Part 110 (1/2)
”Can you not understand?” cried Harry, whose voice sounded harsh from the mental irritation which had given him the look of one in constant dread of arrest.
”No, dear, I cannot. I want to help you. I want to get away from here--to remove you from the influence of this man, so that we may, if it must be so, get abroad and then set them at rest.”
”Now you are bringing that up again,” he cried angrily.
”I must, Harry, I must. I have been too weak as it is; but in the excitement of all that trouble I seemed to be influenced by you in all I did.”
”There, there, little sis,” he said more gently. ”I ought not to speak so crossly, but I am always on thorns, held back as I am for want of a few paltry pounds.”
”Then let me go and dispose of these things.”
”It is impossible.”
”No, dear, you think of the degradation. I should not be ashamed. We have made a false step, Harry, but if we must go on, let me do what I can to help you. Let me go.”
”But the beggarly disgrace. You don't know what you are going to undertake.”
She looked at him with her frank, clear eyes.
”I am going to help you. There can be no disgrace in disposing of these trinkets for you to escape.”
”Ah! at last!” cried Harry, leaving the window to hurry to the door, regardless of the look of dislike which came into his sister's face.
”Is that Mr Pradelle?” she said shrinkingly.
”Yes, at last. No, Louie, I'm bad enough, but I'm not going to send you to the p.a.w.nbroker's while I stop hiding here, and it's all right now.”
”Ah, Harry! Day, Miss Louie,” said Pradelle, entering, very fas.h.i.+onably dressed, and with a rose in his b.u.t.tonhole. ”Nice weather, isn't it?”
”Look here, Vic,” cried Harry, catching him by the arm. ”How much did you get?”
”Get?”
”Yes; for the chain?”
”Oh, for the chain,” said Pradelle, who kept his eyes fixed on Louise.
”Nothing, old fellow.”
”Nothing?”
”Haven't taken it to the right place yet.”
”And you promised to. Look here, what do you mean?”
”What do I mean? Well, I like that. Hear him, Miss Louie? What a fellow he is! Here have I got him into decent apartments, where he is safe as the bank, when if he had depended upon himself he would have taken you to some slum where you would have been stopped and the police have found you out.”
”You promised to pledge those things for me.”
”Of course I did, and so I will. Why, if you had been left to yourself, who would have taken you in without a reference?”