They were never able to prove
that she had exercised more than proper control over poor Wenham.
He died two months after they took him to the asylum. They
offered Elizabeth a lump sum to waive all claims to his estate,
and she accepted it. I think that she is now somewhere on the
Continent."
"And you?" he asked. "Why did you leave the theatre?"
"It was a matter of looking after my father," she explained.
"You see, while he was there with Elizabeth he had too much money
and nothing to do. The consequence was that he was always
--well, I suppose I had better say it--drinking too much, and he
was losing all his desire for work. I made him promise that if I
could get some engagements he would come away with me, so I went
to an agent and we have been touring like this for quite a long
time."
"But what a life for you!" Tavernake exclaimed. "Couldn't you
have stayed on at the theatre and found him something in London?"
She shook her head.
"In London," she said, "he would never have got out of his old
habits. And then," she went on, hesitatingly, "you understand
that the public want something else besides the hypnotism--"
Tavernake interrupted her ruthlessly.
"Of course I understand," he declared, "I was there to-night. I
understood at once why you were not very anxious for me to go.
The people cared nothing at all about your father's performance.
They simply waited for you. You would get the same money if you
went round without him.
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