"
"But you are exposing yourself to danger, to--"
"I must take my chance of that. I cannot, if I would, turn back now, and
I would not if I could. But I have come to you for information. How did
you know it was I who had gone to River Hall?"
The colour flamed up in her face as I put the question.
"I--I was told so," she stammered out.
"May I ask by whom?"
"No, Mr. Patterson, you may not," she replied. "A--a friend--a kind
friend, informed me of the fact, and spoke of the perils to which you
were exposing yourself--living there all alone--all alone," she
repeated. "I would not pass a night in the house again if the whole
parish were there to keep me company, and what must it be to stay in
that terrible, terrible place alone! You are here, perhaps, because you
do not believe--because you have not seen."
"I do believe," I interrupted, "because I have seen; and yet I mean to
go through with the matter to the end. Have you a likeness of your
father in your possession, Miss Elmsdale?" I asked.
"I have a miniature copied from his portrait, which was of course
too large to carry from place to place," she answered. "Why do you
wish to know?"
"If you let me see it, I will reply to your question," I said.
Round her dear throat she wore a thin gold chain.
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