I paused. Again our eyes met.
“And the rest?” she asked hoarsely, in a low voice.
“You know the rest, Aline,” I said. “You know that the name of that man was John Yelverton, and that the woman of evil was yourself, Aline Cloud. You have no need to inquire of me.”
“How did you know?” she gasped, trembling.
“That matters not,” I replied, in as calm a tone as I could. “Suffice it to know that I have knowledge of the truth.”
“And you know my lover?”
“He is one of my oldest friends,” I answered. “He fled from you, but by your devilish ingenuity you discovered him and sought him out in the remote village where he had hidden himself. You travelled from London, and he was compelled to meet you clandestinely out upon the high road. By the evil spell you have cast upon him you are now hoping that he will return to London.”
“And if I am?” she inquired, with a sudden boldness.
“If you are, then you may at once give up all hope that he will still remain your lover,” I answered firmly. “When I have told him of the truth he will hate you with the same hatred in which he holds the Evil One.”
“What, then, do you intend telling him?” she inquired.