"Don't touch me," she said, in a choking voice, "don't dare to touch me!"
Eva cowered in a new and deeper terror. She had hardly realized the effect of her confession; she had not measured, until now, the enormity of her crime against her sister. Even now she did not think of Rachel, she was thinking of herself. If Rachel felt thus, if she cast her off and denounced her, so would Johnstone, and he would cast her off in open disgrace. The finger of scorn would be pointed at her, at Eva, who had always been so lovely, so courted, so beloved. She broke into horrible weeping; her beautiful body, so exquisite in its white and pink tints, its dimpled flesh, was shaken with agony; the soul was in travail but it was not yet born. It was significant that, at that moment, she did not remember Belhaven. Astry had threatened to kill him, he was capable of killing him; men have been killed before for such sins and misdemeanors. Later, Eva remembered Belhaven; now she was only torn with self-pity. Rachel had dared to judge her and she had only sought to hide herself behind Rachel, to use her for a cloak; she did not mean to injure her so deeply. It was dreadful, but she had never thought, she had never thought of any one but herself. Rachel was to have been the buffer.
"Rachel," she moaned, "it will kill me—I can't face it alone, you must help me; mother said you'd always help me in trouble!" That was Eva's strongest card; she knew it and played it.
Rachel heard her, but did not move.
"I'm innocent, I was terribly frightened, I didn't know what to say—I never thought—forgive me, Rachel!"
Rachel did not speak.
"I knew he'd kill Belhaven, I saw it in his face, I—" Eva's wild sobs grew fainter; she was terribly frightened now—"Rachel, if you don't save me, I'm lost! Johnstone hates me, he'll disgrace me, he'll say that I'm—I'm guilty, he'll tell the whole world. Rachel, Rachel, I'm not very well, I—I will die!"
"It would be best to die!" said Rachel wildly, then she broke down, she stretched out her quivering hands. "Eva, Eva, it can't be true, you didn't do it—I'm dreaming—say that I'm dreaming!" she implored her.
"Oh, Rachel, can't you forgive me? I didn't know what I said!"
"Oh, how could you?" cried Rachel passionately; horror and humiliation swept over her, wave upon wave; she felt all the agony of Eva's treachery, she suffered as Eva could not suffer.