"I have it with me," she responded; "but it is not yours until you carry out your promises!"
He looked at her with a cunning gleam in his eyes.
"To be sure I will carry out my agreement," he said.
"But I must have proof that you will do so before I part with so much money," she said. "You must give me your written word that you will never trouble me again. You must also tell me where I can find my child, for I see that you have not kept your word about bringing her with you!"
He laughed aloud—a harsh, mocking laugh.
"I am not surprised at hearing a remark like that from your lips. A woman who could abandon her child as easily as you did, without so much as knowing its fate, and who is content to live here as Eugene Mallard's wife, whenever he is ready to take you to his heart, is capable of doing anything. I do not wonder that you supposed the little one was here in the grounds all night long awaiting your fancy to appear!"
She recoiled at the words as though he had struck her a blow.
"Let me tell you where your child is," he said, hoarsely. "You shall know its fate!"
As he spoke, he seized the hand that held the money, and tore the bills from her grasp.