"Are you resolved to leave me ignorant of the fate of my daughter?"
"She is dead."
"Dead!" she cried, in a voice of terror.
"For you—yes," he replied, with a cold smile.
"Oh, you are implacable!" she shrieked, stamping her foot with rage.
He bowed, without making any reply.
"Well, then," she resumed, "it is now no longer a favour I implore—it is a bargain I propose to you."
"A bargain?"
"Yes, a bargain."
"The idea strikes me as original."