The old man bowed his head.
“Yes!”
Thus were the sad presentiments realized which she had felt when first she had heard Count Ville-Handry speak of the Pennsylvania Petroleum Company. But never, oh, never! would she have imagined so sudden a downfall.
“My father ruined!” she repeated, as if she were unable to realize the precise meaning of these words.
“And only a year ago he had more than a hundred thousand dollars a year. Six millions swallowed up in twelve months!—six millions!”
And as the enormous amount seemed to be out of all proportion to the shortness of time, she said,—
“It cannot be. You must be mistaken, sir; they have misled you.”
A smile of bitter irony passed over the old dealer’s lips. He replied, as if much puzzled by Henrietta’s doubts,—
“What, madam, you do not see yet? Alas! what I tell you is but too true; and, if you want proofs”—
He drew a newspaper from his pocket and handed it to Henrietta, pointing out to her on the first page an article marked with a red pencil.