登陆注册
5257400000056

第56章 CHAPTER XXVIII. THE VERDICT.(2)

"It won't make any difference now," said the nurse, and Jimmy was led into the room where the girl, wasted by fever and suffering, lay in a half-comatose condition upon her narrow bed. Jimmy crossed the room and laid his hand upon her forehead and at the touch she opened her eyes and looked up at him. He saw that she recognized him and was trying to say something, and he kneeled beside the bed so that his ear might be closer to her lips.

"Jimmy," she whispered, "you are free? Tell me."

He told her briefly of what had happened. "I am so happy," she murmured.

"Oh, Jimmy, I am so happy!"

He took one of her wasted hands in his own and carried it to his lips.

"Not on the hand," she said faintly. "Just once, on the lips, before I die."

He gathered her in his arms and lifted her face to his. "Dear little girl," he said, "you are not going to die. It is not as bad as that."

She did not reply, but only clung to him tightly, and against his cheek he felt her tears and a little choking sob before she relaxed, and he laid her back again on her pillow. He thought she was dead then and he called the nurse, but she still breathed, though her eyes were closed.

Jimmy sat down on the edge of the bed beside her and stroked her hand.

After a while she roused again and opened her eyes.

"Jimmy," she said, "will you stay with me until I go?" The man could make no articulate response, but he pressed her hand reassuringly. She was silent again for some time. Once more she whispered faintly, so faintly that he had to lean close to catch her words:

"Miss Holden," she whispered, "she is a--good girl. It is--she--who hired--the attorney for you. Go to her--Jimmy--when I--am gone--she loves--you." Again there was a long pause.

"Good-by--Jimmy," she whispered at last.

The nurse was standing at the foot of the bed. She came and put her hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "It is too bad," she said; "she was such a good girl."

"Yes," said Jimmy, "I think she was the best little girl I ever knew."

It was after nine o'clock when Jimmy, depressed and sorrowing, arrived at the Holden home. The houseman who admitted him told him that Mr. Holden had been called out, but that Miss Holden was expecting him, and he ushered Jimmy to the big living-room, and to his consternation he saw that Elizabeth Compton was there with Harriet. The latter came forward to greet him, and to his surprise the other girl followed her.

"I discovered to-day, Mr. Torrance," she said, "that I have wronged you.

However unintentionally it was the fact remains that I might have done you a very great harm and injustice. I realize now how very different things might have been if I had listened to you and believed in you at first. Harriet told me that you were coming tonight and I asked to see you for just a moment to tell you this and also to ask you if you would continue with the International Machine Company.

"There is no one now whom I feel I would have so much confidence in as you. I wish you would come back and take charge for me. If you will tell me that you will consider it we will arrange the details later."

If an archangel had suddenly condescended to honor him with an invitation to assist in the management of Heaven Jimmy could not have been more surprised. He realized at what cost of pride and self-esteem the offer must have been made and acknowledgment of error. He told her that he would be very glad to assist her for the present, at least, and then she excused herself on the plea of nervous exhaustion and went to her room.

"Do you know," said Harriet, after Elizabeth had gone, "she really feels worse over her past attitude toward you than she does over Harold's death? I think she realizes now what I have told her from the first, that she never really loved him. Of course, her pride has suffered terribly, but she will get over that quickly enough.

"But do you know I have not had an opportunity before to congratulate you? I wish that I might have been there to have heard the verdict, but really you don't look half as happy as I should think you would feel."

"I am happy about that," said Jimmy, "but on top of my happiness came a sorrow. I just came from Edith's apartment. She died while I was there."

Harriet gave a little cry of shocked surprise. "Oh, Jimmy," she cried, laying her hand upon his arm. "Oh, Jimmy, I am so sorry!" It was the first time that she had ever addressed him by his given name, but there seemed nothing strange or unusual in the occurrence.

"She was such a good little girl," said Harriet.

It was strange that so many should use these same words in connection with Edith Hudson, and even this girl, so far removed from the sphere in which Little Eva had existed and who knew something of her past, could yet call her "good."

It gave Jimmy a new insight into the sweetness and charity of Harriet Holden's character. "Yes," he said, "her soul and her heart were good and pure."

"She believed so in you," said the girl. "She thought you were the best man who ever lived. She told me that you were the only really good man she bad ever known, and her confidence and belief in you were contagious. You will probably never know all that she did for you. It was really she that imbued my father and his attorney with a belief in your innocence, and it was she who influenced the Lizard to take the stand in your behalf. Yes, she was a very good friend."

"And you have been a good friend," said Jimmy. "In the face of the same circumstances that turned Miss Compton against me you believed in me.

Your generosity made it possible for me to be defended by the best attorney in Chicago, but more than all that to me has been your friendship and the consciousness of your sympathy at a time when, above all things, I needed sympathy. And now, after all you have done for me I came to ask still more of you."

"What do you want?" she asked.

She was standing very close to him, looking up in his face.

"You, Harriet," he said.

She smiled tremulously. "I have been yours for a long time, Jimmy, but you didn't know it."

