May 27, 2025 • 19 mins
Get entranced with The Hemlock Avenue Mystery, a thrilling piece from the mystery series penned by Lily Augusta Long under the alias Roman Doubleday. A lawyer finds himself in the thick of a murder accusation, having allegedly killed a legal adversary. Amidst the tumult, a persistent newspaper reporter decides to delve into the mysterious case. Complicating the plot are two women under suspicion, and another seemingly oblivious to the crime. With limited clues at his disposal, the reporter transitions into a detective, unwinding one enigma at a time. This gripping narrative is brought to life by the compelling narration of Roger Melin.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter twenty of The Hemlock Avenue Mystery by Roman Doubleday.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter twenty.
The surprising statement made by Missus Broughton was in fact
so surprising that it was difficult for her hearers to
grasp at once what was involved in it. What do
(00:22):
you mean, asked Broughton, But already the sternness of the
righteous judge began to drain away from his face, leaving
instead the uneasiness of the lover, who has no ground
on which to make a claim of rights. You say,
what do you mean? That? She meant something was very clear,
and lion, glancing swiftly at Missus Wolcott, saw that to
(00:46):
her at least the meaning was quite plain. She was troubled, anxious,
but not surprised. Indeed, it was she who now took
a situation in hand. If you will come into the
line library, we can talk without arousing my grandfather, she said,
in guarded tones. If he hears voices, he will come down,
(01:08):
And then it was unnecessary to complete the sentence. They
followed her into the library, and she closed the great
doors softly. Broughton was still looking dazed Missus Broughton, who
had not spoken since she made the startling declaration that
she was not his wife, sank into a low chair.
(01:30):
Her eyes were lowered and her hands were pressed hard together,
but there was steadiness and self control in her attitude.
Lyon drew a little apart where he could observe them both.
Are you strong enough to tell them your story? Or shall,
i asked Edith Wolcott quietly. No, no, I must tell
(01:52):
him that at least is his right and mine, Missus
Broughton answered quickly. She freed herself from her wraps and
turned toward Woods Broughton. During all that followed, she looked
straight at him, talked to him. The others in the
room did not seem to enter her consciousness. It was
(02:13):
obvious that her one concern was to be understood by
the man she loved. When you first met me, she said,
you knew that though I was not living with my husband,
there was no legal separation. He had been away from
me so long that I did not think of him
very often, and had long ceased to consider that I
(02:33):
had any wifely obligations to him. But legally I was
his wife. You got a divorce before we were married,
said Broughton, staring at her. She went on with her
story as though he had not spoken. The only ground
on which I could obtain a divorce under the laws
of this state was that of desertion. Do you understand
(02:58):
I could make no other charge again against him unless
I could secure a separation on that ground. I could
not get one at all. I could not marry again. Yes,
but he had been away twelve years. That surely was sufficient.
He had been away twelve years. But he did not
(03:18):
wish to give me an opportunity to get my freedom.
So he wrote to me. From time to time he wrote,
to you, what of that? It was enough to defeat
the claim of desertion. He would always offer to provide
a home for me if I would come and live
with him. He did not expect me to consider it,
(03:39):
or I am sure wish me to, But he took
the attitude of willingness so as to forestall any attempt
I might make to set myself free. He made the
same offer, ironically, as I well knew when he first
went away, he renewed it whenever he wrote. I did
not understand that the time what his object was. I
(04:02):
thought it only a petty form of annoyance. But when
I went to Arthur Lawrence to ask him to take
up the matter of my divorce, I found out what
William's purpose had been. His letters made it technically impossible
for me to assert that he had deserted me. Wait
a moment, you say you went to Arthur Lawrence. It
(04:24):
was Warren Fullerton who conducted your suit after Arthur had
refused to take it. He told me that under the
circumstances I could not sustain the charge of desertion without
without perjury. He tried to persuade me to follow some
other course, and when I persisted, he refused to act
(04:45):
for me. Broughton was leaning forward, following every word with
absorbed attention. His eyes never left her face. How did
Lawrence know about these letters, he asked. William always sent
them under cover to Arthur. He wanted to make sure
not only that I received them, but that Arthur should
(05:08):
know I received them, so that he could call upon
him to testify to the fact if he should ever
wish to. All this I have learned since then. I
only knew that Arthur saw a legal difficulty and refused
to prepare the papers. Was that his only reason for
opposing your divorce. There was no personal feeling. Personal feeling? Why, no,
(05:34):
how could there be? He would have been glad to
help me. He always disliked William, but he foresaw trouble
and advised me earnestly to wait until some other plan
could be considered. I would not, and went to mister Fullerton.
