an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth--
that, as i take it, is bible-truth.
you have robbed me of my good name;
i will bring you to want and shame.
both are wicked, so both shall fall--
god in his heaven shall judge of it all.
mrs. belswin brought it all on herself. she would play with fire, and although a life-long experience had taught her how dangerous was that pastime, she nevertheless indulged in it, even at the risk of burning her fingers. indeed, so many times had she rushed into danger in her fierce, impulsive way, and so many times had she emerged scatheless by sheer good luck, that she became reckless in her daring, and at last the inevitable happened--she went too far.
everything was now progressing smoothly, both with herself and with those she loved. kaituna had received an unexpected access of fortune, so that the difficulties of her marriage with archie maxwell were now removed by the power of gold; and mrs. belswin herself, living constantly with her darling, had now nothing left to wish for.
yes! there was one thing she desired, and that was to see silas oates, in order to taunt him with the news of her good fortune. it was sheer devilry made her do this, as she cared nothing for her old lover; but some fiend having whispered in her ear that good fortune to her would be gall and wormwood to the american, she one day went straight to the langham hotel, in order to enjoy her triumph. luckily for himself, oates was absent in paris at the time, where he had gone on a matter of business; but on his return he found mrs. belswin's card, and naturally enough being ignorant of her real object in paying him a visit, thought she had called for the sole purpose of getting more money out of him.
silas oates, in a most unjust fashion, did not blame his quondam lady-love for her persistency, knowing her real nature too well to expect anything from her; but he blamed mr. dombrain for not keeping his promise, and making mrs. belswin stop her pecuniary importunities.
the lady herself had entirely forgotten mr. dombrain and his threats, or if she did remember them it was with a contemptuous sneer, as she thought in her own heart that he could do nothing to harm her. but if mrs. belswin thus proved forgetful of the solicitor, silas oates did not. mr. oates was genuinely angry at the way dombrain permitted mrs. belswin to annoy him, so, as the unfortunate lawyer had omitted to fulfil his promise of acting as watch-dog, the american determined to punish him as he had threatened for his negligence.
silas went about the affair in a way peculiarly his own, and in a very few days mr. dombrain received a letter demanding an explanation of certain allegations concerning his past made against him by an american gentleman. the unfortunate man was quite stunned at the suddenness of his calamity; nor was he comforted when a spiteful note arrived from silas, which stated that he had revealed everything about the convict damberton to the law society, as a punishment for the negligence of the lawyer dombrain. of course the poor wretch could not defend himself, although he made a feeble attempt to do so; and the consequence of mrs. belswin's folly and mr. oates's letter was, that alfred dombrain of london, solicitor, was struck off the rolls, as not fit to have his name inscribed thereon.
it was truly a terrible thing to happen to this man, who, not having saved much money, now found himself reduced from an honourable profession, which gained him a competence, to a disgraceful position and absolute beggary. the loss of his money troubled him but little, the loss of his name a great deal, for having once more regained the esteem of his fellow-men by years of exemplary life, he felt keenly the bitterness of being reduced to the same ignoble position he had occupied years before. he tried every means in his power to escape the disgrace, but the law society were relentless, and dombrain, lawyer, once more became that phantom of the past--damberton, outcast.
neither lawyer nor outcast, however, were satisfied to accept this crushing blow without making some return thereto; and when mr. dombrain found that all his ideas of respectability were at an end, he turned round venomously to punish mrs. belswin, whom he considered to be the main cause of his unmerited disgrace. he did not write to her, he did not see her, he did not even mention her name to a soul, but he went straight to the nearest police magistrate, told his story of what had taken place at thornstream on that fatal night, and, as a result, obtained a warrant of arrest against mrs. belswin for the murder of sir rupert pethram. this being done, he departed, in company with two detectives, to feast his eyes on the disgrace of this woman, who had cost him his hardly earned position; and for the first time for many days he laughed--not a pleasant laugh, but a nasty, sardonic, sneering laugh, which boded ill to the liberty and peace of mind of jezebel manners, alias lady pethram, alias mrs. belswin. in spite of the tragic force of the whole matter, there was something positively grotesque in the situation; for silas oates wronged by mrs. belswin, had revenged himself upon mr. dombrain; and mr. dombrain wronged by silas oates, had revenged himself upon mrs. belswin. it was a three-cornered duel, to speak paradoxically, in which every one shot at every one else, but the only person of the three principals who came off scot-free was the american, and he appreciated the grim irony of the situation.
meanwhile mrs. belswin, quite unaware how dearly her attempt to see oates had cost her, was seated in company with kaituna and archie maxwell at afternoon tea, and the trio were talking about the pole star shares, the expected arrival of toby clendon, and, of course, about the approaching marriages.
"and you will be perfectly happy, kaituna," said mrs. belswin, looking wistfully at her daughter--the daughter whom she dare not acknowledge.
kaituna caught hold of archie's hand, with a quick flush and a look of delight in her large black eyes.
"yes, perfectly happy," she replied, smiling. "we are going to be the darby and joan of romance, are we not, archie?"
"i trust so, dear; but darby and joan! oh, what a prosaic comparison. no! kaituna we will be--let me think--we will be like lord lovel and lady nancy bell in the old ballad."
"fie, that is a worse comparison than mine! they were unhappy, and if a red rose and a briar did grow out of their respective graves, i don't know that such a miracle proves your case."
