Lizzie only smiled and threw from her taper fingers a little paper pellet
into the middle of the room--probably with the view of showing at what
value she prized the heart of which Mr. Emilius was speaking.
The trial had occupied two days, Monday and Tuesday, and this was now the
Wednesday. The result had been telegraphed to Mr. Emilius, of course
without any record of the sergeant's bitter speech, and the suitor now
gave the news to his ladylove. Those two horrid men had at last been found
guilty, and punished with all the severity of the law. "Poor fellows,"
said Lady Eustace, "poor Mr. Benjamin! Those ill-starred jewels have been
almost as unkind to him as to me."
"He'll never come back alive, of course," said Mr. Emilius. "It'll kill
him."
"And it will kill me too," said Lizzie. "I have a something here which
tells me that I shall never recover. Nobody will ever believe what I have
suffered about those paltry diamonds. But he coveted them. I never coveted
them, Mr. Emilius; though I clung to them because they were my darling
husband's last gift to me." Mr. Emilius assured her that he quite
understood the facts, and appreciated all her feelings.
Pages:
1185
1186
1187
1188
1189
1190
1191
1192
1193
1194
1195
1196
1197
1198
1199
1200
1201
1202
1203
1204
1205
1206
1207
1208
1209