All this while Saul was glaring at the speakers in a curiously excited
manner, which took the doctor's attention, and he crossed to his side.
"I don't want to alarm you, Saul Harrington," he whispered; "but if you
do not control yourself, you will have another fit. Besides, all this
will fly to your bad arm."
"Oh, I'm calm enough now," was the impatient reply; but as Saul spoke
the veins were beginning to stand out in knots about his temples, for
the visitor had crossed to Gertrude and shaken hands, while her
peaceful, gratified look, and the smile she gave, as she looked up in
his eyes, seemed to madden him.
"Come away," whispered the doctor.
"What! and leave that man, that impostor, here?"
"Who said impostor?" cried the new pretender, turning sharply round.
"You, sir? All right, Gertrude, I will not quarrel with him. I dare
say it is natural, but not a pleasant thing for me to bear."
"Get them both away, or we shall be having terrible trouble," whispered
Mrs Hampton in her husband's ear.
"Yes. Gentlemen, everything connected with this matter must be left to
the law of your country. The use of language tending to anger is not
likely to settle matters. Mr Saul Harrington, I have explained the
state of affairs to you, and you grasp all that is necessary for you to
know at present."
"You sent for me," cried Saul fiercely, "and I decline to go and leave
Miss Bellwood in company with this strange man, whose claims are
preposterous."
"Then I must appeal to you, sir," said the lawyer. "You came down
unasked; your presence is likely to cause unpleasantry; trust me that
you shall have justice done, so please to go."
"I, George Harrington, feel that I have a perfect right to be here, Mr
Hampton; and I cannot help resenting the overbearing manner of my
cousin."
"George," said Gertrude softly, as she laid her hand in his; "I believe
in you."
"Ah!" he cried, in a low, eager tone.
"Be content, and go."
"I could not exist without seeing you," he whispered; and the colour
came warmly into her cheeks at his words. "You wish me to go?"
"Yes."
There was a pleading look in her eyes which disarmed all resistance;
and, pressing her hand, he turned to Mrs Hampton.
"Good-night," he said; "I know I have an advocate in you. Gentlemen,
good-evening. I will call at your office in the morning, Mr Hampton."
He left the room, and, as soon as the gate was heard to clang, Gertrude
signed to Mrs Hampton and they left the room, for Saul's manner
betokened another storm.
Too truly, for the next minute it broke out with uncontrolled violence--
words he did not mean to utter pouring from his lips.
"It is a lie! A fraud! A base piece of cozening?" he cried. "The man
is an impostor, who has come forward to rob me of my rights."
"Your rights, Mr Saul," said the lawyer slowly; "what are they?"
"I mean my rights as next-of-kin. Where is my cousin George? He must
be found: he shall be found!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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