Seeing this, Jewel realized that she was going too far, begged his pardon for her folly, and riveted her chains more firmly than ever.
They parted affectionately, and when he had gone, she muttered:
"Could she have escaped? I must satisfy myself, much as I dread it, for to-night I could have sworn that Flower's voice spoke to me with a hidden threat in its tone. Oh, I wish I were safely married and away on my bridal-tour!"
She crept to the door of the deserted cellar, unclosed it, peered into the darkness with dilated eyes. She heard great rats plunging about, saw the noisome water standing, green and stagnant, several feet deep, and a large blank water-proof cloak floating on the top.
"She is there still. It was my guilty fancy that made me clothe Azalia Brooke with Flower's soul!" she shuddered, as she fled back to her room.
Meanwhile, Azalia Brooke had pleaded another engagement, too, and returned home.
She flung herself upon the floor, sobbing miserably:
"It is he, my own darling; but Jewel has taken him from me. It was his father's death she showed me in the paper. Perhaps they planned it together, thinking that the shock would kill me."
Then she lay for some time, still and unconscious.