登陆注册
5237600000023

第23章 THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES(2)

"You see," Lady Ruth continued, resting her hand upon her husband's coat sleeve, "the thing happened all in a second. I had the check in my hand when you and Sir William came crashing through that window, and Sir William's eyes were upon me. The only way to save myself was to repudiate it, and let Wingrave get out of the affair as well as he could. Of course, I never guessed what was going to happen.""Then it was Wingrave," Barrington muttered, "who played the game?""Yes!" Lady Ruth answered quietly. "But I am not so sure about him now. You and I, Lumley, know one another a little better today than we did twelve years ago. We have had a few of the corners knocked off, I suppose. I can tell you things now I didn't care to then. Wingrave had lent me money before! He has letters from me today, thanking him for it."Barrington was a large, florid man, well built and well set up. In court he presented rather a formidable appearance with his truculent chin, his straight, firm mouth, and his commanding presence. Yet there was nothing about him now which would have inspired fear in the most nervous of witnesses. He looked like a man all broken up by some unexpected shock.

"If he had produced those letters--at the trial--"Lady Ruth shrugged her shoulders.

"I risked it, anyhow," she said. "I had to. My story was the only one which gave me a dog's chance, and I didn't mean to go under--then. Wingrave never gave me away, but I fancy he's feeling differently about it now!""How do you know, Ruth?"

"I have seen him! He sent for me!" she answered. "Lumley, don't look at me like that! We're not in the nursery, you and I. I went because I had to. He's going to America for a time, and then he's coming back here. I think that when he comes back--he means mischief!""He is not the sort of man to forget," Barrington said, half to himself.

She shuddered every so slightly. Then she stretched out a long white arm, and drawing his head suddenly down to her, kissed him on the lips.

"If only," she murmured, "he would give up the letters! Without them, he might say--anything. No one would believe!"Barrington raised his eyes to hers. There was something almost pathetic in the worshiping light which shone there. He was, as he had always been, her abject slave.

"Can you think of any way?" he asked. "Shall I go to him again?""Useless!" she answered. "You have nothing to offer in exchange. He would not give them to me. He surely would not give them to you. Shall I tell you what is in his mind? Listen, then! He is rich now; he means to make more money there. Then he will return, calling himself Mr. Wingrave--an American--with imaginary letters of introduction to us. He has ambitions--I don't know what they are, but they seem to entail his holding some sort of a place in society.

We are to be his sponsors."

"Is it practicable?" he asked.

"Quite," she answered. "He is absolutely unrecognizable now. He has changed cruelly. Can't you imagine the horror of it? He will be always in evidence;always with those letters in the background. He means to make life a sort of torture chamber for us!""Better defy him at once, and get over," Barrington said. "After all, don't you think that the harm he could do is a little imaginary?"She brushed the suggestion aside with a little shiver.

"Shall I tell you what he would do, Lumley?" she said, leaning towards him.

"He would have my letters, and a copy of my evidence, printed in an elegant little volume and distributed amongst my friends. It would come one day like a bomb, and nothing that you or I could do would alter it in the least. Your career and my social position would be ruined. Success brings enemies, you know, Lumley, and I have rather more than my share.""Then we are helpless," he said.

"Unless we can get the letters--or unless he should never return from America," she answered.

Barrington moved uneasily in his seat. He knew very well that some scheme was already forming in his wife's brain.

"If there is anything that I can do," he said in a low tone, "don't be afraid to tell me.""There is one chance," she answered, "a sort of forlorn hope, but you might try it. He has a secretary, a young man named Aynesworth. If he were on our side--""Don"t you think," Barrington interrupted, "that you would have more chance with him than I?"She laughed softly.

"You foolish man," she said, touching his fingers lightly. "I believe you think that I am irresistible!""I have seen a good many lions tamed," he reminded her.

"Nonsense! Anyhow, there is one here who seems quite insensible. I have talked already with Mr. Aynesworth. He would not listen to me!""Ah!"

"Nevertheless," she continued softy, "of one thing I am very sure. Every man is like every woman; he is vulnerable if you can discover the right spot and the right weapons. Mr. Aynesworth is not a woman's man, but I fancy that he is ambitious. I thought that you might go and see him. He has rooms somewhere in Dorset Street."He rose to his feet. A glance at the clock reminded him of the hour.

"I will go," he said. "I will do what I can. I think, dear," he added, bending over her to say farewell, "that you should have been the man!"She laughed softly.

"Am I such a failure as a woman, then?" she asked with a swift upward glance.

"Don't be foolish, Lumley. My woman will be here to dress me directly. You must really go away."He strode down the stairs with tingling pulses, and drove to the House, where his speech, a little florid in its rhetoric, and verbose as became the man, was nevertheless a great success.

"Quite a clever fellow, Barrington," one of his acquaintances remarked, "when you get him away from his wife."

