“When I arrived at Memphis I of course meant to see Lottie before any
one else, but in going to Mrs. Rockland’s residence I had to pass
Harry’s office. I hurried in to see him a moment, and to inquire about
the dear one I was so anxious to see.
“‘How is Lottie?’ were the first words I uttered.
“‘She is well,’ said Harry, ‘but of course anxious to see you.’
“‘Where will I find her?’
“‘She is at the jail with Viola, where she spends most of the time; the
truth of it is, Lottie has got more sense than all of us put together.
She has exhibited more true courage and prudence in this late trouble
than any one of us. Who is this gentleman with you?’
“‘Oh, yes, I beg pardon, Harry; I forgot to introduce Mr. Dabbs. Mr.
Wallingford, Mr. Dabbs; he belongs to the detective service, and has
come to assist us in this unfortunate business.’
“‘I am glad to see you here, Mr. Dabbs,’ said Harry, offering him a
seat; this is a most distressing affair, and I hope you will go to work
at once. As to money, I beg you to understand that it is no object in
this case; you shall have what you want. I hope you will be able to
unravel this most singular mystery.’
“‘I shall endeavor to do so, sir; and I must request you not to let any
one know that you have engaged my services. We must act with great
caution; these kind of cases are often found rather complicated and
difficult to manage. I have an old friend here who has been for many
years engaged in the detective service--perhaps you may know him--Mr.
Tadpoddle?’
“‘No, I am not acquainted with him.’
“‘Well, he’s a sharp fellow. I’ll go look him up, and we’ll commence
business at once. It will be necessary, Mr. Wallingford, for us to meet
occasionally; where shall I find you when I want to communicate with
you?’
“‘Here at my office; you can come in the back way, and enter the inner
room, where no one will disturb us.’
“‘All right, then, you shall hear from me soon; good morning, sir,’ and
Mr. Dabbs went out.
“‘What a strange-looking man he is, Eddie!’
“‘Yes, but they say he is the most skillful detective that ever operated
in Philadelphia.’
“‘Well, if that is so, I must say he belies his looks.’
“‘Come, Harry, I must see Lottie; I cannot stop to talk now.’
“‘Wait a moment till I close the office, and I will go with you.’
“‘Don’t walk so fast, Ed,’ said Harry when we started toward the jail,
‘I can’t keep up with you; I know you want to see Lottie, but you need
not go like a whirlwind.’
“I was compelled to slacken my pace, much against my will, for I wanted
to fly to her who was more dear to me than all the world contained.
“‘Have you made any new discoveries about the poisoning since you wrote
me?’
“‘Nothing definite, but we think we will be able to strike a track soon;
there have been strange doings at Mr. Ragland’s house.’
“‘How does Viola bear her trouble?’
“‘Ah! Ed, there is the thing that puzzles me; she acts so strangely in
the matter. I can’t understand her. She knows something about this
business that she will not tell, though she has promised to explain all
when her mind gets more composed.’
“‘Is your confidence in her innocence still unshaken?’
“I was truly sorry I had asked the question when Harry’s eyes met mine.
“‘How can you ask me such a question when you are so well aware of the
confidence I have in that dear girl? Don’t you know how I love her?
Don’t you know I would as soon suspect an angel from Heaven as Viola?’
“I was not surprised at the extravagant language used, because I was in
love myself, and knew how Harry felt. I had not walked more than three
steps on the jail floor when I heard Lottie’s well-known voice exclaim:
“‘That’s Eddie,--I know his walk!’ and in a moment her darling head was
on my shoulder, while her tears of joy fell on my breast. ‘Eddie, I am
so glad you have come back to help us out of our great troubles; we have
been looking for you anxiously, and the moment I heard your step I knew
whose it was.’
“My heart was so full of joy that I could not speak for some moments.
“‘Come, Ed,’ said Harry, ‘you are making a simpleton of yourself about
Lottie; leave her and come with me; we must go to Viola; how is she
to-day, sister?’
“‘Improving some little, I think, though she can’t shed tears. If she
could only have a good hearty cry, and shed some tears, I believe it
would do her a great deal of good. There is a settled look of hopeless
despair on her face that frightens me.’
“‘Does she talk much?’
“‘No; she scarcely ever says a word, except to answer questions. I have
tried every way I could think of to lead her into conversation, but
without success. She eats scarcely enough to sustain life, though she
ate more at breakfast this morning than at any one time since she has
been here.’