She shuddered involuntarily as she mentioned the name, but after
(05:54):
only an instant's pause, went on. From what I had
learned from Arthur about the law of the case, I
determined to say nothing to him about the letters. I
told him that William had left me twelve years before
and never been heard from, and on that statement the
divorce was granted without difficulty. Then you and I were married.
(06:18):
She paused. But they all felt that it was only
to gather strength to go on, and no one spoke.
The first intimation I had that there was going to
be trouble came a year ago. Last summer. Mister Fullerton
was in New York and he came to see me.
He wanted money. I could not understand at first, but
(06:38):
he soon made it unmistakably clear. He had found out
about the letters, and he said that the divorce was
therefore fraudulent and without effect, and my marriage void. Her
voice fluttered, as though, in spite of her will, it
was slipping away from her control. Broughton groaned, why didn't
(07:01):
you tell me, Grace good heavens, that was a matter
for a man to deal with. I didn't dare. I
was afraid to have, you know. I was afraid of
the scandal, of your scorn, of everything. I was simply
terrified out of my senses. I couldn't think straight. I
(07:22):
only wanted to keep it from ever coming out, to
hush it up and keep it unknown. So I sold
some jewels and paid him the money he wanted, and
he went away. But I was sick for a month.
Do you remember if you had only told me? But
what could you have done? There would have been nothing
(07:44):
possible but to put me away, And the thought of
that was worst of all, or I thought so. Then
Broughton stared. He was just beginning to see the far
reaching effects involved in the situation. I hope the matter
was settled, missus. Broughton resumed, but a few months later
(08:05):
I received a letter from him asking for more money.
That was the beginning. They came after that, every few months,
and I lived in constant dread. He always wrote very politely,
very guardedly, but I knew what he meant, and I
did not dare refuse him one moment. How had he
(08:27):
learned about those letters from Lawrence? No, William had seen
the newspaper reports and had written to him giving him
the facts, so mister Fullerton said, And I don't know
how else he could have found out. Arthur would never
have spoken of it. I got so desperate that finally
(08:47):
I wrote to Arthur. Ah. He was the only one
who knew the whole case. He knew about the letters,
had known William, and had warned me that William would
make trouble and that I was going to build up
unhappiness for myself. I wrote him what had happened. He
(09:07):
urged me to tell you, frankly, the whole situation, and
to pay Fullerton nothing more. But I could not bring
myself to the point of telling you. Perhaps I would
if if you had been as kind as you were
at first, But I thought you were growing cold and
distant and I could not speak. Then you went away
(09:29):
on that sudden trip. I thought it would be a
good chance to see Arthur and have a talk with him,
and perhaps to appeal to mister Fullerton's mercy. So I
came out here the moment you had gone. Were you
surprised to find me gone when you returned? Never mind that, now,
said Broughton. Let me get your story straight first, and
(09:52):
then I'll give you mine. When you came to Wainscott,
you went to Lawrence's office first, didn't you. That was
Monday forenoon, yes, she said, looking a little surprised at
the form of his question. I went there, and he
was very positive that I must not see mister Fullerton.
