“Why speak of it, Anita?” He took her hands from his shoulders, and pressed them gently, but with quiet strength. “It is all over now, you know. We must not dwell too much upon what is past; I shall have to help you to put it all from your mind––not to forget, but to make your memories tender and beautiful.”
“But I must speak of it. It will be on my mind day and night until I have told you. Ramon, you dined with us that night––the night before. Did my father seem ill to you?”
“Of course not. I had never known him to be in better health and spirits.” Ramon glanced at her in involuntary surprise.
“Are you sure?”
“Why do you ask me that? You know that heart-disease may attack one at any time without warning.”
Anita sank upon the window-seat again, and leaned forward pensively, her hands clasped over her knees.
“You will remember that after you and father had your coffee and cigars together in the dining-room, you both joined me?”
“Of course. You were playing the piano, ramblingly, as if your thoughts were far away, and you seemed nervous, ill at ease. I wondered about it at the time.”
“It was because of father. To you he appeared in the best of spirits, as you say, but I, who knew him better than any one else on earth, realized that he was forcing himself to be genial, to take an interest in what we were saying. For days he had been overwrought and depressed. 9 As you know, he has confided in me, absolutely, since I have been old enough to be a real companion to him. I thought that I knew all his business affairs––those of the last two or three years at least––but latterly his manner has puzzled and distressed me. Then, while you were in the dining-room, the telephone rang twice.”
“Yes; the calls were for your father. When he was summoned to the wire he immediately had the connection given to him on his private line, here in the library. After he returned to the dining-room he did seem slightly absent-minded, now that I think of it; but it did not occur to me that there could have been any serious trouble. You know, dearest, ever since the evening when he promised to give you to me, he has consulted me, also, to a great extent about his financial interests, and I think if any difficulty had arisen he would have mentioned it.”