“You have very little to whine about. It was I who stooped and you whorose.”
“Rose!”
“Yes, rose. I suppose you do not deny that it is promotion to exchangethe music-hall for Mannering Hall. Fool that I was ever to take you outof your true sphere!”
“If you think so, why do you not separate?”
“Because private misery is better than public humiliation. Because it iseasier to suffer for a mistake than to own to it. Because also I like tokeep you in my sight, and to know that you cannot go back to him.”
“You villain! You cowardly villain!”
“Yes, yes, my lady. I know your secret ambition, but it shall never bewhile I live, and if it happens after my death I will at least take carethat you go to him as a beggar. You and dear Edward will never have thesatisfaction of squandering my savings, and you may make up your mind tothat, my lady. Why are those shutters and the window open?”
“I found the night very close.”
“It is not safe. How do you know that some tramp may not be outside? Areyou aware that my collection of medals is worth more than any similarcollection in the world? You have left the door open also. What is thereto prevent any one from rifling the cases?”
“I was here.”
“I know you were. I heard you moving about in the medal room, and thatwas why I came down. What were you doing?”
“Looking at the medals. What else should I be doing?”
“This curiosity is something new.” He looked suspiciously at her andmoved on towards the inner room, she walking beside him.
It was at this moment that I saw something which startled me. I had laidmy clasp-knife open upon the top of one of the cases, and there it layin full view. She saw it before he did, and with a woman’s cunning sheheld her taper out so that the light of it came between Lord Mannering’seyes and the knife. Then she took it in her left hand and held itagainst her gown out of his sight. He looked about from case to case—Icould have put my hand at one time upon his long nose—but there wasnothing to show that the medals had been tampered with, and so, stillsnarling and grumbling, he shuffled off into the other room once more.
And now I have to speak of what I heard rather than of what I saw, but Iswear to you, as I shall stand some day before my Maker, that what I sayis the truth.
When they passed into the outer room I saw him lay his candle upon thecorner of one of the tables, and he sat himself down, but in such aposition that he was just out of my sight. She moved behind him, as Icould tell from the fact that the light of her taper threw his long,lumpy shadow upon the floor in front of him. Then he began talking aboutthis man whom he called Edward, and every word that he said was like ablistering drop of vitriol. He spoke low, so that I could not hear itall, but from what I heard I should guess that she would as soon havebeen lashed with a whip. At first she said some hot words in reply, butthen she was silent, and he went on and on in that cold, mocking voiceof his, nagging and insulting and tormenting, until I wondered that shecould bear to stand there in silence and listen to it. Then suddenly Iheard him say in a sharp voice, “Come from behind me! Leave go of mycollar! What! would you dare to strike me?” There was a sound like ablow, just a soft sort of thud, and then I heard him cry out, “My God,it’s blood!” He shuffled with his feet as if he was getting up, and thenI heard another blow, and he cried out, “Oh, you she-devil!” and wasquiet, except for a dripping and splashing upon the floor.
I ran out from behind my curtain at that, and rushed into the otherroom, shaking all over with the horror of it. The old man had slippeddown in the chair, and his dressing-gown had rucked up until he lookedas if he had a monstrous hump to his back. His head, with the goldglasses still fixed on his nose, was lolling over upon one side, and hislittle mouth was open just like a dead fish. I could not see where theblood was coming from, but I could still hear it drumming upon thefloor. She stood behind him with the candle shining full upon her face.Her lips were pressed together and her eyes shining, and a touch ofcolour had come into each of her cheeks. It just wanted that to make herthe most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.
“You’ve done it now!” said I.
“Yes,” said she, in her quiet way, “I’ve done it now.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked. “They’ll have you for murder assure as fate.”
“Never fear about me. I have nothing to live for, and it does notmatter. Give me a hand to set him straight in the chair. It is horribleto see him like this!”
I did so, though it turned me cold all over to touch him. Some of hisblood came on my hand and sickened me.
“Now,” said she, ?
?you may as well have the medals as any one else. Takethem and go.”
“I don’t want them. I only want to get away. I was never mixed up with abusiness like this before.”
“Nonsense!” said she. “You came for the medals, and here they are atyour mercy. Why should you not have them? There is no one to preventyou.”
I held the bag still in my hand. She opened the case, and between us wethrew a hundred or so of the medals into it. They were all from the onecase, but I could not bring myself to wait for any more. Then I made forthe window, for the very air of this house seemed to poison me afterwhat I had seen and heard. As I looked back, I saw her standing there,tall and graceful, with the light in her hand, just as I had seen herfirst. She waved good-bye, and I waved back at her and sprang out intothe gravel drive.
I thank God that I can lay my hand upon my heart and say that I havenever done a murder, but perhaps it would be different if I had beenable to read that woman’s mind and thoughts. There might have been twobodies in the room instead of one if I could have seen behind that lastsmile of hers. But I thought of nothing but of getting safely away, andit never entered my head how she might be fixing the rope round my neck.I had not taken five steps out from the window skirting down the shadowof the house in the way that I had come, when I heard a scream thatmight have raised the parish, and then another and another.
“Murder!” she cried. “Murder! Murder! Help!” and her voice rang out inthe quiet of the night-time and sounded over the whole country-side. Itwent through my head, that dreadful cry. In an instant lights began tomove and windows to fly up, not only in the house behind me, but at thelodge and in the stables in front. Like a frightened rabbit I bolteddown the drive, but I heard the clang of the gate being shut before Icould reach it. Then I hid my bag of medals under some dry fagots, and Itried to get away across the park, but some one saw me in the moonlight,and presently I had half a dozen of them with dogs upon my heels. Icrouched down among the brambles, but those dogs were too many for me,and I was glad enough when the men came up and prevented me from beingtorn into pieces. They seized me, and dragged me back to the room fromwhich I had come.
“Is this the man, your Ladyship?” asked the oldest of them—the same whomI found out afterwards to be the butler.