(10:13):
He said he would see him for me and settle him,
but I was afraid to let him meet him. Arthur
has a quick temper and he was very angry. You
can't think how angry you know. I have known Arthur
Laurence since a boy. He has really been the best
friend a woman ever could have. And now, oh, I
(10:34):
can't go on. It is so terrible, But you must, Grace,
it is very important. Tell me exactly what happened and
where you went. When I left Arthur, I went to
Miss Eliot's. I knew she would be glad to have
me stay with her a few days and that was
all I intended at that time. I had promised Arthur
(10:57):
not to see mister Fullerton. But after I left him,
it seemed to me that I simply had to have
it out with him. I couldn't believe that it would
be impossible for me to move him in a personal interview.
I found out he lived at the Wellington and went there.
He was not in, but the boy said he would
be there in the evening, so I went again. That
(11:20):
was a mad thing to do. I was mad. I
could think of nothing but my own troubles, and I
had so firmly persuaded myself that in a personal interview
I could somehow move him to mercy. That I took
the chances without considering anything else. It was perhaps an accident,
(11:41):
But she glanced at lyon. He had not moved intensely.
Interested as he was in reaching certain points. He knew
that to get the story they must let her tell
it in her own way, without interruption. I did find him.
I had a terrible half hour with him. Oh, he
was a man to fear. He was polite and smiling,
(12:04):
and hard as ice. He was not even sarcastic. He
did not show any feeling It was merely a question
of money, he said. It wasn't pleasant to get money
from a woman in this way, but a woman's money
was as good as a man's. And since I had money,
and since I had put myself in a box where
(12:24):
my whole life and reputation were at his mercy, it
would be sheer foolishness on his part not to use
his opportunity. Those were his very words. Oh, it was
right to kill him. It was right, Grace, gasped Broughton,
half rising. You don't mean good. Heavens, I didn't kill him,
(12:49):
she said steadily. But I want you to understand that
that whoever killed him was removing from the earth a cruel,
wicked man. I saw I was making no impression on him,
and I left the Wellington. He was going out that evening,
and he accompanied me for a block or two. I
told him to leave me, and finally he did. I
(13:12):
returned to Miss Elliot's. Do you know at what hour?
Asked Lion quickly. It was half past eight when I
got into my room. Lyon unconsciously sighed that statement, if
it accorded with the facts, would completely knock out the
theory he had cherished so long based on the assumption
(13:34):
that the woman who had fled across the street at
ten o'clock was Missus Broughton. There was something so convincing
in her manner of telling the details of her story
that it was very hard to believe she was not
presenting the facts truthfully. Yet certainly it was a curious
tangle that had mixed her movements on that evening so
(13:55):
confusingly with those of Fullerton and of the other woman
who had also been in ted with his murder. The
next morning, she resumed, I saw the news of his
death in the papers. You cannot imagine my relief. It
was as though a terrible weight had been lifted. I
(14:15):
wanted to fly. I was wild with joy. Then, just
as I was on the point of returning home, came
the news of the arrest of Arthur Lawrence. It was
a terrible blow. I felt that he had done it
for me because of what I had told him in
the morning, and that I was really guilty, not only
(14:36):
of Fullerton's death. I don't think I should have minded
that much, but of Arthur's. My nerves collapsed under the shock,
and I could not be moved. Gradually as I saw
how little actual proof there was against him. Some composure returned. Perhaps,
after all, he might not be convicted. No one but
(15:00):
myself knew how angry he had been with mister Fullerton
that day. I was trying, oh so hard to get
enough of my strength back, to get away, to go somewhere, anywhere,
When yesterday a man came to see me, a mister Beade.
