Everything that was evil in me rebelled--"
"Is this necessary?" he interrupted coldly. "I have never reproached
you. You chose the path of safety for yourself. Many another woman in
your place would doubtless have done the same thing! What I desire to
know is why you are here in Cornwall. What has happened to make this
journey seem necessary to you?"
"Listen!" she continued. "I want you to know how thoroughly you have
succeeded. Before you came, Lumley and I were living together decently
enough, and, as hundreds of others live, with outside interests for
our chief distraction. You came, a friend! You were very subtle, very
skillful! You never spoke a word of affection to me, but you managed
things so that--people talked. You encouraged Lumley to speculate--not
in actual words, perhaps, but by suggestion. Then you lent me money.
Lumley, my husband, let me borrow from you. Everyone knew that we were
ruined; everyone knew where the money came from that set us right. So
misery has been piled upon misery. Lumley has lost his self respect,
he is losing his ambition, he is deteriorating every day. I--how can I
do anything else but despise him? He let me, his wife, come to your
rooms to borrow money from you. Do you think I can ever forget that?
Do you think that he can? Don't you know that the memory of it is
dragging us apart, must keep us apart always--always?"
Wingrave leaned a little forward.
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