England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction
"You comfort me," said Katherine, with indescribably sweet graceful
humility. "I thank you heartily, and will say good-by."
"I will come and see you into a cab," returned Errington, feeling
himself anxious that no one should recognize her, and not knowing when
their _tete-a-tete_ might be interrupted.
They went out together, and walked a little way in silence. "You will
let me come and see you, to hear--" began Errington, when Katherine
interrupted him.
"Not just now. I think we had better not seem to know anything of each
other, or perhaps George Liddell may suspect you of being my friend."
"I see. But at least you will keep me informed of how things go on.
Remember how tormented I am with remorse for my hasty act."
"You need not be. But I will write. There--there is a cab."
Errington hailed it, handed her in carefully, and they said good-by with
a sudden sense of intimacy which months of ordinary communication would
not have produced.
It was a very serious undertaking to break the intelligence to Miss
Payne, and poor Katherine felt quite exhausted before her exclamations,
questions, and wonderings were half over.
On one or two points Miss Payne at once made up her mind, nor had she
ever quite altered her opinion: This man representing himself as George
Liddell was an impostor who had known the real "Simon Pure," and got
himself up accordingly as soon as he heard that the late John Liddell
had died intestate; that Mr. Newton was a weak-minded, credulous idiot
to acknowledge this impostor at first sight, _if_ he were not a
double-dealing traitor ready to play into the hands of the new claimant.
He ought to have thrown the onus of proof on _him_, instead of
acknowledging his identity by that childish exclamation. Don't tell
_her_ that he was startled out of prudence and precaution. A spirit from
above or below would not have thrown her (Miss Payne) off her guard
where property was concerned, and what was the use of men's superior
strength and courage if they could not hold their tongues in presence of
an unexpected apparition?
She was, however, profoundly disturbed, and sent at once for her
brother.
It was evening before he arrived in Wilton Street, having gone out
before Miss Payne's note reached him. Like Errington, he was at first
incredulous, and when he had gathered the facts of the case, absolutely
overcome. In fact, he showed more emotion than Errington, yet it did not
impress Katherine so much as Errington's deep, suppressed feeling.
"But what are you to do?" he said, raising his head, which he had bowed
on his hand in a kind of despair.
"It is just the question I have been asking myself," said Katherine,
quietly. "For even if dear old Mr. Newton succeeds in softening George
Liddell, and he forgives me the outlay of what was certainly his money,
the little that belongs to myself I shall want for my nephews."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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