myself last night that he had left you helpless."
"He left me the little money he had with him when he was arrested," sherejoined, sadly. "His cruel creditors are more to blame than he is forthe poverty that has fallen on us."
Even this negative defense of Van Brandt stung me to the quick.
"I ought to have spoken more guardedly of him," I said, bitterly. "Iought to have remembered that a woman can forgive almost any wrong thata man can inflict on her--when he is the man whom she loves."
She put her hand on my mouth, and stopped me before I could say anymore.
"How can you speak so cruelly to me?" she asked. "You know--to my shameI confessed it to you the last time we met--you know that my heart, insecret, is all yours. What 'wrong' are you talking of? Is it the wrong Isuffered when Van Brandt married me, with a wife living at the time (andliving still)? Do you think I can ever forget the great misfortune of mylife--the misfortune that has made me unworthy of you? It is no fault ofmine, God knows; but it is not the less true that I am not married, andthat the little darling who is playing out there with her doll is mychild. And you talk of my being your wife--knowing that!"
"The child accepts me as her second father," I said. "It would be betterand happier for us both if you had as little pride as the child."
"Pride?" she repeated. "In such a position as mine? A helpless woman,with a mock-husband in prison for debt! Say that I have not fallenquite so low yet as to forget what is due to you, and you will pay mea compliment that will be nearer to the truth. Am I to marry you for myfood and shelter? Am I to marry you, because there is no lawful tie thatbinds me to the father of my child? Cruelly as he has behaved, he hasstill _that_ claim upon me. Bad as he is, he has not forsaken me; hehas been forced away. My only friend, is it possible that you thinkme ungrateful enough to consent to be your wife? The woman (in mysituation) must be heartless indeed who could destroy your place in theestimation of the world and the regard of your friends! The wretchedestcreature that walks the streets would shrink from treating you in thatway. Oh, what are men made of? How _can_ you--how _can_ you speak ofit!"
I yielded---and spoke of it no more. Every word she uttered onlyincreased my admiration of the noble creature whom I had loved, andlost. What refuge was now left to me? But one refuge; I could stilloffer to her the sacrifice of myself. Bitterly as I hated the man whohad parted us, I loved her dearly enough to be even capable of helpinghim for her sake. Hopeless infatuation! I don't deny it; I don't excuseit--hopeless infatuation!
"You have forgiven me," I said. "Let me deserve to be forgiven. It issomething to be your only friend. You must have plans for the future;tell me unreservedly how I can help you."
"Complete the good work that you have begun," she answered, gratefully."Help me back to health. Make me strong enough to submit to a doctor'sestimate of my chances of living for some years yet."
"A doctor's estimate of your chances of living?" I repeated. "What doyou mean?"
"I hardly know how to tell you," she said, "without speaking again ofMr. Van Brandt."
"Does speaking of him again mean speaking of his debts?" I asked. "Whyneed you hesitate? You know that there is nothing I will not do torelieve _your_ anxieties."
She looked at me for a moment, in silent distress.
"Oh! do you think I would let you give your money to Van Brandt?"she asked, as soon as she could speak. "I, who owe everything to yourdevotion to me? Never! Let me tell you the plain truth. There isa serious necessity for his getting out of prison. He must pay hiscreditors; and he has found out a way of doing it--with my help."
"Your help?" I exclaimed.
"Yes. This is his position, in two words: A little while since, heobtained an excellent offer of employment abroad, from a rich relativeof his, and he had made all his arrangements to accept it. Unhappily,he returned to tell me of his good fortune, and the same day he wasarrested for debt. His relative has offered to keep the situation openfor a certain time, and the time has not yet expired. If he can paya dividend to his creditors, they will give him his freedom; and hebelieves he can raise the money if I consent to insure my life."
To insure her life! The snare that had been set for her was plainlyrevealed in those four words.
