Latest / Ashiel Mystery - A Detective Story / 20 - Ashiel Mystery - A Detective Story by Mrs. Charles Bryce

Transcript

20 - Ashiel Mystery - A Detective Story by Mrs. Charles Bryce · Ashiel Mystery - A Detective Story

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty of The Asheyl Mystery. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: by Mary Herndon Bell. The Ashey Mystery by Missus Charles Bryce,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty. It did not occur to Juliet to deny
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: that she had overheard their talk. She had been found
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: in the act of spying on them, and it was
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: inconceivable that they should believe she had not done so. Besides,
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: she was raging at the thought of what she had heard,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: and her anger gave her a courage she might otherwise
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: have found it hard to maintain. I have been here
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: all the time, she declared, stoutly. I heard all you said.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: You wicked, wicked man, a murderer. Oh how horrible it
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: all is. Julia laid a hand on Mark's arm. She
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: will tell what she knows, she said, trembling. She shall not,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Mark stammered furiously. He seemed to be half suffocating with rage.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: She shall not go unless she swears to say nothing.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Swear it I say. He seized Juliet by the shoulder
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: and shook her violently to emphasize his words. I won't
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: swear anything of the kind, she retorted, trying to break
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: from his grasp. Do you suppose you can kill me
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: too without being found out? There is a detective here now,
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: and Sir David Southern is not at hand to lay
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: the blame on you, coward? How dare you touch me?
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: The truth of her words seemed to strike home to Mark,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: for he left go of her suddenly and stood biting
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: his nails and scowling, the picture of irresolution and malignance.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Juliet lost no time in following up any advantage she
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: might have gained. I can't help knowing that you care
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: for him, she said, addressing herself to Julia. Though I
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have listened to that part if I could have
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: helped it. But how can you? How can you? I
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: can't understand how you can feel as you do about
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: killing people. But at least if you did such a thing,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: you would imagine it was for the good of your country. Well,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: this man thinks of nothing but his own selfish ends. Money,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: that is all he wants. How can you condone such
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: a crime as his to kill Lord Ashwell, that good
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: kind man who had treated him like a son all
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: his life, who did everything for him, and just for
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: the sake of money. It's not even as if he
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: wanted it. Really, he's not starving. He had everything in
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: reason that he wanted. If he needed more urgently, I
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: believe he had only to tell his uncle and it
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: would have been given to him. Oh, it is beyond
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: all words. He must be a fiend. Indignation choked her.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: She spoke in bursts of trembling anger, her words sound
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: tamely in her own ears. All she could say seemed
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: commonplace and inadequate. Beside the knowledge that this man was
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: her father's murderer. Even Julia, indifferent to every aspect of
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: the case that did not touch upon her relations with
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: her lover, was shaken by the scornful disgust with which
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: the broken sentences were poured forth. And if her infatuation
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: for Mark was too complete to allow her to consider
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: any action of his unjustifiable, still she realized, perhaps for
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: the first time, the feelings with which other people would
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: view the thing that he had done. You don't understand him,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: she faltered. He didn't want money for himself alone. It
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: was for me he did it. He was too proud
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: to ask me to marry a poor man. You could
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: never understand his love for me. How can I blame him?
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: How many men would run such risks for the girl
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: they loved. I am proud, yes, proud, to be loved
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: like that. You believe his lies, Juliet cried contemptuously. You
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: believe he loves you so much? Why it is not
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: two days since he came to me and asked me
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: to marry him? What? Julius spoke in a panting whisper.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Her face had suddenly lost every particle of color. Say
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: it's not true, she begged, turning miserably to the man.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: He made an effort to deny the charge. Of course,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: not a word of truth in it. Damned nonsense, he blustered,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: But his eyes fell before Juliet's scornful gaze, and Julia
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: was not deceived. It can't be true, Oh it can't,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: she moaned. No man could be so vile, No other
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: man could. Juliet amended. In spite of herself, she was
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: sorry for the girl, whose stricken face showed plainly the
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: anguish she was undergoing. Forget him, Julia, He he is
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: not worthy to tie your shoe lace. He came to
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: me after they had taken David away, and asked me
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: first if I would take his inheritance, even though I
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: couldn't prove my birth, which he must have known perfectly
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: that I should never dream of doing, and then proposed
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: I should marry him, saying that he was very fond
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: of me, and that in that way justice would be
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: done as regards Lord Ashele's money. However things turned out
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: for me. I thought it was honorable and generous at
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: the time, and so did Lady Ruth when I told her. Oh, yes,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: she knows about it and can tell you it is true.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: But now I see that all he wanted was to
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: be on the safe side, and if I had accepted
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: him and had turned out to have no claim upon
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: his uncle's fortune, he would have broken the engagement on
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: some easy pretext. Can you deny it? She demanded of Mark,
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: but he could not face her. Though he made an
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: effort again to brazen it out. Every word she had
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: spoken seemed to strike Julia like a blow. She shrank,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: quivering away, and threw herself down on to a chair,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: her face hidden in her hands. Juliet went to her
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: and touched her gently on the shoulder. Don't think of
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: him any more, she said. Presently you will hate yourself
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: for having cared for a murderer. Just now. I know
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: your love for him makes you gloss over his crimes.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: But when you are yourself, you will see how odious
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: they are. Poor Julia, I hate to hurt you so,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: but it is better, isn't it that you should know?
