He was discreet enough to know that he must proceed with caution, though he felt that in getting her separated from her husband and so thoroughly angry with him that he had made great progress.  Now he believed that if he could get her away from the Stopping-House his magnetic influence over her would bring her entirely under his power.

But she had insisted on going in to the Stopping-House to see Mrs. Corbett and tell her what she was going to do.  It was contrary to Evelyn’s straightforwardness to do anything in an under-handed way, and she felt that she owed it to Mrs.

Corbett, who had been her staunch friend, to tell her the truth of the story, knowing that many versions of it would be told.

Mrs. Corbett was busy setting a new batch of bread, and looked up with an exclamation of surprise when they walked into the kitchen, white with snow.  It staggered Mrs. Corbett somewhat to see them together at that late hour, but she showed no surprise as she made Mrs. Brydon welcome.

“I am going away, Mrs. Corbett,” Evelyn began at once.

“No bad news from home, is there?” Mrs. Corbett asked anxiously.

“No bad news from home, but bad news here.  Fred and I have quarrelled and parted forever!”

Mrs. Corbett drew Evelyn into the pantry and closed the door.  She could do nothing, she felt, with Rance Belmont present.

“Did you quarrel about him?” she asked, jerking her head towards the door.

Evelyn told her story, omitting only Rance Belmont’s significant remarks, which indeed she had not heard.

Mrs. Corbett listened attentively until she was done.

“Ain’t that just like a man, poor, blunderin’ things they are.  Sure and it was just his love for you, honey, that made him break out so jealous!”

“Love!” Evelyn broke in scornfully.  “Love should include trust and respect—­I don’t want love without them.  How dare he think that I would do anything that I shouldn’t?  Do I look like a woman who would go wrong?”

“Sure you don’t, honey!” Mrs. Corbett soothed her, “but you know Rance Belmont is so smooth-tongued and has such a way with him that all men hate him, and the women like him too well.  But what are you goin’ to do, dear?  Sure you can’t leave your man.”

“I have left him,” said Evelyn.  “I am going to Brandon now to-night in time for the early train.  Rance Belmont will drive me.”

Something warned Mrs. Corbett not to say all that was in her heart, so she temporized.

“Sure, if I were you I wouldn’t go off at night—­it don’t look well.  Stay here till mornin’.  The daylight’s the best time to go.  Don’t go off at night as if you were doin’ something you were ashamed of.  Go in broad daylight.”

“What do I care what people say about me?” Evelyn raged again.  “They can’t say any worse than my husband believes of me.  No—­I am going—­I want to put distance between us; I just came in to say good-bye and to tell you how it happened.  I wanted you and Mr. Corbett to know the truth, for you have been kind friends to me, and I’ll never, never forget you.”