"You had no right to bring me into the world at all," Dolly cried,

growing fiercer as her mother grew more unhappy. "If you did, you

should have put me on an equality with other people."

"Dolly," Herminia moaned, wringing her hands in her despair, "my

child, my darling, how I have loved you! how I have watched over

you! Your life has been for years the one thing I had to live for.

I dreamed you would be just such another one as myself. EQUAL with

other people! Why, I thought I was giving you the noblest heritage

living woman ever yet gave the child of her bosom. I thought you

would be proud of it, as I myself would have been proud. I thought

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you would accept it as a glorious birthright, a supreme privilege.

How could I foresee you would turn aside from your mother's creed?

How could I anticipate you would be ashamed of being the first

free-born woman ever begotten in England? 'Twas a blessing I meant

to give you, and you have made a curse of it."

"YOU have made a curse of it!" Dolores answered, rising and glaring

at her. "You have blighted my life for me. A good man and true

was going to make me his wife. After this, how can I dare to palm

myself off upon him?"

She swept from the room. Though broken with sorrow, her step was

resolute. Herminia followed her to her bed-room. There Dolly sat

long on the edge of the bed, crying silently, silently, and rocking

herself up and down like one mad with agony. At last, in one fierce

burst, she relieved her burdened soul by pouring out to her mother

the whole tale of her meeting with Walter Brydges. Though she hated

her, she must tell her. Herminia listened with deep shame. It

brought the color back into her own pale cheek to think any man

should deem he was performing an act of chivalrous self-devotion in

marrying Herminia Barton's unlawful daughter. Alan Merrick's child!

The child of so many hopes! The baby that was born to regenerate

humanity!

At last, in a dogged way, Dolly rose once more. She put on her hat

and jacket.

"Where are you going?" her mother asked, terrified.

"I am going out," Dolores answered, "to the post, to telegraph to

him."

She worded her telegram briefly but proudly:

"My mother has told me all. I understand your feeling. Our

arrangement is annulled. Good-by. You have been kind to me."




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