In the eye of the law she was, of course, a single woman: she was ofage; she was, to all intents and purposes, her own mistress. What wasthere to prevent her from insuring her life, if she pleased, and fromso disposing of the insurance as to give Van Brandt a direct interestin her death? Knowing what I knew of him--believing him, as I did, to becapable of any atrocity--I trembled at the bare idea of what might havehappened if I had failed to find my way back to her until a later date.Thanks to the happy accident of my position, the one certain way ofprotecting her lay easily within my reach. I could offer to lend thescoundrel the money that he wanted at an hour's notice, and he was theman to accept my proposal quite as easily as I could make it.
"You don't seem to approve of our idea," she said, noticing, inevident perplexity, the effect which she had produced on me. "I am veryunfortunate; I seem to have innocently disturbed and annoyed you for thesecond time."
"You are quite mistaken," I replied. "I am only doubting whether yourplan for relieving Mr. Van Brandt of his embarrassments is quite sosimple as you suppose. Are you aware of the delays that are likely totake place before it will be possible to borrow money on your policy ofinsurance?"
"I know nothing about it," she said, sadly.
"Will you let me ask the advice of my lawyers? They are trustworthy andexperienced men, and I am sure they can be of use to you."
Cautiously as I had expressed myself, her delicacy took the alarm.
"Promise that you won't ask me to borrow money of you for Mr. VanBrandt," she rejoined, "and I will accept your help gratefully."
I could honestly promise that. My one chance of saving her lay inkeeping from her knowledge the course that I had now determined topursue. I rose to go, while my resolution still sustained me. The soonerI made my inquiries (I reminded her) the more speedily our presentdoubts and difficulties would be resolved.
She rose, as I rose--with the tears in her eyes, and the blush on hercheeks.
"Kiss me," she whispered, "before you go! And don't mind my crying. I amquite happy now. It is only your goodness that overpowers me."
I pressed her to my heart, with the unacknowledged tenderness of aparting embrace. It was impossible to disguise the position in which Ihad now placed myself. I had, so to speak, pronounced my own sentence ofbanishment. When my interference had restored my unworthy rival to hisfreedom, could I submit to the degrading necessity of seeing her in hispresence, of speaking to her under his eyes? _That_ sacrifice of myselfwas beyond me--and I knew it. "For the last time!" I thought, as I heldher to me for a moment longer--"for the last time!"
The child ran to meet me with open arms when I stepped out on thelanding. My manhood had sustained me through the parting with themother. It was only when the child's round, innocent little face laiditself lovingly against mine that my fortitude gave way. I was pastspeaking; I put her down gently in silence, and waited on the lowerflight of stairs until I was fit to face the world outside.
CHAPTER XXIX. OUR DESTINIES PART US.
DESCENDING to the ground-floor of the house, I sent to request amoment's interview with the landlady. I had yet to learn in which of theLondon prisons Van Brandt was confined; and she was the only person towhom I could venture to address the question.
Having answered my inquiries, the woman put her own sordid constructionon my motive for visiting the prisoner.
"Has the money you left upstairs gone into his greedy pockets already?"she asked. "If I was as rich as you are, I should let it go. In yourplace, I wouldn't touch him with a pair of tongs!"
The woman's coarse warning actually proved useful to me; it starteda new idea in my mind! Before she spoke, I had been too dull or toopreoccupied to see that it was quite needless to degrade myself bypersonally communicating with Van Bra
ndt in his prison. It only nowoccurred to me that my legal advisers were, as a matter of course,the proper persons to represent me in the matter--with this additionaladvantage, that they could keep my share in the transaction a secreteven from Van Brandt himself.
I drove at once to the office of my lawyers. The senior partner--thetried friend and adviser of our family--received me.
My instructions, naturally enough, astonished him. He was immediatelyto satisfy the prisoner's creditors, on my behalf, without mentioningmy name to any one. And he was gravely to accept as security forrepayment--Mr. Van Brandt's note of hand!
"I thought I was well acquainted with the various methods by which