Part 14 (1/2)
She looked at him with a curious sombre something in her big dark eyes, which reminded him of a child who is about to cry. Her lips trembled.
”Rodney, dad's dead.”
His tone was eager, gentle, sympathetic; instinct with surprise.
”Dead! You--you don't mean it!”
”In the train.”
”In the train! What train?”
She told her tale, he listening with interest, anxiety, tenderness, which were sufficiently real.
”I was just going to bed.”
”Dear, you're s.h.i.+vering. You'd better sit down.”
”I'd rather stand--close to you.”
He put his arms about her and held her tight. He kissed her.
”Sweetheart,” he whispered. He could feel her trembling; tears were beginning to s.h.i.+ne in her eyes.
”I was in my bedroom, and--and--I was thinking about you ”--about the corners of her lips was the queerest little smile--”when there was a ringing at the front door. I thought it was dad, who had forgotten his key; but they came and told me that there was a gentleman downstairs who wished to see me very particularly about my father, and that it was most important. So I slipped on a dressing-jacket and went down to him. It was someone from the railway company. They had found dad in the carriage of a train which had come from Brighton. He was dead--now he was at Victoria Station--he had committed suicide.”
”Suicide!”
Rodney started; it could not have been better done if his surprise had been genuine.
”It's--it's incredible!”
”I can only tell you what the man told me. He said of course there would have to be an inquiry, but all the indications pointed at that.
He had poisoned himself; in his hand they had found a box in which were some more of the things with which he had done it.”
”I can only say that to me it seems--it does seem impossible. I should have said he was the last person to do anything like that.”
”You never can tell what sort of person will do a thing like that.
I once knew a girl who went straight up after dinner to her bedroom and--did it; no one ever knew why. I went with the man to Victoria, and--saw dad; I've come right on from there. I felt that I couldn't go home till I had seen you. I believe I should have stayed here all night if you hadn't come.”
”You poor little thing!--sweetheart mine!--you only woman in the world!”
”You--you will be good to me, Rodney?”
”Never was man better to a woman than I will try to be to you.”
”Suppose--suppose dad did it because he was ruined?”
”My dear girl, as you are aware, I was not in your father's confidence--still, I am pretty nearly certain that, commercially, it will be found that he was all right. Yet, should it turn out that he was even worse than penniless, it will not make a mite of difference in my love for you.”
”You are sure?”