"I promise faithfully," Sally said, "to answer any questions you may care to ask fully, freely, truthfully--in the presence of Mrs. Gosnold. Find her first. Until you do, I refuse to say a word." "I don't suppose you'd mind telling me how you came to get your job as secretary to Mrs. Gosnold." True to her word, Sally kept her lips tight shut. At this, Miss Pride felt called upon to volunteer: "Mrs. Standish ought to be able to tell you that, Mr. Mason. She brought Miss--Manwaring here." "I'm sure," Mrs. Standish said with an elaborate air of indifference, "I know little or nothing about Miss Manwaring." But Sally's regard was ominous. She hesitated, apparently revising what she had at first intended to say. "She came to me last week--the day we left New York--with a letter of recommendation purporting to be from Mrs. English--Mrs. Cornwallis English, the social worker, who is now in Italy." "Purporting?" iterated the detective. "Oh, I have no reason to believe it wasn't genuine, I'm sure." "Have you the letter handy'?" "I don't think I have," Mrs. Standish replied dubiously. "Perhaps. I can't say. I'll have to look. I'm careless about such matters." "That's all you know about her?" "Practically. She seemed pleasant-spoken and intelligent. I took a fancy to her, gave her an outfit of clothing, brought her here and introduced her to my aunt, who personally engaged her, understanding all the circumstances. That is the limit of my responsibility for Miss Manwaring." Sally drew a deep breath; at all events, the woman had not dared repeat any of her former abominable accusations; if she was unfriendly, she was also committed to a neutral attitude: no more talk of a forged letter, no more innuendo concerning Sally's "accomplice" of the night before. There was a pause. The detective scratched his head in doubt. "All this is very irregular," he deprecated vaguely. Miss Pride opened her mouth to speak, but Lyttleton silenced her with a murmured word or two. She sniffed resentfully but held her peace. "I can't accept your apology;" Sally returned with dignity. "But I'm sure you have no longer any excuse for annoying me." But Mr. Mason held his ground. "The trouble is," he insisted, "after those cards had been read, one of the gentlemen said he had seen you out in the garden between two and three o'clock." "Mr. Lyttleton!" Sally accused with a lip of scorn. "Why, yes," the detective admitted. Mrs. Standish made a furious gesture, but contrived to refrain from speech.