andIknowhiminhistruecharacteratlast。AmIawomanwhosubmitswhenanoutrageisofferedtoher?Whatwillhappennext?
Whoknows?Iaminafinehumor。WhatIhavejustwrittenhassetmelaughingatmyself。HelenaGracedieuhasonemeritatleast——sheisaveryamusingperson。
Isleptlastnight。
Thismorning,Iamstrongagain,calm,wickedlycapableofdeceivingMr。PhilipDunboyne,ashehasdeceivedme。HehasnotthefaintestsuspicionthatIhavediscoveredhim。Iwishhehadcourageenoughtokillsomebody。HowIshouldenjoyhiringthenearestwindowtothescaffold,andseeinghimhanged!
MissJillgallisinbetterspiritsthanever。Sheisgoingtotakealittleholiday;andthecunningcreaturemakesamysteryofit。"Good—by,MissHelena。Iamgoingtostayforadayortwowithafriend。"Whatfriend?Whocares?
Lastnight,Iwaswakeful。Inthedarknessadaringideacametome。To—day,Ihavecarriedouttheidea。SomethinghasfollowedwhichiswellworthenteringinmyDiary。
Ilefttheroomattheusualhourforattendingtomydomesticaffairs。Theobstinatecookdidmeaservice;shewasinsolent;
shewantedtohaveherownway。Igaveherherownway。InlessthanfiveminutesIwasonthewatchinthepantry,whichhasaviewofthehousedoor。Myhatandmyparasolwerewaitingformeonthetable,incaseofmygoingout,too。
Inafewminutesmore,Iheardthedooropened。Mr。PhilipDunboynesteppedout。Hewasgoingtotakeanotherofhislongwalks。
Ifollowedhimtothestreetinwhichthecabsstand。Hehiredthefirstoneontherank,anopenchaise;whileIkeptmyselfhiddenina。shopdoor。
Themomenthestartedonhisdrive,Ihiredaclosedcab。"Doubleyourfare,"Isaidtothedriver,"whateveritmaybe,ifyoufollowthatchaisecleverly,anddowhatItellyou。"
Henoddedandwinkedatme。Awicked—lookingoldfellow;justthemanIwanted。
Wefollowedthechaise。
CHAPTERLVI。
HELENA’SDIARYRESUMED。
WHENwehadleftthetownbehindus,thecoachmanbegantodrivemoreslowly。Inmyignorance,Iaskedwhatthischangeinthepacemeant。Hepointedwithhiswhiptotheopenroadandtothechaiseinthedistance。
"Ifwekeeptoonearthegentleman,miss,hehasonlygottolookback,andhe’llseewearefollowinghim。Thesafethingtodoistoletthechaisegetonabit。Wecan’tlosesightofit,outhere。"
Ihadfeltinclinedtotrustinthedriver’sexperience,andhehadalreadyjustifiedmyconfidenceinhim。Thisencouragedmetoconsulthisopiniononamatterofsomeimportancetomypresentinterests。Icouldseethenecessityofavoidingdiscoverywhenwehadfollowedthechaisetoitsdestination;butIwastotallyatalosstoknowhowitcouldbedone。MywilyoldmanwasreadywithhisadvicethemomentIaskedforit。
"Whereverthechaisestops,miss,wemustdrivepastitasifweweregoingsomewhereelse。Ishallnoticetheplacewhilewegoby;andyouwillpleasesitbackinthecornerofthecabsothatthegentlemancan’tseeyou。"
"Well,"Isaid,"andwhatnext?"
"Next,miss,Ishallpullup,whereveritmaybe,outofsightofthedriverofthechaise。Hebearsanexcellentcharacter,I
don’tdenyit;butI’veknownhimforyears——andwehadbetternottrusthim。Ishalltellyouwherethegentlemanstopped;andyouwillgobacktotheplace(onfoot,ofcourse),andseeforyourselfwhat’stobedone,speciallyiftherehappenstobealadyinthecase。Nooffense,miss;it’sinmyexperiencethatthere’sgenerallyaladyinthecase。Anyhow,youcanjudgeforyourself,andyou’llknowwheretofindmewaitingwhenyouwantmeagain。"
"Supposesomethinghappens,"Isuggested,"thatwedon’texpect?"
