He sent the last words out between his teeth as if he loathed the idea expressed in them. If they brought a sombre red to the girl's cheeks, it was not because she did not have sympathy with him.
Sudden leaping flames of passion yellowed the man's eyes, and he staggered up.
"May God damn the best in him! May all he loves wither and blight! May black Heaven break his heart----"
Jinnie sprang forward and clutched him fiercely by the arm. "Don't! Don't!" she implored. "That's awful, awful!"
Singleton sank back, brushing his foaming lips with the back of his hand.
"Well," he muttered, "he followed me abroad and did for me over there!"
"Did for you?" Virginia repeated after him, parrot-like, gazing at him in a puzzled way as she sat down again.
"Yes, me! If I'd had any sense, I might have known his game. In the state of his finances he'd no business to come over at all. But I didn't know until he got there how evil he was. Oh, God! I wish I had--but I didn't, and now my only work left is to send you somewhere----Oh, why didn't I know?"
The deep sadness, the longing in his voice brought Virginia to her feet once more. She wanted to do something for the thin, sick man because she loved him--just that! Years of neglect had failed to kill in the young heart the cherished affection for her absent parent, and in some subtle way he now appealed to the mother within her, as all sick men do to all heart-women.
"I'd like to help you if I could, father," she said.
The man, with a quick, spasmodic action, drew her to him. Never had he seen such a pair of eyes! They reminded him of Italian skies under which he had dreamed brave dreams--dreamed dreams which would ever be dreams. The end of them now was the grave.
"Little girl! My little girl!" he murmured, caressing her shoulders. Then he caught himself sharply, crushing the sentiment from his voice.
"Hide yourself; change your name; do anything to keep from your uncle. When you're old enough to handle your own affairs, you can come out of your hiding-place--do you understand me?"
"I think I do," she said, tears gathering under her lids.
"I don't know of any one I could trust in this county. Jordan Morse would get 'em all under his spell. That would be the last of you. For your mother's sake----" His lips quivered, but he went on with a masterful effort to choke down a sob,--"I may honestly say, for your own sake, I want you to live and do well."