“But he might have died in any case; and three doctors examined his heart,” exclaimed Barbara. “You make me feel uncomfortable when you speak in this way, but I cannot at present see that there is anything whatever to account for your suspicions. If there really is, the thing to do is to make inquiries, and so set your mind at rest. I see that this is not a mere question of nerves.”
“No, dear, I assure you it is not. I am torn between two opinions. I feel inclined one moment to go straight ahead and sift the thing to the bottom, and then again I hesitate, for I have so little to go upon.”
“If you have nothing to go upon, you must make up your mind to banish your suspicions,” said Barbara, speaking in a resolute voice. “They do you harm, Dick. You are not the man you were. Now that the child is dead a great responsibility devolves upon you, and you ought to rise with courage to meet it. I want you, Dick, to be the best landlord that the Pelham property has ever had. I have ideals which I never thought to have realized, but if you will do your part, they may come to pass.”
“I wish Piers was back in the world,” said the young man. “I should be ten times happier living with you, Barbara, in a little house and struggling for briefs. Of course, if the property and title had come to me in the ordinary way——”
“But, Dick, they have,” said Barbara, rising as she spoke. “You will dwell on this matter so long that your mind will really become affected at last.”
“Sit down,” said Pelham. He held out his hand and drew her back to her seat close to his side. “I have not quite told you all. Sit close to me, Barbara. We must talk of this in whispers.”
Barbara drew nearer to her husband. The balcony at this moment was absolutely deserted.
“Do you remember what happened immediately after Piers’s death?”
“What do you mean? Of course, I remember everything.”
“I allude to the night when the coffin was brought home.”
“I was in the house then,” she said. “Mrs. Pelham was very ill. It is true Nurse Hester had arrived, but I liked to be with Mrs. Pelham, and she was glad to have me.”
“On the night the coffin was brought in, two days before the funeral, I called very late to see you.”
“Yes, I had gone to bed. The servant told me of your visit in the morning.”