"You are either deceived yourself, or else purposely endeavoring to mislead me. Lena Cuyler's marriage to Ben Mauprat was not legal, as he had a living wife from whom he was not divorced at the time of his mock marriage to my mother. That marriage annulled, perfectly legalizes her subsequent union with Roger Pyne and establishes my birth as legitimate. Therefore I am the rightful heir. Your birth, you see, is the one upon which the unfortunate cloud rests that makes you even possess no right to the name your convict father wears. Now the question is, are you ready to resign Lynde Pyne without publicity being given to these matters, or must Leonard Chandler and the world come in possession of a knowledge that I desire to conceal for my mother's sake? I wish to impress upon you before you answer, that there is no romantic feeling of wishing to spare a sister in my offer to repress the truth or a portion of it; it is only my dead mother. Now, what have you to say?"
For some moments a cold, dull gray had overspread Miss Chandler's face. A wild horror had come into her eyes, but gradually she had controlled it.
To be the daughter of a convict was bad enough surely, but to be his nameless child was a disgrace of which she had really never dreamed.
Still, revulsion at the contemplation of disgrace had never distressed her much, and she recovered from the feeling quickly.
She determined not to lose the position of wealth and luxurious ease that she then held without a desperate struggle, and she was perfectly aware that to lose Lynde Pyne meant more to her than one would readily suppose.
With all her heart she longed to strangle Leonie, but controlling her venom, she said, almost humbly:
"I don't think you can realize how you have surprised me. I cannot think yet that what you have said can be true. Prove it to me and I will do what you say. Let me go over those papers with you. Let me see the truth for myself."
Leonie laughed.
There in the stillness of the night it rung out with a little metallic sound that was chilling. She shivered as it ceased.
"I am afraid I could not trust you so far!" she exclaimed, coldly. "A woman who would dare so much as you have already done will bear watching. You will excuse me and take my word for it. I know!"