Surely
it would be a cruel candour to tell Laura this, without a pressing
and a positive necessity for it?
I almost doubt whether I ought not to go a step farther, and burn
the letter at once, for fear of its one day falling into wrong
hands. It not only refers to Laura in terms which ought to remain
a secret for ever between the writer and me, but it reiterates his
suspicion--so obstinate, so unaccountable, and so alarming--that
he has been secretly watched since he left Limmeridge. He
declares that he saw the faces of the two strange men who followed
him about the streets of London, watching him among the crowd
which gathered at Liverpool to see the expedition embark, and he
positively asserts that he heard the name of Anne Catherick
pronounced behind him as he got into the boat. His own words are,
"These events have a meaning, these events must lead to a result.
The mystery of Anne Catherick is NOT cleared up yet. She may
never cross my path again, but if ever she crosses yours, make
better use of the opportunity, Miss Halcombe, than I made of it.
I speak on strong conviction--I entreat you to remember what I
say." These are his own expressions. There is no danger of my
forgetting them--my memory is only too ready to dwell on any words
of Hartright's that refer to Anne Catherick.
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