"well, you certainly ought to be happy," said mrs. belswin, with a quick sigh, as she realised how soon she was to lose the girl she loved. "health, wealth, and love--what a trinity of perfections."
"all of which are to be found in kaituna. but you, mrs. belswin, what about signor ferrari?"
"oh, i have not made up my mind yet to marry him, mr. maxwell; besides, i have another offer."
"another offer?" cried kaituna, gaily. "oh, fortunate woman; and from whom?"
"mr. samson belk."
"oh!" said maxwell, smiling, "he is the other romeo in the field. well, he is certainly very handsome----"
"and is very fond of me," interrupted mrs. belswin, quickly. "but all the same i am not for him."
"nor for signor ferrari either?" laughed kaituna, going over to her chaperon and putting her arms round her neck. "ah, there is a third person."
"i think you can pretty well guess whom that third person is," said mrs. belswin, kissing the girl; "but mr. maxwell is going to rob me of my third person."
"i cannot deny the soft impeachment," replied archie, with a gay nod. "as soon as toby comes home we will be married."
the talk was certainly frivolous; but then, after all the trials these three people had undergone, it was a great relief to chatter idly in a desultory manner, especially when all three beheld the brightness of the future. for them the storms and trials of life had passed--so they fondly thought; and the elder woman, looking back at the dismal past, thanked god in her heart for the peaceful present, while the lovers saw before them nothing but a shining path, strewn with roses, leading to the paradise of perfect felicity.
at this moment a knock came at the door, and the servant entered with a frightened look on her face.
"oh, mum," she said, going quickly to mrs. belswin, "there are three gentleman to see you."
"who are they?" asked mrs. belswin, in some surprise, never thinking for a moment of the coming storm.
"mr. dombrain, mum, and----"
"mr. dombrain," repeated mrs. belswin, with a chill of fear at her heart; "what does he want?"
"i want you, jezebel manners," said dombrain, making his appearance at the door, with a malignant grin on his coarse red face.
the moment she heard the name mrs. belswin knew it was all over, and with a cry of agony held out her imploring hands to the lawyer.
"oh, not before her! not before her!" she moaned piteously.
kaituna, overcome with astonishment at this strange scene, went up to mrs. belswin as if to protect her, but the woman shrank from her with a moan of pain, and hid her face in her hands.
"what does this mean?" demanded maxwell, as soon as he recovered his breath.
"you will soon know," retorted dombrain, savagely. "jezebel manners, pethram, belswin, or whatever name you like to call yourself, i warned you the last time we met what i would do if you played me false. you have done so, to my ruin, my shame, my disgrace, and i have come to drag you down to where you have hurled me. this is the woman, officers."
one of the detectives advanced and touched mrs. belswin on the shoulder.
"in the queen's name, i arrest you----"
"arrest her?" interrupted kaituna, her face flaming with indignation; "but for what--for what?"
"for the murder of rupert pethram."
kaituna gave a shriek of horror, and seized maxwell by the arm, while he, scarcely less thunderstruck, stared at the detective with a look of amazement on his face.
"it is false! it is false!" shrieked mrs. belswin, throwing herself on her knees before kaituna, "i swear to you it is false. i did not kill your father."
"you did," said dombrain, in a deep voice, "i saw you do it!"
"liar!"
mrs. belswin sprang to her feet and made a bound forward, with a fierce light flashing in her eyes, and it would have been a bad thing for mr. dombrain had she succeeded in reaching him. the detective, however, was on the watch, and throwing himself on the wretched woman, had the handcuffs on her wrists in a moment.
"i cannot believe it! i cannot believe it!" moaned kaituna, hiding her face on maxwell's breast.--"mrs. belswin, my kind good friend----"
"your friend," scoffed dombrain, with an ugly glitter in his ferret-like eyes. "yes, you don't know who your friend is!"
"for god's sake, silence!" shrieked mrs. belswin, pale to the lips.
"no, i will not keep silence, you fiend, who have ruined me. i will tell all. miss pethram, do you see that wretched woman with the handcuffs on--that guilty wretch who murdered your father, that----"
"i see mrs. belswin," cried kaituna, with sudden fire; "i see the woman who saved me from starvation, and i do not believe this base charge you make."
with noble indignation she walked across to mrs. belswin, and threw her arm round the poor woman's neck, while archie, who respected and liked the companion, mutely approved of the girl's generous action.
"ah, you put your arm on her neck now," said dombrain, with a sneer, "but you will take it away when you know----"
"dombrain!" cried the wretched woman, for the last time, "spare me--spare me!"
"i will spare you as you have spared me."
"be silent, with your cowardly threats, sir," said kaituna, looking proudly at him, "and do your worst. who is mrs. belswin?"
"your mother!"
kaituna gave a cry, and recoiled from her companion.
"my mother!" she said, hoarsely. "it cannot be! my mother is dead."
dombrain played his trump card.
"your mother is alive! she stands there, and you can now know her for what she is--a guilty wife--a divorced woman--and the murderer of her husband."
kaituna gazed at this gibing devil with a terrified stare in her dilated eyes, then turned slowly and looked at her miserable mother. the unhappy woman, with a grey worn face, haggard and scarred with myriad wrinkles, made a step forward, as if to embrace her child, but the girl, with a look of terror, shrank back, and fell in a faint on the floor at the feet of maxwell, while mrs. belswin sank on her knees with a piteous cry, wringing her manacled hands over the unconscious form of the daughter she had found--and lost.
