“No, dear, that was it. Your mother would not let me––she thought only of you; you must not be worried, just now––oh! you know how she is! But, dearest, she has had, for years, a strange and dreadful pain. It does not come often, but when it does, it is very, very bad––it comes mostly at night––so she has been able to hide it from you; the day following she always spoke of it as a headache––you know how we have sympathized with her––but never were alarmed?”
Northrup nodded. He recalled those headaches.
“Well, a week ago she called me to come to her––she really looked quite terrible, Brace. I was so frightened, but of course I had to hide my feelings. She says––oh! Brace, she says there is––way back in the family–––”
“Nonsense!” Northrup got up and paced the floor. “Manly has told me that was sheer nonsense. Go on, Kathryn.”
“Well, dear, she was weak and so pitiful and she––she confided things to me that I am sure she would not have, had she been her brave, dear self.”
“What kind of things?”
It was horrible, but Northrup was conscious of being in a net where the meshes were wide enough to permit of his seeing freedom but utterly cutting him off from it.
What he had subconsciously hoped the night before, what his underlying strength had been founded upon, he would never be able to know, for now he felt every line of escape from, heaven knew what, closing upon him; permitting no choice, wiping out all the security of happiness; leaving––chaff. For a moment, he forgot the question he had just asked, but Kathryn was struggling to answer it.
“About you and me, Brace. Oh! help me. It is so hard; so hard, dear, to tell you, but you must realize that because of the things she said, I estimated the seriousness of her condition and I cannot spare myself! Brace, she knows that 203 you and I––have been putting off our marriage because of her!”
There was one mad moment when Northrup felt he was going to laugh; but instantly the desire fled and ended in something approaching a groan.