What did he come for? What did he want? Lyon
(15:22):
and Broughton asked their question simultaneously. As she paused in
her speech, Missus Broughton glanced irresolutely at Edith Wolcott. That
self controlled young woman had been sitting silent, with her
chin in her palm, listening to Missus Broughton's story with
sympathetic attention. It was obvious the story was already well
(15:45):
known to her. Now she answered the men's questions. Mister
Beade had discovered that Missus Broughton was at Fullerton's rooms
that evening. It seems he had also discovered or guessed
that I was there. He trapped her into admitting that
she had seen me in the hall. When she left
the building with Fullerton. He told her that he would
(16:07):
have to have her subpoenaed as a witness to tell
about seeing me. He didn't know that we were old friends,
or he would not have said that. Perhaps as soon
as he left, she came to me secretly and told
me the whole thing. We decided that the best thing
would be to get away from Wainscott, away from the
(16:28):
country until this thing was settled. Now that you have
spoiled our plan, what are you going to do with
us instead? The responsibility is with you now I will
take the responsibility of caring for my wife, Broughton said
in a ringing voice. He rose and shook himself, as
(16:49):
if throwing off some intolerable burden. Oh, grace, grace, if
you had only told me the whole in the beginning.
But I will not you now you have had a
terrible time. Now I will try to make it all
up to you. We will do anything you like, go
anywhere you like. You forget, she said quietly. I cannot
(17:14):
go back to you at all. I am not your wife.
She put her hands up and pressed her fingers hard
against her closed eyes. All the trouble has come from that,
all the trouble for me first, and now for you,
and for poor Arthur in prison and for Edith. Here.
(17:34):
I tried to take what I had no right to,
and I lied to get it. Oh do you think
I could have laid my whole heart bare to you
as I have done to night if I were not
through with all that false claim. I have told you
everything as though I were on my deathbed. Because I
can never see you again. Somewhere in the world watching
(17:56):
his chance to strike. William Vanderbergh is waiting. I will
never go back to him, never, so help me God,
But while he lives, I may never dare to take
any happiness that may offer. He is biding his time. Oh,
I did wrong, but I have paid for it. I
(18:16):
am paying now and will pay over and over every
year that I live. Dear missus, Broughton said lyon gently,
I can at least relieve you of that uncertainty. William
Vanderbergh is dead. I was with him when he died.
She stared at him for a moment, as though she
(18:37):
had not understood his words. Then, with a sighing breath,
she sank back in a dead faint. This astonishing statement,
following the long strain of her confession, was too much
for her nerves. End of Chapter twenty
Chapter twenty of The Hemlock Avenue Mystery by Roman Doubleday.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter twenty.
The surprising statement made by Missus Broughton was in fact
so surprising that it was difficult for her hearers to
grasp at once what was involved in it. What do
(00:22):
you mean, asked Broughton, But already the sternness of the
righteous judge began to drain away from his face, leaving
instead the uneasiness of the lover, who has no ground
on which to make a claim of rights. You say,
what do you mean? That? She meant something was very clear,
and lion, glancing swiftly at Missus Wolcott, saw that to
(00:46):
her at least the meaning was quite plain. She was troubled, anxious,
but not surprised. Indeed, it was she who now took
a situation in hand. If you will come into the
line library, we can talk without arousing my grandfather, she said,
in guarded tones. If he hears voices, he will come down,
(01:08):
And then it was unnecessary to complete the sentence. They
followed her into the library, and she closed the great
doors softly. Broughton was still looking dazed Missus Broughton, who
had not spoken since she made the startling declaration that
she was not his wife, sank into a low chair.
(01:30):
Her eyes were lowered and her hands were pressed hard together,
but there was steadiness and self control in her attitude.
Lyon drew a little apart where he could observe them both.
