The Later Life Part 15

Constance was disappointed, but she said, with a smile:

"Then I must exercise patience."

"But I exercise no patience," said Van der Welcke. "Tell us now, Max: when you left Leiden, after taking your degree in law, a year before I did--but you were much older than I, an older student who really studied, a rara avis!--what did you do then?"

"I first went back to my father and my brothers, to the factory. And then I took such an aversion to the whole thing, to all that we represented, my father, my brothers and I, that I determined to go and lead an entirely different life. I saw that, though my father and brothers were comparatively good to their workmen, those workmen remained slaves; and we...."

He pa.s.sed his hand over his forehead:

"How can I and why should I talk about all this, my dear Hans?" he said, gently interrupting himself. "You wouldn't understand me; nor you either, mevrouw...."

"Why shouldn't we understand you?" asked Constance.

His voice a.s.sumed a rough tone that almost frightened her:

"Because both of you, you and Hans, are capitalists--and t.i.tled capitalists at that--and because I.... But I don't want to be rude to my host and hostess."

"Capitalists without capital," said Van der Welcke, laughing.

Brauws shrugged his shoulders:

"There are more of them than you think," he said.

"So really you're among enemies here," said Constance, in her drawing-room voice.

"No," said Van der Welcke, "for he in his turn has deserted to the capitalists, even the t.i.tled ones."

"Not quite," said Brauws, quietly, "though I admit that I have been weak."

"I won't press you any more, Mr. Brauws," said Constance; but her voice urged him to continue.

"Don't look upon yourself and Henri as my enemies, mevrouw," said Brauws, earnestly. "Above all things, I should like to see nothing but friendship in this world of ours. But you were asking me about America: well, when I had lived for a short time with my father and my brothers in our big house near the factory, it became too much for me; and I went away, to lead my life just as if I had been born among workmen ... so as to study them more closely, do you understand?... No, you don't understand; and how can I go on?..."

"Max, you're being dull. And you're absurd too."

"I'm sorry, Hans, I simply can't talk about myself: you see, I've tried to, two or three times over."

"Then we won't worry you any more," said Constance.

A constraint seemed to have come upon them, a barrier which rose between their words at every moment. Addie, disappointed, left the room quietly. In a little while, Brauws took his leave, awkwardly, almost rudely. Constance and Van der Welcke exchanged a glance when they were alone. Van der Welcke shook his head:

"The fellow's mad," he said. "Always was; but, since he's joined the proletariats in America, he's stark, staring mad. He was so jolly yesterday, coming with that old sewing-machine. He is a good sort, there's something nice about him. But he's quite mad. Vreeswijck is much better company. We won't ask him again: what do you say, Constance? The fellow's really mad; and, besides, he doesn't know how to talk and, when all is said, he was impertinent, with his 't.i.tled capitalists.' Indeed, I ought really to apologize to you for asking such a queer fish to your house."

"He is different from other people," she said, "but I think that, however much he may differ from you, he likes you."

Her husband burst out irritably:

"You women," he exclaimed, "are simply impossible! Who would ever have thought that you could have found a word of excuse for Brauws! Why, I was afraid that you would cover me with reproaches and point out to me that, even though we see n.o.body, you wouldn't want to receive a socialist friend of mine. But there's no understanding women!"

He was dissatisfied, out of temper, because of Brauws and that spasmodic conversation; and his tone seemed to invite a scene. But Constance raised her eyes to his very calmly and said, so gently and quietly that the voice did not sound like hers to his ears:

"Henri, your friend Brauws is a man and an exceptional man; and that is enough to captivate a woman for a moment."

"Well, you can ask him every day, for all I care."

"I didn't ask him."

"No, I did, of course!"

"Don't let us quarrel, Henri. Mr. Brauws asked himself. But, if you would rather not see any more of him, we won't encourage him again; and then he'll stay away of his own accord...."

Her gentle words, which he did not understand, disturbed him greatly; and he went upstairs in a temper, undressed angrily and flung himself on his bed:

"And, upon my word, he'd be upsetting Addie's head next, with those queer notions," he muttered, as he dug his ear viciously into his pillow.

CHAPTER XI

A few days had pa.s.sed, when Brauws rang at the door, late one afternoon. Constance was sitting in the drawing-room and saw him through the corner window; and, as she heard the bell, she felt a shock of alarm. She was afraid, she did not know why, and listened anxiously to his deep voice in the pa.s.sage.

"Is meneer at home?"

"No, sir."

"Perhaps mevrouw is at home?"

"Yes, sir, mevrouw is in. I'll just ask...."

Truitje entered:

"Mr. Brauws, ma'am...."

"Show meneer in."

She still felt her heart beating with that strange, inexplicable shock of alarm. And she thought that it was because she was alone with that strange man, who had been a workman in America and who could say such rude things sometimes, suddenly.

They shook hands:

"Henri is out," she said. "But sit down. I see in the paper that you are speaking at Arnhem to-morrow."

"Yes, mevrouw, but I haven't come to talk about my lectures. I've come to make you my very humble apologies."

"What for?"

"Mevrouw, I'm a bear. I don't know how to talk to people. Forgive me ... for what I said the other day."