"Ishan’tlosemyhead,miss,whateverhappens。"
"Allverywell,coachman;butIhaveonlyyourwordforit。"Intheirritablestateofmymind,theman’sconfidentwayofthinkingannoyedme。
"Beggingyourpardon,myyounglady,you’vegot(ifImaysayso)
whattheycallaguarantee。WhenIwasayoungman,IdroveacabinLondonfortenyears。Willthatdo?"
"Isupposeyoumean,"Ianswered,"thatyouhavelearneddeceitinthewickedwaysofthegreatcity。"
Hetookthisasacompliment。"Thankyou,miss。That’sitexactly。"
Afteralongdrive,orsoitseemedtomyimpatience,wepassedthechaisedrawnupatalonelyhouse,separatedbyafrontgardenfromtheroad。Intwoorthreeminutesmore,westoppedwheretheroadtookaturn,anddescendedtolowerground。Thefarmhousewhichwehadleftbehinduswasknowntothedriver。Heledthewaytoagateatthesideoftheroad,andopeneditforme。
"Inyourplace,miss,"hesaidslyly,"theprivatewaybackisthewayIshouldwishtotake。Tryitbythefields。Turntotherightwhenyouhavepassedthebarn,andyou’llfindyourselfatthebackofthehouse。"Hestopped,andlookedathisbigsilverwatch。"Half—pasttwelve,"hesaid,"theChawbacons——Imeanthefarmhouseservants,miss——willbeattheirdinner。Allinyourfavor,sofar。Ifthedoghappenstobeloose,don’tforgetthathisname’sGrinder;callhimbyhisname,andpathimbeforehehastimeenoughtothink,andhe’llletyoube。Whenyouwantme,hereyou’llfindmewaitingfororders。"
IlookedbackasIcrossedthefield。Thedriverwassittingonthegate,smokinghispipe,andthehorsewasnibblingthegrassattheroadside。Twohappyanimals,withoutaburdenontheirminds!
Afterpassingthebarn,Isawnothingofthedog。Farornear,nolivingcreatureappeared;theservantsmusthavebeenatdinner,asthecoachmanhadforeseen。Arrivingatawoodenfence,I
openedagateinit,andfoundmyselfonabitofwasteground。
Onmyleft,therewasalargeduck—pond。Onmyright,Isawthefowl—houseandthepigstyes。Beforemewasahighimpenetrablehedge;andatsomedistancebehindit——anorchardoragarden,asIsupposed,fillingtheintermediatespace——rosethebackofthehouse。Imadefortheshelterofthehedge,inthefearthatsomeonemightapproachawindowandseeme。Onceshelteredfromobservation,ImightconsiderwhatIshoulddonext。ItwasimpossibletodoubtthatthiswasthehouseinwhichEunicewasliving。NeithercouldIfailtoconcludethatPhiliphadtriedtopersuadehertoseehim,onthoseformeroccasionswhenhetoldmehehadtakenalongwalk。
AsIcrouchedbehindthehedge,Iheardvoicesapproachingontheothersideofit。Atlastfortunehadbefriendedme。ThepersonspeakingatthemomentwasMissJillgall;andthepersonwhoansweredherwasPhilip。
"Iamafraid,dearMr。Philip,youdon’tquiteunderstandmysweetEuneece。Honorable,highminded,delicateinherfeelings,and,oh,sounselfish!Idon’twanttoalarmyou,butwhenshehearsyouhavebeendeceivingHelena——"
"Uponmyword,MissJillgall,youaresoprovoking!IhavenotbeendeceivingHelena。Haven’tItoldyouwhatdiscouraginganswersIgot,whenIwenttoseetheGovernor?Haven’tIshownyouEunice’sreplytomyletter?Youcan’thaveforgottenitalready?"
"Oh,yes,Ihave。WhyshouldIrememberit?Don’tIknowpoorEuneecewasinyourmind,allthetime?"
