"Let it be superb—let it surpass everything hitherto known in elegance," she said—"he shall be here—he shall see the poor governess, the scorned wife in a new phase."
There was triumph in her eyes as she spoke.
"You love this man, even now, in spite of all that he has done?" said Jacob Strong, who stood before her while she spoke.
"No," she answered—"no, I hate—oh! how I do hate him!"
Jacob regarded her with a steady, fixed glance of the eye; he was afraid to believe her. He would not have believed her but for the powerful wish that gave an unnatural impulse to his faith.
"He may be dazzled by all this splendor; the knowledge of so much wealth will make him humble—he will be your slave again!"
Ada glanced around the sumptuous array of her boudoir. Her eyes sparkled; her lip quivered with haughty triumph.
"And I would spurn him even as he spurned me in that humble room over-head—that room filled with its wealth of old memories."
Jacob turned away to hide the joy that burned in his eyes.
"Oh! my mistress, say it again. In earnest truth, you hate this man; do not deceive yourself. Have you unwound the adder from your heart? Did that night do its work?"