XXI. ESTHER'S MOTIVE IN SEEKING MARY.
"My rest is gone,
My heart is sore,
Peace find I never,
And never more."
--MARGARET'S SONG IN "FAUST."
I must go back a little to explain the motives which caused Esther
to seek an interview with her niece.
The murder had been committed early on Thursday night, and between
then and the dawn of the following day there was ample time for the
news to spread far and wide among all those whose duty, or whose
want, or whose errors, caused them to be abroad in the streets of
Manchester.
Among those who listened to the tale of violence was Esther.
A craving desire to know more took possession of her mind. Far away
as she was from Turner Street, she immediately set off to the scene
of the murder, which was faintly lighted by the grey dawn as she
reached the spot. It was so quiet and still that she could hardly
believe it to be the place. The only vestige of any scuffle or
violence was a trail on the dust, as if somebody had been lying
there, and then been raised by extraneous force.
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