"Irene—my wife!"
And with a rapid motion he covered his eyes, digging his fingers into his flesh.
De Gollyer, pouncing upon the letter, read:
My dear Jackie: When you read this, I shall have left you forever—
Then he halted with an exclamation, and hastily turned the page for the signature.
"Read!" said Lightbody in a stifled voice.
"I say, this is serious, devilishly serious," said De Gollyer, now thoroughly amazed. Immediately he began to read, unconsciously emphasizing the emphatic words—a little trick of his enunciation.
When Lightbody had heard from the voice of another the message that stood written before his eyes, all at once all impulses in his brain converged into one. He sprang up, speaking now in quick, distinct syllables, sweeping the room with the fury of his arms.
"I'll find them; by God, I'll find them. I'll hunt them down. I'll follow them. I'll track them—anywhere—to the ends of the earth—and when I find them—"
De Gollyer, sensitively distressed at such a scene, vainly tried to stop him.