For the Blood Is the Life. Francis Marion Crawford
pinks, but great southern carnations — and long troughs of pansies and heliotrope; while from the garden below the vines grew up, wild and uncultivated, putting out their first spring leaves. Behind the castle, and on both sides of it, and below the garden, the vast grey rocks lay like an angry sea of stone petrified in the very moment when the rough crests would have .broken into a flinty spray. Far below, the isles of the Sirens lay like green leaves floating on the sapphire water.
The whole party came out together upon this terrace, followed at a respectful distance by Bimbam.
"It is too beautiful for anything!" exclaimed Diana, gazing at the sea. Like all imaginative people she loved the water.
"A dream!" cried Lady Brenda, who was not given to dreaming.
Gwendoline laid her hand upon her husband's arm and stood silently surveying the scene, her face pale with pleasure. Augustus stared out into the distance.
"What are you thinking of?" asked Gwendoline at last.
"I was wondering how the experiment would succeed."
"It will succeed admirably," said Lady Brenda. "We are admirable people — this is an admirable place — "
"Then let us fall to admiring each other and our surroundings," answered Augustus. "But I was thinking of the experiment."
"Oh — your spirits and things! " exclaimed his mother-in-law. "Really, Augustus, I can't understand how a man of your intelligence — "
"Had we not better sit down?" suggested Augustus, smiling.
"No," said Lady Brenda; "I am sure we have not seen everything yet. Come along— let us explore."
Bimbam whispered to Augustus that he had taken the liberty of improvising a Swiss dairy, as it was hard to get any milk but that of goats.
"Oh! I want to see my dairy! " exclaimed Gwendoline, and away they went.
Lady Brenda sent for writing materials and began a letter, while Diana entered the great hall and tried the piano. Lady Brenda had a vast correspondence and she wrote well, which was the principal reason why she was able to live in the country. People were so real to her, that to write to them was almost as good as to talk to them. She did not care so much for cows as she did for people. It does not follow that Gwendoline preferred cows to human society; but when she began to see a place, she liked to see it all, whereas her mother contented herself with proposing further explorations and then sat down to describe what she had already seen.
On this occasion Lady Brenda sent for writing materials and established herself upon the wide terrace. She wrote a very interesting epistle in which she explained to her sister that Augustus had come to the Castello del Gaudio to try things with ghosts and mathematical electricity and so forth, but that the place was charming and Gwendoline looked so well in jerseys — and a real medieval castle with a drawbridge somewhere and a Swiss dairy not far off —the great hall was hung with Rhodes tapestry which Augustus had got from a Jew in Asia Minor — so rare, they sold little bits of it in London — and by the bye, where was Lord Mavourneen going to? Augustus meant to ask him during the summer, when he was tired of the ghosts — Diana was certainly a most delightful girl — just Gwendoline's age, but so different — life was a dream of summer flowers — if only Lord Brenda could be with her — but then perhaps he would not enjoy it so much, though of course he would like it immensely, dear fellow. She did not quite know whether Brenda were in St. Petersburg or in India, but of course he would write.
Meanwhile Diana played soft dreamy harmonies upon the wonderful piano, taking delight in the idea that in all the ages before no such sounds had floated out upon the evening air to stir the echoes of the jagged rocks, unless indeed the tale of the Sirens were true, a matter concerning which Diana held opinions of her own. She secretly hoped that her brother's experiments might be successful, and she felt sure that if success were possible at all it must be possible in the wild region where he had at last determined to make his great trial of a new theory. While she played, her mind wandered away to strange regions, and she fancied she heard wonderful sounds answering the ringing chords of the piano. Just then Lady Brenda came in and looked briskly round the great room.
"Really, Augustus has very good taste. Don't you think so?" she said, appealing to Diana.
"Such a piano!" exclaimed Diana, rising. "I wonder where he got it! "
"You can get most things for money, my dear," said Lady Brenda. "Augustus will probably get his ghosts, too!"
"For money?"
"Oh, I don't know! why should not ghosts he bribed, like other people?"
"If money were of any use, where they live."
" It must be awfully funny to be in a place where money is of no use," said Lady Brenda.
"Awfully funny — indeed! " repeated Diana with a laugh. " I hope they see the humorous aspect of their situation, poor dears."
" Do you suppose there is really anything in it, my dear ? For my part I think it is all ridiculous, you know."
"Ghosts? well— "Diana hesitated. "There is no particular reason for thinking them ridiculous, after all."
"Oh, of course they are ridiculous," said Lady Brenda with an air of conviction. " Can anything be more absurd than to suppose that one's greatuncle can get up out of his grave and walk into a room without opening the doors and rap underneath a table without your seeing him? Just think! "
" Yes — if you confine ghosts to spirit rapping and table turning. I quite agree with you. But there are — "
"Oh, I know just what you are going to say about mathematics and electric things — of course I don't know anything about them and so I never pretend to argue, but I am perfectly sure it is all quite nonsensical. Don't you think it would be a good idea to have some tea?"
"Delightful," answered Diana, looking dreamily out of the great window and letting her hands run carelessly over the keys of the piano. She had more than once reflected on the impossibility of ever convincing any one who first stated a firm belief and then refused to argue about it on the ground of ignorance. She also reflected that Lady Brenda was a charming woman and that it made not the smallest difference whether she believed in ghosts or not.
Just then Gwendoline entered the room, followed by Augustus. The latter spoke in a low voice to the solemn Bimbam, who retired. In a few minutes tea and Turkish coffee were brought in.
"Mamma, the cows are too beautiful," said Gwendoline. " It was such a brilliant idea to build the little dairy up there among the rocks. Now tell us what you have been talking about."
"By all means," echoed Augustus, examining the details of the room and walking slowly from one point to another with his hands in his pockets. " By all means, tell us what you have been talking about."
"I have been writing a letter —" began Lady Brenda.
" The novelty of your occupation is only surpassed by —" interrupted Augustus. But Lady Brenda would not let him finish the sentence.
"I know—" please don't make fun of me. It's dreadful, I know I am always writing letters."
"We talked a little about ghosts," said Diana. " Augustus, if you really have any ghosts, do have nice ones."
"Yes," said Gwendoline. "Have people who would be pleasant at dinner — people who can talk. It would be so delightful to be able to ask ever so many questions of historical people. I could make such a beautiful dinner party. Whom would you have, mamma?"
" I, well — I think if I might choose — perhaps I would have Francis the First. Whom would you have, Gwendoline?"
" Dear me! — Oh — I think I would choose a musician — Chopin, for instance. Let us all say. Diana, whom would you like ? "
"Lots of people," answered the young girl. " Heine for one — then Pascal, and Plato and — let me see, I think Pico della Mirandola would be nice and I should be curious to see Giordano Bruno — "
"A