"Of course, I had no such sum, nor any way of obtaining it. I told him so.
"'What rot! Why, those rings you've got on are worth more than that.'
"'Those rings were given to me by my husband, and if I part with them he will insist on knowing what has become of them.'
"'I don't care about that,' he said, settling himself deeper into his chair; 'either you give me that money or I stay here till your lover returns.'
"'Look here,' said I, 'I can't get you a thousand dollars, so that's all there is about it; but if you'll take some jewelry that Pa gave me, and which I know is worth about that, I'll give it you on condition that you sign a paper, saying that you have blackmailed me, and that your allegations are quite without foundation.'
"'I won't take your jewelry on any consideration,' he answered. 'What should I do with it? if I sold it I could only get a trifle of what it is worth, besides running the risk of being supposed to have stolen it. No, no, my lady; it must be cash down or no deal.'
"After a great deal of further altercation, he agreed to wait twenty-four hours for his money. I was to employ this respite in trying to sell my jewelry, but if by the following evening I had failed to raise a thousand dollars he swore he would sell my story to the newspapers. He told me that he had an appointment in Boston the next morning, and that he had not enough money to pay his expenses. So he made me give him all the cash there was in the house. Luckily, I had very little. Before leaving, he lurched into the dining-room and poured himself out a stiff drink of whiskey.
"'Now, mind that you have that money by to-morrow evening, do you hear? And don't think I shan't be back in time to keep my appointment with you, for I shall. Never miss a date with a pretty woman, even if she does happen to be your wife, is my motto,' and with that final shot he departed. As the elevator had stopped running, I told him he would have to walk down-stairs. I stood for a moment watching him reel from side to side, and I wondered at the time if he would ever get down without breaking his neck. Not that I cared much, I confess; and that was the last I saw of him alive. The next day was spent in trying to raise that thousand dollars. The pawn brokers offered me an absurdly small sum for my jewelry, and wanted all sorts of proof that it was really my property. I tried to borrow from an acquaintance (I have no friends in New York), but she refused, and intimated that your wife could not possibly be in need of money except for an illegitimate purpose. She was quite right, and I liked her no less for her distrust of me. At last I made up my mind that it was impossible to raise the sum he demanded, and returned home determined to brazen it out. Still, no news from Father. What could be the reason of his silence, I wondered; any answer would be better than no answer.