Access Online - The European Library
Access Online - The European Library Access Online - The European Library
166 BLACK SHEEP.— liness it cannot haunt. The uncomplaining,active, hard-working, inventive,untiring comrade,the passionately lov-ing wife, the shrewd, unscrupulous,undaunted, steel-nerved colleague, wasnothing more to him now than a dangerouslysharp-witted, suspicious woman, yvho knew a greatdeal toomuch about him, ancl yvas desperatelyinhis yvay. The exhilaration of his spirits and thepartial intoxication of his new passion had cloneaway yvith the fear of Harriet which hacl takenpossession of him, but they had intensified his dislike,and one thought presented itself withpeculiardistinctness to Stewart Routh as he went Citywardsthat morning. It was:" Ifit yvas only to get out of her sight, to berid of her for ever, what areliefit yvould be!"He had been at some pains to keep up appearancewith his wife since theh- return to London.To the step yvhich he meditated a quarrelwith her was in no yvay necessary; ancl in theevent of his failing tobring his plans to maturitybefore theinevitable discovery-,it yvas allimportantthat they shouldbe agreed on the Ime of action tobe taken.Harriet could not,indeed, oppose him
THE FALLING OF THE SWORD.167successfully in his determination, if the occasionshould arise, to throw the charge of the murder/ ©upon George Dallas;but shemight render hispositionextremely-perilous if she did not second him.What reasonhad he to fear ?The estrangementbetween them had been growingyvider,it was true,but it had not been exclusively of his making; shehad held aloof from him as much as he from her,and he acknowledged that, if no infidelity hadexisted upon his part, it would still have takenplace. From the moment they ceased to be comradesin expedients, and became accomplices incrime, the consequences made themselvesfelt.Routh did not believe in blessings or in curses,but he did not dispute the inevitable result oftwo persons finding out the full extent of each—other's yvickedness that those two persons, ifobliged to five together,yvill find it rather uncom-© © 7fortable. The yvorst accomplice a man can hayreis his wife, he had often thought; yvomen ahvay-shave some scruple lurking somewhere aboutthem, a hankering after the ideal, for the possibilityof respecting a man in some degree.When he had been forced to see and to believe in
- Page 124 and 125: 116 BLACK SHEEP.police on this matt
- Page 126 and 127: 118 BLACK SHEEP.now. Every day her
- Page 128 and 129: 120 BLACK SHEEP.rible conviction of
- Page 130 and 131: 122 BLACK SHEEP.yvith infinitely mo
- Page 132 and 133: 124 BLACK SHEEP.change which her ne
- Page 134 and 135: 126 BLACK SHEEP.tions of maternal c
- Page 136 and 137: 128 BLACK SHEEr.ing, and then, when
- Page 138 and 139: 130 BLACK SHEEP."I am sure it has b
- Page 140 and 141: 132 BLACK SHEEP.think of me?Idare s
- Page 142 and 143: 134 BLACK SHEEP.to the area-railing
- Page 144 and 145: CHAPTER VII.ANOTHER RECOGNITION.THE
- Page 146 and 147: 138 BLACK SHEEP.street in which she
- Page 148 and 149: 140 BLACK SHEEP.grass, and towards
- Page 150 and 151: 142 BLACK SHEEP.of Harriet's suppos
- Page 152 and 153: 144 BLACK SHEEr.appearance with all
- Page 154 and 155: 146 BLACK SHEEr.monised yvith the t
- Page 156 and 157: 148 BLACK SHEEP.in reality — went
- Page 158 and 159: 150 BLACK SHEEP.Jim of late, odd jo
- Page 160 and 161: 152 BLACK SHEEP.Jim Swain engaged i
- Page 162 and 163: 154 BLACK SHEEP.tents with a still
- Page 164 and 165: 156 BLACK SHEEP.yvas goingto do. Fo
- Page 166 and 167: 158 BLACK SHEEP.per circles, as can
- Page 168 and 169: 160 BLACK SHEEP.made her a sufficie
- Page 170 and 171: 162 BLACK SHEEP.Bembridge, and then
- Page 172 and 173: 164 BLACK SHEEP.might almost have j
- Page 176 and 177: 168 BLACK SHEEP.the intensity of hi
- Page 178 and 179: 170 BLACK SHEEP.organisation and as
- Page 180 and 181: 172 BLACK SHEEP.He hacl to remember
- Page 182 and 183: 174 BLACK SHEEP.the purlieus of the
- Page 184 and 185: 176 BLACK SHEEP.not in the least, t
- Page 186 and 187: 178 BLACK SHEEP.sciousness — the
- Page 188 and 189: 180 BLACK SHEEP.try the beer in a c
- Page 190 and 191: 182 BLACK SHEEP."I'm gladIsee'd tha
- Page 192 and 193: 184 BLACK SHEEP.quiry the day befor
- Page 194 and 195: CHAPTERIX."CRUEL AS THE GRAVE.""IDO
- Page 196 and 197: 188 BLACK SHEEP.yvicked, fidelity,
- Page 198 and 199: 190 BLACK SHEEP.alittle. Ithad occu
- Page 200 and 201: 192 BLACK SHEEP.succeed; then the d
- Page 202 and 203: 194 BLACK SHEEP.suspicion that Airs
- Page 204 and 205: 196 BLACK SHEEP.for this woman, who
- Page 206 and 207: 198 BLACK SHEEP.named in the memora
- Page 208 and 209: 200 BLACK SHEEP.him deaf ancl blind
- Page 210 and 211: 202 BLACK SHEEr." Tliis is my- oppo
- Page 212 and 213: 204 BLACK SHEEP.lessblack eyes shif
- Page 214 and 215: 206 BLACK SHEEP."You are not drunk
- Page 216 and 217: 208 BLACK SHEEP." Now listen to me,
- Page 218 and 219: 210 BLACK SHEEP.Idon't care, indeed
- Page 220 and 221: 212 BLACK SHEEr.article of dress lo
- Page 222 and 223: 214 . BLACK SHEEP.Enoughof the old
166 BLACK SHEEP.— liness it cannot haunt. <strong>The</strong> uncomplaining,active, hard-working, inventive,untiring comrade,the passionately lov-ing wife, the shrewd, unscrupulous,undaunted, steel-nerved colleague, wasnothing more to him now than a dangerouslysharp-witted, suspicious woman, yvho knew a greatdeal toomuch about him, ancl yvas desperatelyinhis yvay. <strong>The</strong> exhilaration of his spirits and thepartial intoxication of his new passion had cloneaway yvith the fear of Harriet which hacl takenpossession of him, but they had intensified his dislike,and one thought presented itself withpeculiardistinctness to Stewart Routh as he went Citywardsthat morning. It was:" Ifit yvas only to get out of her sight, to berid of her for ever, what areliefit yvould be!"He had been at some pains to keep up appearancewith his wife since theh- return to London.To the step yvhich he meditated a quarrelwith her was in no yvay necessary; ancl in theevent of his failing tobring his plans to maturitybefore theinevitable discovery-,it yvas allimportantthat they shouldbe agreed on the Ime of action tobe taken.Harriet could not,indeed, oppose him