Mrs. Hampton hurried into the house, and in short time returned, carrying a small tray, containing a gla.s.s of home-made wine, and a plate of cake. This she placed on a small table near the agitated woman.
"Drink this, dear, and try some of my cake. They will refresh you."
Almost mechanically Mrs. Grimsby did as she was bidden, while Mrs.
Hampton watched her curiously, wondering as to the cause of her excitement.
"Do you feel better now?" she asked, as the visitor replaced the gla.s.s upon the tray.
"Thank you, I do feel refreshed. But I must not stay long, though it is so comfortable here."
Thrusting her hand into the bosom of her dress, she brought forth a roll of bills, and laid it on Mrs. Hampton"s lap.
"There, that"s all I could find," she whispered. "He must have spent the rest."
"Why, what is this?" Mrs. Hampton asked in surprise as she picked up the money."
"It is yours; the money that Gabe took from you. Oh, he is a villain, if ever there was one. And to think that he should come to you, of all women, and demand payment for silence. It"s a wonder to me the Almighty doesn"t smite him for his wickedness."
Mrs. Hampton now understood why this poor creature had visited her, and a deep respect and pity welled up in her heart.
"How did you know about this matter?" she asked.
"Oh, Gabe was boasting about it to me. He had been drinking, and when he is that way you never know what he will say. I took the money from him when he was asleep. He didn"t miss it when he left home. But when he comes back there will be a terrible time."
"Where is he now?"
"In the city, where he likes to be, instead of staying home and attending to his work. He"s not only a villain, but lazy as sin."
An anxious expression appeared in Mrs. Hampton"s eyes as she listened to this tale of woe. She leaned over and touched her visitor on the arm.
"You say that your husband talks a great deal when he is drunk?" she asked.
"Yes, his tongue is never still unless he"s asleep. It"s awful the way he raves and swears at times."
"Hettie, do you suppose he will tell what he knows about what we did at the hospital."
"No, I"m quite sure he won"t say a word about that," was the slow and thoughtful reply. "Gabe"s as cunning as a fox, even when he"s drunk."
"He told you about it, though."
"Ah, that"s different. He knows that I understand all about it. But he won"t say a word to anyone else. If he does, he won"t get any more money. He"s cute enough for that."
"And you think he will come to me for more money?"
"I am sure of it. He"ll never let up until he drains you of the last cent, that is, if you let him. And you"re not the only one."
"No?" Mrs. Hampton was becoming very curious now. "Does he work his game upon others?"
"I should say he does. There"s another woman from whom he has got money, more than he got from you, and that"s Mrs. Randall."
"Oh! Is she the--the woman who got my baby?"
"The very one. And Gabe was to her before he came to you. That"s the way he"s been acting, the villain."
Mrs. Hampton was silent for a few seconds. Her heart was beating fast.
Now she knew for certain that Jess Randall was her own child. The last vestige of doubt had at last been removed.
"Why didn"t you tell me this before, Hettie?" she asked.
"Tell you what?"
"That you were the Hettie Rawlins who was at the hospital when I was there, and that it was Mrs. Randall who got my baby."
"Because you didn"t ask me. You never mentioned that affair, so I thought you had forgotten, or didn"t want to speak about it."
"No, Hettie, I had not forgotten it. But I did not know it was you who exchanged the babies. I saw you only a few times at the hospital, and when I again met you years later as Mrs. Grimsby I did not recognise you. Oh, what would I not give to undo that terrible deed I committed!
I must have been crazy to sell my baby for money."
"And I a fool for what I did. But I must have been entirely out of my mind when I told Gabe anything. I kept the secret for years, and then in one unguarded moment I let a few words slip from my lips. Gabe threatened my life, and gave me no peace until I told him all. I could not help it. If you only knew what a life I lead you would understand.
Can you ever forgive me?"
"There is really nothing to forgive, Hettie," was Mrs. Hampton"s sad reply. "I am the one who needs forgiveness, not only from you but from the child I so heartlessly sold. Did you ever see her?"
"No, not to my knowledge. But I understand her life was not happy, and so the poor thing drowned herself to escape from her misery. You have heard the news, I suppose?"
"Yes. There has been a great deal about it in the papers. Her body has not been found, has it?"
Mrs. Hampton tried to speak as unconcernedly as possible, and if Mrs.
Grimsby had not been so much taken up with her own troubles she might have wondered why any mother could speak so coolly about the death of her own daughter, even though she had not seen her since she was a baby.
"No, her body has not been found yet, though men are searching for it all the time, so I understand," the visitor explained.
"Do her parents, I mean the Randalls, feel very badly about her death, Hettie?"
"In a way I suppose they do. But I have heard that they are more angry than anything else. Their minds were so set upon the girl marrying that Lord"s son that they are greatly disappointed. I admire her for what she did. I wish I had done the same myself before I married Gabe Grimsby. My life has been a living death ever since. But, there, I have talked too long. I must hurry away home. I hope Gabe will never know that I have been here. He must think that he lost that money."
"You are not going to walk home, Hettie," Mrs. Hampton told her. "John will be back shortly, and he will take you in his car. It is too long a walk."
"But I must. You don"t understand. What if Gabe comes home and finds me gone?"
"Where is he now, did you say?"
"In the city, so I believe."
"Very well, then, most likely he will stay there a few hours. If he comes, it will be on the "Oconee," and John can get you home before that. So you must stay. Come, let me take off your hat."
After considerable persuasion, Mrs. Hampton induced her visitor to remain. Then she went into the kitchen and placed the supper upon the table. She could not understand what was keeping John and Jess so long. Anyway, she and Hettie would have their tea, and the young people could have theirs by themselves. She believed that Hettie might feel somewhat embarra.s.sed in the presence of Jess, owing to her shabby appearance.
They had just finished their supper, and were about to rise from the table when John entered the room. At the first sight of him Mrs.