Part 24 (2/2)
She sank crouching at his feet, bowing her face upon her hands.
”Gerald! Gerald! it must not be so!” she wailed. ”It is only some cunning story invented to cheat us and avenge her. That woman shall never separate us--I will never yield to her. Oh, Heaven! why did I not destroy that paper when I had it? Gerald, give it to me now, if you have it; it is not too late to burn it even now, and no one can prove the truth--we can defy her to the last.”
The man stooped to raise her from her humiliating position.
”Get up, Anna,” he said, kindly. ”Come, sit in this chair and let us talk the matter over calmly. It is a stern fact that Isabel is alive and well, and it is useless either to ignore it or deplore it.”
With s.h.i.+vering sobs bursting from her with every breath, the wretched woman allowed herself to be helped to the chair, into which she sank with an air of abject despair.
Anna G.o.ddard's was not a nature likely to readily yield to humiliation or defeat, and after a few moments of silent battle with herself, she raised her head and turned her proud face and searching eyes upon her companion.
”You say that it is a 'stern fact' that Isabel lives,” she remarked, with compressed lips.
”I am sure--there can be no mistake,” the man replied. Then he told her of the interview which had occurred in the hall, where he had found the woman standing before the picture which he had painted in Rome so many years ago.
”She recognized it at once,” he said; ”she located the very spot from which I had painted the scene.”
”Oh, I cannot make it seem possible, for I tell you I saw her lying dead in her casket,” moaned madam, who, even in the face of all proofs, could not bring herself to believe that her old rival was living and had it in her power to ruin her life.
”She must have been in a trance--she must have been resuscitated by those people who found her. As sure as you and I both live, she is living also,” Mr. G.o.ddard solemnly responded.
”Oh, how could such a thing be?”
”I do not know--she did not tell me; she was very cold and proud.”
”What was she doing here? How dared she enter this house?” cried madam, her anger blazing up again.
”I cannot tell you. It was a question I was asking myself just as you came to the door,” said Mr. G.o.ddard, with a sigh. ”I have no doubt she had some deep-laid purpose, however.”
”Do you imagine her purpose was to get possession of that doc.u.ment?”
questioned madam.
”I had thought of that--I have felt almost sure of it since you told me it had disappeared.”
”But how could she have known that such a paper was in our possession?
You did not receive it until long after--”
”Yes, I know,” interposed Mr. G.o.ddard, with a s.h.i.+ver; ”nevertheless I am impressed that it is now in her possession, even though I did not suppose that any one, save you and I and Will Forsyth, ever knew of its existence.”
There ensued an interval of silence, during which both appeared to be absorbed in deep thought.
”If she has it, what will she do with it?” madam suddenly questioned, lifting her heavy eyes to her companion.
”I am sure I cannot tell, Anna,” he coldly returned.
His tone was like a match applied to powder.
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