"Where is she now?" demanded Godfrey again.
"I hope to God you know," answered Tom, "for I don't."
"Where did you leave her?" asked Wardour, in the tone of an
avenger rather than a judge.
Tom, without a moment's hesitation, described the place with
precision--a spot not more than a hundred yards from the house.
"What right had you to come sneaking about the place?" hissed
Godfrey, a vain attempt to master an involuntary movement of the
muscles of his face at once clinching and showing his teeth. At
the same moment he raised his whip unconsciously.
Tom instinctively stepped back, and raised his stick in attitude
of defense. Godfrey burst into a scornful laugh.
"You fool!" he said; "you need not be afraid; I can see you are
speaking the truth. You dare not tell me a lie!"
"It is enough," returned Tom with dignity, "that I do not tell
lies. I am not afraid of you, Mr. Wardour. What I dare or dare
not do, is neither for you nor me to say. You are the older and
stronger and every way better man, but that gives you no right to
bully me."
This answer brought Godfrey to a better sense of what became
himself, if not of what Helmer could claim of him. Using positive
violence over himself, he spoke next in a tone calm even to
iciness.
"Mr. Helmer," he said, "I will gladly address you as a gentleman,
if you will show me how it can be the part of a gentleman to go
prowling about his neighbor's property after nightfall.
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