The sight of Gertie talking to a strange woman at the lodge-gates, and the woman’s request to speak with Ruth, had produced a remarkable change.
He became violent and abusive, and poor Ruth had to put up with another ‘scene.’ It was some time before she could quiet him. Gertie assured him again and again that the woman had said nothing more than that she wanted to see Mrs. Heritage; and Ruth explained that it was probably only some one sent from the village to appeal to her charity.
Ruth and Gertie left the squire alone directly his temper had cooled down, for they knew by experience that after these paroxysms he would sit for hours gazing into vacancy and uttering no sound.
When they were at a safe distance from the study, Gertie, trembling and looking as shamefaced as though she were committing some awful crime, drew the strange woman’s letter from her poeket and gave it to Ruth.
‘I was to give you this,’ she said in a whisper. ‘I hope it wasn’t wrong to take it.’
Ruth took the letter, looking almost as guilty as Gertie.
Were her husband’s suspicions justified after all? Was this some new trouble coming upon them?
She put the letter in her pocket and went upstairs to her own room.
She would not open it while Gertie was standing by.
Alone in her bedroom, she turned the letter about and hesitated still.