“‘Go in, Lottie, and ask her if she will receive a visit from Edward and
me.’
“Lottie returned in a few moments and informed us that Viola would
receive us.
“‘When I told her that you and Eddie wanted to come in to see her I was
delighted to see her face brighten up, and she spoke so quickly and said
she would be delighted to see you; I think it is a favorable sign; it is
the first time she has manifested the least interest about anything
since she has been here.’
“I was prepared to see a great change in Viola’s appearance, but not for
such a one as it was. Her face was as white as marble, and I never had
seen such a look of anguish as was fixed on her countenance. She rose,
as we entered, and offered me her hand--it was as cold as a lump of ice.
“‘How is your health, Miss Bramlett?’ I inquired.
“‘Very good, I thank you,’ was the faint reply.
“I never was so embarrassed in my life, and Harry, poor fellow, stood
like a statue, unable to aid me; he was more confused than I was.
Lottie, however, came to my assistance promptly.
“‘Sit down, Eddie; sit down, brother, and let us talk over old times,
while Viola and I are at work. Here, Viola, hold the hank while I wind
the thread on this ball.’
“Viola moved her seat so as to face Lottie, and held out her little
white hands to receive the hank.
“‘There, now; Eddie, you sit on this side, so I can look at you while I
work; you have been away so long I have almost forgotten how you look. I
declare, you look much better than you did when you went away; don’t you
think he does, Viola?’
“‘Yes,’ she replied sadly.
“I was delighted at Lottie’s skill in maneuvering to divert Viola and
lead her into conversation; it was a clever piece of strategy, and, to
some extent, succeeded. The jailer was an old school-mate of Harry’s,
and this proved to be a fortunate circumstance, as it enabled us to
secure for Viola a large room, well lighted and ventilated. Harry had
caused the floor to be covered with a costly carpet of the most
exquisite texture, and heavy damask curtains hung over the windows; then
over the damask were hung others of snow-white lace. A bureau,
wash-stand, wardrobe and bedstead of polished rosewood gave the room a
cozy appearance, while a sofa with red silk cushions seemed to invite
the weary body to lie down and rest. On the bureau sat two large china
vases, both filled with choice flowers. One rocking-chair, with soft
velvet cushions, and two common cane bottom chairs constituted the
furniture that Harry had caused to be put in the room. He had even had a
costly curtain hung over the heavy iron door, in order to hide from
Viola’s sight everything calculated to remind her that she was a
prisoner. There was nothing to be seen on the inside of the room that
looked like the walls of a prison, but it was more like a sleeping
apartment. Lottie had been no less thoughtful than her brother of
Viola’s comfort, for she had brought old Roderick to the jail, and that
chatty bird usually made things lively wherever he went. A pair of
canaries occasionally enlivened the room with a song, from the little
silver-mounted cage that sat on the top of the wardrobe. All these pets
had been brought there by Lottie.
“‘Harry,’ said Lottie, ‘you come and finish winding this thread while I
go and see about dinner; we are going to have a real old-fashioned
dinner to-day; mind you don’t tangle my thread; Viola, as soon as you
get through with that hank you’ll find three more in my basket; I want
you to hold them while Harry winds them off; will you, dear?’
“‘Yes, Lottie,’ was the soft reply.
“‘Lottie loves Ed! Lottie loves Ed! here we come, Lottie!’ screamed old
Roderick, who was peeping down from the top of the wardrobe.
“‘Hush up, you old tattler! you needn’t tell all my secrets before
company,’ said Lottie; and, taking me by the arm: ‘Come, you must go and
help me get dinner; we don’t uphold any idleness here.’
“I divined her object, and followed her from the room, as it was evident
she wanted to leave Harry and Viola alone.
“‘You are the sweetest darling in the whole world, Lottie!’ said I; ‘you
can think of so many ways to make people comfortable and happy.’
“‘I am truly glad you think so; I am always happy when you are pleased
with me.’
“‘You will always be happy, then, for I am always pleased with you.’
“‘Do you think Harry and Viola will ever make matters up, and be as they
were in the good old days?’
“‘Yes, certainly I do; Harry’s pride has undergone considerable
shrinkage since Viola’s troubles commenced, and I think he will be glad
to come down from his lofty hobby.’
