Slowly Louie turned her eyes on her. She spoke slowly too. "We should get on more quickly if you didn't jump so to conclusions," she said. "I don't know what your conclusions are, but you seem to have made your mind up about something. If you'll change your tone I'll talk to you; if you won't, I won't." At that Kitty began to sob. She had to lift her veil in order to put a wisp of wet handkerchief to her eyes. But she changed her tone. "I only want to know," she said. "And I don't want to know if it isn't my business. But I _have_ seen him look at you, and he _did_ dance with you, and when they said----" "Who said?" Louie interrupted; but she had already made a guess. "And said what?" "Jeff, of course," Kitty replied. "Miriam Levey noticed him looking at you first, but after that I saw for myself. And you did dance with him. I might forgive him, but I'd never, never forgive _you_." Louie suddenly put a question. Apparently it was for nothing less preposterous than that question that Kitty was here. "One moment," she said. "Do you mean there's something about Mr. Jeffries and myself you want to know?" "Yes; and I mean to know," Kitty snapped. "And that's all?" "Enough, _I_ should say!" "Please hear me out. In fact"--Louie paused for a moment and then rapped out sharply--"you want to know whether my lover was Mr. Jeffries?" "That'll do to be going on with," said Kitty sullenly. "Then I'll tell you if you'll tell me who said he was." "I don't see what that's got to do with it, but I'll tell you if you like. Archie Merridew said so. There!" Archie Merridew!--But Louie restrained her gasp. "Thank you," she said. "May I ask whether you've asked Mr. Jeffries? _He_ might be in a position to know, you know." "No, I haven't." "But evidently you've seen something in his manner that would make it not quite impossible?" "I tell you, you've danced with him, and he's looked at you in a sort of way--more than once, Miriam says--and you're trying to shuffle out of the question," said Kitty, her suspicions aflame again. "Oh, I'll answer the question! If it had been he"--she glanced at the little head under her breast--"I'd tell you in a minute--for my baby's sake, you see. But it was not; and you might have saved yourself a journey if you'd gone to him first. And now please tell me a little more." Kitty still looked at her suspiciously. "You said you'd die sooner than tell," she cried quaveringly. "You mean you don't believe me? Well, I can't make you. If I told you the truth you'd just think I'd made up a name." "It _was_ somebody else?" cried Kitty eagerly. If it wasn't Mr. Jeffries, naturally--there was the child---- "Oh, I _want_ to believe you!" Kitty suddenly broke out. Louie laughed desperately. "Well, my dear, you may. If it was so, I suppose you'd get it out of me. It isn't, that's all. And now I think I've a right to know exactly what this Mr. Merridew has been saying."