She had half opened the inner door, and stood, as it were, on the threshold of the box-like space between the inner one and the outer one of baize. The look she gave me was almost hostile, and the tourmalines were shut. I don't think, by the way, that she ever heard of that incident at Aunt Angela's party. I neither asked her whether she had, nor ever told her about it. "If you feel that you must----" she said, not very invitingly. "It's merely this," I said rather hurriedly, "that what you suggested is impossible now." "Yes," she said; "I suppose it is." "Her doctor's forbidden it--I mean, he says she mustn't have another shock." Instantly I saw, by the way in which she said, "Oh!" that she had had something else in her mind. "Oh!... I see," she said, and I pondered. "Ah!" I said at last. "You mean you've just seen--just this moment?" She made no reply. "You've just seen, just this moment. Then why did you say yes, you supposed so?" Her answer was impatient. "Oh, _must_ you?" "Must I what?" "Must you do this?" "Ask you why you assented when I said something was impossible now?" "Ask me anything at all!" she almost snapped. I gave her a long look. "Shut the door," I said.... "Now tell me why you agreed with me when I said that it was impossible to take your advice now." The tourmalines flickered almost scornfully. "Don't you know?" "I do not." "What! You can't guess?" "Will you tell me?" For a moment she looked as if she was going to sit down for something that would require time; but she changed her mind, and stood, a crumple of skirt grasped in either hand. "Ask me again and I will," she said, in a slightly raised voice. "I do ask you." Then, with a harsh little laugh, Louie made her second mistake of that day. "Because she's jealous," she said. "Evidently that wasn't _your_ reason; I don't know what yours was; but that's mine." "Oh!" I said. In the face of a statement so preposterous I really could think of nothing else to say. "What else did she come here yesterday for?" Louie demanded. I smiled. That was too absurd. "Well--shall we say to keep an appointment with her husband?" I suggested. "Oh, if you like!... Then why does she want to come and see me at my house?" she demanded. It was news to me that Evie did want to go and see Louie at her house, but I was careful not to let Louie see that. "Oh!" I said, still smiling. "And you think these grounds enough for your statement?" "My good----" she broke out. "I'm not asking you to accept them. I know better than to try to persuade _you_! You asked me, and I've told you; that's all." "And if I say once for all that it is not so, and that nothing could make it so?"