He is getting an old man. I have written to Colonel Rufford,
suggesting that she should go to him."
Leonora called out:
"How dare you? How dare you?"
The girl put her hand over her heart and cried out: "Oh, my sweet
Saviour, help mel" That was the queer way she thought within her
mind, and the words forced themselves to her lips. Edward said
nothing.
And that night, by a merciless trick of the devil that pays attention
to this sweltering hell of ours, Nancy Rufford had a letter from her
mother. It came whilst Leonora was talking to Edward, or Leonora
would have intercepted it as she had intercepted others. It was an
amazing and a horrible letter. . . .
I don't know what it contained. I just average out from its effects
on Nancy that her mother, having eloped with some worthless sort
of fellow, had done what is called "sinking lower and lower".
Whether she was actually on the streets I do not know, but I rather
think that she eked out a small allowance that she had from her
husband by that means of livelihood. And I think that she stated as
much in her letter to Nancy and upbraided the girl with living in
luxury whilst her mother starved. And it must have been horrible
in tone, for Mrs Rufford was a cruel sort of woman at the best of
times.
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