The Lady of the Shroud

A little after dark the vessel, showing no light, stole into the creek.The barrier gates were once again closed, and when a sufficient number ofmen had arrived to handle the guns, we began to unload. The actualdeportation was easy enough, for the dock had all necessary appliancesquite up to date, including a pair of shears for gun-lifting which couldbe raised into position in a very short time.

The guns were well furnished with tackle of all sorts, and before manyhours had passed a little procession of them disappeared into the woodsin ghostly silence. A number of men surrounded each, and they moved aswell as if properly supplied with horses.

In the meantime, and for a week after the arrival of the guns, thedrilling went on without pause. The gun-drill was wonderful. In thearduous work necessary for it the great strength and stamina of themountaineers showed out wonderfully. They did not seem to know fatigueany more than they knew fear.

For a week this went on, till a perfect discipline and management wasobtained. They did not practise the shooting, for this would have madesecrecy impossible. It was reported all along the Turkish frontier thatthe Sultan's troops were being massed, and though this was not on a warfooting, the movement was more or less dangerous. The reports of our ownspies, although vague as to the purpose and extent of the movement, weredefinite as to something being on foot. And Turkey does not do somethingwithout a purpose that bodes ill to someone. Certainly the sound ofcannon, which is a far-reaching sound, would have given them warning ofour preparations, and would so have sadly minimized their effectiveness.

When the cannon had all been disposed of--except, of course, thosedestined for defence of the Castle or to be stored there--Rooke went awaywit

h the ship and crew. The ship he was to return to the owners; the menwould be shipped on the war-yacht, of whose crew they would form a part.The rest of them had been carefully selected by Rooke himself, and werekept in secrecy at Cattaro, ready for service the moment required. Theywere all good men, and quite capable of whatever work they might be setto. So Rooke told me, and he ought to know. The experience of his youngdays as a private made him an expert in such a job.

RUPERT'S JOURNAL--_Continued_.

_June_ 24, 1907.

Last night I got from my Lady a similar message to the last, anddelivered in a similar way. This time, however, our meeting was to be onthe leads of the Keep.

I dressed myself very carefully before going on this adventure, lest byany chance of household concern, any of the servants should see me; forif this should happen, Aunt Janet would be sure to hear of it, whichwould give rise to endless surmises and questionings--a thing I was farfrom desiring.

I confess that in thinking the matter over during the time I was makingmy hurried preparations I was at a loss to understand how any human body,even though it be of the dead, could go or be conveyed to such a placewithout some sort of assistance, or, at least, collusion, on the part ofsome of the inmates. At the visit to the Flagstaff circumstances weredifferent. This spot was actually outside the Castle, and in order toreach it I myself had to leave the Castle privately, and from the gardenascend to the ramparts. But here was no such possibility. The Keep wasan _imperium in imperio_. It stood within the Castle, though separatedfrom it, and it had its own defences against intrusion. The roof of itwas, so far as I knew, as little approachable as the magazine.

The difficulty did not, however, trouble me beyond a mere passingthought. In the joy of the coming meeting and the longing rapture at themere thought of it, all difficulties disappeared. Love makes its ownfaith, and I never doubted that my Lady would be waiting for me at theplace designated. When I had passed through the little arched passages,and up the doubly-grated stairways contrived in the massiveness of thewalls, I let myself out on the leads. It was well that as yet the timeswere sufficiently peaceful not to necessitate guards or sentries at allsuch points.

There, in a dim corner where the moonlight and the passing clouds threwdeep shadows, I saw her, clothed as ever in her shroud. Why, I know not.I felt somehow that the situation was even more serious than ever. But Iwas steeled to whatever might come. My mind had been already made up.To carry out my resolve to win the woman I loved I was ready to facedeath. But now, after we had for a few brief moments held each other inour arms, I was willing to accept death--or more than death. Now, morethan before, was she sweet and dear to me. Whatever qualms there mighthave been at the beginning of our love-making, or during the progress ofit, did not now exist. We had exchanged vows and confidences, andacknowledged our loves. What, then, could there be of distrust, or evendoubt, that the present might not set at naught? But even had there beensuch doubts or qualms, they must have disappeared in the ardour of ourmutual embrace. I was by now mad for her, and was content to be so mad.When she had breath to speak after the strictness of our embrace, shesaid:

"I have come to warn you to be more than ever careful." It was, Iconfess, a pang to me, who thought only of love, to hear that anythingelse should have been the initiative power of her coming, even though ithad been her concern for my own safety. I could not but notice thebitter note of chagrin in my voice as I answered:

"It was for love's sake that _I_ came." She, too, evidently felt theundercurrent of pain, for she said quickly:

"Ah, dearest, I, too, came for love's sake. It is because I love youthat I am so anxious about you. What would the world--ay, or heaven--beto me without you?"

