He turned from doing so and smiled at
her, and she saw that though his face was ghastly, he was his own
master again.
"How did you get here?" he said. "Who took the note? The doctor promised
to get it delivered."
"Jack brought it," she said. "I came back with him."
"Jack!" His brows drew together suddenly. She saw his black eyes gleam.
For a moment he said nothing further. Then: "If--Jack comes anywhere near
me to-night, I shall kill him!" he said very quietly.
"Dick!" she said in amazement.
There was a certain awful intentness in his look. "I hold him responsible
for this," he said.
She gazed at him, assailed by a swift wonder as to his sanity.
In a second he saw the doubt and replied to it, still with that deadly
quietness that seemed to her more terrible than violence. "I know what I
am saying. He is--directly responsible. My boy died for my sake, because
he believed what Jack told him--that no woman would ever consent to marry
me while he lived."
"Oh, Dick! You don't mean--he did it--on purpose!" Juliet's voice was
quick with pain. "Dick, surely--surely--it wasn't that! You are making
a mistake!"
"No. It is no mistake," he said, with sombre conviction.
Pages:
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348