"You’rewrongagain!Eunicewasnotinmymindallthetime。I
washurt——Iwasoffendedbythecruelmannerinwhichshehadtreatedme。Andwhatwastheconsequence?SofarwasIfromdeceivingHelena——sheroseinmyestimationbycomparisonwithhersister。"
"Oh,come,come,Mr。Philip!thatwon’tdo。Helenarisinginanybody’sestimation?Ha!ha!ha!"
"Laughasmuchasyoulike,MissJillgall,youwon’tlaughawaythefacts。Helenalovedme;Helenawastruetome。Don’tbehardonapoorfellowwhoishalfdistracted。Whatamanfindshecandoononeday,hefindshecan’tdoonanother。Trytounderstandthatachangedoessometimescomeoverone’sfeelings。"
"Blessmysoul,Mr。Philip,that’sjustwhatIhavebeenunderstandingallthetime!Iknowyourmindaswellasyouknowityourself。Youcan’tforgetmysweetEuneece。"
"ItellyouItriedtoforgether!Onmywordofhonorasagentleman,Itriedtoforgether,injusticetoHelena。IsitmyfaultthatIfailed?Eunicewasinmymind,asyousaidjustnow。
Oh,myfriend——foryouaremyfriend,Iamsure——persuadehertoseeme,ifit’sonlyforaminute!"
(Wasthereeveraman’smindinsuchastateofconfusionasthis!First,Iriseinhispreciousestimation,andEunicedrops。
ThenEunicerises,andIdrop。Idiot!Mischievousidiot!EvenSelinaseemedtobedisgustedwithhim,whenshespokenext。)
"Mr。Philip,youarehardandunreasonable。Ihavetriedtopersuadeher,andIhavemademydarlingcry。Nothingyoucansaywillinducemetodistressheragain。Goback,youveryundeterminedman——gobacktoyourHelena。"
"Toolate。"
"Nonsense!"
"Isaytoolate。IfIcouldhavemarriedHelenawhenIfirstwenttostayinthehouse,Imighthavefacedthesacrifice。Asitis,I
can’tendureher;and(Itellyouthisinconfidence)shehasherselftothankforwhathashappened。"
"Isthatreallytrue?"
"Quitetrue。"
"Tellmewhatshedid。
"Oh,don’ttalkofher!PersuadeEunicetoseeme。Ishallcomebackagain,andagain,andagaintillyoubringhertome。"
"Pleasedon’ttalknonsense。Ifshechangeshermind,Iwillbringherwithpleasure。Ifshestillshrinksfromit,IregardEuneece’sfeelingsassacred。Takemyadvice;don’tpressher。
Leavehertimetothinkofyou,andtopityyou——andthattrueheartmaybeyoursagain,ifyouareworthyofit。"
"Worthyofit?Whatdoyoumean?"
"Areyouquitesure,myyoungfriend,thatyouwon’tgobacktoHelena?"
"Gobackto_her?_IwouldcutmythroatifIthoughtmyselfcapableofdoingit!"
"Howdidshesetyouagainsther?Didthewretchquarrelwithyou?"
"Itmighthavebeenbetterforbothofusifshehaddonethat。
Oh,herfulsomeendearments!WhatacontrasttothecharmingmodestyofEunice!IfIwasrich,IwouldmakeitworththewhileofthefirstpoorfellowIcouldfindtoridmeofHelenabymarryingher。Idon’tlikesayingsuchathingofawoman,butifyouwillhavethetruth——"
"Well,Mr。Philip——andwhatisthetruth?"
