"
She paused for some few minutes, her whole frame shaken with sobs. The
earl, bending down, spoke kindly to her.
"I am quite sure," he said, "that if you erred it has been through love
for my child. Tell me all--have no fear."
"I was in the house, sir," she continued, "when the poor doctor was
carried home dead--in his sitting-room with my--with little
Madaline--and when I saw the confusion that followed upon his death, I
thought of the papers in the oaken box; and, without saying a word to
any one, I took it and hid it under my shawl."
"But, tell me," said the earl, kindly, "why did you do that?"
"I can hardly remember now," she replied--"it is so long since. I think
my chief motive was dread lest my darling should be taken from me. I
thought that, if strangers opened the box and found out who she was,
they would take her away from me, and I should never see her again. I
knew that the box held all the papers relating to her, so I took it
deliberately."
"Then, of course," said the earl, "you know her history?"
"No," she replied, quickly; "I have never opened the box."
"Never opened it!" he exclaimed, wonderingly.
Pages:
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404