"You ought to mind; you do mind; at least it is certain that you would mind if you understood." "It is because I do understand that I don't mind; unfortunately the understanding is all on one side; you do seem to be so slow in grasping the true inwardness of things. I want you to answer me one or two questions--will you?" She had placed herself in an old arm-chair, and was looking up at him with the tip of a first finger touching either cheek. Her pallor had given way to a faint pink flush, which kept coming and going. Her whole face was lighted with laughter, as if challenging the persistent gravity which was on his. "I will answer any questions you like to put, to the best of my ability." "That's right, that's the proper tone in which to speak; as if you were faced by the rack and the thumb-screw, and similar pretty things. To begin with--I will make a statement; I was at Avonham that night." "As if I didn't know it." "I was wondering if you might have forgotten it." This was said with a little air of malice. "I saw poor Mr. Draycott lying on the floor, and I, as well as Major Reith, thought that he was dead. I've been asking myself how, during the very few minutes I was out of the room, you managed to take him away." "You remember that I ran up against you in the hall?" "Am I likely to forget? You did surprise me." "And you surprised me; I hadn't a notion that you were in the house, or I shouldn't have been there." "You might have stayed to say good-night, or ask me how I was; I had hurt my foot most frightfully. You didn't show the slightest sympathy." "How was I to know?" "That's just it. If you'd only said how-do-you-do, you'd have known. In your hurry you even left your bag behind you." One could see the man wince; the woman's pause was perhaps to enable him to recover himself. "Did you see what was in it?" "The countess did--as probably Jane Simmons told you." "That woman!" "That woman! She came to see me the other day." "What?" "We had rather an interesting conversation. She's going to be married." "Going to be married? To----" He left the sentence unfinished, and the name unspoken; she smiled and nodded, as if she understood. "I shouldn't be surprised; it's as likely to be him as anybody else. She's going to turn over a new leaf." "Is she?" "She's going to America with her husband." "Are you sure of that?" "I think she must have got married the very next day, and started the day after, because only the other morning a little box came through the post, postmarked Pittsburg, and in it was a piece of wedding cake, with a card on which was written, 'With the compliments of Julia Spurrier and her husband.'" "Who was Julia Spurrier?" "She was Jane Simmons; I dare say she had one or two other names besides, within your knowledge." "She had. You understood what kind of person she was?" "Perfectly; she made me understand." "And I dare say she told you one or two things about me."