"
At the mention of her husband's name Mrs. Holymead came back to the
thought that had been foremost in her mind.
"Will you save him?" she exclaimed.
"You know I will do anything I can for him," answered the girl gently.
Her intention was to humour her visitor, for she was quite sure that Mr.
Holymead was in no danger.
"Will you stop Mr. Crewe?"
"Stop Mr. Crewe?" Miss Fewbanks repeated the words in a tone that showed
her interest had been awakened. "Stop him from what?"
"Stop him from arresting my husband."
"Do you mean to say that Mr. Crewe thinks Mr. Holymead had anything to do
with the murder of my father?"
"If I tell you everything will you stop him? Oh, Mabel, darling, for the
sake of the past--before I came on the scene to mar the lives of both of
them--will you save him? It is I--not he--who should pay the penalty of
this awful tragedy. Will you save him?"
"Tell me everything," said the girl firmly.
To the stricken wife there was a promise in the demand for light, and in
broken phrases she poured out her story of shame and sorrow. With a
feeling that everything was falling away from her the girl learnt from
her visitor's disconnected story that there had been a liaison between
her murdered father and her friend.
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