CHAPTER XXXVII.
"MY DARLING, YOU ARE FREE!"
The young man regarded her with astonishment, for she had nevergreeted him so warmly before.
Edith saw his look and met it with a blush. She took his hat, then ledhim directly to Mrs. Stewart.
"Roy, you will be astonished," she remarked, "but my first duty is tointroduce you to--my mother."
With a look of blank amazement, the young man mechanically put out hishand to greet the beautiful woman who approached and graciouslywelcomed him.
"That was rather an abrupt and startling announcement, Mr. Bryant,"she smilingly remarked, to cover his confusion; "but pray be seatedand we will soon explain the mysterious situation."
"Pardon my bewilderment," said the young man, as he bowed over herextended hand; "but really, ladies, I am free to confess that you havealmost taken my breath away."
"Then you will know how to sympathize with us," cried Edith, with asilvery little laugh, "for we have both been in the same conditionduring the last few hours."
"Indeed! Then I must say you look very bright for a person who has notbreathed for 'hours,'" he retorted, as he began to recover himself.
"Well, figuratively speaking, our respiration has been retarded manytimes, during a short interval, by the strangest developmentsimaginable," Edith explained. "But how did you trace me to theWaldorf?"
"I had something important to tell you, so ran up to Nellie's to seeyou, but was told that you had accompanied Mrs. Stewart thither," Royexplained. "I hope, however, I shall be pardoned for interrupting yourinterview," he concluded with an apologetic glance at the elder lady.
"Certainly; and, strange to say, we were speaking of you almost at themoment that your card was brought to us," she returned. "Edith has hadan important communication handed her to-day, which I thought youought to have, since you are her attorney, without any unnecessarydelay."
"Oh! it is most wonderful, Roy! This is it," said the young girl,producing it from her pocket. "But first I must tell you that in Mrs.Stewart I have discovered mamma's old friend--the writer of thoseletters of which I told you. She did not die in Rome, as was feared."
"Can that be possible?" exclaimed Mr. Bryant.
"Yes, dear. It is a long story, and I cannot stop to tell it all now,"Edith went on, eagerly, "but I must explain that she has discovered animportant document that proves what makes me the happiest girl in NewYork to-day. We met at Mrs. Wallace's this afternoon, where some oneaddressed me as Miss Allandale, when she instantly knew that I must beher child. Isn't it all too wonderful to seem true?"
After chatting a little longer over the wonderful revelations, hesuddenly remembered the "important communication" which Mrs. Stewarthad mentioned.
"What was the matter of business which you felt needed earlyconsideration?" he inquired.
Instantly Edith's lovely face was suffused with blushes, and Mrs.Stewart, thinking it would be wise to leave the lovers alone duringthe forthcoming explanations, excused herself and quietly slipped intoan adjoining room.
Edith immediately went to the young man's side and gave her letter tohim.
"Roy, this is even more wonderful than what I have already told you,"she gravely remarked. "Read it; it will explain itself better than anywords of mine can do."
He drew the contents from the envelope, and began at once to read thefollowing confession:
"For the sake of performing one right act in my life, I wish to make the following statement, namely: I hereby declare that the marriage of my brother, Emil Correlli, to Miss Edith Allen, who, for several weeks, has acted as my companion, was not a legal ceremony, inasmuch as it was accomplished solely by fraud and treachery. Miss Allen was tricked into it by being overpersuaded to personate a supposed character in a play, entitled 'The Masked Bridal.' The play was written and acted before a large audience for the sole purpose of deceiving Miss Allen and making her the wife of my brother, whom she had absolutely refused to marry, but who was determined to carry his point at all hazards. Motives of affection for him, and of jealousy, on account of my husband's apparent fondness for the girl, alone prompted me to aid him in his bold design. I hereby declare again that it was all a trick, from beginning to end, and it was only by my indomitable will, and by working upon Miss Allen's sympathies, that I was enabled to carry out my purpose." (Then followed a detailed account of the plot of the play and its concluding ceremony, after which the document closed as follows): "I am impressed that I have not long to live; and wishing, if it can be done, to right this great wrong, and make it possible for the proper officials to declare Miss Allen freed from her bonds, I make this confession of a fraud that weighs too heavily upon my conscience to be borne.
"ANNA CORRELLI GODDARD."
The above was dated the day previous to that of madam's death, andunderneath she had appended a few lines to Mr. Goddard, stating thatshe knew he was in sympathy with Edith; therefore she should leave theepistle with her lawyer, to be given to him, in the event of herdeath, and she enjoined him to see that justice was done the girl whomshe had injured.
This was the missive that the lawyer had passed to Mr. Goddard at thesame time that he had read the woman's will in the presence of herhusband and Emil Correlli, and over which, as we have seen, heafterward became so strangely agitated.
We know how he had hurriedly removed from his former elegant home to ahabitation on another street; after which, instead of going abroad, asthe papers had stated, he had gone directly to New York, upon the samequest as Emil Correlli, but with a very different purpose inview--that of giving to Edith the precious document that was todeclare her free from the man whom she loathed.
He could get no trace of her, however; unlike Correlli, he had noknowledge of her acquaintance with Royal Bryant, and therefore all hecould do was to carry the letter about with him, wherever he went, inthe hope of some day meeting her upon the street, or elsewhere.