Are you strong enough to tell them your story? Or shall,
i asked Edith Wolcott quietly. No, no, I must tell
(01:52):
him that at least is his right and mine, Missus
Broughton answered quickly. She freed herself from her wraps and
turned toward Woods Broughton. During all that followed, she looked
straight at him, talked to him. The others in the
room did not seem to enter her consciousness. It was
(02:13):
obvious that her one concern was to be understood by
the man she loved. When you first met me, she said,
you knew that though I was not living with my husband,
there was no legal separation. He had been away from
me so long that I did not think of him
very often, and had long ceased to consider that I
(02:33):
had any wifely obligations to him. But legally I was
his wife. You got a divorce before we were married,
said Broughton, staring at her. She went on with her
story as though he had not spoken. The only ground
on which I could obtain a divorce under the laws
of this state was that of desertion. Do you understand
(02:58):
I could make no other charge again against him unless
I could secure a separation on that ground. I could
not get one at all. I could not marry again. Yes,
but he had been away twelve years. That surely was sufficient.
He had been away twelve years. But he did not
(03:18):
wish to give me an opportunity to get my freedom.
So he wrote to me. From time to time he wrote,
to you, what of that? It was enough to defeat
the claim of desertion. He would always offer to provide
a home for me if I would come and live
with him. He did not expect me to consider it,
(03:39):
or I am sure wish me to, But he took
the attitude of willingness so as to forestall any attempt
I might make to set myself free. He made the
same offer, ironically, as I well knew when he first
went away, he renewed it whenever he wrote. I did
not understand that the time what his object was. I
(04:02):
thought it only a petty form of annoyance. But when
I went to Arthur Lawrence to ask him to take
up the matter of my divorce, I found out what
William's purpose had been. His letters made it technically impossible
for me to assert that he had deserted me. Wait
a moment, you say you went to Arthur Lawrence. It
(04:24):
was Warren Fullerton who conducted your suit after Arthur had
refused to take it. He told me that under the
circumstances I could not sustain the charge of desertion without
without perjury. He tried to persuade me to follow some
other course, and when I persisted, he refused to act
(04:45):
for me. Broughton was leaning forward, following every word with
absorbed attention. His eyes never left her face. How did
Lawrence know about these letters, he asked. William always sent
them under cover to Arthur. He wanted to make sure
not only that I received them, but that Arthur should
(05:08):
know I received them, so that he could call upon
him to testify to the fact if he should ever
wish to. All this I have learned since then. I
only knew that Arthur saw a legal difficulty and refused
to prepare the papers. Was that his only reason for
opposing your divorce. There was no personal feeling. Personal feeling? Why, no,
(05:34):
how could there be? He would have been glad to
help me. He always disliked William, but he foresaw trouble
and advised me earnestly to wait until some other plan
could be considered. I would not, and went to mister Fullerton.
She shuddered involuntarily as she mentioned the name, but after
(05:54):
only an instant's pause, went on. From what I had
learned from Arthur about the law of the case, I
determined to say nothing to him about the letters. I
told him that William had left me twelve years before
and never been heard from, and on that statement the
divorce was granted without difficulty. Then you and I were married.
(06:18):
She paused. But they all felt that it was only
to gather strength to go on, and no one spoke.
The first intimation I had that there was going to
be trouble came a year ago. Last summer. Mister Fullerton
was in New York and he came to see me.
He wanted money. I could not understand at first, but
(06:38):
he soon made it unmistakably clear. He had found out
about the letters, and he said that the divorce was
therefore fraudulent and without effect, and my marriage void. Her
voice fluttered, as though, in spite of her will, it
was slipping away from her control. Broughton groaned, why didn't
(07:01):
you tell me, Grace good heavens, that was a matter
for a man to deal with. I didn't dare. I
was afraid to have, you know. I was afraid of
the scandal, of your scorn, of everything. I was simply
terrified out of my senses. I couldn't think straight. I
(07:22):
only wanted to keep it from ever coming out, to
hush it up and keep it unknown. So I sold
some jewels and paid him the money he wanted, and
he went away. But I was sick for a month.
Do you remember if you had only told me? But
what could you have done? There would have been nothing
(07:44):
possible but to put me away, And the thought of
that was worst of all, or I thought so. Then
Broughton stared. He was just beginning to see the far
reaching effects involved in the situation. I hope the matter
was settled, missus. Broughton resumed, but a few months later
(08:05):
I received a letter from him asking for more money.
