"Yes, I suppose so, but that doesn’t make it any less humiliating."
"Stephanie, tell me, do you love Derrick Beekman?"
"I wish I were dead," cried the girl. "I can never go out on the street again. I can never hold up my head anywhere any more, and it’s your fault. What have you done with him?"
"Do you want him back? Do you want to go through with the marriage? Look here," said Harnash, "desperate diseases require desperate remedies. I’ll tell you this, and that is all I will tell you. I am sure Derrick is all right. He will come to no harm."
"Are you holding him a prisoner somewhere?"
"It is better not. It isn’t necessary," answered Harnash stubbornly.
"I got him out of the way, if that’s what you mean. But he’s alive, well, and in no danger. I caused it to be done--"
"Don’t you know that you’ve done a criminal act?"
"Of course I know it. Do you think I’m a fool because I’m crazy in love with you?"
"And don’t you know you will have gained his eternal enmity and the enmity of my father when they find this out?"
"I don’t care about anybody’s enmity unless it’s yours."
"Almost, but not quite. You feel horribly now. I understand. Do you think it has been joyful to me to have put my best friend out of the way and to have brought all this scandal and shame upon you? But there was no other way. You’re mine in the sight of God and I’m going to make you mine in the sight of men."
"But my father will never forgive you when he knows."
"I don’t think he will ever find out my part, or Beekman either."
"I can’t explain, but if your father does find out what can he do? In six months I’ll be independent of anything and anybody and when we are married we can laugh at him and at the rest of the world."
"Yes, even at him. Stephanie, you don’t know what it is to love as I do. For you I’d stop at nothing short of murder. You didn’t believe me when I said that, but I meant it. I’ve made myself a criminal, I admit, but for your sake. Now am I going to fail of my reward? Do you want me to produce Derrick Beekman? Do you want him to come back and throw me in jail and marry you? Well, I didn’t expect it; I didn’t count upon it--" this was only a bluff, of course, since by no means could Harnash have got back Beekman from the _Susquehanna_ then--"but if that is what you really want say the word. Can you turn down a love like mine, that will stop at nothing for your happiness? I swear to you that I believe it is as much for your happiness as my own. I won’t say it is all for you, because I want you, but I am thinking of you all the time. I couldn’t bear to see you in his arms. What is the little bit of scandal? It will be forgotten. When you are my wife I’ll take care of you. If you don’t want to live here we’ll live anywhere. If I pull off two or three big deals that are in the air I’ll be able to do anything. Oh, Stephanie, you aren’t going back on me now?"