同类推荐
  • 江南闻见录

    江南闻见录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Letters from the Cape

    Letters from the Cape

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 如实论

    如实论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 五诰解

    五诰解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十地义记

    十地义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 皇帝帮我种田

    皇帝帮我种田

    1v1(宠文,姐弟恋,没有血缘关系)温馨甜宠种田文。乔小晚一睁眼就成了庄家户里一个傻子。偏心的爷奶,极品亲戚一堆,日子本来就难过,爹娘性子还软绵,还有一个弟弟等着自己护着。这日子真是没法过了。乔小晚想了想,为了自己吃香的喝辣的,过上美满的田园生活,撸起袖子治极品,赚大钱。打架,斗嘴,做菜,赚钱...原本只是想赚钱过富裕日子,不知不觉这日子过的太好了,不小心还养了一个皇帝天天在屁股后面喊:“夫人.......”宠文爽文,欢迎入坑!
  • 焦躁

    焦躁

    脑子够使的人都是自己给自己打工的,智力中等的家伙在外企里混日子,脑细胞明显不足的人只能在国营单位里猫着。这句话得罪了很多朋友,但我不怕。还是那句话,咱不上班,谁也不放在眼里。其实自由职业者可能是社会的润滑剂,也可能是垃圾桶,但某些自由职业者却扮演着未来战士的角色,也许在将来的某一天,大多数人都会成为自由职业者的。不信,咱们走着瞧。
  • 名门婚宠:总裁,劫个色

    名门婚宠:总裁,劫个色

    “你竟然敢逃?”昏暗的房间,本来好看的眉眼尽是一片暴戾之色。安羽倾很惆怅,这都一年多了,怎么这个男人还是这样霸道?她微微侧头,避开他的气息,含笑开口:“慕总裁这样是舍不得了吗?可惜啊,晚了。”男人怒极反笑:“有功夫跟我嘴硬倒不如好好想想,整整七百五十四天,你要怎么偿还我!还有那个不知道是谁的孽种,别让我看到!”安羽倾一愣,然后冷笑出声,慕总裁,那可是你的种,我就偏要领过来让你看看!简而言之,就是爱过,恨过,痛过,笑过,你还是我的。
  • 念天行

    念天行

    一个被遗忘的世界,一场血雨腥风的较量,一把开启神魔战场的钥匙。被惊世骗局所笼罩的少年,誓要走到修道的巅峰,踏碎那张棋局,只为摆正世界的倒影,找到那熟悉的身影……
  • 那罗延天共阿修罗王斗战法

    那罗延天共阿修罗王斗战法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 一本好书造就一个出色男孩

    一本好书造就一个出色男孩

    一个男孩只有具备良好的品质,才会散发无穷的个人魅力。而如何将男孩塑造成一名出色的好男儿,是摆在很多家长面前的难题。尤其是那些调皮捣蛋的男孩,很多家长往往显得心有余而力不足。科学的教育是让孩子摆脱无知的关键,只有采用科学的方法,才会引导男孩迈向正规的人生轨迹。
  • 眷宠娇妻

    眷宠娇妻

    S市最不能惹的人是谁?顾家顾老爷子膝下最受宠也是有百分之百成为顾氏接班人的顾云琛?非也,非也......乃是经常窝在顾云琛怀里的那个小女人!据说是他的‘妹妹’的女孩,顾云锦。听说,顾云琛为了她和顾老爷子差点断绝关系,老死不相往来!听说,顾老爷子还为此请杀手截杀那个女人,却没想到,派去的杀手竟被顾云锦收缴了一颗心!听说,顾云琛为了他和S市黑道的头头正面交锋,左肩、腹部各中一枪!听说,顾云琛那几个在S市有着举足轻重地位的兄弟,对她可是百般的讨好,就怕惹得她大小姐一不高兴,顾云琛那个比狐狸还狡猾的阴沉男人发飙!听说.......然,事实却是这样......顾云琛说,你这没心没肺的丫头,不知道我当初把你从那栋别墅里面带出来的时候,你就是我的人了吗?我都没有资格让你伤心难过,其他人,又有哪门子的资格!让你伤心的人,他就要做好去和上帝喝茶聊天的准备!连子墨说,我的本就是来守护你不受伤害的,只是没想到自己会不小心把心丢了,爱上了你,最不应该爱上的,被称之为妹妹的你!洛梓风说,我犯了一个杀手最大的错误,轻而易举的将自己的心交了出去,扣动了扳机,却仍旧下不了手......这是一段痴心守候的感情,这是一段追逐在四个人之间的爱,一段娇妻养成计划细腻真情......
  • 欢宠田园:相公,你别跑

    欢宠田园:相公,你别跑

    方玲欲找种马时死于非命。赶上了穿越这时髦,父亲早逝母亲软弱,爷奶不待见,伯叔事事欺负。被黑心奶奶打到半死的时候,方玲说“塞翁失马焉知非福”。远离那些极品亲戚,她会活得更好。某男说:只要你嫁给我,我保证对你三从四德!“我还未成年好吗?”“什么是未成年”.........................这就是无法超越的代沟
  • 芜笙传

    芜笙传

    剩女顾芜笙,顾家继承人。本应一生顺遂,奈何世事难料,于车祸中丧生。再睁眼,已成了诏月国的风流王爷——南风芜笙。被长姐打压,被心爱之人背叛,最后落得个不得好死的结局,而这一切悲惨的命运都将由顾芜笙改写……
  • 国富论(超值金版)

    国富论(超值金版)

    一国国民每年消费的全部生活必需品和便利品(包括本国的直接产物,或是用这类产物从外国购得的物品),都来源于国民的劳动。国民生活供给情况的好坏,取决于生活必需品和便利品与消费者人数的比例大小。这一比例对任何一国国民来说,都受制于两个因素:第一,本国国民运用劳动的熟练程度、技巧和判断力;第二,本国从事有用劳动的人数和不从事有用劳动的人数的比例大小。不论该国的土壤、气候和面积状况如何,国民生活供给情况的好坏都由这两个因素来决定。