The chronicle of all this was accompanied in this journal not only with
pictures of Graystone Hall, but of the abandoned factory of the
International Power Company; also with portraits of Rawn and his wife
and of Charles Halsey, late superintendent of the company; as well as
those of Jim Sullivan, the foreman, Ann Sullivan, his wife, and other
labor leaders sometimes concerned about the mysterious factory which
had housed the desperate secret of International Power. As it chanced,
the portraits of Ann Sullivan and Virginia Rawn had been exchanged, so
that the beautiful Mrs. Rawn appeared as a hard-featured Irish woman of
more than middle age; whereas Mrs. Sullivan, wife of the well-known
labor leader, presented a somewhat distinguished figure in her
eminently handsome gown and obviously valuable jewels.
V
Virginia Rawn looked calmly, smilingly, over these and many other
varying details of these closing scenes in her career. "Very well,"
said she, pointing to the likeness accredited to her name, "this is the
last time my portrait will appear in print, I suppose. What difference
does it make? The older and uglier I am, the better the story!
Perhaps for once Mrs. Sullivan, when she sees her picture--young, rich,
with plenty of jewels--will think her dreams have come true! Maybe
she's dreamed--I know I did; and I know what I am. The names and
pictures are right, just as they are. She wins, not I.
"But yes, I suppose this is the end of it all, as you say," she added
wearily, almost indifferently. "Of course, we've known it was coming.
I suppose there was nothing else _could_ come of it all."
Halsey at first could make no answer except to drop his face in his
hands. A half groan escaped him, in spite of his attempt to rival her
courage or her indifference, whichever it might be.
"_I've_ done this," he said at last; "_I've_ brought all this on you.
It's all my fault, and it's too late now for me to help it. We
couldn't straighten out things in the business now, even if I went back
to work. It's too late. I've ruined you, Mrs. Rawn."
"Yes, that's plain," she answered quietly. "But isn't this just what
you wanted? Haven't you always resented the success of others,
deprecated the wish of some men to get money at any cost? Aren't you a
Socialist at heart? Didn't you want this--just this?"
"Want it? No! How could I want anything which meant harm for _you_?
If only you had come to me and asked me to go back--asked me to get
into line!"
"You'd have done it, wouldn't you, Charley--for me?" She smiled at
him, her small, white teeth showing. But back of her smile he felt the
pulse of a mind.
"I don't know--how could I have helped it?"
"Then you'd have forgotten all your loyalty to those people over there?
You'd have forgotten all about the rights of man of which you told me,
and your devotion to the principles of this republic of which you
talked--is that true? You'd have forgotten all, everything, for _me_?"
VI
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