同类推荐
  • 老子本义

    老子本义

    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。
  • 书博鸡者事

    书博鸡者事

    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。
  • They and I

    They and I

    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。
  • 相和歌辞·祠渔山神

    相和歌辞·祠渔山神

    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。
  • 说琴

    说琴

    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
  • 金童话

    金童话

    《金童话》是一部令人灵魂战栗的小说。陈占敏以“黄金”作为镜子,以他一以贯之的冷峻、梦幻而诗性的想象,对人性、政治、权力、欲望、历史等等永恒的主题进行着悲壮的拷问与“挖掘”,写实与寓言、魔幻与现实、此岸与彼岸在小说中彼此交融,作家深邃的眼光、悲悯的思考更是穿透遥远的时空,使“黄金”拥有了艺术的灵光。散发出了超越自身、超越世俗的光芒。
  • 能说会道最讨人喜欢

    能说会道最讨人喜欢

    “一句话能把人说笑,一句话也能把人说跳。”我们事业的成功与失败,人际关系的亲疏,都与口才有很大的关系。美国杰出的政治活动家和科学家本杰明,富兰克林在自传中有这样一段话;我在约束我自己的言行的时候,在使我日趋成熟,日趋合乎情理的时候,我曾经有一张言行约束检查表。当初那张表上只列着12项美德,后来,有一位朋友告诉我,我有些骄傲,并经常在谈话中表现出来,使人觉得盛气凌人。我立刻注意到这位友人给我的忠告,并相信这足以影响到我的发展前途。由此可见,具有高超的说话水平,是一个人获得社会认同的最快捷、最有效的手段。
  • 光年之外还有我

    光年之外还有我

    我一直相信释迦牟尼说过的一句话:无论你遇见谁,他(她)都是你生命里该出现的人,绝非偶然,他(她)一定会教会你一些什么,无须过于介怀。所以我也就相信,无论我走到哪里,那都是我应该去的地方,经历一些我自己该经历的事情,遇见一些我该遇见的人。。。。
  • 许我归来时

    许我归来时

    越谨死了,越家人心中松了口气。*越谨一睁开眼,发现她重生了,爹不疼娘不爱,备受欺凌还有个爱惹事的姐姐……
  • 坐绑美男傍山田

    坐绑美男傍山田

    环顾四周叹口气:“阎王,你丫的太不厚道了!”还是先解决温饱问题吧。种地、买田、办山庄。。。面包会有的,美男也会有的。瘟疫不怕、男尊女卑不怕、权势压人不怕。。。不怕不怕不怕啦,带着几百个油瓶,顶着锅盖再苦再累再委屈,再再再。。。也要努力地朝痛痛快快目标活下去!(非绝对女尊,先白后有点虐心)
  • 爹地来了妈咪快跑呀

    爹地来了妈咪快跑呀

    小明星袁默默为了要回股份,闪婚了一个神秘的千亿大boss,一不小心被宠的无法无天!失恋的她,怎么算都觉得赚到了。高颜值、高智商、高收入的总裁老公怎么看都觉得顺眼,唯一的‘缺点’就是太宠太宠太宠她!“老公,外界传言你是高冷男神。”“装的。”“老公,外界传言你是禁欲男神。”“假的。”“老公,外界传言你是Gay。”男人微微抬眸,邪魅一笑,把她壁咚到墙上开口:“外面的传言不靠谱!”宠文、宠文、宠文!推荐漫漫完结文《闪婚娇嫩妻:小叔蜜蜜爱》,VIP书友群:618895719,普通交流群:479994577浏览器粉丝群:390011173
  • 春风沉醉的夜晚

    春风沉醉的夜晚

    阶层的鸿沟,像阴影般无处不在,深入骨髓。这是一个套中套的故事。“猎物”突然成了试探者,到底谁是猎物?谁是猎人?一我,夏秉秋,查丽丽。我们三个最后一次见面是在两年前,柏林自由大学的一次学术会议。当时我们的关系如下:我和夏秉秋同时被邀请参加会议,夏秉秋是德籍华人,常居柏林,而我从上海坐德航经法兰克福转道柏林。我们素不相识。至于查丽丽,她是我十八岁以后的闺蜜,这样的关系已经延续了差不多另一个十八年。那一阵她正好在德国修最后的MBA课程,有个短暂的假期,于是她决定来柏林和我见面。当然,与此同时,也见到了同样素昧平生的夏秉秋。
  • 神级紫荆花牧场

    神级紫荆花牧场

    苦逼的都市保险销售员因为一个神奇的外挂空间,让他从此摆脱了对人低三下四的日子。在美帝买个大大的牧场,创建世界最顶级的美食基地。带着心爱的人探险,发现世界最顶级的旅游胜地。晋阳的口号:想吃世界最好吃的牛肉,来紫荆花牧场;想玩世界上最顶级的沙滩,来紫荆花牧场;想看世界上最美丽的风景,来紫荆花牧场;想看世界上最顶级的赛马,来紫荆花牧场。只有你想不到的,没有紫荆花牧场没有的。
  • 我的第一本育儿书

    我的第一本育儿书

    这些情况在80后父母中是非常普遍的。虽然他们通过书本、网络或是孕前培训,掌握了一定的育儿知识,但从产后住院期间看,大部分父母都不会照顾婴儿。
  • 故事会(2018年10月下)

    故事会(2018年10月下)

    《故事会》是中国最通俗的民间文学小本杂志,是中国的老牌刊物之一。先后获得两届中国期刊的最高奖——国家期刊奖。1998年,它在世界综合类期刊中发行量排名第5。从1984年开始,《故事会》由双月刊改为月刊,2003年11月份开始试行半月刊,2007年正式改为半月刊。现分为红、绿两版,其中红版为上半月刊,绿版为下半月刊。