Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: July 12, 2025
Ida drew a long breath and was silent for a moment, as she tried to realise the significance of his words. "Do you mean that I am quite penniless?" she said, in a low voice. Mr. Wordley blew his nose and coughed two or three times, as if he found it difficult to reply; at last he said, in a voice almost as low as hers: "Put shortly, I am afraid, my dear, that is what I must tell you.
Wordley was standing in front of the fire awaiting her. She was glad that Jason had not had time to procure a new livery, was glad of the old shabbiness of the room, that its aspect was not yet changed, and that it greeted her with all its old familiarity, Mr.
Wordley?" she asked. Mr. Wordley laughed so suddenly and loudly that he quite startled the hall porter in his little glass box. "My dear child," he said, slowly and impressively, "you are rich, not poor; im-mense-ly rich! I do not myself yet quite know how much you are worth; but you may take it from me that it's a very large sum indeed. Now, you are not going to faint, my dear!"
"The fact is," he said, "I have come up rather suddenly on rather important business: came up without a moment's delay. Where is Miss Ida? I should like to see her at once, please, if I may!" The faces of the pair grew sallow, and the corners of John Heron's mouth dropped lower even than usual. "Ida?" he said, in a hollow voice, as if he were confused. "Where is she? Surely you know, Mr. Wordley?"
"This gross and unseemly attack is only excused by your age " "Confound my age!" exclaimed Mr. Wordley. "Let me tell you, sir, your age does not excuse your conduct, which has been that of a heartless and sanctimonious fool. When I gave that dear child into your care, I had misgivings, and they are fully justified. Would to God I had never lost sight of her!
"I did not know," she said, in a very low voice. "I had not heard, I have not seen any papers, or, if I have, only the advertisement part. Dead!" "Yes," said Mr. Wordley; "poor man, he died suddenly, quite suddenly, in the middle of a grand ball; died of the shock." "Shock?" she echoed. He looked at her as if he found it hard to realise her ignorance. "Yes; the shock of the bad news.
Wordley, who was evidently suffering from the effects of his few minutes' conversation with that gentleman. Mr.
Heron, unctuously, "we will take her in as a lamb gathered into the fold, as a brand is plucked from the burning." Ida looked at him half stupefied, and it is to be feared some doubts of his sanity arose in her mind. "Quite so, quite so," interrupted Mr. Wordley again. "Then I think the sooner Miss Ida joins you the better; and I would suggest that she goes with you to-morrow.
You are tired and upset." "I must tell you this very minute or I shall burst," said Mr. Wordley. "My dear child, prepare yourself for the most astounding, the most wonderful news. I don't want to startle you, but I don't feel as though I could keep it for another half hour. Do you think I could have a glass of water?"
Word Of The Day
Others Looking