One day he was out at Central Park, when he suddenly came upon aformer friend--Mrs. Wallace--who immediately announced to him herintention of arranging a charitable art exhibition and solicitedcontributions from him to aid her in the good work.
Thus the appearance of that bit of old "Roman Wall" is accounted for,as well as the presence of Mr. Goddard himself, who was particularlyrequested by Mrs. Wallace to honor the occasion, and allow her tointroduce him to some of her friends.
It would be difficult to describe the terrible shock which the mansustained when he heard Edith addressed by and respond to thename--Miss Allandale.
Like a flash of light it was revealed to him that the beautiful girlwas his own daughter!--that, in her, he had, for months, been"entertaining an angel unawares," but only to abuse his privilege in away to reap her lasting contempt and aversion.
This blighting knowledge was followed by a sense of sickening despairand misery, when, almost at the same moment, he saw Isabel Stewartstart forward to claim her child and lead her from the room, when heknew she must learn the wretched truth regarding his life ofselfishness and sin.
As they disappeared from sight, he sank back behind the easel thatsupported his Roman picture, groaning in spirit with remorse andhumiliation.
A little later he stole unseen from the room, and, crossing the hall,opened the door of the reception-room, which he had seen Edith and hermother enter.
He had determined to give the young girl the letter that would serveto release her from her hateful fetters; he would, perhaps, experiencesome comfort in the thought that he had rendered her this one simpleservice that would bring her happiness; then he would go away--hidehimself and his misery from all who knew him, and live out his futureto what purpose he could.
We know how he carried out his resolve regarding the confession ofAnna Correlli; and the picture which met his eye, as he opened thatdoor and looked upon the mother and daughter clasped in each other
'sarms, was one that haunted his memory during the rest of his life.
As soon as Royal Bryant comprehended the import of Anna Correlli'sconfession, he turned to Edith with a radiant face and open arms.
"My darling! nothing can keep us apart now!" he murmured, in tonesvibrant with joy, "you are free--free as the air you breathe--free togive yourself to me! Come!"
With a smile of love and happiness Edith sprang into his embrace andlaid her face upon his breast.
"Oh, Roy!" she breathed, "all this seems too much joy to be real or tobe borne in one day!"
"I think we can manage to endure it," returned her lover, with a fondsmile. "I confess, however, that it seems like a day especiallydedicated to blessings, for I have other good news for you."
"Can it be possible? What more could I ask, or even think of?"exclaimed Edith, wonderingly.
Roy smiled mysteriously, and returned, with a roguish gleam in hiseyes:
"My news will keep a while--until you give me the pledge I crave, mydarling. You will be my wife, Edith?" he added, with tenderearnestness.
"You know that I will, Roy," she whispered; and, lifting her face tohis, their mutual vows were sealed by their betrothal caress.
The young man drew from an inner pocket a tiny circlet of gold inwhich there blazed a flawless stone, clear as a drop of dew, andslipped it upon the third finger of Edith's left hand.
"I have had it ever since the day after your arrival in New York," hesmilingly remarked, "but coward conscience would not allow me to giveit to you; however, it will prove to you that I was lacking in neitherfaith nor hope."
"Now for my good news," he added, after Edith had thanked him, in ashy, sweet way that thrilled him anew, while he gently drew her to aseat. "I met Giulia Fiorini on the street this afternoon."
"Oh, Roy! did you?"
"Yes; she is here, searching for Correlli. I recognized her and thechild from your description. I boldly resolved to address her, as Ifeared it might be my only opportunity. I did so, asking if I wasright in supposing her to be Madam Fiorini, and told her that I wassearching for her, at your request. She almost wept at the sound ofyour name, and eagerly inquired where she could find you. I took herto my office, where I told her what I wished to prove regarding herrelations with Correlli, and that, if I could accomplish my purpose,it would give her and the child a claim upon him which he could notignore. She at once frankly related her story to me, and stated thatwhen they had first arrived in New York from Italy, Correlli had takenher to Madam ----'s boarding-house, where he had made arrangements forhimself, wife and child--"
"Oh, then that settles the question of her claim upon him!" Edith hereinterposed, eagerly.
"Yes--if we can prove her statements, and I think we can; for when Itold Giulia of my visit to madam, and how I had failed to elicit theslightest information from her, she said that she knew where one ofthe servants--who was in the house when she went there--could befound, for she had stumbled across the girl in the street and learnedwhere she is now living. She gave me her address, and I wentimmediately to interview her. Luck was in my favor--the girl was athome, and remembered the 'pretty Italian girl, who was so sweet-spokenand polite;' she also knew where her previous fellow-servant could befound, and asserted that they would both be willing to swear thatmadam herself had told them to 'always to be very attentive to thehandsome Italian's wife, for she made more out of them than out of anyof her other boarders.' So, I flatter myself that I have gatheredconclusive evidence against the man," Roy added, in a tone ofsatisfaction. "I shall interview Monsieur Correlli at once, andperhaps, when he realizes that his supposed claim upon you is null andvoid, he may be persuaded to do what is right regarding his wife andchild."
The lovers then fell to talking of their own affairs, Edith relatingwhat she had so recently learned from her mother, and concluded bymentioning the plan of readoption, suggested by Mrs. Stewart, in orderto avoid the gossip of the world.