“Yes; it is to no purpose, I know,” she said, bitterly. “You are married now. You have married this girl for her money; she has slipped into my place, and it is all over—all over and done with, and I must live out my life as best I can. But you will not forget me, Trafford. Promise me that—promise me. It is not too much to ask, seeing that—” Her voice broke and her head drooped upon his shoulder.
“I shall not forget you,” he said, hoarsely. Her anguish, her utter abandon, was torture to him. He forgot that he was just married to a girl who loved him with all her pure heart’s passionate devotion; at that moment he remembered only this woman whom he had loved and who still loved him.
“Ah, do not,” she said. “It will comfort me as nothing else could do. To remember that, had I possessed her wealth, I should have stood in her place to-day!”
The sound of laughter came from the dining-room; it sounded in Esmeralda’s ears like open mockery. She put her hand to her head, and then covered her eyes. Surely she must be dreaming. Yes, that was it. She was asleep, and this was a nightmare, not reality. But Trafford’s voice awakened her to a sense of the reality. She was awake, and it was Lady Ada and Trafford who were in the room there.
“Go now, Ada,” he said, and his voice was almost harsh through the intensity of his emotion. “There is no use in staying. Some one will come in.”
“Yes, I will go,” she said. “But, after all, it need not be good-bye forever, Trafford.” Her tone was piteous and imploring. “We shall see each other often—often. Why should we not? Trafford, you will still need me, though—though you are married to her. She can not be all in all to you, as I should have been.” She drew a long sigh. “She can not even be a companion for you. She is ignorant and uncultivated; she knows nothing of the things that go to make up our lives. You will need sympathy—you will come to me, Trafford.”
Even under the stress and strain of his emotion he was not quite a fool.
“Will it be wise, Ada?” he said, gravely.
“Yes, yes!” she urged. “I will—I will keep watch and ward on myself. This is the last time that—that you will hear me speak of my love. I will be careful, even when we are alone. Trafford, I can’t—I can’t lose you altogether. I must see you sometimes. Why do you hesitate? Do you think it will be unfair to her?”
His face flushed slightly.