“And Edmund was not in the party at all?”
“No. His father was a man of slightly sporty inclinations, and he with his party of friends were simply out for a night and happened to come to the place where I was. But the turn of affairs seemed to change his mind a bit, for he questioned me so closely as to my whereabouts in the past, and as to how long I had been in that house, that I became suspicious, but I told him all, everything truthfully that had happened to me since I had left his home; but one thing I sought to keep secret and that was the name of the man with whom I had lived. But it seemed impossible for one so unused to intrigue to keep a secret. I had a chain (this chain) around my neck, and on the chain this locket, and as I leaned my head forward it dangled in the air and unknown to me he took the locket and opened it and this picture, Edmund’s picture, was in it.
“At first he raved and swore, ‘to think that I, a common woman of the town, should dare to wear his son’s picture in such a place as that!’ I don’t know how I held myself together, but I did, and gently reminded him that he should not object to his son’s picture being worn in a place which he himself frequented.
“He gradually became reasonable and we talked matters over in general, he finally drawing out of me that it was his son whom I had looked upon as my husband. He satisfied himself as to my purity, otherwise, then made a confession. It was he who had caused Edmund to be spirited away to Europe. Edmund had endeavored to correspond with me, directing his letters to the name that we were making temporary use of, but his father had intercepted them, thinking that the boy had fallen into the hands of some very bad woman who would eventually ruin his life. It was he, of course, who answered my advertisement, but to make amends for his mistakes, he made me the proposition that I should have a good home, go to school, take music, and in fact qualify myself in every possible way, during the two years following, all at his expense. At the end of the two years he promised that if I had been good and true Edmund should come back from Europe and marry me. And the two years will be up in just three weeks, and I am so happy.”
“You were telling your fortune when I came in; will you tell me what you wished?”
“Oh, sure! I wished Edmund would come back before the three weeks are up.”
“You said you were rich.”
“Yes, you see, Grandma died and left me all the money my mother has been kept out of all this time, but don’t tell that, will you? For I want to know for sure that Edmund loves me for just me.”
As the writer arose to leave, a messenger boy brought in a strange looking envelope and after being convinced that he was talking to Leonore Marks, he handed the envelope to her, saying, “Cablegram for you.”
It read, “Home in ten days. Be ready to be married.