Part 20 (2/2)
”Don't come near her, sir!” said the nurse, again warding him off. ”You have done quite enough. Let me attend to her.”
”You imagine that was my doing?” said Roger grimly. ”Let me a.s.sure you it was nothing of the kind. And pray, were you listening at the door?”
Miss Farmer vouchsafed no reply. She was half leading, half supporting Daphne, who leant against her. As they neared the door, Roger, who had been standing dumb again, started forward.
”Let me take her,” he said sternly. ”Daphne!--send this woman away.”
But Daphne only shuddered, and putting out a shaking hand, she waved him from her.
”You see in what a state she is!” cried Miss Farmer, with a withering look. ”If you must speak to her, put it off, sir, at least till to-morrow.”
Roger drew back. A strange sense of inexplicable disaster rushed upon him. He sombrely watched them pa.s.s through the door and disappear.
Daphne reached her own room. As the door closed upon them she turned to her companion, holding out the handkerchief stained with blood she had been pressing to her temple.
”You saw it all?” she said imperiously--”the whole thing?”
”All,” said Miss Farmer. ”It's a mercy you're not more hurt.”
Daphne gave a hysterical laugh.
”It'll just do--I think it'll do! But you'll have to make a good deal out of it.”
And sinking down by the fire, she burst into a pa.s.sion of wild tears.
The nurse brought her sal volatile, and washed the small cut above her eyebrow.
”It was lucky we heard him,” she said triumphantly. ”I guessed at once he must be looking for something--I knew that room was full of papers.”
A knock at the door startled them.
”Never mind.” The nurse hurried across the room. ”It's locked.”
”How is my wife?” said Roger's strong, and as it seemed, threatening voice outside.
”She'll be all right, sir, I hope, if you'll leave her to rest. But I won't answer for the consequences if she's disturbed any more.”
There was a pause, as though of hesitation. Then Roger's step receded.
Daphne pushed her hair back from her face, and sat staring into the fire. Everything was decided now. Yet she had rushed upstairs on Miss Farmer's information with no definite purpose. She only knew that--once again--Roger was hiding something from her--doing something secret and disgraceful--and she suddenly resolved to surprise and confront him.
With a mind still vaguely running on the legal aspects of what she meant to do, she had bade the nurse follow her. The rest had been half spontaneous, half acting. It had struck her imagination midway how the incident could be turned--and used.
She was triumphant; but from sheer excitement she wept and sobbed through the greater part of the night.
PART III
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