"I don't see how you could have forbidden him access to the child."
He often used words that Esther did not understand, but guessing his meaning, she answered--
"That's just what the missus said; she argued me into taking him to see the child. I knew once he'd seen Jackie there'd be no getting rid of him. I shall never get rid of him again."
"He has no claim upon you. It is just like him, low blackguard fellow that he is, to come after you, persecuting you. But don't you fear; you leave him to me. I'll find a way of stopping his little game."
"You can do nothing; no one can do nothing," she said, and the tears trembled in her handsome eyes. "He wants me to go away and live with him, so that his wife may be able to divorce him."
"Wants you to go away and live with him! But surely, Esther, you do not----"
"Yes, he wants me to go and live with him, so that his wife can get a divorce," Esther answered, for the suspense irritated her; "and how can I refuse to go with him?"
"Esther, are you serious? You cannot... You told me that you did not love him, and after all----" He waited for Esther to speak.
"Yes," she said very quickly, "there is no way out of it that I can see."
"Esther, that man has tempted you, and you have not prayed."
"I don't want to hear more of this," he said, catching up his hat. "I shouldn't have believed it if I had not heard it from your lips; no, not if the whole world had told me. You are in love with this man, though you may not know it, and you've invented this story as a pretext to throw me over. Good-bye, Esther."
"Fred, dear, listen, hear me out. You'll not go away in that hasty way. You're the only friend I have. Let me explain."
"Explain! how can such things be explained?"
"That's what I thought until all this happened to me. I have suffered dreadful in the last few days. I've wept bitter tears, and I thought of all you said about the 'ome you was going to give me." Her sincerity was unmistakable, and Fred doubted her no longer. "I'm very fond of you, Fred, and if things had been different I think I might have made you a good wife. But it wasn't to be."
"Esther, I don't understand. You need never see this man again if you don't wish it."
"Nay, nay, things ain't so easily changed as all that. He's the father of my child, he's got money, and he'll leave his money to his child if he's made Jackie's father in the eyes of the law."