That was the beginning. They came after that, every few months,
and I lived in constant dread. He always wrote very politely,
very guardedly, but I knew what he meant, and I
did not dare refuse him one moment. How had he
(08:27):
learned about those letters from Lawrence? No, William had seen
the newspaper reports and had written to him giving him
the facts, so mister Fullerton said, And I don't know
how else he could have found out. Arthur would never
have spoken of it. I got so desperate that finally
(08:47):
I wrote to Arthur. Ah. He was the only one
who knew the whole case. He knew about the letters,
had known William, and had warned me that William would
make trouble and that I was going to build up
unhappiness for myself. I wrote him what had happened. He
(09:07):
urged me to tell you, frankly, the whole situation, and
to pay Fullerton nothing more. But I could not bring
myself to the point of telling you. Perhaps I would
if if you had been as kind as you were
at first, But I thought you were growing cold and
distant and I could not speak. Then you went away
(09:29):
on that sudden trip. I thought it would be a
good chance to see Arthur and have a talk with him,
and perhaps to appeal to mister Fullerton's mercy. So I
came out here the moment you had gone. Were you
surprised to find me gone when you returned? Never mind that, now,
said Broughton. Let me get your story straight first, and
(09:52):
then I'll give you mine. When you came to Wainscott,
you went to Lawrence's office first, didn't you. That was
Monday forenoon, yes, she said, looking a little surprised at
the form of his question. I went there, and he
was very positive that I must not see mister Fullerton.
(10:13):
He said he would see him for me and settle him,
but I was afraid to let him meet him. Arthur
has a quick temper and he was very angry. You
can't think how angry you know. I have known Arthur
Laurence since a boy. He has really been the best
friend a woman ever could have. And now, oh, I
(10:34):
can't go on. It is so terrible, But you must, Grace,
it is very important. Tell me exactly what happened and
where you went. When I left Arthur, I went to
Miss Eliot's. I knew she would be glad to have
me stay with her a few days and that was
all I intended at that time. I had promised Arthur
(10:57):
not to see mister Fullerton. But after I left him,
it seemed to me that I simply had to have
it out with him. I couldn't believe that it would
be impossible for me to move him in a personal interview.
I found out he lived at the Wellington and went there.
He was not in, but the boy said he would
be there in the evening, so I went again. That
(11:20):
was a mad thing to do. I was mad. I
could think of nothing but my own troubles, and I
had so firmly persuaded myself that in a personal interview
I could somehow move him to mercy. That I took
the chances without considering anything else. It was perhaps an accident,
(11:41):
But she glanced at lyon. He had not moved intensely.
Interested as he was in reaching certain points. He knew
that to get the story they must let her tell
it in her own way, without interruption. I did find him.
I had a terrible half hour with him. Oh, he
was a man to fear. He was polite and smiling,
(12:04):
and hard as ice. He was not even sarcastic. He
did not show any feeling It was merely a question
of money, he said. It wasn't pleasant to get money
from a woman in this way, but a woman's money
was as good as a man's. And since I had money,
and since I had put myself in a box where
(12:24):
my whole life and reputation were at his mercy, it
would be sheer foolishness on his part not to use
his opportunity. Those were his very words. Oh, it was
right to kill him. It was right, Grace, gasped Broughton,
half rising. You don't mean good. Heavens, I didn't kill him,
(12:49):
she said steadily. But I want you to understand that
that whoever killed him was removing from the earth a cruel,
wicked man. I saw I was making no impression on him,
and I left the Wellington. He was going out that evening,
and he accompanied me for a block or two. I
told him to leave me, and finally he did. I
(13:12):
returned to Miss Elliot's. Do you know at what hour?
