I started as if to follow him, but he stopped me. I believe he was afraid I should shoot him.
"You stop here, thank you. I can find my way out as I found it in."
I fell back a step as if frightened, and he left us.
"Oh, Mr. Bastable," cried Althea, the instant his back was turned, almost overcome by the scene.
I put my fingers to my lips, I thought he might linger a while to listen.
"He has us at every turn. My God, I shall go mad, I believe," I cried in a voice loud enough to reach him if he were there; and I thought I could catch the sound of a chuckle outside.
A minute afterwards we heard the front door slammed, and I went out to be sure that he had really gone. Then I hurried back to Althea.
"Wasn’t that just lovely?" I asked with a smile. "Don’t look so frightened. I was afraid to tell you my plan for fear that if you had it in your thoughts you might not have been able to prevent his suspicions being aroused. You must forgive me that. Everything has gone splendidly."
"I don’t understand in the least," she cried, in her infinite perplexity. "You agreed to it all."
"Did I not tell you not to believe your eyes if you saw me agree?"
"Of course I will. Stand up here a moment." She came to me and we stood before the mirror. "Once before, this morning, we were standing together just as we are now and I happened to look in that glass. It suggested a thought. See if anything is suggested to you."
She looked and turned to me as she shook her head. "I don’t understand in the least."
"You are a tall girl and I am not a very tall man, so that our height is nearly the same. You are broad-shouldered for a girl; I am the reverse for a man. If I were dressed as you are, the difference would be imperceptible."
"But I am dark and you are fair--and your moustache!"
"Any sort of dark wig will alter the hair. Bessie bought one this morning. A razor will deal with the moustache. A touch or two on the eyebrows and a veil, fairly thick, will do the rest. I am going to borrow your dress for the evening’s entertainment."
"Oh, Paul!" she cried, catching my arm, the name slipping out in her agitation.
I laid my hand on hers and took it gently into mine. She left it there.
"Did you really believe I would let you marry that brute? My dear, I would take his life first. This was all make-believe just now. I frightened him from having the marriage here--he thought I should kill him if he did--because it is necessary that I should be at his house to-night."