“Well, you admire me, and you take an interest in me, if only because you look upon me as a thorough, if rather clumsy appropriator of other people’s property.”
“You have no right to say that. You know it’s not true.”
“Well, whatever your motive may be, I want you, in consideration of this admiration, this interest, to make me a promise. Will you give me your word that you will cease this persecution of me, that you will take it for granted I have my own reasons for behaving as I do, and that, if I am a criminal, I shall be punished in due course, and justice will be satisfied? And will you, in addition to all this, promise me that you will say nothing to anybody about me or my doings, that you will try to consider me as unknown to you, that you will, in short, not only give up my acquaintance, but behave exactly as if I had never existed? Listen, Mr. Buckland. I know you to be an honorable man, and I believe you to be a chivalrous one. Won’t you, at my earnest request, leave justice to take its course upon me without your interference, and without your knowledge, and leave me to be dealt with in the natural course of things as I deserve?”
“Why don’t you explain? I’m sure you could if you wished. I won’t believe you are guilty of a course of despicable crimes—”
“It’s absolutely immaterial to me whether you believe that or not,” retorted Miss Davison, cutting him short with superb disdain. “I don’t ask you to believe I’m innocent: it’s not the adjective most applicable to me. All I ask is that you should leave me alone, and that, as you have seen that the police have their eye upon me, you should take it for granted that they know what I’m about, and that, when they have proof enough, they will arrest me, bring me to justice, and punish me as I deserve.”
“But I can’t believe this—I can’t believe the evidence of my own eyes!”
She laughed lightly, having quite recovered her self-possession, though she still looked pitifully pale and drawn.
“Why not? I don’t wish you to believe anything else. Only—be quite sure that your eyes see aright, Mr. Buckland, and that you don’t sometimes see more than there is to be seen. Now we are at Lady Jennings’. Are you coming in?”
There was no invitation in her look or tone.
“No,” said Gerard shortly. “It is too late. Besides, I’ve been there already this evening.”