The Painted Veil

I

The Painted Veil

SHE gave a startled cry."What's the matter?" he asked.Notwithstanding the darkness of the shuttered room he saw her face on asudden distraught with terror."Some one just tried the door.""Well, perhaps it was the amah, or one of the boys.""They never come at this time. They know I always sleep after tiffin.""Who else could it be?""Walter," she whispered, her lips trembling.She pointed to his shoes. He tried to put them on, but his nervousness, for heralarm was affecting him, made him clumsy, and besides, they were on the tight side.With a faint gasp of impatience she gave him a shoe-horn. She slipped into a kimonoand in her bare feet went over to her dressing-table. Her hair was shingled and witha comb she had repaired its disorder before he had laced his second shoe. Shehanded him his coat."How shallI get out?""You'd better wait a bit. I'll look out and see that it's allright.""It can't possibly be Walter. He doesn't leave the laboratory tillfive.""Who is it then?"They spoke in whispers now. She was quaking. It occurred to him that in anemergency she would lose her head and on a sudden he felt angry with her. If itwasn't safe why the devil had she said it was? She caught her breath and put herhand on his arm. He followed the direction of her glance. They stood facing thewindows that led out on the verandah. They were shuttered and the shutters werebolted. They saw the white china knob of the handle slowly turn. They had heard noone walk along the verandah. It was terrifying to see that silent motion. A minutepassed and there was no sound. Then, with the ghastliness of the supernatural, in thesame stealthy, noiseless and horrifying manner, they saw the white china knob of thehandle at the other window turn also. It was so frightening that Kitty, her nervesfailing her, opened her mouth to scream; but, seeing what she was going to do, heswiftly put his hand over it and her cry was smothered in his fingers.Silence. She leaned against him, her knees shaking, and he was afraid she wouldfaint. Frowning, his jaw set, he carried her to the bed and sat her down upon it. Shewas as white as the sheet and notwithstanding his tan his cheeks were pale too. Hestood by her side looking with fascinated gaze at the china knob. They did notspeak. Then he saw that she was crying."For God's sake don't do that," he whispered irritably. "If we're in for it we'rein for it. We shall just have to brazen it out."She looked for her handkerchief and knowing what she wanted he gave her herbag."Where's your topee?""I left it downstairs.""Oh, my God!""I say, you must pull yourself together. It's a hundred to one it wasn't Walter.Why on earth should he come back at this hour? He never does come home in themiddle of the day, does he?""Never.""I'll bet you anything you like it was the amah."She gave him the shadow of a smile. His rich, caressing voice reassured her andshe took his hand and affectionately pressed it. He gave her a moment to collectherself."Look here, we can't stay here for ever," he said then. "Do you feel up to goingout on the verandah and having a look?""I don't think I can stand.""Have you got any brandy in here?"She shook her head. A frown for an instant darkened his brow, he was growingimpatient, he did not quite know what to do. Suddenly she clutched his hand moretightly."Suppose he's waiting there?"He forced his lips to smile and his voice retained the gentle, persuasive tone theeffect of which he was so fully conscious of."That's not very likely. Have a little pluck, Kitty. How can it possibly be yourhusband? If he'd come in and seen a strange topee in the hall and come upstairs andfound your room locked, surely he would have made some sort of row. It must havebeen one of the servants. Only a Chinese would turn a handle in that way."She did feel more herself now."It's not very pleasant even if it was only the amah.""She can be squared and if necessary I'll put the fear of God into her. There arenot many advantages in being a government official, but you may as well get whatyou can out of it."He must be right. She stood up and turning to him stretched out her arms: hetook her in his and kissed her on the lips. It was such rapture that it was pain. Sheadored him. He released her and she went to the window. She slid back the bolt andopening the shutter a little looked out. There was not a soul. She slipped on to theverandah, looked into her husband's dressing-room and then into her own sittingroom. Both were empty. She went back to the bedroom and beckoned to him."Nobody.""I believe the whole thing was an optical delusion.""Don't laugh. I was terrified. Go into my sitting-room and sit down. I'll put onmy stockings and some shoes."