Bressant

This was all that could be got out of Cornelia upon the topic of Abbie,

and Mrs. Vanderplauck was obliged to swallow whatever uneasiness,

curiosity, or misgiving she may have felt. In the midst of an

exhortation to her young guest to repeat her visit daily to the boudoir,

and regale her auntie with anecdotes of the dear old, interesting people

in the village, Abbie and all, some one of the young ladies knocked at

the door, and hurried Miss Valeyon off, without her having asked, as

she had intended, for an explanation of the puzzling, metaphorical

allusions.

Mrs. Vanderplanck, left to herself, rocked backward and forward in her

chair, with her hands clasped over her forehead, much in the way that an

insane person might have done.

"Who'd have thought it! who'd have thought it! In the very

village--in the very house--of all places in the world!--in the very

house!--and he laid up--can't be moved--can't be taken away. Why didn't

I know?--why didn't I find out?--careless--stupid--thoughtless! Curse

the woman! couldn't I have imagined that she'd never be far away from

her dear professor--and we sent him there--we hid him away--we disguised

his name--college was too public for him--let him finish his

education in the country--and then we could escape away--to

Germany--France--anywhere--and carry all the money with us--all the

money!--half for me, and half for him!--and what'll become of it now?

Curse the woman! I knew she couldn't be dead. But she sha'n't have the

money--no! she sha'n't, she sha'n't!

"Is it possible, now?--could it be that that girl was deceiving me? Did

she know the woman's name, after all?--no, no! she hasn't the face for

it--no hypocrite in her yet--not yet, not yet! Well, but what if it's

all a mistake?--Why not a mistake? why not?--tell me that! Plenty of

women called Abbie, aren't there? Why shouldn't this be one of them--one

of the others? No, but the professor had known her before--oh,

yes!--known her before! and there's only one Abbie that the professor

knew before! Curse her--curse her!

"Well, what if she is there? how will she know him? The professor

won't tell her--he can't--he dare not tell her!--for I made him promise

he wouldn't, and I've got his promise, written down--written down!--Ah!

that was smart--that was smart! Yes, but the boy looks like his

father!--that'll betray him!--she'll know him by that--know him? well,

just as bad--yes, and worse too, in the end--worse! Oh! curse her!

"Never mind. I know how to manage. If the worst comes to the worst, I

know what to do! And I must write to him--not now--as soon as he's

well--he must come away. Even if it should turn out all a mistake, he

must come away!--I'll write to him, as soon as he's well, that he must

come away. And I'll question Cornelia again--ah! she's a handsome

girl!--it's well I got her up here, out of the way!--I'll find out more

from her. It may be a mistake, after all--it may, it may!"