Asked Lion quickly. It was half past eight when I
got into my room. Lyon unconsciously sighed that statement, if
it accorded with the facts, would completely knock out the
theory he had cherished so long based on the assumption
(13:34):
that the woman who had fled across the street at
ten o'clock was Missus Broughton. There was something so convincing
in her manner of telling the details of her story
that it was very hard to believe she was not
presenting the facts truthfully. Yet certainly it was a curious
tangle that had mixed her movements on that evening so
(13:55):
confusingly with those of Fullerton and of the other woman
who had also been in ted with his murder. The
next morning, she resumed, I saw the news of his
death in the papers. You cannot imagine my relief. It
was as though a terrible weight had been lifted. I
(14:15):
wanted to fly. I was wild with joy. Then, just
as I was on the point of returning home, came
the news of the arrest of Arthur Lawrence. It was
a terrible blow. I felt that he had done it
for me because of what I had told him in
the morning, and that I was really guilty, not only
(14:36):
of Fullerton's death. I don't think I should have minded
that much, but of Arthur's. My nerves collapsed under the shock,
and I could not be moved. Gradually as I saw
how little actual proof there was against him. Some composure returned. Perhaps,
after all, he might not be convicted. No one but
(15:00):
myself knew how angry he had been with mister Fullerton
that day. I was trying, oh so hard to get
enough of my strength back, to get away, to go somewhere, anywhere,
When yesterday a man came to see me, a mister Beade.
What did he come for? What did he want? Lyon
(15:22):
and Broughton asked their question simultaneously. As she paused in
her speech, Missus Broughton glanced irresolutely at Edith Wolcott. That
self controlled young woman had been sitting silent, with her
chin in her palm, listening to Missus Broughton's story with
sympathetic attention. It was obvious the story was already well
(15:45):
known to her. Now she answered the men's questions. Mister
Beade had discovered that Missus Broughton was at Fullerton's rooms
that evening. It seems he had also discovered or guessed
that I was there. He trapped her into admitting that
she had seen me in the hall. When she left
the building with Fullerton. He told her that he would
(16:07):
have to have her subpoenaed as a witness to tell
about seeing me. He didn't know that we were old friends,
or he would not have said that. Perhaps as soon
as he left, she came to me secretly and told
me the whole thing. We decided that the best thing
would be to get away from Wainscott, away from the
(16:28):
country until this thing was settled. Now that you have
spoiled our plan, what are you going to do with
us instead? The responsibility is with you now I will
take the responsibility of caring for my wife, Broughton said
in a ringing voice. He rose and shook himself, as
(16:49):
if throwing off some intolerable burden. Oh, grace, grace, if
you had only told me the whole in the beginning.
But I will not you now you have had a
terrible time. Now I will try to make it all
up to you. We will do anything you like, go
anywhere you like. You forget, she said quietly. I cannot
(17:14):
go back to you at all. I am not your wife.
She put her hands up and pressed her fingers hard
against her closed eyes. All the trouble has come from that,
all the trouble for me first, and now for you,
and for poor Arthur in prison and for Edith. Here.
(17:34):
I tried to take what I had no right to,
and I lied to get it. Oh do you think
I could have laid my whole heart bare to you
as I have done to night if I were not
through with all that false claim. I have told you
everything as though I were on my deathbed. Because I
can never see you again. Somewhere in the world watching
(17:56):
his chance to strike. William Vanderbergh is waiting. I will
never go back to him, never, so help me God,
But while he lives, I may never dare to take
any happiness that may offer. He is biding his time. Oh,
I did wrong, but I have paid for it. I
(18:16):
am paying now and will pay over and over every
year that I live. Dear missus, Broughton said lyon gently,
I can at least relieve you of that uncertainty. William
Vanderbergh is dead. I was with him when he died.
She stared at him for a moment, as though she
(18:37):
had not understood his words. Then, with a sighing breath,
she sank back in a dead faint. This astonishing statement,
following the long strain of her confession, was too much
for her nerves. End of Chapter twenty
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