"You don't think that of me--of me!" she gasped, her lips all white
again. She got to her feet excitedly. "You shall not believe it of me."
"No, I did not say I believed that," the other remarked almost casually.
"But if I did believe it, I don't know that it would make much difference
to me. Fate, or God Almighty, or whatever it was, had stacked the cards
against you. When I said it was wicked, I meant you did wrong in rushing
away from your husband and coming to me. I suppose you have definitely
left your husband--eh? You've 'left' him, as they say?"
He had an incorrigible sense of humour, as well as an infinite common
sense. He wanted to break this spell of tense emotion which possessed
her. So he pursued a new course.
"Don't you think it's rather hard on me?" he continued. "I'm a lone man
in this house, with only one old woman to protect me, and I'm unmarried.
I've a reputation to lose, and there are lots of mothers and daughters
hereabouts. Besides, a medical practice is hard to get and not easy to
keep. What do you mean by making a refuge of me, when there's nothing for
me in it, not even the satisfaction of going into the Divorce Court with
you? You wicked Mrs. Mazarine!"
"Oh, don't speak like that!" Louise interjected. "Please don't. Don't
scold me. I had to come. I was going mad."
The Young Doctor had the case well in hand. He had eased the terrible
tension; he was slowly reducing her to the normal.
Pages:
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118