"Who'd have thought it! who'd have thought it! In the very
village--in the very house--of all places in the world!--in the very
house!--and he laid up--can't be moved--can't be taken away. Why didn't
I know?--why didn't I find out?--careless--stupid--thoughtless! Curse
the woman! couldn't I have imagined that she'd never be far away from
her dear professor--and we sent him there--we hid him away--we disguised
his name--college was too public for him--let him finish his
education in the country--and then we could escape away--to
Germany--France--anywhere--and carry all the money with us--all the
money!--half for me, and half for him!--and what'll become of it now?
Curse the woman! I knew she couldn't be dead. But she sha'n't have the
money--no! she sha'n't, she sha'n't!
"Is it possible, now?--could it be that that girl was deceiving me? Did
she know the woman's name, after all?--no, no! she hasn't the face for
it--no hypocrite in her yet--not yet, not yet! Well, but what if it's
all a mistake?--Why not a mistake? why not?--tell me that! Plenty of
women called Abbie, aren't there? Why shouldn't this be one of them--one
of the others? No, but the professor had known her before--oh,
yes!--known her before! and there's only one Abbie that the professor
knew before! Curse her--curse her!
"Well, what if she is there? how will she know _him_? The professor
won't tell her--he can't--he dare not tell her!--for I made him promise
he wouldn't, and I've got his promise, written down--written down!--Ah!
that was smart--that was smart! Yes, but the boy looks like his
father!--that'll betray him!--she'll know him by that--know him? well,
just as bad--yes, and worse too, in the end--worse! Oh! curse her!
"Never mind.
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