There was such earnest truth in her tone that the sense and realizationof my own harshness smote me. In the presence of such love as this evena lover's selfishness must become abashed. I could not express myself inwords, so simply raised her slim hand in mine and kissed it. As it laywarm in my own I could not but notice, as well as its fineness, itsstrength and the firmness of its clasp. Its warmth and fervour struckinto my heart--and my brain. Thereupon I poured out to her once more mylove for her, she listening all afire. When passion had had its say, thecalmer emotions had opportunity of expression. When I was satisfiedafresh of her affection, I began to value her care for my safety, and soI went back to the subject. Her very insistence, based on personalaffection, gave me more solid ground for fear. In the moment of lovetransports I had forgotten, or did not think, of what wonderful power orknowledge she must have to be able to move in such strange ways as shedid. Why, at this very moment she was within my own gates. Locks andbars, even the very seal of death itself, seemed unable to make for her aprison-house. With such freedom of action and movement, going when shewould into secret places, what might she not know that was known toothers? How could anyone keep secret from such an one even an illintent? Such thoughts, such surmises, had often flashed through my mindin moments of excitement rather than of reflection, but never long enoughto become fixed into belief. But yet the consequences, the convictions,of them were with me, though unconsciously, though the thoughtsthemselves were perhaps forgotten or withered before development.

"And you?" I asked her earnestly. "What about danger to you?" Shesmiled, her little pearl-white teeth gleaming in the moonlight, as shespoke:

"There is no danger for me. I am safe. I am the safest person, perhapsthe only safe person, in all this land." The full significance of herwords did not seem to come to me all at once. Some base forunderstanding such an assertion seemed to be wanting. It was not that Idid not trust or believe her, but that I thought she might be mistaken.I wanted to reassure myself, so in my distress I asked unthinkingly:

"How the safest? What is your protection?" For several moments thatspun themselves out endlessly she looked me straight in the face, thestars in her eyes seeming to glow like fire; then, lowering her head, shetook a fold of her shroud and held it up to me.

"This!"

The meaning was complete and understandable now. I could not speak atonce for the wave of emotion which choked me. I dropped on my knees, andtaking her in my arms, held her close to me. She saw that I was moved,and tenderly stroked my hair, and with delicate touch pressed down myhead on her bosom, as a mother might have done to comfort a frightenedchild.

Presently we got back to the realities of life again. I murmured:

"Your safety, your life, your happiness are all-in-all to me. When willyou let them be my care?" She trembled in my arms, nestling even closerto me. Her own arms seemed to quiver with delight as she said:

"Would you indeed like me to be always with you? To me it would be ahappiness unspeakable; and to you, what would it be?"

I thought that she wished to hear me speak my love to her, and that,woman-like, she had led me to the utterance, and so I spoke again of thepassion that now raged in me, she listening eagerly as we strained eachother tight in our arms. At last there came a pause, a long, long pause,and our hearts beat consciously in unison as we stood together.Presently she said in a sweet, low, intense whisper, as soft as thesighing of summer wind:

"It shall be as you wish; but oh, my dear, you will have to first gothrough an ordeal which may try you terribly! Do not ask me anything!You must not ask, because I may not answer, and it would be pain to me todeny you anything. Marriage with such an one as I am has its own ritual,which may not be foregone. It may . . . " I broke passionately into herspeaking:

"There is no ritual that I fear, so long as it be that it is for yourgood, and your lasting happiness. And if the end of it be that I maycall you mine, there is no horror in life or death that I shall notgladly face. Dear, I ask you nothing. I am content to leave myself inyour hands. You shall advise me when the time comes, and I shall besatisfied, content to obey. Content! It is but a poor word to expresswhat I long for! I shall shirk nothing which may come to me from this orany other world, so long as it is to make you mine!" Once again hermurmured happiness was music to my ears:

"Oh, how you love me! how you love me, dear, dear!" She took me in herarms, and for a few seconds we hung together. Suddenly she tore herselfapart from me, and stood drawn up to the full height, with a dignity Icannot describe or express. Her voice had a new dominance, as with firmutterance and in staccato manner

she said: