"It is yours; the money that Gabe took from you. Oh, he is a villain, if ever there was one. And to think that he should come to you, of all women, and demand payment for silence. It's a wonder to me the Almighty doesn't smite him for his wickedness."
Mrs. Hampton now understood why this poor creature had visited her, and a deep respect and pity welled up in her heart.
"How did you know about this matter?" she asked.
"Oh, Gabe was boasting about it to me. He had been drinking, and when he is that way you never know what he will say. I took the money from him when he was asleep. He didn't miss it when he left home. But when he comes back there will be a terrible time."
"Where is he now?"
"In the city, where he likes to be, instead of staying home and attending to his work. He's not only a villain, but lazy as sin."
An anxious expression appeared in Mrs. Hampton's eyes as she listened to this tale of woe. She leaned over and touched her visitor on the arm.
"You say that your husband talks a great deal when he is drunk?" she asked.
"Yes, his tongue is never still unless he's asleep. It's awful the way he raves and swears at times."
"Hettie, do you suppose he will tell what he knows about what we did at the hospital."