worthless!" David stopped short. At the mention of Elizabeth, his
hurricane of rage dropped suddenly into the flat calm of absolute
bewilderment. "Do not speak of Elizabeth in that way, in my
presence," he said, panting.

"She is her mother's daughter! She is bad, through and through.
She--"

"Stop!" David cried, violently; "what in hell do you keep on
saying that for? I will not listen--I will not hear." . . . He
was beside himself; he did not know what he said.

But Robert Ferguson was silenced. When David spoke again, it was
in gasps, and his words came thickly as if his tongue were numb:
"What--what are we to do?"

"Do? There is nothing to do, that I can see."

"She must be taken away from him!"

"Nobody knows where they are. But if I did know, I wouldn't lift
my hand to get her away. She has made her bed--she can lie in it,
so far as I am concerned."

"But she didn't!" David groaned; "you don't understand. I am the
one to curse, not Elizabeth."

"What are you talking about?"

"I did it."