A Strange Experience, Chapters I-V [pp. 223-237]

APPLETONS' JO URNAL.
In her face I read dumb submission-in his the
consciousness of power and triumph.
"Are you going out this morning?" he said,
holding her hand. He had bowed smiling to me.
"If you like," she said, slowly, her eyes still
upon his face. I had risen from the piano; I stood
some distance from them, in an angle of light, which
threw them half in shadow. I think, eagerly as I
watched my dear girl, I must have moved my eyes
an instant, and yet I know I saw the dreadful change
creep into her face. With her hand in his, her beautiful eyes uplifted, the shadow came-the livid huethe dead-looking black bands of hair-the mocking
lips! A wild dream seemed upon me. I tried to
move-to speak. I distinctly saw the Jormn andfeatures of Olga Herminlide before me in the space I knew
Leonor's presence filled! I remember putting out
my hand with a trembling gesture, and then I saw
her move back; the sunlight seemed to inclose her
-the delusion, vision, call it what you will, was gone.
I hardly know how I left them, or gained my own
room, where I sat some time, trying to reason myself into calm. Was I becoming mad-I, whose
imagination had never had a touch of anything in
the least degree morbid or unwholesome? I sat
quite still, I think half an hour, and then Leonor's
voice outside roused me. She came in, looking pretty, and quite like herself, in her riding-dress.
"I am going to ride, dear Agnes," she said;
"and at five o'clock we are all to take tea at Mr.
Lemark's house. I am going to lunch at Mrs.
Thurston's; and will you meet me, with Aunt Jane,
at his place?"
"I don't want to go," I said, with a nervous
attempt to laugh; "I don't like your Mr. Lemark."
"Do you not?" said Leonor, laying her little
gloved hand tenderly on my arm, and looking at me
with wistful, loving eyes. My own filled with involuntary tears as I thought if it were Roger, with
his honest glance, who could return that gaze!
"Agnes," she half whispered, "do I seem
strange to you in any way? I feel-" She broke off,
suddenly, with a passionate gesture, turning from
me, and then back as impulsively. "Think the
best of anything I seem," she added, "and come,
will you not, for my sake?"
I promised, feeling I was guarding Roger's interests best by keeping near her; but I determined,
if the thing were possible, to settle this question of
the association with Olga Herminlide before matters
took more definite shape.
The house Lernark had purchased and renovated
was an old-fashioned, rambling edifice, which we
had looked upon as rather a damp abode, it being
shut off from the road by thickly - planted trees.
How sunlight was possible in summer I could not
imagine. At this season, the verdure thickening,
some misty rays penetrated the trees; but the light
was wan at best, and the place made me shudder as
we drove up the avenue to the doorway. Lights
gleamed within the red- curtained windows. We
were admitted into a wide hall, and Mr. Lemark
appeared very quickly, leading us into the drawing
room, where Leonor sat with an anxious air of waiting for us, and Mrs. Thurston and her family party
were disposed about. I felt that I only in that
company disliked our host. Mrs. Thurston hung
upon his words, and watched him with a sort of
adoration in her gaze. His affability was certainly
marked, and, had it been our first meeting, I think
I should have found him very good company. Tea
was brought in by his old housekeeper. Mr. Lemark was to make it.
"Russian tea," he said, looking, I fancied, with
some anxiety at me. "Everything is to be Russian
to-night." The servant had produced a huge samovar, an article new to us, in which the tea was to be
made; presently charcoal - fumes arose. We all
gathered around, watching the manufacture - Lemark explaining it all in his deliberate, state-executioner voice. I remember that Leonor only hung
back. The light was fitful, and Lemark had placed
two or three candles on the table, thus concentrating
the glow about his samovar. He, in the midst of
our group, was talking fluently, we bending over
him. He had lifted the inner part of the samnovar
up to our gaze. For some reason I raised my eyes
to search for Leonor. At the side of the room, almost in darkness, against the heavy-curtained window, she stood-Leonor! Good Heavens! Looking at the tall figure, the set face, regarding us with
stony composure, I beheld again the spectral change!
Not Leonor who watched us! In the distance, with
a deadly, icy fixedness, I saw Olga Hermninlide before me! Straining my eyes, feeling conjecture as
to the reality of the change wildly cast to the winds
by this third appearance, I was about to move forward, when suddenly the noise of a crash aroused
me. The samovar had fallen from Lemark's hands.
One or two of the lights were extinguished. In the
confusion I heard my darling's voice, and felt her
soft hand in mine.
"What made you look at me so, Agnes?" she
whispered. She gave an hysterical little laugh. "I
felt so strangely."
I felt that, if this continued, myr eason would
desert me. I almost sank into a chair, Leonor still
beside me. The candles were being relit. Above
the glow I saw Lemark's pale eyes peering about for
me.
"Will you have a cup of my tea, Miss Mayo?"
he said, above his samovar. I made some sort of
answer. My hand trembled as I put it out to take
the cup from his hand.
"I fear I frightened you," he said, in a meaning voice, and looking at me intently-" you turned
so pale."
"I grew faint," I answered, weakly. I felt ready
to weep with nervousness, being convinced some disease was growing on my mind or body.
"You looked toward the window," he went on.
"Was any one there?"
"Only Leonor," I answered.
He paused reflectively.
"Only Leonor," he repeated, half to himself,
and moved away. The servant now appeared with
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