Ainslee's Magazine, February 1913 — page 48: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

38 “Tt will be impossible for us to re- main here,” he continued, “because it may be that your relations, aided by the embassy, will have traced us before then; and if they should come upon us alone together nothing that I could say or prove could keep the situation from looking compromising.” He now spoke with his old calm, and Stella felt her confidence reviving; he would certainly arrange what was best for them. “What must we do, then?” she asked gently, while she put her hand on the sleeve of his coat. “T will wrap you up in the fur cloak, darling,” he said, “and you must come in the automobile with me to meet Anastasia. Your family must not find you again until you are in my sister's company. We ought to start at once.” It spoke eloquently for the impres- sion which he had been able to create in Stella’s imagination of his integrity and reliability, for the thought never entered her brain that it was a most unusual and even hazardous undertak- ing to start out into the night, in a for- eign land, with a stranger she had not yet known for a week. But that was the remarkable thing about his person- ality ; it conveyed always an atmosphere of trust and confidence. It was not long before Miss Rawson was ready wrapped in the long gray cloak she had worn before, and with the veil tied over her hat, and was de- scending in the lift alone with Ivan, her lover having gone on by the stairs. Their departure was managed with intelligence, Stella and the servant sim- ply walking out of the hotel and down the street to where the car waited, and then presently Count Roumovski joined them, and they started. “Tvan will remain behind to answer any questions if the reverend clergymen and your aunt do come,” he said, when they were seated in the car in the set- ting sunlight. ‘And now, sweetheart, we can enjoy our drive.” Stella felt deliciously excited, all the exultation of adventure thrilling her, and the joy of her lover’s presence. She cared not where they were going; it was all heaven. AINSLEE’S “We shall stop at a little restaurant for some dinner,” he said. “It will be rather bad, but we must not mind. It would not have been wise to risk any well-known place.” And soon they drew up at a small café on the outskirts of Rome, where there were a few peo- ple already seated at little tables under the trees. They were all Italians, and took no notice of the Russian and his lady. ‘It was the greatest amusement to them both, this primitive place, and to be all alone, ordering their first meal together; and Sasha Roumovski exert- ed himself to charm and please her. He had recovered complete mastery of him- self, it would seem, and his manner, while tenderly devoted, had an air of proprietorship which affected Stella ex- ceedingly. They spent an enchanting half hour, as gay as two children, with all the exquisite undercurrent of love in their talk; and then they got into the motor again. “Let us have it open,’ Count Rou- movski said. “The evening drive will be divine.” . And Stella gladly agreed. The road to Viterbo is far from good —one of those splendid routes which lead from Rome which ought to be so perfect, and in reality are a mass of ruts and pitfalls for the unwary. The jolting of the car constantly threw Stella almost into her lover’s arms, who was sitting as aloof as possible. He had gradually become nearly silent, and sat there holding her hand under the rug, using the whole of his strong will to suppress his rising emotion. The beautiful colors of the lights of evening over the Campagna, the sense of the springtime, and the knowledge that they were alone together, and that she belonged to him, heart and body and soul, was madly intoxicating as they rushed through the air. He dared not let himself caress her gently, which he might have permitted himself to do, and he held her little hand so tightly it was almost pain to her. Thus eventually they reached Vi- terbo, and drew up at the station door, COMLEGE TOOK (C@