“‘You must put your wits to work, Eddie, so as to help me bring them to
an understanding. I am going to have dinner served in Viola’s room, and
you must assist in keeping up the conversation, and not sit there
looking as if you had a blister-plaster over your mouth, as you did a
while ago, but try to invent something to talk about. Now come along,
and I’ll put you to work,’ and she led me to the steward’s
headquarters.
“‘Mr. Toddleburg,’ said Lottie, ‘I want you to help me get a good dinner
to-day, to be served in Miss Bramlett’s room; will you do it?’
“‘How could anybody refuse to do anything when requested by Miss
Wallingford?’
“‘Thank you, thank you, Mr. Toddleburg; you are very kind.’
“As Lottie passed on and entered the cook-room, the little man said to
me:
“‘That is the prettiest young lady I ever saw, sir, and she is as good
as she is pretty. I’ll do anything to please her.’
“‘Why don’t you come along, Eddie? I mean to put you to work; you shall
not be idle here. Take those eggs and break them in that bowl, and beat
them well, while I get some flour and sugar; I am going to teach you how
to make a real nice pudding.’
“I broke the eggs as she directed, and began to beat them very
awkwardly, while I watched her beautiful form moving about like a fairy,
her sleeves rolled up, exposing to view the prettiest pair of round,
plump, white arms that any man ever saw. By the time I had finished
beating the eggs she was measuring the flour into a tray.
“‘There now,’ said I, ‘my job is finished, Lottie; I think I have earned
a kiss, and I demand payment.’
“‘I’ll have to give it to you, I reckon; I suppose I must be kind to my
old thief, as he has been away so long.’
“Then she approached me, with her hands covered with flour, and held up
her pretty lips to receive my kiss.
“‘There, now, go and grind some spice; be in a hurry--I shall need it
soon.’
“I obeyed orders and ground the spice.
“‘Now go and tell the steward to have a small table carried to Viola’s
room, and a nice white cloth spread on it; get four plates, four
napkins, four goblets, and everything necessary for four distinguished
guests.’
“I went to the steward, and he assisted in arranging the dinner table as
Lottie had directed. This was the first time I had helped her to prepare
a dinner since the old days of our tramphood, and it naturally caused my
mind to stray back to those happy hours, making me forget the great
troubles by which we then were surrounded. As soon as I had finished
executing Lottie’s orders, I re-appeared in the cook-house, where I
found her very busy with the preparation of the dinner.
“‘How are they getting on, Eddie?’
“‘How is who getting on?’
“‘Why, Harry and Viola, of course.’
“‘Oh, they are getting on splendidly, I judge from the appearance of
things; the hanks were terribly tousled, the balls all scattered about
on the floor, and Viola’s cheeks showed a little crimson tinge; in fact,
she blushed perceptibly as I entered the room. Would you not say that
was a favorable omen?’
“‘The very best in the world.’
“‘That was a skillful maneuver, Lottie, to put them to winding yarn;
nothing could have been better.’
“‘I thought so; because if we can get them to talking freely all will
come right.’
“‘They were conversing when I went in, and Viola dropped the yarn on the
floor.’
“‘Ah! if we can just control Harry we shall all be happy once more. If
Viola would only tell what she knows about the death of her brother,
Harry would be able to establish her innocence and take her out of
prison. She, of course, can never be happy while this dreadful suspicion
hangs over her.’
“‘What is it that you think she knows and refuses to tell?’
“‘Oh, don’t ask me to tell you what I know. I am somewhat of a detective
myself, and I’ll have you know that I can see into a mill-stone as
deeply as anybody. You shall hear from me at the proper time; the
murderer of that poor little boy is not in this jail by a long way.’
“‘What on earth do you mean? Do you know who is the guilty party?’
“‘I would stake my life on it.’
“‘If you know who committed that cruel murder why do you allow this poor
girl to remain in jail?’
“‘Ah! there’s the rub; we must be able to make the proof before we flush
the covey.’
“‘Have you mentioned to Harry anything on this subject?’
“‘Not a word; he was so much excited I was afraid he would commit some
foolish blunder and spoil everything.’
“‘Lottie, do you know I think you are the most sensible, prudent girl
that ever lived? I wish Harry had half the prudence you have; he has
plenty of good sense, but he is so impetuous, so proud and unyielding!’
“‘He never was that way until Viola came from New York to spend the
winter with me. He loved her devotedly, and thought it would be
dishonorable to marry her while she was so rich and he so poor. If we
can get them reconciled, and induce him to propose to her, then we shall
soon be able to extricate her from this unpleasant situation. Did you
know I have been afraid that Viola contemplated suicide?’
