"I have no lover. I spoke in jest. Your devotion has touched me, and I will reward it by becoming your wife. For the present," said Mrs. Belswin, with a charming smile, "I will say 'a reverderci.' If you send me a box I will come and hear you sing to-night."
Ferrari once more kissed her hand, there was a rustling of skirts, a closing of the door, and she was gone.
The Italian stood where she had left him, with a scared look on his face; and after a few minutes looked at the door through which she had vanished, with a nervous smile.
"Jettatura!" he muttered, shivering. "Jettatura."
"Oh, I have seen the Southern Cross In Southern skies burn clear and bright, And I have seen the ocean toss Beneath its gleam in waves of white. Its beauty brought me no delight, For I was on a foreign shore; But now joy cometh with the sight Of England's chalky cliffs once more."
Quite unaware of the pitfalls prepared for him by his now nearly forgotten wife, Sir Rupert Pethram had returned once more to England, and rejoiced greatly, in his dry fashion, to find himself again under his own roof-tree. Kaituna was delighted to have him home again, and welcomed him with a filial affection that made a deep impression on his somewhat hard nature.
He was not a favourite with the world, being so stiff and dry in his manner that every one felt a feeling of uneasiness towards him; consequently, he was unused to affection, except from his daughter, whom he loved fondly in his own undemonstrative fashion. A difficult man to get on with, at least people said so; and the haughty, distant smile with which he greeted every one was enough to chill the most exuberant expressions of friendship. Not even his residence in New Zealand, where, as a rule, humanity is much more sociable than in England, had eradicated the inherent exclusiveness of his nature. True, in his young days he had been more friendly with his fellow-creatures, but the episode of his wife's divorce had destroyed his feelings of sociability entirely; and although, being an upright, honourable gentleman, he was respected throughout the colony, he was certainly not loved. He was a man who lived entirely alone, and, except his daughter Kaituna, there was no one on whom he bestowed a thought.