything sohorrible.
"It is the same thing. I feel a mad supercharge of life--anintoxication of the senses, perhaps. It has only one advantage over thechampagne result. I am steady on my feet, and my voice is not thick!"
Tamara did not speak.
"I wonder what this music we shall hear will say to you. Will it makethe milk and water you call blood in your veins race?--it will amuse meto see."
"I am not made for your amusement, Prince. How dare you always treat meas you do?" And Tamara drew herself up haughtily. "And if my veinscontain milk and water, it is at least my own."
"You dared me once before, Madame," he said, smiling provokingly. "Doyou think it is quite wise of you to try it again?"
"I do not care if it is wise or no. I hate you!" almost hissed poorTamara.
Then his eyes blazed, as she had never seen them yet. He moved nearerto her, and spoke in a low concentrated voice.
"It is a challenge. Good. Now listen to what I say. In a little shorttime you shall love me. That haughty little head shall lie here on my
For the second time in her life Tamara went dead white--he saw her paleeven to her lips. And since the moment was not yet, and since his moodwas not now to make her suffer, he bent over with contrition and askedher to forgive him in a tender voice.
"Madame--I am only joking--but I am a brute," he said.
Tamara rose and walked to the bridge tables, furious with herself thathe could have seen his power over her, even though it were only tocause rage.
He came up behind her and sat down and began to talk nicelyagain--about the sights to be seen in the capital, and the interestingmuseums and collections of pictures and arms. Nothing could be morecorrect than his manner, and the bridge players who were within earshotsmiled, while Countess Olga thought.
"Either Gritzko has just been making love to the Englishwoman, or he isimmensely bored--The latter from his face."