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: You will forget this madness. He is not worth your
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: wasting another thought on. Think how shamefully he has deceived you.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Think of all his lying words, of how he told
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: you he had never looked at another woman. Julia raised
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: her head and showed a face whiteish chalk, in which
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: the great brown eyes seemed to burn like fires of hatred. Yes,
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: she said, in a hard, even voice, I am thinking
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: of it. I shall not forget him. No. Instead, I
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: shall think of him day and night. Be sure of that.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: I shall laugh as I think of him, laugh at
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: the thought of him in his place in the dock
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: or in his prison. Cell I shall laugh when I
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: give my evidence against him, And most of all, I
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: shall laugh on the day when he is hanged, if
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: his grave is to be found, I shall dance upon it. Oh,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: it will be a merry day for me that day
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: when the cord is tightened round his false neck. She
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: went near to Mark and hissed the last words into
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: his face, leaning forward with one hand on her own throat.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: But he seemed to shrink less before her vindictive passion
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: than he had under the colder scorn of Juliet's denunciations. Come, Juliet,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: said Julia, calming herself a little, although hate was still
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: blazing in her eyes. Let us leave this place. We
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: must send for the police, Julia said, Mark, stepping forward
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: and speaking with some of his former assurance. You condemn me, unheard.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Why should you believe this girl before me? It is
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: not like you, Julia, It is not like the girl
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: I love for. I do love you, darling, in spite
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: of what you may think, And till a few moments ago,
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: I thought you loved me too. But I see now
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: what your love is. One whiff of suspicion, one word
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: of accusation, and without proof or evidence, you condemn me,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: and your so called affection disappears. Julia, I think you
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: have broken my heart. Juliet gave vent to a derisive
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: sound which can only be called a snort. But it
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: was plain that his words, and more especially the manner
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: of sad yet tender reproach in which they were uttered,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: were not without their effect on the other girl. Her
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: eyes wavered uneasily. She twisted and tore it her handkerchief.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: I have heard what you have to say, she murmured.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: I saw that you could not deny what Juliet told me.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: I did deny it. But what is the use of
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: talking to you when you are in such a state.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: You are determined beforehand to disbelieve me, and I have
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: no wish to justify myself to miss Byrne, though I
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: am willing to swallow my pride and do so to
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: you well, she said, after a moment's hesitation. Justify yourself
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: if you can. No one shall say I would not listen.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: God knows I shall be glad enough if you can
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: clear yourself to begin with, said Mark. I admit that
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: superficially there is truth in what you have heard, but
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: only superficially, for the person I deceived was not yourself
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: but this young lady. I certainly, as she suggests, never
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: had the slightest intention of marrying her. For one thing,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: I was absolutely certain she would refuse me, but it
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: seemed a good precautionary move to make what might appear
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: a generous proposal, and at the same time get a
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: sort of mandate from the possible heiress herself to stick
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: to my uncle's fortune. You may be sure I should
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: never have given it up in any case, but it
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: is as well to keep up appearances. The business was
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: only a move in the game I am playing, and
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: no more affects the sincerity of my love for you
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: than any of the social equivocations we all find necessary
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: from time to time. I love you, Julia, and you alone.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: How can you doubt it? I love you so much
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: that I am willing to overlook your want of confidence
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: in me, and to forgive the cruel things you said
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: just now? Darling, How can I tell you before a
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: third person what I feel for you. You are everything
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: to me, and if you no longer love me, I
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: don't care what happens. Give me up to the police
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: if you like. The gallows is as good a place
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: as another without your love. Long before he had finished,
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: all traces of resentment had vanished. When he ceased speaking,
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: she gave in completely and threw herself upon his breast,
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: sobbing passionately and begging his forgiveness for having doubted him
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: for an instant while he soothed and comforted her in
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: a low tone. Juliet did not know what to do
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: or which way to look. The two stood between her
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: and the door, and she felt an absurd awkwardness about
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: trying to pass them. Was it likely she would be
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: allowed to go out free to denounce them? She was
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: afraid of trying. At last, Julia was calm again, and
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: there came a silence, during which the pair glanced at
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Juliet and then at each other. What's to be done?
