Part 53 (1/2)
”The little traveling desk?”
”Yes.”
”What if I have?”
”But have you?”
”Oh, I don't mind telling you that. I don't see that it can do you any good to know that I have it. I always carry it round with me. It's so convenient.”
”Will you sell it to me?”
”Certainly not. If you didn't want it, I might give it to you; but if you do you can't have it.”
Maurice began to feel his anger rising. He felt helpless before this woman, with her innocent, baby face, this woman with the guileless look of a child and a child's freedom from moral scruples, who faced him with a smile of pleased malice. It might be unwise to tell his real errand, but she surely could not do any harm greater than to be disagreeable. There must be some method, he reflected, of getting at the thing legally; but what it was he was entirely ignorant; and now that he had shown a desire for the desk he was confident that Mrs.
Singleton would persist until she had discovered the truth. He could think of nothing to do but to make a clean breast of the whole matter.
He nerved himself to the task, and told her of the finding of Norah and of what followed.
”Have you ever discovered that the desk had a false bottom?” he asked in conclusion.
”No, brother Maurice. The spirits hadn't revealed it to me. But then I never asked them about that.”
There was an air of triumphant glee in her manner, an open and mocking sneer, which dismayed him. He was sure that he had erred in telling her his secret; yet he reflected that he could hardly have done otherwise, and that she surely would not dare to refuse to give up a legal doc.u.ment so important.
”Will you let me examine the desk?”
”I am so happy to oblige you,” she returned. ”Though whether your story is true or not must depend, you know, upon the unsupported testimony of the medium--I mean of the speaker.”
Maurice rose and went toward her, facing her squarely.
”I understand, Alice,” he said, ”that you don't love me, and I haven't come to ask favors. This is a matter of simple honesty. I certainly don't think you would willfully keep me out of my property.”
”Thank you for drawing the line somewhere. It was so n.o.ble of you to interfere at Mrs. Rangely's! You didn't in the least mind robbing me of my good name, and them of the comfort of believing it was real.
Besides, I did see things! I swear to you that I did! I am a medium in spite of whatever you say. I can call up spirits!”
Her voice rose as she went on, and he feared lest she should work herself into one of her furies of excitement and temper which he had seen of old.
”Why should we go back to that?” he said, as gently as he could. ”That is past, and I only did what I thought was my duty.”
”Oh, you did your duty, did you?” she sneered.
”Well, I'll do mine now. Stay here, while I go and empty that old desk.
I'll match you in doing my duty!”
She hurried tumultuously from the room, leaving Maurice in anything but an enviable frame of mind. He began to walk up and down, a.s.sailed by old memories at every turn, yet so disturbed by Mrs. Singleton's words and manner that he could not heed the recollections. The minutes pa.s.sed, and Alice did not return. It seemed to him that she took a long time to remove her papers from the desk. Then he smiled to himself in bitter amus.e.m.e.nt and impatience. Of course his sister-in-law was trying to discover the secret of the double bottom. She would probably persevere until she had gained the precious doc.u.ment of which he had come in search. She would read it, and then--He broke off in his reverie with an exclamation of impatience. What a fool he had been to attempt to deal with this woman alone! He had, it was true, expected to find Mrs. Ashe, but he should have sent a lawyer. What did he, a puppet from the Clergy House, know of managing the affairs of life? He felt that he had failed in his match with Mrs. Singleton; and he had almost made up his mind to go in search of her, when he heard her returning.
She came in with her face flushed, her eyes s.h.i.+ning, and an air of triumph which struck dismay to the heart of Maurice.