She was then acting on the burlesque stage under the name of 'Musette,'
and seemed to have gained an unenviable notoriety by her extravagance
and infamy. Whyte met her in London, and she became his mistress. He
seemed to have had a wonderful influence over her, for she told him all
her past life, and about her marriage with me. Her popularity being on
the wane in London, as she was now growing old-, and had to make way
for younger actresses, Whyte proposed that they should proceed to the
colonies and extort money from me, and he had come to me for that
purpose. The villain told me all this in the coolest manner, and I,
knowing he held the secret of my life, was unable to resent it. I
refused to see Rosanna, but told Whyte I would agree to his terms,
which were, first, a large sum of money was to be paid to Rosanna, and,
secondly, that he should marry my daughter. I, at first, absolutely
declined to sanction the latter proposal, but as he threatened to
publish the story, and that meant the proclamation to the world
of my daughter's illegitimacy, I at last--agreed, and he began to pay
his addresses to Madge. She, however, refused to marry him, and told me
she was engaged to Fitzgerald, so, after a severe struggle with myself,
I told Whyte that I would not allow him to marry Madge, but would give
him whatever sum he liked to name. On the night he was murdered he came
to see me, and showed me the certificate of marriage between myself and
Rosanna Moore.
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