'Of course not,' he answered, with a little irritation in his tone.
'What ails you, Cherry? Are you crazy, like myself? Struggle against it.
Don't let the bees get into your brain and swarm and buzz until you
forget everything. You ought to remember; you do things you ought not to
do. It is terrible to be crazy and half conscious of it all the
time--conscious that no one believes what you say or holds you
responsible for what you do.'
'Don't they?' Jerry asked, eagerly, for she knew the meaning of the word
'responsible.' 'If a crazy man or woman took the diamonds, and then
forgot, and did not tell, and it was ever found out, wouldn't they be
punished?'
'Certainly not,' was the reassuring reply, 'Don't you know how many
murders are committed and the murderer is not hung, because they say he
is crazy?'
In a moment the cloud lifted from Jerry's face, which grew so bright
that Arthur noticed the change, and said to her:
'You are better now, I see, and I must go before I undo it all.
Good-bye, and never say diamonds to me again; it gets me all in a--m
a--well, a French pickle--mixed, you know.'
He kissed her tenderly, and promising to take her for a drive as soon as
she was able, went out and left her alone, wondering why it was that his
having given the diamonds to his sister-in-law had failed in its effect
upon her, and upon himself, too.
Pages:
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328