"I thought I had seen to everything," she said presently, her voice shaking with anger, "taken every precaution, stopped up every hole where discovery could leak out, and fortune favoured you. My only fear was that Dick's valet, who was at the funeral, might recognize you. But he didn't." "I told you he did not see me at the station that day I went with Dick." "I know you did, but I thought he might have seen you, all the same. But he evidently didn't, or he would have mentioned it to the family at once. And now--now all my trouble and cleverness and planning for you are thrown away, are made absolutely useless by yourself, Annette: because of your suicidal simpleness in witnessing that accursed will. It's enough to make a saint swear." Mrs. Stoddart wiped her eyes, and shook her fist in the air. "Providence never does play fair," she said. "I've been outwitted, beaten, but it wasn't cricket. I keep my self-respect. The question remains, What is to be done?" "I shall wait till Roger comes back before I do anything." "I take for granted that Roger Manvers and his cousin Janey will never say a word against you?--that they will never 'tell,' as the children say." "I am sure they never will." "And much good that will do you when your signature is fixed to Dick's will! That fact must become known, and your position at Fontainebleau is bound to leak out. Roger can't prove the will without giving you away. Do you understand that?" "I had not thought of it." "Then every man, woman, and child at Riff, including your aunts, will know about you." "Yes,"--a very faint "Yes," through white lips. "And they will all, with one consent, especially your aunts, believe the worst." "I am afraid they will." There was a long silence. "You _can't_ remain here, Annette." "You said before at Fontainebleau that I could not remain, but I did." Mrs. Stoddart recognized, not for the first time, behind Annette's mildness an obstinacy before which she was powerless. As usual, she tried another tack. "For the sake of your aunts you ought to leave at once, and you ought to persuade them to go with you, before the first breath of scandal reaches Riff." "Yes, we must all go. Of course we can't go on living here, but I would rather see Roger first. Roger is good, and he is so kind. He will understand about the aunts, and give me a few days to make it as easy to them as it can be made, poor dears." "You ought to prepare their minds for leaving Riff. I should not think that would be difficult, for they lamented to me that they were buried here, and only remained on your account." "Yes, they always say that. I will tell them I don't like it, and as they don't like it either, it would be best if we went away." "You are wishing that nothing had been kept from them in the first instance?" said Mrs. Stoddart, deeply wounded, though she kept an inflexible face.