“‘No; I had no idea of such a thing.’
“‘Well, I have been afraid of it ever since Harry was so ill; and if he
had died, it is my opinion that she would not have survived him an
hour.’
“‘What circumstance led you to believe that?’
“‘Oh, don’t be so inquisitive; I am not going to tell you all my
secrets. Go on about your business now; I am done with you until dinner
is served.’
“I reluctantly obeyed, and returned to Viola’s room, where I was
overjoyed to find Harry and her engaged in earnest conversation, in an
undertone. I was a little sorry, however, when I saw that I had
unfortunately interrupted a conversation in which they both seemed to be
deeply interested, and I gathered up a few stray flowers that were
scattered about the bureau top, and immediately left the room--making it
appear that I had merely come in after the flowers.
“‘They are all right,’ said I to Lottie, as I entered the cook-room; ‘I
surprised them in the midst of an earnest conversation, and they were
both very much flurried; but I hastened to pick up these flowers and
leave the room.’
“‘Did you learn what they were talking about?’
“‘I heard Harry tell one truth, if he never tells another.’
“‘What was it?’
“‘He said, “Viola, I know I have acted the fool; and I pray you to
forgive me!”’
“‘And what did she say in reply?’
“‘I entered the room just then, but I saw from her looks that she was
going to forgive him.’
“‘How unfortunate it was that you happened in at such a moment.’
“‘Well, didn’t you order me to go? and don’t you know I obeyed with
reluctance?’
“‘Oh, bother your obedience! you are mighty good to obey orders when you
want to; but I suppose I must forgive you, and let you stay here, though
you shall not be idle. Set that pan on the stove there, and fill it with
water; then take the other one off and wipe it dry with a napkin and put
it back; don’t spill water on the other things; I think I shall make an
excellent cook of you one of these days.’
“‘You can make anything of me, because you are such a darling teacher.’
“‘I couldn’t make a flatterer of you: nature has taken the job off my
hands.’
“‘I wish nature had furnished me with some strong language so I could
tell my Lottie how dearly I love her.’
“‘Look at you now! you are dropping the water in that bowl!’
“‘Oh, I ask pardon--I didn’t see it.’
“We delayed dinner until late in the afternoon in order to afford Harry
and Viola an opportunity to come to an understanding; and we had reason
to believe that what we so much desired had taken place. Lottie and I
brought the dinner in, and when it was ready she managed to seat Viola
and Harry on the same side of the table, and she and I sat at the other.
“‘Now, Viola,’ said Lottie, ‘I have made you some of your favorite soup;
I know you will like it, and I am sure it will do you good, and shall be
glad if you will try it.’
“Viola smiled faintly; it was the first thing like a smile that had
lighted up her pale face since her brother’s death.
“‘You are very kind, Lottie,’ she said, ‘and I know I shall like the
soup; I have no appetite, however, but will try some of it to please
you.’
“‘Here are three bottles of home-made wine--real grape juice--take some,
Viola, you’ll find it excellent. It is the best appetizer in the
world--the very thing you need,’ she continued.
“Viola took a small glass of the wine and drank it.
“‘What do you think of it?’
“‘It is very good, and I think it will help me to regain my appetite.’
“We spent a couple of hours pleasantly at dinner; I assisted Lottie in
clearing the table, and then Harry and I took leave of the young ladies,
promising to visit them early next morning.
“‘Well, Harry,’ said I, as soon as we were out of the jail, ‘how stand
matters between you and Viola?’
“‘Oh, we are all right now, I hope.’
“‘Tell me all about it.’
“‘Ah! Eddie, I have been very foolish, and I mean to make all the
reparation in my power. Poor Viola! I have caused her much grief, but I
thought I was acting right in what I did! She has promised to marry me
when the proof of her innocence can be established.’
“‘Did she tell you for what purpose she had purchased the phial of
strychnine?’
“‘No, she positively refuses to do so; and I consider that very
unfortunate, because that is the strongest point against her. I have by
no means abandoned the hope of yet persuading her to reveal everything
she knows about the matter. Her mind is now in a very unsettled
condition; and whose mind would be otherwise, with so much to endure!
The only wonder is that she has been able to bear it at all.’
“‘When is her case to be tried?’
