I recognized him at once, and the sight of
his face nearly gave me a heart stroke. Of course you remember him. He
gave evidence against your poor, dear father when--"
Beatrice Cary held up her hand.
"That is one of the advantages of having discarded the mystery and halo,"
she said. "We do not need to go into any details concerning ourselves or
the past. I know quite well to what you refer. To be quite honest, I _did_
recognize him, only I did not let him see that I did."
"And then you ask why I am afraid!"
"I fail to see what harm he can do us."
"He can tell the truth."
Beatrice Cary rose and began to slip into the white silk dress which hung
across the back of her chair.
"The truth!" she said meditatively. "That is something, mother, of which,
I fear, you and I will never rid ourselves. It has chased us out of
England and out of all possible parts of Europe; and, large though India
is, it seems already to have tracked us down. It has a good nose for
fugitives, apparently."
Mrs. Cary sat up, mopping her florid face free from tears of irritability.
"You will drive me mad one of these days!" she cried. "You laugh at
everything. You laugh even at this, though it concerns our whole future
here--"
"Excuse me for interrupting you again. I take the matter very much to
heart--so much so that there are moments when I am thoroughly weary of it,
and feel inclined to write on a large placard: 'Here standeth Beatrice
McConnel, alias Cary, daughter of the--'"
"Be silent!" broke in the elder woman furiously.
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