"Yes," she answered, and wondered what was coming. "Was that an accident?" Miranda stepped back and lowered her head. "You remember everything," she murmured. "Was it an accident?" "You are unsparing." "Was it an accident?" "No." "It was a trick, a sham like all the rest?" "Just like all the rest," said Miranda, wearily. "I see," said Charnock. "Good-bye." He went out of the room and closed the door behind him. It was very quiet and still in the patio. In the square of blue sky there was no cloud; the sunshine poured into the court, only in one corner there was a shadow climbing the wall, where there had been no shadow when he entered the room. He vaguely wondered what the time was, and then someone laughed. Someone above him. He looked up. Jane Holt was leaning over the railing of the balcony. He made some sort of remark; and he gathered from her reply that he had been asking why she laughed. "Why did I laugh?" she said. "Do you believe in affinities?" "No," he rejoined. "Why?" She descended the stairs as she answered him. "I saw you standing in the doorway there with your hand on your throat, breathing hard and quick, and altogether a very tragical picture." Charnock was not aware whether the details were true or not. "Well?" he asked. "Well," she replied. "Do you remember the afternoon you came here? I was in that lounge chair. You were shown into the parlour. You did not notice me. Neither did Miranda when she followed you. But she stopped on the threshold." "Yes, I remarked it. She stopped for some while. Well?" "Well, she stood just as you were standing a minute ago, in that precise attitude, with her hand to her throat, breathing hard and quick, and with a face not less tragical." Charnock's face now at all events ceased to look tragical. Jane Holt saw it brighten extraordinarily. Miranda, had she been there, would not at this moment have complained of its lack of expression. "That's true?" he asked eagerly. "What you tell me is true? She stood here, and in that attitude?" "Yes." "That's the one point unexplained. I forgot to ask. She did not refer to it. She stood here breathing hard and quick, you say, before she entered the room--with all that appearance of surprise--she stood here! Mere remorse does not account for that, does not account for her manner. On her own showing it cannot account, since the remorse was only felt this afternoon. There _is_ something more." He was talking enigmas to Miss Holt, who went into the parlour and left him in the patio to talk to himself if he would. She was not greatly interested in his relationship towards Miranda. However, Charnock was not the only person to talk enigmas to her that afternoon. She found Miranda standing just as Charnock had left her. Miranda remained standing, with any absent answer to Jane Holt's remarks, until the big outer-doors clanged to, and made the house tremble.