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At the moment when Hogarth was peering through the telescope, a man was loitering before his cottage—one of the Hall's park-keepers; and when Margaret put out her head to look for Richard's coming, the man whistled.
In a moment a note was in her hand.
"This is to ask you to be certain sure to meet me this evening at 9 P.M. on the towpath. It isn't to-day that you are well aware of the state of my feelings toward you: but it is not to talk sweethearting that I wish to see you now, but about your brother, and the matter is about as important as can be. If I were in your place, I should destroy this letter.
"Yours, with my respects,
Margaret tore it up, and "My goodness!" she thought, "what is anyone to do? If I only had the money to make up those fifty pounds! May the Holy Spirit guide me now…!"
Later in the evening she stole out, and met Frankl.
He assumed a very respectful tone.
"Miss Hogarth", said he at once, "have you heard?"
"No, sir".
"You have not been told that your brother has been to the Hall?"
"What in patience for?"
"He came—you couldn't believe—to beat me!"
"Richard! I don't understand. When?"
"Yesterday". (In reality it was four weeks before.)
"But what about?"
"Revenge! Blind, murderous revenge for turning him neck and crop out of Lagden!"
"You are in a temper! But I can't understand a word of it!"
"Well, that is what I had to tell you. He came to my house—And how good have I been to this man! Didn't I send him the fifty pounds—?"
"Well, that
was
kind. But I must tell you, Mr. Frankl, that
Richard knows nothing of the fifty pounds—"
"Well, then it is your fault! Oh, he did not know of the fifty pounds? Then it is your fault entirely, this rage of his against me—He threatened to shoot me dead—thrice he threatened—soon, he said—"
"Not Richard?"
"Yes, Richard!—your nice Richard! But what did I want you for to- night? It was to let you see that I have it in my power to let your brother in for three months hard—not less. But you know, my dear, don't you, that I wouldn't do anything to give you pain? That is why, so far, I've taken no steps. But your brother must be unarmed. I can't have my life exposed, after his threats, and all".
"Unarmed…."
"Yes. I have it on good authority that your brother has guns. I must have those guns put into my own hands by you…"
"But I couldn't! He would find out…"
"Then I must act, that's all. Or no—I give you another chance—tell him of the fifty pounds I sent—that may disarm him in another way—"
He was sure that this she would not now do, yet felt relieved when she cried out: "I couldn't! Not now! Can't you see?"
"Well, there is nothing to be done, then. I must act, that's all".
"But don't be hard ! What can I do? Sooner or later he'd be sure to miss them!"
"Poh! he is not always shooting, I suppose? And after a few weeks
I'd give them back. Anyway, think it over: and I'll be here on
Tuesday night next at nine to receive them. Good night—"
She looked palely after him, her feet in a net, new to her, woven of concealments and deceit.
At eleven that night she was sitting in their diminutive parlour,— Hogarth at a table inscribing the association's names received by post that evening; and at last, bending low over her sewing, she said: "Richard, is it true you have been to the Hall?"
He started! "Yes. Who told you?"
"I heard it".
He looked at her piercingly. " Answer! "
"I heard it", she said with a stubborn nod, quite pallid.
He turned upon her a stare of displeasure; but in that second they heard a shouting down the village, ran to the front, and saw heaven all like cancer and cracked window-panes, for from a central plash of passion the shattered asteroid had shot long-lingering ribbons of lilac light over the bowl of the sky.