He had laughed at her at
first, and later, when she had implored him to resign his post, he had
brutally refused.
She had never approached him again on the matter, seeing the futility of
argument; but on that selfsame day she had provided herself with a means
of escape which could not fail her when the last terrible moment
arrived. Flight she never contemplated. It would have been an utter
impossibility. She was without friends, without money. Her relations in
England were to her as beings in another sphere. She had known them in
her childhood, but they had since dropped out of her existence. The only
offer of help that had reached her was that which she had just rejected
from the man whom, of all others, she most hated and desired to avoid.
She shivered suddenly and violently as she recalled the interview. Was
it possible that she feared him as well? She had always disliked him,
conscious of something in his manner that perpetually excited her
antagonism. She had felt his lynx eyes watching her continually
throughout the bitter struggle, and she had known always that he was
watching for her downfall.
He was the richest man in the island, and as such his influence was
considerable. He had not yet made common cause with the revolutionary
party, but it was generally felt that his sympathies were on their side,
and it was in him that the majority hoped to find a leader when the time
for rebellion should be ripe.
Pages:
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334