“‘It is my opinion that she never will be tried; we waived the
preliminary examination which, according to our laws, would have brought
her into a magistrate’s court,--and consented to let her be remanded to
jail until the grand jury investigates the case. I took this course to
prevent publicity, and to save Viola the pain of being compelled to
appear at the bar as a common criminal. Of course she will have to be
tried in open court, unless we can untangle the mystery in time to
convince the grand jury of her innocence, which I mean to make a
desperate effort to do. Viola is in possession of secrets connected with
this matter which she refuses to reveal, but I am inclined to hope that
as soon as her mind becomes more composed she will consent to tell me
everything.’
“‘Did you know that Lottie is also in possession of some strange secret
bearing on this case?’
“‘Indeed I did not; pray, what is it?’
“‘She refuses to tell me, but says she will do so at the proper time.’
“‘I declare, there is no accounting for a woman’s freaks! If this is not
a proper time to tell what they know, I should like to be informed when
it would be.’
“‘I think you are wrong there. Lottie, you know, is a sensible girl,
possessed of great prudence, and you may rest assured she will aid us at
the right moment. She says she knows who it is that committed the
murder, and that it is a person who never has been suspected.’
“‘Why does she refuse to tell us who it is, then?’
“‘Because the proof is wanting to establish the fact. By the by, Harry,
have you no suspicions on your mind as to who perpetrated the murder?’
“‘I have, but am unable to offer any good reason for it; therefore, I
could not think of naming the person on whom my suspicions rest.’
“‘Then it appears to me that there is but very little difference between
the position you occupy and the one held by Lottie.’
“‘I must say that I cannot see it in that light; for I understand you to
say Lottie informed you that she knew who committed the murder, while I
say I only have a mere suspicion as to the perpetrator.’
“‘Well, it amounts to the same thing, after all, because Lottie, I
guess, does not really know, positively, who is the guilty party; but we
must all get together, some day soon, and have a plain talk and a better
understanding. We must tell each other exactly what we know and what we
think; then put our shoulders to the wheel and see if we can’t make
things move in the right direction.’
“‘I agree with you there, Eddie; because if we fail in this business I
am a ruined man.’
“‘We are not going to fail; have no fears on that score. But tell me
how it was that you and Viola happened to make things up.’
“‘Well, I don’t mind telling you everything; because you are in love
yourself, you know.’
“‘I should think I did know it.’
“‘Very good, then, I’ll tell you all about it. I wouldn’t tell it to you
if you were not head and ears in love; because people who don’t love
don’t understand such things. They sneer at the idea of a true and holy
affection--call it nonsense, and all that; but you know how it is
yourself, don’t you?’
“‘Oh, go on! I think I do.’
“‘Well, in the first place, you know my views in regard to unprincipled
fortune-hunters, and that I had registered a solemn vow that I never
would place myself in a position where such an imputation could be laid
upon me. As to that, my mind is unchanged, but circumstances have
materially changed. My uncle, who went to California about the time we
came to Memphis, has made a large fortune, and I have received several
letters from him, and I reckon I had better show you the last one, which
came only ten days ago: here it is:
“‘DEAR HARRY--I received a long letter the other day from Mr.
Rockland, who speaks in the highest praise of you. He said you
would soon be prepared to enter the profession of law with
brilliant prospects--spoke of your moral character as being
first-class, and seems to be very proud of you. The history he gave
of Lottie was such as to increase my curiosity to see her; he
thinks she is far superior to other young ladles, and his praise of
her beauty and gentle manners was most extravagant. You cannot
imagine the pleasure it gave me to hear such a favorable report
from my dear deceased sister’s children. I presume you know I am a
bachelor--such is the case, whether you know it or not--and am
living a sad and lonely life here. I have been very fortunate in
the mining business--have accumulated a large fortune; have no
children to inherit it; no brothers or sisters--in fact, no one to
give it to except you and your charming sister. This being the
case, you may easily understand why Mr. Rockland’s favorable report
gave me such satisfaction. When one works hard to make a fortune he
don’t like to leave it to be squandered by unworthy relatives. It
is a source of much gratification, therefore, to know that I shall
leave mine in the hands of two such worthy children as you and
Lottie. I am getting old now, and would like very much to have you
and Lottie with me, and should have sent for you some time ago,
but it is my intention to wind up my affairs here and return to
Memphis. If I succeed in this, I shall of course expect you and
your charming sister to live with me. Mr. Rockland says that Lottie
is engaged to be married to a very worthy young physician.’
