Chapter 70
She motioned me fiercely back, and tore at her throat, as if she were suffocating.
"I see it now!" she cried hoa.r.s.ely, "I see it now! Oh, the wretch, the wretch! Only let me find him again!"
"Mary!" I cried, "what is it?"
"I see it all now!" she cried again. "Then I was right. She come--she come here, and poisoned him with her soft looks and ways, and he's left me--to go away with her to-night!"
Mary made a clutch at vacancy; and then, tottering, would have fallen, had not Hallett been close at hand to catch her and help her to the couch, where the poor woman lay perfectly insensible, having fainted for probably the first time in her life.
"What does she mean?" cried Hallett, as he made, with me, ineffectual efforts to restore her.
"She was angry and jealous the night she came and found Linny here attending on Revitts," I cried in a bewildered way, hardly knowing what I said. "And now she thinks, because he has left her to-night, that he has gone away with Linny."
"Poor fool?" he said sadly.
"Revitts was very strange to-day," I said, "and--and--and, Hallett--oh, forgive me," I said, "I've kept something from you."
"What!" he cried, catching me so fiercely by the arm that he caused me acute pain. "Don't tell me that I have been deceived, too, in you!"
"No, Hallett, I haven't deceived you," I said. "I kept something back that I ought to have told you."
"You kept something back!" he cried. "Speak--speak at once, Antony, or--or--speak, boy; I'm not master of myself!"
"Linny begged me so hard not to tell you, and I consented, on condition that she would mind what you said."
"Then--then you knew that she was carrying on with this man," he cried savagely, neither of us seeing that Mary had come to, and was watching us with distended eyes.
"No, no, Hallett," I cried. "I did not--indeed, I did not; I only knew it was he who so beat poor Revitts."
"Who was he--what's his name?" cried Mary, seizing my other arm, and shaking it.
"I don't know; I never knew," I cried, faring badly between them.
"Linny begged me, on her knees, not to tell that it was her friend who beat Revitts when he interfered, and when she promised me she would always obey you, Hallett, I said I would keep her secret."
"Then Linny was the girl poor Revitts saved," said Hallett hoa.r.s.ely.
"Yes!" cried Mary. "The villain! he likes her pretty face. I was right; and I've been a fool to faint and go on. But that's over now,"
she cried savagely. "I'll wait here till he does come back; for I'm his lawful wife; and when he does come--Oh!"
Mary uttered that "Oh!" through her closed teeth, and all the revenge that was in her nature seemed to come to the surface, while Hallett walked up and down the room.
"You have no idea, Antony, who he is?"
"No, on my word, Hallett," I cried; "I never knew. Pray forgive me! I thought it was for the best."
"Yes, yes, lad,"
he said, with a sweet, sad smile lighting his face as I caught his hand.
"Come, let us go. Mary, my good soul, you are labouring under a mistake. Good-night!"
"No, you don't!" cried Mary, setting her back against the door. "You don't go till he comes back. He'll come and bring your sister here.
And you may take her home. I'll talk to him. What?" she cried triumphantly; "what did I say?"
She turned, and threw open the door; for just then a heavy step was heard below, and, as if expecting some strange scene, Hallett and I stood watching, as step after step creaked beneath a heavy weight, till whoever was coming reached the landing and staggered into the room.
"You--"
Mary's sentence was never finished; for her husband's look, as he strode in with Linny in his arms, seemed to crush her.
"I couldn't get him, too, but I marked him," he said, panting, "and I've stopped his little game."
"Linny!" cried Hallett to the half-insensible girl, who seemed to glide from Revitts' arms, and sink in a heap at his feet, while I stood gazing in utter amazement at the turn things had taken.
"Mary, my la.s.s! a drop of something--anything--I'm about done."
Mary's teeth gritted together, and she darted a vindictive look at her husband; but she obeyed him, fetching out a bottle of gin and a gla.s.s, which he filled and drained before speaking.
"Not so strong as I was," he cried excitedly. "Glad you're here, sir.
I ketched sight of him with her from the 'bus as we come in. I'd a known him from a thousand--him as give it me, you know. 'Look arter Mary,' I says to Master Antony here, and I was after him like a shot, hanging on to the hansom cab he'd got her in, and I never left 'em till it stopped down at Richmond, at a willa by the water-side."
"Richmond?" said Hallett blankly.
"Richmond, as I'd been through twice that very day. When the cab stops--I'd made the man right with half-a-crown, and--telling him I was in the police--my gentleman gets out, and I had him like a shot. I might have got help a dozen times, but I wanted to tackle him myself, as I allus swore I would," cried Revitts savagely; "but he was too much for me again. I'm stronger than him, but he's got tricks, and he put me on my back after a good tussle--just look at my noo things!--and afore I could get up again, he was off, running like a coward as he is. But I brought her back, not knowing till I had her under the gas-lamp as it was Master Ant'ny's friend and your sister, and she'd told me who she was, and asked me in a curious crying way to take her back to Master Ant'ny, as she said was the only one who'd help her now."
"You--you brought her home in the cab?" cried Mary hoa.r.s.ely.
"Yes, my la.s.s, and it's cost me half-a-sov altogether; but I've spoilt his game, whoever he is. Poor little la.s.s, she's been about mad ever since I got into the cab, a-clinging to me."
"Yes," hissed Mary.
"And crying and sobbing, and I couldn't comfort her, not a bit."
"No!" said Mary softly, through her teeth.
"It was rather rough on you, Mary, my gal," said Revitts; "but you would marry a police-officer, and dooty must be done."
Mary was about to speak; but he held up his hand, for Linny seemed to be coming to, and Hallett was kneeling on the floor by her side.
"Mary--Bill," I whispered; for the right thing to do seemed to be suggested to me then. "Let us go and leave them."
"Right you are, Master Ant'ny, and always was," said Bill hoa.r.s.ely; and, pa.s.sing his arm round Mary's waist, he drew her into the other room, by which time the scales seemed to have fallen from poor Mary's eyes, for the first thing she did, as soon as we were in the room, was to plump down on her knees, clasp those of her husband, lay her cheek against them, and cry, ready to break her heart.
Probably the excitement of his adventure had had a good effect upon Revitts; for the strange fit of petulance and obstinacy had pa.s.sed away, and he was all eagerness and smiles.
"Why, what a gal you are, Polly!" he exclaimed. "Don't cry, my la.s.s; I was obliged to go off. Pleecemen ain't their own masters."
"Oh, Bill dear," sobbed Mary, "and I've been thinking sich things."
"Of course you have, Polly," he said; "and I've been wis.h.i.+ng myself at home, but I knew Ant'ny would take care of you. Poor little la.s.s! I've had a nice job, I can tell you. I say, Ant'ny, is she quite right in her head?"