“I took the right, and I am glad that I did, for now I have an inkling of what led to your elopement last night. Now, Viola, you must tell me the whole miserable story.”
She felt as if she was withering under his searching gaze as he demanded the truth.
Oh, how could she confess the keen humiliation she had risked so much to hide from the world? Why had that wretched letter ever come?
But Judge Van Lew, in his wrath, was merciless to the willful daughter that until today he had fairly idolized.
No criminal at the bar of justice was ever put through a more searching cross-examination by the lawyer than now fell to the portion of unhappy Viola.
And before she fairly realized what she had done, she was goaded into confessing everything to her father and her aunt.
Then she faltered:
“You can not be angry with me now, papa, since you know all the bitter truth!”
“Pooh, pooh! you made too much of a lovers’ quarrel, Viola. If you had only waited till this morning, how happy you would have been now!”
The great gray eyes flashed proudly.