It never occurred to Edith to question for one moment the authenticity of this letter. She accepted it all as truth, and was filled with grief. Miss Plympton, then, had not been forgetful. She had done what she could, and this illness was the result. It seemed now to Edith that the climax of her sorrows had been reached in the sufferings and exile of her only friend.
"And now, Miss Dalton," said Little Dudleigh, after a long silence, in which he had watched her with respectful sympathy, "what do you wish to do?"
"I'm afraid that I shall have to rely upon you altogether," said Edith.
"You want something to be done as soon as possible, of course."
"You see, then, that both Sir Lionel and Miss Plympton are quite out of our reach. If you wish for deliverance you must try something else."
"The law? Of course, that is just what I wish."
"Oh, if I can only make a beginning, I can wait. It isn't my life here, or even my imprisonment, that is intolerable so much as my helplessness, and the thought that I am doing nothing, and the impunity with which this wretched Wiggins carries out his purposes. If I could only know that the affair was in the hands of a lawyer, I should feel content."
"Yes, women have a great faith in lawyers."
"At any rate, there most be something in the law, although it is often baffled."
"There ought to be, certainly; but of course you must be prepared to have your suit resisted. Wiggins will also have lawyers, and the ablest ones that he can find."
"And immediately, too, without waiting any longer," said Edith, impatiently.
"Well, I will get you one as soon as possible, if you say so."
"Lieutenant Dudleigh," said Edith, with deep emotion, "you have claims on my gratitude which I can never repay."
"It is the happiest moment of my life," said Little Dudleigh, with greater animation than usual, "since I have heard you say that. But don't speak of gratitude. Say, at the most, friendship. If you will only accept my humble services, they are all yours, and my life too, if necessary."
"Oh," said Edith, with a smile, "there will be no danger to your life now, you know, if I put my case in the hands of lawyers."
"Well, now, talking of lawyers," said Little Dudleigh, "since you have made up your mind to this, it will be necessary to be very cautious in choosing one."