“And what is that to me?”

“Aye, your ladyship, that’s the question!  Now, your ladyship, a queer thing happened after that man’s death.  A lady started up, a disguised lady, your ladyship, who went to look at the scene of action and went to look at his grave.  She hired a crossing-sweeping boy to show it her.  If your ladyship would wish to have the boy produced in corroboration of this statement, I can lay my hand upon him at any time.”

The wretched boy is nothing to my Lady, and she does not wish to have him produced.

“Oh, I assure your ladyship it’s a very queer start indeed,” says Mr. Guppy.  “If you was to hear him tell about the rings that sparkled on her fingers when she took her glove off, you’d think it quite romantic.”

There are diamonds glittering on the hand that holds the screen.  My Lady trifles with the screen and makes them glitter more, again with that expression which in other times might have been so dangerous to the young man of the name of Guppy.

“It was supposed, your ladyship, that he left no rag or scrap behind him by which he could be possibly identified.  But he did.  He left a bundle of old letters.”

The screen still goes, as before.  All this time her eyes never once release him.

“They were taken and secreted.  And to-morrow night, your ladyship, they will come into my possession.”

“Still I ask you, what is this to me?”

“Your ladyship, I conclude with that.”  Mr. Guppy rises.  “If you think there’s enough in this chain of circumstances put together—­ in the undoubted strong likeness of this young lady to your ladyship, which is a positive fact for a jury; in her having been brought up by Miss Barbary; in Miss Barbary stating Miss Summerson’s real name to be Hawdon; in your ladyship’s knowing both these names very well; and in Hawdon’s dying as he did—­to give your ladyship a family interest in going further into the case, I will bring these papers here.  I don’t know what they are, except that they are old letters:  I have never had them in my possession yet.  I will bring those papers here as soon as I get them and go over them for the first time with your ladyship.  I have told your ladyship my object.  I have told your ladyship that I should be placed in a very disagreeable situation if any complaint was made, and all is in strict confidence.”

Is this the full purpose of the young man of the name of Guppy, or has he any other?  Do his words disclose the length, breadth, depth, of his object and suspicion in coming here; or if not, what do they hide?  He is a match for my Lady there.  She may look at him, but he can look at the table and keep that witness-box face of his from telling anything.

“You may bring the letters,” says my Lady, “if you choose.”

“Your ladyship is not very encouraging, upon my word and honour,” says Mr. Guppy, a little injured.