"Diphtheria again?"

"Yes; and she, poor thing, was in no state to give it the resolute care

that is the only chance. Doctors could be easily found, but I was at my

wit's end for a nurse, till I remembered that Mr. Mitchell had told

me of a Sisterhood that have a Home at St. Norbert's, with a nursing

establishment attached to it. So, in despair, I went there, and begged

to see the Superior, and a most kind and sensible lady I found her,

ready to do anything helpful. She lent me a nice little Sister, rather

young, I thought; but who turned out thoroughly efficient, nearly as

good as a doctor. Still, whether the child lives is very doubtful,

though the mother was full of hope when I went in last. She insisted

that I had saved it, when both she and it had been deserted by Maddox,

for whom she had given up everything."

"Then she owned that he was Maddox?"

"She called him so, without my even putting the question to her. She had

played his game long enough; and now his desertion has evidently put an

end to all her regard for him. It was confusedly and shortly told; the

child was in a state that prevented attention being given to anything

else; but she knows that she had been made a tool of to ruin her master

and you, and the sight of you, Ailie, had evidently stirred up much old

affection, and remembrance of better days."

"Is she his wife?"

"No, or the evidence she promises could not be used against him. Do you

know this, Ermine?" as he gave her a cover, with a seal upon it.

"The Saracen! the Saracen's head, Colin; it was made with the lost

seal-ring!"

"The ring was taken from Edward's dressing-room the night when Rose was

frightened with the phosphorus. Maria declares that she did not suspect

the theft, or Maddox's purpose, till long after she had left her place.

He effected his practices under pretence of attachment to her, and then

could not shake her off. She went abroad with him after the settlement

of affairs; but he could not keep out of gambling speculation, and lost

everything. Then he seems to have larked about, obtaining means she knew

not how--as artist, lecturer, and what not--till the notable F. U. E. E.

was started. Most likely he would have collected the subscriptions and

made off with them, if Rachel Curtis had not had just sense enough to

trust him with nothing without seeing some result, so that he was forced

to set the affair going with Maria at its head, as the only person

who could co-operate with him. They kept themselves ready for a start

whenever there should be symptoms of a discovery, but, in the meantime,

he gambled away all that he got into his hands, and never gave her

enough to feed the children. Thus she was absolutely driven to force

work from them for subsistence; and she is a passionate creature, whom

jealousy embittered more and more, so that she became more savage than

she knew. Poor thing! She has her punishment. Maddox only came home,

yesterday, too late for any train before the mail, and by that time the

child was too ill to be moved. He must have thought it all up with him,

and wished to be rid of both, for they quarrelled, and he left her to

her misery."




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024