"Helenadisgustsme。"
CHAPTERLVII。
HELENA’SDIARYRESUMED。
Soitwasallsettledbetweenthem。Philipistothrowmeaway,likeoneofhisbadcigars,forthisunanswerablereason:"Helenadisgustsme。"AndheistopersuadeEunicetotakemyplace,andbehiswife。Yes!ifIlethimdoit。
Iheardnomoreoftheirtalk。Withthatlast,worstoutrageburninginmymemory,Ilefttheplace。
Onmywaybacktothecarriage,thedogmetme。Truly,agrandcreature。Icalledhimbyhisname,andpattedhim。Helickedmyhand。Somethingmademespeaktohim。Isaid:"IfIwastotellyoutotearMr。PhilipDunboynetopieces,wouldyoudoit?"Thegreatgood—naturedbruteheldouthispawtoshakehands。Well!
well!Iwasnotanobjectofdisgusttothedog。
Butthecoachmanwasstartled,whenhesawmeagain。Hesaidsomething,Ididnotknowwhatitwas;andheproducedapocket—flask,containingsomespirits,Isuppose。PerhapshethoughtIwasgoingtofaint。Helittleknewme。ItoldhimtodrivebacktotheplaceatwhichIhadhiredthecab,andearnhismoney。Heearnedit。
Ongettinghome,IfoundMrs。Tenbruggenwalkingupanddownthedining—room,deepinthought。Shewasstartledwhenwefirstconfrontedeachother。"Youlookdreadfullyill,"shesaid。
IansweredthatIhadbeenoutforalittleexercise,andhadover—fatiguedmyself;andthenchangedthesubject。"Doesmyfatherseemtoimproveunderyourtreatment?"Iasked。
"Veryfarfromit,mydear。IpromisedthatIwouldtrywhatMassagewoulddoforhim,andIfindmyselfcompelledtogiveitup。"
"Why?"
"Itexciteshimdreadfully。"
"Inwhatway?"
"Hehasbeentalkingwildlyofeventsinhispastlife。Hisbrainisinsomeconditionwhichisbeyondmypowersofinvestigation。
Hepointedtoacabinetinhisroom,andsaidhispastlifewaslockedupthere。IaskedifIshouldunlockit。Heshookwithfear;hesaidIshouldletouttheghostofhisdeadbrother—in—law。Haveyouanyideaofwhathemeant?"
Thecabinetwasfullofoldletters。Icouldtellherthat——andcouldtellhernomore。Ihadneverheardofhisbrother—in—law。
Anotherofhisdelusions,nodoubt。"Didyoueverhearhimspeak,"Mrs。Tenbruggenwenton,"ofaplacecalledLowLanes?"
Shewaitedformyreplytothislastinquirywithanappearanceofanxietythatsurprisedme。IhadneverheardhimspeakofLowLanes。
"Haveyouanyparticularinterestintheplace?"Iasked。
"Nonewhatever。"
Shewentawaytoattendonapatient。Iretiredtomybedroom,andopenedmyDiary。Againandagain,Ireadthatremarkablestoryoftheintendedpoisoning,andofthemannerinwhichithadended。IsatthinkingoverthisromanceinreallifetillI
wasinterruptedbytheannouncementofdinner。
Mr。PhilipDunboynehadreturned。InMissJillgall’sabsencewewerealoneatthetable。Myappetitewasgone。Imadeapretenseofeating,andanotherpretenseofbeinggladtoseemydevotedlover。Italkedtohimintheprettiestmanner。Asahypocrite,hethoroughlymatchedme;hewasgallant,hewasamusing。Ifbasenesslikeourshadbeenpunishablebythelaw,aprisonwastherightplaceforbothofus。
Mrs。Tenbruggencameinagainafterdinner,stillnotquiteeasyaboutmyhealth。"Howflushedyouare!"shesaid。"Letmefeelyourpulse。"Ilaughed,andleftherwithMr。PhilipDunboyne。
Passingmyfather’sdoor,Ilookedin,anxioustoseeifhewasintheexcitablestatewhichMrs。Tenbruggenhaddescribed。Yes;
theeffectwhichshehadproducedonhim——how,sheknowsbest——hadnotpassedawayyet:hewasstilltalking。Theattendanttoldmeithadgoneonforhourstogether。Onmyapproachinghischair,hecalledout:"Whichareyou?EuniceorHelena?"WhenIhadansweredhim,hebeckonedmetocomenearer。
"Iamgettingstrongereveryminute,"hesaid。"Wewillgotravelingto—morrow,andseetheplacewhereyouwereborn。"
WherehadIbeenborn?Hehadnevertoldmewhere。HadhementionedtheplaceinMrs。Tenbruggen’shearing?Iaskedtheattendantifhehadbeenpresentwhileshewasintheroom。Yes;
hehadremainedathispost;hehadalsoheardtheallusiontotheplacewiththeoddname。HadMr。Gracedieusaidanythingmoreaboutthatplace?Nothingmore;thepoorMinister’smindhadwanderedofftootherthings。Hewaswanderingnow。Sometimes,hewasaddressinghiscongregation;sometimes,hewonderedwhattheywouldgivehimforsupper;sometimes,hetalkedoftheflowersinthegarden。Andthenhelookedatme,andfrowned,andsaidI
preventedhimfromthinking。
Iwentbacktomybedroom,andopenedmyDiary,andreadthestoryagain。
Wasthepoisonofwhichthatresoluteyoungwifeproposedtomakeusesomethingthatactedslowly,andtoldthedoctorsnothingiftheylookedforitafterdeath?
