‘Yes, to Otho. When I promised to marry him, I swore that when the time came, I would follow him faithfully, no matter how or where. He said we should both know when it had come. It has come now. Since he saw you in town, Michael, I have heard from him. He has taken some rooms for me, and I shall go and stay there; and as soon as I have been there long enough, we shall be married.’
Eleanor was silent at first. Then she began tremulously—
‘Have you thought seriously about it? After what has happened, he can have no claim upon you; and you surely do not dare to go to him.’
‘Dare—I dare, most certainly, go to him, and stay with him. I am not afraid of him. I never was. If some other people had been as little afraid of him as I was, perhaps he might not have made such a hideous bungle as he has done, of his life. But if I were afraid of him, I should go to him all the more, after what I swore to him, lest he should do me some hurt if I disobeyed him.’
‘But, Magdalen——’
‘But, Eleanor!’ said the other, in a deep, stern voice. ‘Let me explain myself, and then, if you fail to understand, it will not be my fault. I am going to him now, first because of my promise, which meant, that when there should be nothing to prevent me from marrying him, I would be his wife. And what is there to prevent me now?’
‘There is himself!’ cried Eleanor, passionately. ‘Michael, tell her—explain to her that she must not tie——’
‘Wait! She has not finished yet,’ said Michael.
‘No, I have not,’ Magdalen assented. ‘First, because of my promise to him. You think that because himself, as you call it, frightened and repelled you, it must, of course, be the same with every one else. Well, while I am about it, I will tell you the whole truth. He has not a friend in the world, I suppose, now that Gilbert is gone, except me. I am in the same case. While my poor old aunt still lived, there was always some one who believed in me, and thought I was an angel. There is no one now. Himself—such as he is—loves me, with such love as he has to give; clings to me, and wants me. And I—such as I am—infinitely beneath you, I confess’ (with a mocking smile and bow), ‘love him, with what heart has not been crushed out of me. Yes, and such as he is,’ she added, raising herself before them, and looking at them with a kind of defiance on her scornful face—‘such as he is, I think it worth while to go to him, and try to save him from destruction. Perhaps I shall not succeed. That doesn’t matter. I want something to do, and there it is, ready to my hand.... And also, I shall then have kept a promise to one man, at any rate.’
Eleanor stared at her, half-fascinated, half-repelled.