"No, no. I married Gertrudis Garavel that night at the Tivoli."
"Oh, that can't be. That was the night of the dance."
"It is quite true."
Mrs. Cortlandt stared about the squalid cell dully.
"Miss Garavel! Why didn't you tell me? Why isn't she here? Why does she
leave you alone? No, no! You hardly know each other. Why, she's not old
enough to know her own mind--"
"But I know my mind, and I love her."
Her white hands strained at each other as she steadied her shaking
voice. "Love!" she cried. "You don't know what love means, nor does
she. She CAN'T know, or she'd be here, she'd have this prison torn
block from block."
"I suppose her father would not let her come," said Kirk, slowly, but
Edith did not seem to hear him. The realization of her broken hopes was
coming home to her poignantly.
"My happiness!" she exclaimed. "I have been unhappy so long! And I
seemed to see it just within my reach. Oh, Kirk, she thinks you are
guilty, she hasn't faith."
"You have no right to say that."
"See! I came to you when I was married and asked you to take me; I'll
do the same with you now."
"You don't know what you're saying. You're hysterical, Mrs. Cortlandt.
I love Gertrudis so deeply that there's no room in me for anything
else, and never will be. Heaven only knows what they have made her
believe about me, but I don't care; I'll upset this little plot of
Alfarez's, and when she learns the truth she will come back again."
"This little plot!" Edith cried, in distraction. "And I suppose you
wish me to give you back to her?"
They confronted each other a moment in silence.
"But I won't help her," she went on. "I'm not that sort. I'm a selfish
woman. I've always been selfish because I've never had anybody to work
for. But I have it in me to be generous."
"I'm sorry," he said. "You have suffered, I know. Don't trouble any
more about me--please."
She stared at him defiantly, although her whole frame was shaking as if
from an ague.
"Oh, I'd rather face the gallows as you face it than what is before me,
and I'm not sure I could help you, after all. You are in Latin America
now, remember, and your enemies are strong."
"I am Darwin K. Anthony's son," he protested. "He won't allow it."
"Bah! He is an American, and these are Spanish people. You have seen
how they like us, and you have seen what Alfarez can do. He's rich, and
he'll perjure more witnesses, he'll manipulate the court with his
money. Yes, and I'd rather he succeeded than see you--No, no! What am I
saying? L-let me go; let me get away from here!" She broke down, and
went sobbing out into the corridor. The iron door clanged to behind her.
On the same afternoon, Mr. Clifford, accompanied by Anson, the lawyer,
took the 3.20 train for Colon. As soon as he arrived, he called up
Colonel Jolson, to request that the Commissioner's motor-car should,
without fail, await him at ten o'clock sharp on the next morning, with
an open track ahead of it. Strangely enough, the Colonel agreed very
readily.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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