"I think it's a marvellous thing," said the woman when they had gone, "to think of the thousands of exciting tragedies, romances, crimes perhaps, that are being acted out to their ends all round one, and except for a stray little bit of conversation like that, one would never realize it. I remember hearing a woman in a crowd say something to a man in the most awful voice, full of horror, that I've ever heard. I just caught her saying, 'If he finds it out to-night, either I'll kill myself or he'll do it for me,' and then they got out of the crowd, called a hansom and drove away. Positively, I didn't sleep that night, wondering if he had found it out, wondering if he had killed her, wondering if hundreds of other people had found out hundreds of other horrible things. But it all went in the morning. Cissy had a terrible toothache, and I had to take her to the dentist's." CHAPTER VII It was nine o'clock in the evening of the same day on which Traill had been to see Sally. The lights were burning in her room as Janet approached the street door. Opening it, she walked along the passage and began the ascent of stairs. Halfway up the first flight she stopped. The voices of two men, talking rather excitedly, came up to her from the street as if they were nearing the house. Another moment and she heard one bidding the other good night in the passage. Evidently he was coming in. She walked on up the flight of stairs. His footsteps sounded behind her. She took but little more notice of the fact until, when she stopped before Sally's door, he stopped behind her. Then she turned round. Her eyes opened a little wider. She began to say one thing; then she changed her mind and said another. "Aren't you Mr. Traill?" she asked. He looked at her more closely in the dim light from the landing window. "Yes; how did you know?" "I'm Miss Hallard." "Oh, oh yes! You're Sally's friend." "'Bout the only one she has." said Janet. There was no flinching in her eyes from his. "You mean that for me?" "Yes." "Would it surprise you to hear me say I deserve it?" "Yes, considerably. Isn't it a pity you didn't realize that a bit sooner?" "Well, we must all have disagreeable times in our lives," he said rigidly. "Sally's had hers, but I guess it's over now. I fancy I've just come from school and learnt my lesson." "What do you mean?" "Do you expect me to answer that to you?" Here, in the first moment, they came to their antagonism, as Janet had always realized they would. "No, I don't expect it in the least" she replied. "Well, if you're going in--?" "Yes, I'm going in." She opened the door and entered the sitting-room. All the lights were burning. Sally's hat lay untidily on the table. "One moment," said Traill. Janet turned round. "I should be glad if you'd allow me to see Sally alone as soon as possible. I want to talk to her. I've got a lot to say." "I'll go now," she replied.