Alpha Book

"The fact remains, and it is bad enough. You need help
urgently. You are in the power of a servant who tells your friends that
you are insane and thrusts false addresses upon them, for purposes which
I cannot explain."
"Nor I either, though I may guess."
"It is worse and worse. You cannot even be sure of the motives of this
woman, though you know the person or persons by whom she is forced upon
you. You cannot get rid of her yourself and you will not let any one
else help you."
"Not Count Spicca."
"And yet I am sure that he would do much for you. Can you not even tell
me why you hate him, or ought to hate him?"
Maria Consuelo hesitated and looked into Orsino's eyes for a moment.
"Can I trust you?" she asked.
"Implicitly."
"He killed my husband."
Orsino uttered a low exclamation of horror. In the deep silence which
followed he heard Maria Consuelo draw her breath once or twice sharply
through her closed teeth, as though she were in great pain.
"I do not wish it known," she said presently, in a changed voice.


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