“‘I am much obliged to Mr. Rockland for his good opinion.’
“‘Hold on until I finish the letter.’
“‘I cannot,’ the letter continued, ‘express the gratitude I feel
toward Mr. Rockland for his kindness to my nephew and niece. I own
a large interest in a very rich mine here, and if I can sell it for
what I think it is worth, I shall soon be ready to make my home
permanently in Memphis. You will present to Mr. Rockland my warmest
thanks; and tell my charming niece that I am looking forward with
anxiety to the time when I shall hold her in my old arms.
“‘Yours most truly,
“‘OLIVER STANLEY.’
“‘Ah! Harry, what a lucky fellow you are!’
“‘Does not the good luck strike you, too? Doesn’t Lottie get half? And
don’t you get Lottie, and her money, too?’
“‘Oh, bother the money! my Lottie is worth a hundred thousand such gold
mines!’
“‘Yes, but in my case, you see, it is different; I don’t care so much
for the money, you know, but it makes honors easy between Viola and me.’
“‘Very good; now, go on and tell me how you succeeded with Viola.’
“‘I shall do so cheerfully; because I like to talk with you about such
things, for you are in a condition to appreciate my narrative. Well, you
see, when Lottie put Viola and me to winding thread, it afforded a topic
of conversation; that was very thoughtful in Lottie, wasn’t it?’
“‘I think it was; but go on with your story.’
“‘You see when the thread would get tangled we had to help each other
fix it.’
“‘“Run the ball through here, Mr. Wallingford,” said Viola, “no, not
that way, but the other--just here between my hands; there, that’s
right; no, I beg pardon, it was all my fault, for you were doing it
right before I spoke; you’ll have to run the ball back the same way
between my hands.”
“‘Now, Ed, you must understand that while all this was going on I was
not looking at the hank of thread, but was gazing intently at the
beautiful darling before me. As a natural result, instead of untangling
the thread, we kept making it worse. I shall hereafter recommend all
bashful young people to wind yarn when they wish to make love--there’s
nothing equal to it, as an entering-wedge to conversation.
“‘“Stop, Viola,” said I, as I took hold of her little hand, “you have
got this thread in a desperate fix; let me hold this end on your wrist
while you untangle the other.”
“‘This gave me an excuse to hold her hand, which I assure you I did.
“‘“How pale your hand looks, Viola!” I said, as I let the hank fall, and
took her hand with both of mine.
“‘“Yes, my hand is pale, I believe.”
“‘“You have a very small hand, too.”
“‘“Yes, I believe it is quite small; but we had better finish the work
that Lottie gave us to do.”
“‘“No, let us talk a while; we’ll have plenty of time to do the work. I
think this is quite a pretty little hand.”
“‘“Do you?”
“‘“Yes, indeed I do; and I think the owner of this hand is very pretty,
too.”
“‘“I declare, we must finish this thread!”
“‘She then made a grab at the ball and missed it, and it went rolling to
the other side of the room. She went after it,--two of the hanks had
fallen to the floor--and in crossing the room her feet became entangled
in the thread, so that when she picked up the ball and started back she
tripped and fell plump into my arms. Of course I could do no less than
catch her, else she would have fallen to the floor.
“‘“Dear Viola,” I exclaimed, “I love you with all my heart! Dare I hope
that you ever will be mine? Speak, darling, I implore you! No man ever
loved as I love you! Give me one little word of encouragement, I beseech
you!”
“‘“Do you believe me innocent of the awful crime of which I am charged?”
she asked.
“‘“Believe you innocent, my loved one? I would as soon suspect an angel
from Heaven as you! Nay, I would risk my soul’s salvation on your
innocence! If I had a hundred thousand lives, I’d risk them all on your
honor! If a legion of witnesses were to swear you are guilty, I would
not believe it! Viola, can you forgive the past? Will you allow me to
hope that you ever will love me? I cannot endure this miserable
torture.”
“‘“Harry, would you be willing to accept my hand while this dark cloud
of disgrace is hovering over me?”
“‘“Yes, yes, darling! ten thousand times yes!”
“‘She nestled her face into my bosom and burst into tears; then, Ed, I
knew she was mine, and my joy was unutterable. I suppose, however, you
know all about such feelings. When she became composed she promised to
marry me when her innocence should be made manifest to the world. Now
you know all, and can readily appreciate my feelings.’