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Julia asked at length, and then suddenly, without waiting for
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: an answer, I have an idea mark that will save you.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: If her mouth can be stopped for a time, will
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: you be able to get clear away? I shall have
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: to try, I suppose, he replied, with a trace of
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: his former sulkiness, to think that everything should miscarry because
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: of a slip of a girl. You had better go
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: to Glasgow and get on board some ship there which
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: will take you to a place of safety. I shall
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: have to stay behind till the matter of the list
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: is settled. One way or the other. But then, when
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: I have reported to my superiors, I can join you
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: and we can begin life together in some far off country.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: I shall be as happy in one place as in
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: another with you, Mark, and you are sure you will
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: be two with only me. Mark hastened to reassure her
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: on that point, but his tone, as he said it,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: did not carry conviction to Juliet. Julia, however, seems satisfied.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: Miss Byrne can choose, she continued, either she swears not
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: to say a word till we are both safely away,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: or else we can shut her in the dungeon of
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: the castle. I know where it is, in the wall
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: of this tower. She will never be found there, and
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: I can take her food from time to time till
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: I am ready to join you. Isn't that a good plan?
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Mark considered. I don't think we will give herm the
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: option of swearing not to tell, he said, presently, as
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: if I would ever promise such a thing. Juliet interrupted, indignant,
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: but he went on, ignoring this outburst. Otherwise, I think
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: your idea is good. Where is this dungeon? We may
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: be disturbed at any minute, and enough time has been
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: wasted already. I will go first and show the way,
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: said Julia. I have an electric torch, and she stepped
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: into the clock and lowered herself through the trap door.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Mark motioned to Juliet to follow. Ladies first, he said
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: with a sneer. Juliet turned and made a dash for
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: the door. I won't go, I won't, I won't, she
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: cried desperately, though in her heart she knew she could
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: not resist if he chose to use force. Perhaps if
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: she screamed, some one would hear. Oh, where was Gimblet?
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: Why did he leave her to the mercy of these people? Help? Help?
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: She lifted up her voice and shrieked as loud as
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: she could. With a vicious scowl. Mark sprang upon her
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: and clapped a hand over her mouth. Then, as she
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: still continued to produce muffled sounds of distress, he stuffed
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: his handkerchief in between her teeth, and, lifting her bodily
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: in his arms, thrust her before him into the clock
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: and pushed her roughly down the hidden stair. Half way down,
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: she lost her footing and fell to the bottom, where
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: Julia was standing with her little lamp in her hand.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: Mark was following close behind and between them. They picked
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: her up and hurried her, limping and bruised along the
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: narrow passage. She was allowed to take the handkerchief out
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: of her mouth, for cry could penetrate the immense thickness
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: of these blocks of stone. At the point where there
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: was a break to right and left in the walls
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: of the passage, Julia came to a standstill. Here it is,
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: she said, turning her light on the opening in the
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: wall on the left hand side. The door is gone,
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: so you will have to fetch something to block it
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: up with. It seemed to be a small cell like
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: chamber built into the side of the tower. It may
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: have contained a dozen cubic yards of space and had
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: neither door nor window. There are some slabs of stone
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: at the end of the passage, said Julia. They are heavy,
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: but you are strong. You will be able to bring them.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: We must leave a little space at the top of
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: the door to admit some air and for me to
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: pass food through to our prisoner. She laughed with a
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: feverish merriment. It will be like feeding the animals at
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: the zoo, she said. Mark signified his approval by a nod,
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: and is this the way, he asked, turning round and
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: starting off in the opposite direction. No, no, Julia cried,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: laying a detaining hand upon his arm. I don't know
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: what there is down there. I think it is a well. See,
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: you are on the very edge. She cast the light
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: on to a round, dark opening in the ground some
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: six feet in front of and below them. From where
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: they stood. The floor began to slant suddenly and steeply downward,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: so that if Mark had taken another step, it looked
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: as if nothing could have prevented his sliding down into
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: the gaping circle of blackness at the bottom. Julia shuddered violently. Oh,
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: she cried, if you had gone over, come away, Do
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: come away. It's a funny sort of well, he says,
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: looks to me like something else. Did you ever hear
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: of ubleetz? Julia Juliet as she heard him, grew white
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: with terror. Julia, Julia, she cried, You won't let him
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: throw me down there? No, no, said Julia. He would not.