Woulditberunningtoogreatarisktoshowthestorytothedoctor,andtrytogetalittlevaluableinformationinthatway?
Itwouldbeuseless。Hewouldmakesomefeeblejoke;hewouldsay,girlsandpoisonsarenotfitcompanyforeachother。
ButImightdiscoverwhatIwanttoknowinanotherway。Imightcallonthedoctor,afterhehasgoneoutonhisafternoonroundofvisits,andmighttelltheservantIwouldwaitforhismaster’sreturn。Nobodywouldbeinmyway;Imightgetatthemedicalliteratureintheconsulting—room,andfindtheinformationformyself。
Aknockatmydoorinterruptedmeinthemidstofmyplans。Mrs。
Tenbruggenagain!——stillinafidgetystateoffeelingonthesubjectofmyhealth。"Whichisit?"shesaid。"Painofbody,mydear,orpainofmind?Iamanxiousaboutyou。"
"MydearElizabeth,yoursympathyisthrownawayonme。AsIhavetoldyoualready,Iamover—tired——nothingmore。"
ShewasrelievedtohearthatIhadnomentaltroublestocomplainof。"Fatigue,"sheremarked,"setsitselfrightwithrest。Didyoutakeaverylongwalk?"
"Yes。"
"Beyondthelimitsofthetown,ofcourse?Philiphasbeentakingawalkinthecountry,too。Hedoesn’tsaythathemetyou。"
Thesecleverpeoplesometimesoverreachthemselves。Howshesuggestedittome,Icannotpretendtohavediscovered。ButI
didcertainlysuspectthatshehadledPhilip,whiletheyweretogetherdownstairs,intosayingtoherwhathehadalreadysaidtoMissJillgall。IwassoangrythatItriedtopumpmyexcellentfriend,asshehadbeentryingtopumpme——avulgarexpression,butvulgarwritingissuchaconvenientwayofwritingsometimes。MyfirstattempttoentraptheMasseusefailedcompletely。Shecoollychangedthesubject。
"HaveIinterruptedyouinwriting?"sheasked,pointingtomyDiary。
"No;IwasidlingoverwhatIhavewrittenalready——anextraordinarystorywhichIcopiedfromabook。"
"MayIlookatit?"
IpushedtheopenDiaryacrossthetable。IfIwastheobjectofanysuspicionswhichshewantedtoconfirm,itwouldbecurioustoseeifthepoisoningstoryhelpedher。"It’sapieceoffamilyhistory,"Isaid;"Ithinkyouwillagreewithmethatitisreallyinteresting。"
Shebegantoread。Asshewenton,notallherpowerofcontrollingherselfcouldpreventherfromturningpale。Thischangeofcolor(insuchawoman)alittlealarmedme。Whenagirlisdevouredbydeadlyhatredofaman,doesthefeelingshowitselftootherpersonsinherface?Imustpracticebeforetheglassandtrainmyfaceintoatrustworthystateofdiscipline。
"Coarsemelodrama!"Mrs。Tenbruggendeclared。"Meresensation。Noanalysisofcharacter。Amade—upstory!"
