"Of course not;you are a man.But I have such a presentiment this afternoon,and it will come true.""What do you fear,Miss Ida?"
"What does a woman always fear?Earthquakes,political changes,disturbances in the world at large,of course.""I have heard that a woman's kingdom was her heart,"Van Berg was indiscreet enough to say.
"It is a pity,"Ida replied with one of her reckless laughs,"for it so often happens that she cannot keep it,and those who wrest it from her do not care to keep it,and so it comes to be what the geographies used to call one of the 'waste places of the earth.'
As the world goes,I think I had better retain my kingdom,small as it is."He turned very pale,and swift as light he thought:"Has she,by the aid of her woman's intuition,read my thoughts?Has she seen the beginnings of a regard for her far warmer than my professed friendship,and,remembering my suit to Jennie Burton,is she learning to despise me as fickle,or,worse,as a hypocritical specimen of that meanest type of human vermin--a male flirt?"and his face grew so white that Ida in her turn was not only perplexed,but alarmed.
But after a moment he said quietly:"It is not the size of the kingdom that makes its value,but what it contains.I hope you will keep treasures of yours till you find some one worthy to receive them,and I can scarcely imagine that such an idiot exists that he would not retain them if he could.That is Fort Montgomery yonder,"and he resolutely continued the story of its defence and capture,until her father returned saying it was time to come down ad prepare to land.
Ida had scarcely heard a word.Her heart almost stood still with dread and foreboding,and like a dreary refrain the words kept repeating themselves,"Oh,I'm punished,I'm punished.I thought to win him from Jennie Burton,and my reckless words will now make him true to her at every cost to himself.He knows that I must have seen how he won the kingdom of her heart,and he'll keep it now in spite of my love and something I thought love that I saw in his face.Oh,my punishment is greater than I can bear;but it is deserved,well deserved.If he had won my love first,what would I think of the woman who tried to win him from me?She would have suffered what I now must suffer.My bright but guilty dream is over forever."Van Berg assisted her down to the gangway and out on the wharf with a grave and scrupulous politeness,but she felt even more than she saw that her words had stung his very soul.It was their apparent truth which he could never explain away that gave them their power to wound so deeply,and every moment brought to him a clearer realization of the fact that he had tried to win,and was pledged to win a woman whom to wrong even unwittingly would be an act for which he could never forgive himself.And yet his heart sank at the thought of meeting her;indeed,so guilty and embarrassed did he become in his feelings that he decided he would not meet her before others,and sprang out of the stage,saying to the driver that he preferred walking the remainder of the way.Mr.Mayhew looked at him in some surprise,for his manner had changed so now as to attract his attention and excite disagreeable surmises.
To Ida's great relief Stanton had come down to meet her with his light-wagon.He had seen Van Berg at her side again with surprise,and,after his fast horses had whirled them well away by themselves,he asked a little abruptly:
"Ida,have you seen Van this week?"
She hesitated a moment,and then said briefly:"Yes.We met at the concert-garden again,and he dined with us last evening."Stanton turned and looked at her earnestly,and her color rose swiftly under his questioning eyes.
"My poor little Ida,we are in the same boat,I fear,"he said compassionately.
She hid her face on his shoulder."Oh,Ik,spare me,"she faltered.
"It's just as I feared,"Stanton resumed,with a deep sigh.
"Maledictions on such a world as ours!The devil rules it,sure enough.""Oh,hush,hush,"Ida sobbed.
"I see it all,now;indeed,I've thought it all out this past week.