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: There's no reason, Mark, she urged, come away from here,
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: but he only laughed shortly. Don't be so hysterical, he said,
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: and continued to bend his gaze upon the hole at
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: the bottom of the slope. It seemed to have a
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: sort of fascination for him. Finally, he picked a piece
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: of loose mortar from the wall and threw it down
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: into the gap. A second later there was a dull
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: sound which might have been a splash. Perhaps it is
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: well after all. Did you think it sounded as if
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: it had fallen into water? Yes, said Julia, I am
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: sure it did. Do come away. I hate being here,
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: And indeed she was shivering from head to foot, and
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: not Julia herself seemed more anxious to leave the place.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: Just one more shocked, said Mark. Here, Julia, stoop down
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: and roll that bit of stone slowly down the slope
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: while I hold on to our prisoner. We shall hear
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: better that way. Give me your lamp. Anxious to satisfy him,
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: Julia picked up the fragment he had knocked from the
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: rough wall, and, stooping down, stretched out her hand to
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: set the stone in motion. But as she did so,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Mark loosened his grip on Juliet, and, bending quickly behind
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: this poor girl who loved him, seized her by the
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: shoulders and threw her forward on to her face. The
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: steep pitch of the floor finished what the impetus given
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: by his onslaught had begun. Julia shot head first down
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: the slope and disappeared into the black chasm of the well.
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: One long, agonized scream came up to them out of
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: the darkness and rolled its echoes through the lonely passages.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: Then the distant sound of a splash in silence. Back
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: against the wall, Juliet cowered, her whole body shaken by
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: great sobs. She was petrified with terror of this fiendish man,
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: but her fears for herself gave way before the horror
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: of what she had seen. Oh what have you done?
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: What have you done? She wept. Mark tried to summon
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: up a jeering smile. The lantern threw no light upon
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: his white and twitching face. You don't suppose I meant
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: to let her go free after the taste she gave
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: me of her temper, he asked, in a voice he
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: could not keep from shaking a little. Do you suppose
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: I like having to do these things? You women have
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: never the slightest sense of common justice. The whole thing
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: is perfectly beastly to me. But how could I live
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: with a girl who would be ready to threaten me?
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: With the gallus every time she got out of bed
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: wrongfoot first. It's not fair to blame me for other
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: people's faults, he spoke querulously, with the air of a
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: much injured man, though Juliet was beyond any coherent reply.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: He seemed afraid of meeting her eyes, and looked resolutely
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: away from her, his glance shifting and wavering from the
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: walls to the floor, from the floor to the stones
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: of the low roof, up, down and sideways, but never
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: resting on her. At last, as if drawn there irresistibly
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: and against his will, they fell once more on the
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: dark circle of the mouth of the pit, and he
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: started back, shuddering violently, as if I hadn't enough to
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: bear without being saddled with hideous memories for the rest
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: of my life, he cried, with bitter irritability. If you
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: had an ounce of common fairness in your composition, you
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: would admit I could do no less. Why any day
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: she might have got jealous or something and flown into
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: a passion again and denounced me to the police. Besides,
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: I have no wish to be obliged to fly the country.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: Why should I? She was the only person who knew
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: the truth except you. That is why you must follow her. No, No,
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: cried Juliet despairingly, but without avail, for her feeble strength
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: could offer him no effective opposition, and he thrust her
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: easily on to the slope. She felt instinctively that at
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: that angle the merest push would make her lose her balance,
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: and sank quickly to her knees, catching him round the
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: ankle with one hand and clinging desperately. He swore furiously
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: and bent down to unclasp her fingers from his leg.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: Then he flung her hand away from him and cut
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: off from all assistance. She began instantly to slide backwards,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: slowly but irresistibly. End of Chapter twenty