"Wellmadeup,surely?"Ianswered。
"Idon’tagreewithyou。"Hervoicewasnotquitesosteadyasusual。Sheaskedsuddenlyifmyclockwasright——anddeclaredthatsheshouldbelateforanappointment。Ontakingleaveshepressedmyhandstrongly——eyedmewithdistrustfulattentionandsaid,veryemphatically:"Takecareofyourself,Helena;praytakecareofyourself。"
IamafraidIdidaveryfoolishthingwhenIshowedherthepoisoningstory。Hasithelpedthewilyoldcreaturetolookintomyinmostthoughts?
Impossible!
To—day,MissJillgallreturned,lookinghideouslyhealthyandspitefullycheerful。Althoughshetriedtoconcealit,whileI
waspresent,IcouldseethatPhiliphadrecoveredhisplaceinherfavor。Afterwhathehadsaidtoherbehindthehedgeatthefarm,shewouldberelievedfromallfearofmybecominghiswife,andwouldjoyfullyanticipatehismarriagetoEunice。TherearethoughtsinmewhichIdon’tsetdowninmybook。Ionlysay:
Weshallsee。
Thisafternoon,Idecidedonvisitingthedoctor。Theservantwasquitesorryformewhenheansweredthedoor。Hismasterhadjustleftthehouseforaroundofvisits。IsaidIwouldwait。TheservantwasafraidIshouldfindwaitingverytedious。IremindedhimthatIcouldgoawayifIfoundittedious。Atlast,thepoliteoldmanleftme。
Iwentintotheconsulting—room,andreadthebacksofthemedicalbooksrangedroundthewalls,andfoundavolumethatinterestedme。TherewassuchcuriousinformationinitthatI
amusedmyselfbymakingextracts,usingthefirstsheetsofpaperthatIcouldfind。Theyhadprinteddirectionsatthetop,whichshowedthatthedoctorwasaccustomedtowritehisprescriptionsonthem。Wehadmany,toomany,ofhisprescriptionsinourhouse。
Theservant’sdoubtsofmypatienceprovedtohavebeenwellfounded。Igottiredofwaiting,andwenthomebeforethedoctorreturned。
Frommorningtonight,nothinghasbeenseenofMrs。Tenbruggento—day。Norhasanyapologyforherneglectofusbeenreceived,fondassheisofwritinglittlenotes。HasthatstoryinmyDiarydrivenheraway?Letmeseewhatto—morrowmaybringforth。
To—dayhasbroughtforth——nothing。Mrs。Tenbruggenstillkeepsawayfromus。ItlooksasifmyDiaryhadsomethingtodowiththemysteryofherabsence。
Iamnotingoodspiritsto—day。Mynerves——ifIhavesuchthings,whichismorethanIknowbymyownexperience——havebeenalittleshakenbyahorriddream。Themedicalinformation,whichmythirstforknowledgeabsorbedinthedoctor’sconsulting—room,turnedtraitor——armeditselfwiththegrotesquehorrorsofnightmare——andsothoroughlyfrightenedmethatIwasonthepointofbeingfoolishenoughtodestroymynotes。Ithoughtbetterofit,andmynotesaresafeunderlockandkey。
Mr。PhilipDunboyneistryingtopavethewayforhisflightfromthishouse。HespeaksoffriendsinLondon,whoseinterestwillhelphimtofindtheemploymentwhichistheobjectofhisambition。"Inafewdaysmore,"hesaid,"Ishallaskforleaveofabsence。"
Insteadoflookingatme,hiseyeswanderedtothewindow;hisfingersplayedrestlesslywithhiswatch—chainwhilehespoke。I
thoughtIwouldgivehimachance,alastchance,ofmakingtheatonementthatheowestome。Thisshowsshamefulweakness,onmypart。Doesmyownresolutionstartleme?Ordoesthewretchappeal——towhat?Tomypity?Itcannotbemylove;IampositivelysurethatIhatehim。Well,Iamnotthefirstgirlwhohadbeenanunanswerableriddletoherself。
"Isthereanyothermotiveforyourdeparture?"Iasked。
"Whatothermotivecantherebe?"hereplied。IputwhatIhadtosaytohiminplainerwordsstill。"Tellme,Philip,areyoubeginningtowishthatyouwereafreemanagain?"
