Her eyes he could not see; her scarlet lips were tightly closed, and her face seemed to him to wear an air of dogged determination which helped him to understand how it was that she had escaped the perils of her unprotected girlhood.  Certainly it would have taken a good deal of courage, impudence or alcoholic excitement to make a man address to this statuesque and cold-faced creature a flippant word.

She did not see Max, who kept so quiet that it was easy for her to overlook the presence of a third person in the room.  He watched her intently, taking even more interest in her under these new conditions than he had done before.  Would she retain her cold look and manner when he made his presence known to her, as he intended presently to do?  The question was full of interest to him.

Presently Dudley stopped short in his walk, right in front of Carrie, who seemed, however, unconscious of or indifferent to the fact.

“Who are you?” he asked, abruptly.

Carrie looked up and surveyed him as if from a great distance.

“I don’t know,” she answered, rather quaintly, but evidently unconscious of the oddity of her own answer.  There was a moment’s pause, and then she asked, briskly: 

“However, that doesn’t matter to you, does it?”

“Well, yes, it does.  You come here as a messenger.  Now, I want to know your credentials.”

“I don’t know what you mean.  I live with Mrs. Higgs.  She makes me call her ‘Granny.’”

Dudley at once became strongly interested.

“Live with her, do you, and call her Granny?  I’ve never seen you when I have visited Mrs. Higgs.”

“I’ve seen you, though.  I’ve seen—­”

She stopped.

Dudley’s hand, the one Max could see from where he stood, moved convulsively.  After another short pause, Carrie raised her head, and their eyes met.  Each evidently saw something oddly interesting in the face of the other.

“I shall have to make some inquiries about you,” said he at last.

“Very well.  You can go and make them.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact, but neither impudent nor defiant.  She did not seem to care.

“This Dick Barker, who has been nabbed, as you elegantly express it, is some sweetheart of yours, I suppose?  And you have persuaded Mrs. Higgs to send me this absurd message, asking me to appear for him?”

“No.  He’s nothing to me.  Mrs. Higgs wants him got off, because if he’s convicted he’ll tell all he knows, or at least enough to set the police on.”

“And what is that to me?”

Another pause, during which she looked down.  Then Carrie raised her eyes again, and looked at him steadily.

“Oh, well, you know best.”

Dudley turned away, muttering something under his breath.  But the next moment he faced her again.

“And you are waiting to take my answer back?”

“Mrs. Higgs said there would be no answer.”