MRS. MIDDLETON AND HER LOVER
When Rudolph left Tony imprisoned he began to think over the situation
with regard to his own interest.
He was already dissatisfied with the income he received from Mrs.
Middleton; though at the time it seemed to him large, he found that he
could easily spend more. He did not have expensive lodgings—in fact,
they were plain, and quite within his means, but he drank and gambled,
and both these amusements were expensive. He had already made up his
mind to ask for a larger income, and Tony’s offer stimulated him to
ask at once.
“If Mrs. Middleton won’t, the boy will,” he said to himself.
Mrs. Middleton was in London. In fact, at that moment she was
_tête-à-tête_ with Capt. Lovell, to whom she had been formally
betrothed. He had satisfied himself that the prospects were all right,
and then had renewed his offer. The marriage was to take place in a
month, and Mrs. Middleton was in town to make suitable preparations
for it. She was perfectly happy, for she was about to marry a man she
loved.
As for Capt. Lovell, he was well enough contented. He did not care a
farthing for the lady as regards love, but he was decidedly in love
with her property.
“It will make me comfortable for life,” he said, with a shrug of the
shoulders, “and after marriage, I can pay as little attention to Mrs.
Lovell as I choose. She must be content with marrying my name.”
The widow had taken handsome apartments at a West End boarding house;
there she received callers.
Capt. Lovell was lounging in an easy-chair looking rather bored. His
fiancée was inspecting an array of dry goods which had been sent in
from a fancy London shop.
“Don’t you think this silk elegant, Gregory?” she asked, displaying a
pattern.
“Oh, ah, yes, I suppose so,” he answered, with a yawn.
“I would like to have your taste, Gregory.”
“I have no taste, my dear Mrs. Middleton, about such matters.”
“Don’t you think it will become me?”
“Why, to be sure; everything becomes you, you know.”
She laughed.
“Would a yellow turban become me?” she asked.
“Well, perhaps not,” he said; “but of course you know best.”
“How little you men know about a lady’s dress!”
“I should think so. The fact is, my dear Mrs. Middleton, that part of
my education was neglected.”
“When I am your wife, Gregory, I shall always appeal to your taste.”
“Will you?” he said, rather frightened. “’Pon my honor, I hope you
won’t, now.”
“And I shall expect you to consult me about your wardrobe.”
“What! about my trousers and coats? Really, that’s very amusing, ’pon
my honor it is.”
“Don’t you think I feel an interest in how my dear Gregory is
dressed?”
“I don’t know, I’m sure.”
“But I do, and shall I tell you why?”
“If you want to.”
“Because I love you,” she said, softly, and she rose from her chair,
and crossing, laid her hand affectionately on his shoulder.
He shrank, just the least in the world, and felt annoyed, but didn’t
like to say so. She might be angry, and though he did not love her, he
did want to marry her, and so escape from his money troubles.
“Of course, I’m ever so much obliged to you,” he said, “and all that
sort of thing.”
“And you love me, Gregory, don’t you?” she asked, tenderly.
“Deuce take her, I wish she’d stop,” he said to himself. “She makes me
awful uncomfortable.”
“Don’t you love me, Gregory?”
“If I didn’t love you, do you think I would have asked you to become
Mrs. Lovell?” he said, evading the question.
“To be sure, Gregory,” she replied, trying to look satisfied.
“And now I really must go—I must, ’pon honor!” he said, rising.
“You have been here so short a time,” she pleaded.
“But I promised to be at the club. I’m to meet a fellow officer, and
it’s the hour now.”
“Then I must let you go. But you’ll come again soon?”
“Yes, ’pon honor!” and the captain kissed his hand to his fiancée.
“I wonder if he really loves me?” she said to herself, wistfully.
At this moment the servant entered.
“Please, ma’am, there is a rough-looking man below who says he wants
to see you. His name is Rugg.”
“Admit him,” said Mrs. Middleton, looking annoyed.
“Why are you here, Mr. Rugg?” demanded Mrs. Middleton, coolly.
“On business,” said the tramp, throwing himself, uninvited, upon the
same chair from which Capt. Lovell had just risen.
Mrs. Middleton flushed with anger, but she did not dare to treat his
insolence as it deserved.
“What business can you have with me?” she asked, coldly.
“It’s about the allowance.”
“It was paid punctually, was it not?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can have no business with me. Have I not told you that you
are not to call upon me at any time? My agent attends to that.”
“I want the allowance raised,” said Rudolph, abruptly.
“Raised?”
“Yes, you must double it.”
Mrs. Middleton was now really angry.
“I never heard such insolence,” she said. “You have taken your trouble
for nothing. I shall not give you a pound more.”
“You’d better, Mrs. Middleton,” said Rudolph, “or I may tell all I
know.”
“You would only ruin yourself, and lose your entire income.”
“I should ruin you, too.”
“Not at all. No one would believe you against me. Besides, are you
ready to be tried for murder?”
“Who has committed murder?”
“You have.”
“Prove it.”
“Didn’t you kill the boy?”
“No.”
“You swore to me he was dead.”
“Suppose he didn’t die.”
“You are wasting your time, Mr. Rugg,” said Mrs. Middleton, coldly.
“Of course I understand your motives. You have been extravagant, and
wasted your money, hoping to get more out of me. But it is useless.”
“You’ll be sorry for this, ma’am,” said Rugg, angrily.
“I don’t think I shall. Before doing anything that you will be sorry
for, consider that to a man in your position the income I give you is
very liberal.”
“Liberal! It isn’t one-tenth of what you get.”
“Very true, but the case is different.”
“You may believe me or not, but the boy is alive, and I know where he
is.”
Mrs. Middleton did not believe one word of what he said. She was
convinced that Tony had been killed by the man before her, and was
indignant at the trick which she thought he was trying to play upon
her. She felt that if she yielded to his importunity, it would only be
the beginning of a series of demands. She had courage and firmness,
and she decided to discourage him once for all in his exactions.
“I don’t believe you,” she said, “and I am not afraid.”
“Then you won’t increase my income?” he said.
“No, I will not. Neither now nor at any other time will I do it. What
I have agreed to do I will do, but I will not give you a penny more.
Do you understand me, Mr. Rugg?”
“I believe I do,” said Rudolph, rising, “and I tell you you’ll be
sorry for what you are saying.”
“I will take the risk,” she said, contemptuously.
Rudolph’s face was distorted with passion as he left the room.
“I hate her more than the boy,” he muttered. “He shall have the
estate.”