Hestillprevaricated。Wasthisbecauseheisafraidofme,orbecauseheisnotquitebruteenoughtoinsultmetomyface?I
triedagainforthethirdandlasttime。Ialmostputthewordsintohismouth。
"Ifancyyouhavebeenoutoftemperlately,"Isaid。"Youhavenotbeenyourownkinderandbetterself。IsthistherightinterpretationofthechangethatIthinkIseeinyou?"
Heanswered:"Ihavenotbeenverywelllately。"
"Andthatisall?"
"Yes——thatisall。"
Therewasnomoretobesaid;Iturnedawaytoleavetheroom。Hefollowedmetothedoor。Afteramomentaryhesitation,hemadetheattempttokissme。Ionlylookedathim——hedrewbackfrommeinsilence。IleftthenewJudas,standingalone,whiletheshadesofeveningbegantogatherovertheroom。
ThirdPeriod_(continued)。_
_EVENTSINTHEFAMILY,RELATEDBYMISSJILLGALL。_
CHAPTERLVIII。
DANGER。
"IFanythingofimportancehappens,Itrusttoyoutowriteanaccountofit,andtosendthewritingtome。Iwillcometoyouatonce,ifIseereasontobelievethatmypresenceisrequired。"Thoselines,inyourlastkindreplytome,rousemycourage,dearMr。Governor,andsharpenthevigilancewhichhasalwaysbeenoneofthestrongpointsinmycharacter。Everysuspiciouscircumstancewhichoccursinthishousewillbe(sotospeak)seizedonbymypen,andwillfinditself(sotospeakagain)placedonitstrial,beforeyourunerringjudgment!Letthewickedtremble!Imentionnonames。
TakingupmynarrativewhereitcametoanendwhenIlastwrote,Ihavetosayawordfirstonthesubjectofmydiscoveries,inregardtoPhilip’smovements。
Theadvertisementofaprivateinquiryoffice,whichIreadinanewspaper,putthethingintomyhead。Iprovidedmyselfwithmoneytopaytheexpensesby——IblushwhileIwriteit——pawningmywatch。Thishumiliationofmypoorselfhasbeenrewardedbysuccess。Skilledinvestigationhasprovedthatouryoungmanhascometohissensesagain,exactlyasIsupposed。Oneachoccasionwhenhewassuspiciouslyabsentfromthehouse,hehasbeenfollowedtothefarm。Ihavebeenstayingtheremyselfforadayortwo,inthehopeofpersuadingEunicetorelent。Thehopehasnotyetbeenrealized。ButPhilip’sdevotion,assistedbymyinfluence,willyetprevail。Letmenotdespair。
WhetherHelenaknowspositivelythatshehaslostherwickedholdonPhilipIcannotsay。Itseemshardlypossiblethatshecouldhavemadethediscoveryjustyet。TheonethingofwhichIamcertainis,thatshelookslikeafiend。
Philiphaswiselytakenmyadvice,andemployedpiousfraud。Hewillgetawayfromthewretch,whohastemptedhimonceandmaytempthimagain,underpretenseofusingtheinterestofhisfriendsinLondontofindaplaceunderGovernment。Hehasnotbeenverywellforthelastdayortwo,andtheexecutionofourprojectisinconsequencedelayed。
IhavenewsofMrs。Tenbruggenwhichwill,Ithink,surpriseyou。
Shehaskeptawayfromusinamostunaccountablemanner。I
calledonheratthehotel,andheardshewasengagedwithherlawyer。Onthenextday,shesuddenlyreturnedtoheroldhabits,andpaidthecustomaryvisit。Iobservedasimilaralterationinherstateoffeeling。SheisnowcoldlyciviltoHelena;andsheasksafterEunicewithamaternalinteresttouchingtosee——I