His Other Wife: A Novel — page 30: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

22 THE WIDOW’S CONFESSION, ‘You are very kind, sir, to feel so. But can it be possible that you knew nothing of my embarrassments until to-day ?” | ‘‘Truly nothing whatever.” ‘Are you not Mr. Croft’s business partner, as well as professionally associated with him ?” ‘Yes; but in your case he reserved the right, as your friend and my senior, to keep your affairs to himself.” Mrs. Morgan smiléd bitterly. She was silent for a few moments; then, turning herself with an eager motion to where Warren sat beside her, she laid her fingers on his arm, and said, earnestly : ‘*Mr. Warren, do you believe that motives of considera- tion for me prompted Mr. Croft's reticence toward you in this business ?” ‘‘He distinctly told me that to-day, and I have no reason to doubt his assertion.” | ‘“Then I will give you one. It is proper that you shall hear my version of this transaction before receiving my signature to these papers, which must hereafter incul- pate you, as Mathew Croft's partner, in one of the most unholy frauds ever practiced on a helpless woman by a dark and cruel man.” | She halted in her speech to take breath. Her cheek had flushed faintly and then grown more ghastly during her excited remarks. Now there was something terrible in the hueless face, lit by the wild and desperate eyes of a woman half mad- Eomicbooks:co