Lair of the White Worm

sinuous figure.

The sight did for Lilla what no voluntary effort could have done.  Her
eyes flashed, and in an instant she felt as though a new life had
suddenly developed within her.  Lady Arabella's entry, in her usual
unconcerned, haughty, supercilious way, heightened the effect, so that
when the two stood close to each other battle was joined.  Mr. Caswall,
too, took new courage from her coming, and all his masterfulness and
power came back to him.  His looks, intensified, had more obvious effect
than had been noticeable that day.  Lilla seemed at last overcome by his
dominance.  Her face became red and pale--violently red and ghastly
pale--by rapid turns.  Her strength seemed gone.  Her knees collapsed,
and she was actually sinking on the floor, when to her surprise and joy
Mimi came into the room, running hurriedly and breathing heavily.

Lilla rushed to her, and the two clasped hands.  With that, a new sense
of power, greater than Lilla had ever seen in her, seemed to quicken her
cousin.  Her hand swept the air in front of Edgar Caswall, seeming to
drive him backward more and more by each movement, till at last he seemed
to be actually hurled through the door which Mimi's entrance had left
open, and fell at full length on the gravel path without.

Then came the final and complete collapse of Lilla, who, without a sound,
sank down on the floor.




CHAPTER XXVI--FACE TO FACE


Mimi was greatly distressed when she saw her cousin lying prone.  She had
a few times in her life seen Lilla on the verge of fainting, but never
senseless; and now she was frightened.  She threw herself on her knees
beside Lilla, and tried, by rubbing her hands and other measures commonly
known, to restore her.  But all her efforts were unavailing.  Lilla still
lay white and senseless.  In fact, each moment she looked worse; her
breast, that had been heaving with the stress, became still, and the
pallor of her face grew like marble.

At these succeeding changes Mimi's fright grew, till it altogether
mastered her.  She succeeded in controlling herself only to the extent
that she did not scream.

Lady Arabella had followed Caswall, when he had recovered sufficiently to
get up and walk--though stumblingly--in the direction of Castra Regis.
When Mimi was quite alone with Lilla and the need for effort had ceased,
she felt weak and trembled.  In her own mind, she attributed it to a
sudden change in the weather--it was momentarily becoming apparent that a
storm was coming on.

She raised Lilla's head and laid it on her warm young breast, but all in
vain.  The cold of the white features thrilled through her, and she
utterly collapsed when it was borne in on her that Lilla had passed away.

The dusk gradually deepened and the shades of evening closed in, but Mimi
did not seem to notice or to care.  She sat on the floor with her arms
round the body of the girl whom she loved.  Darker and blacker grew the
sky as the coming storm and the closing night joined forces.  Still she
sat on--alone--tearless--unable to think.  Mimi did not know how long she
sat there.  Though it seemed to her that ages had passed, it could not
have been more than half-an-hour.  She suddenly came to herself, and was
surprised to find that her grandfather had not returned.  For a while she
lay quiet, thinking of the immediate past.  Lilla's hand was still in
hers, and to her surprise it was still warm.  Somehow this helped her
consciousness, and without any special act of will she stood up.  She lit
a lamp and looked at her cousin.  There was no doubt that Lilla was dead;
but when the lamp-light fell on her eyes, they seemed to look at Mimi
with intent--with meaning.  In this state of dark isolation a new
resolution came to her, and grew and grew until it became a fixed
definite purpose.  She would face Caswall and call him to account for his
murder of Lilla--that was what she called it to herself.  She would also
take steps--she knew not what or how--to avenge the part taken by Lady
Arabella.

In this frame of mind she lit all the lamps in the room, got water and
linen from her room, and set about the decent ordering of Lilla's body.
This took some time; but when it was finished, she put on her hat and
cloak, put out the lights, and set out quietly for Castra Regis.

As Mimi drew near the Castle, she saw no lights except those in and
around the tower room.  The lights showed her that Mr. Caswall was there,
so she entered by the hall door, which as usual was open, and felt her
way in the darkness up the staircase to the lobby of the room.  The door
was ajar, and the light from within showed brilliantly through the
opening.  She saw Edgar Caswall walking restlessly to and fro in the
room, with his hands clasped behind his back.  She opened the door
without knocking, and walked right into the room.  As she entered, he
ceased walking, and stared at her in surprise.  She made no remark, no
comment, but continued the fixed look which he had seen on her entrance.

For a time silence reigned, and the two stood looking fixedly at each
other.  Mimi was the first to speak.

"You murderer!  Lilla is dead!"

"Dead!  Good God!  When did she die?"

"She died this afternoon, just after you left her."