"Yes; quite right," she said. Again he raised his voice, that shook with suppressed rage. "And do you make a habit of doing such things, both of you? Do you open my letters, other people's letters?" "Oh, Thurso, don't be a fool!" said Maud quietly. His face went very white. "Maud, I am trying to be courteous," he said, "under a good deal of provocation. You might make an effort to follow my example." "Is it courteous to ask Catherine and me whether we are in the habit of opening other people's letters?" she asked. "Your behaviour this afternoon seems to me to warrant my question," he said. "No, Thurso, it does not," said his wife. "I think you know it, too." He looked first at the one, then at the other, and his hand moved as if instinctively towards the bottle on the table. "I don't want to make a scene with either of you," he said, "and I don't want to detain you. I wish to say, however, that I think you behaved quite outrageously. And I require you both to promise never again to act in such a way. You are absolutely unjustified in touching or interfering with my things in this way from whatever motive." He took up the bottle. "You see how little good your interference has done in this instance," he said, "and it will do as little in any other. You will merely oblige me to adopt methods as underhand as your own." "There was nothing underhand," said Catherine. "We were going to tell you what we had done. Indeed, Maud did tell you." "I should have said that stealing was underhand," said he very evilly, "though perhaps you think differently. As to your telling me, you knew it was inevitable that I should find out." "That has nothing to do with it," said Maud quickly. "Even if you could never have found out otherwise, we should have told you." "Ah!" said he. Maud looked at him in amazement. She had been told by Catherine this afternoon that there were two Mauds, and here indeed was a Thurso whom she would scarcely have known for her brother. His manner was quite quiet and courteous again now, but it seemed as if he was possessed. There was a world of sneering incredulity in that one word. "You don't believe what I say?" she asked. He was silent; he smiled a little, and raised his eyebrows. There was no need for him to speak; he could not have shouted his meaning nearly so clearly. "Then where is the use of our giving you any promise for the future, if you don't believe what we say?" she asked. "I ask for your promise, however," he said. "And if we don't give it you?" said Catherine. He looked at her closely, and she felt that he hated her at that moment. "I shall merely have to find some other way of getting things delivered," he said, "so that you shall not st--intercept them." There was silence. "I ask for your promise," he repeated. Maud threw back her head. "I promise," she said. "It is no use refusing." "And I," said Catherine, getting up. "Is that all, Thurso?"