"I
know," she said--and I saw her burning eyes in the glass--"you can't
fool me. You've tried to be kind, but you despise me in your heart.
You think I'm as bad as any woman of the street. Very well then, I
speak for my class, and I tell you, this is where we prove our
humanity. They throw us out, but you see we get back in!"
"My dear woman," I said, "you don't understand. You'd not feel as
you do, If you knew that the person to pay the penalty might be an
innocent little child."
"_Their_ child! Yes, it's too bad if there has to be anything the
matter with the little prince! But I might as well tell you the
truth--I've had that in mind all along. I didn't know just what
would happen, or how--I don't believe anybody does, the doctors who
pretend to are just faking you. But I knew Douglas was rotten, and
maybe his children would be rotten, and they'd all of them suffer.
That was one of the things that kept me from interfering and
smashing him up."
I was speechless now, and Claire, watching me, laughed. "You look as
if you'd had no idea of it. Don't you know that I told you at the
time?"
"You told me at the time!"
"I suppose, you didn't understand.
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