“Watch her, watch them all, and bring me each and every detail of the poor girl’s sickness. You will never regret humouring me in this. You ordered the flowers for—Adelaide?”
“Yes; lilies, as you requested.”
A short silence, then I observed:
“There will be no autopsy the papers say. The evidences of death by strangulation are too well defined.”
“Very true. Yet I wonder at their laxity in this. There were signs of some other agency having been at work also. Those two empty glasses smelling of cordial—innocent perhaps—yet—”
“Don’t! I can bear no more to-day. I shall be stronger to-morrow.”
Another feeler turned aside. His cheek showed his displeasure, but the words were kind enough with which he speedily took his leave and left me to solitude and a long night of maddening thought.
BOOK TWO
SWEETWATER TO THE FRONT
IX
“WE KNOW OF NO SUCH LETTER”
O, he sits high in all the people’s hearts;
And that, which would appear offence in us,
His countenance like richest alchemy
Will change to virtue, and to worthiness.