Strona 565 z 657

She was rather above the middle height, slim, with dark hair and

eyes, which seemed the darker against the absolute pallor of her

skin. I do not think that I have ever seen such deadly paleness

in a woman's face. Her lips, too, were bloodless, but her eyes

were flushed with crying. As she swept silently into the room she

impressed me with a greater sense of grief than the banker had

done in the morning, and it was the more striking in her as she

was evidently a woman of strong character, with immense capacity

for self-restraint. Disregarding my presence, she went straight

to her uncle and passed her hand over his head with a sweet

womanly caress.

"You have given orders that Arthur should be liberated, have you

not, dad?" she asked.

"No, no, my girl, the matter must be probed to the bottom."

"But I am so sure that he is innocent. You know what woman's

instincts are. I know that he has done no harm and that you will

be sorry for having acted so harshly."