I had
just lost my husband, and I managed to scrape together a few
hundred pounds--oh, quite in a respectable way, I assure you,"
she added scoffingly, on seeing her listener wince. "I came here
to try and live quietly, and, if possible, to secure a rich
husband. I knew that the Fort was here and thought that I might
marry an officer. However, the Professor's position attracted
me, and I decided to marry him. I am engaged, and but for your
cleverness in tracing that letter I should be Mrs. Braddock
within a very short time. I have exhausted all my money. I am
deeply, in debt. I cannot hold out longer."
"But the money you inherited--"
"That is all bluff also. I never had a brother. I inherit no
money. I know nothing of Pekin, save that a friend of mine sends
that scent to me as a yearly Christmas present. I am an
adventuress, but perhaps not so bad as you think me. Lucy and
Donna Inez have heard no wickedness from my lips. I have always
been a good woman in one sense--a moral woman, that is--and I
did wish to marry the Professor and live a happy life. Seeing
that I was at the end of my resources, and that Professor
Braddock expected a legacy with me before marriage, I looked
round to, see how I could get the money.
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