Randal changed his tone.  “We have amused ourselves long enough,” he said.  “I have serious reasons, Sarrazin, for wishing to know what passed between Miss Westerfield and you—­and I trust my old friend to relieve my anxiety.”

The lawyer was accustomed to say of himself that he never did things by halves.  His answer to Randal offered a proof of his accurate estimate of his own character.

“Your old friend will deserve your confidence in him,” he answered.  “You want to know why Miss Westerfield called here.  Her object in view was to twist me round her finger—­and I beg to inform you that she has completely succeeded.  My dear Randal, this pretty creature’s cunning is remarkable even for a woman.  I am an old lawyer, skilled in the ways of the world—­and a young girl has completely overreached me.  She asked—­oh, heavens, how innocently!—­if Mrs. Norman was likely to make a long stay at her present place of residence.”

Randal interrupted him.  “You don’t mean to tell me you have given her Catherine’s address?”

“Buck’s Hotel, Sydenham,” Mr. Sarrazin answered.  “She has got the address down in her nice little pocketbook.”

“What amazing weakness!” Randal exclaimed.

Mr. Sarrazin cordially agreed with him.  “Amazing weakness, as you say.  Pretty Miss Sydney has extracted more things, besides the address.  She knows that Mrs. Norman is here on business relating to new investments of her money.  She knows besides that one of the trustees is keeping us waiting.  She also made sensible remarks.  She mentioned having heard Mrs. Norman say that the air of London never agreed with her; and she hoped that a comparatively healthy neighborhood had been chosen for Mrs. Norman’s place of residence.  This, you see, was leading up to the discovery of the address.  The spirit of mischief possessed me; I allowed Miss Westerfield to take a little peep at the truth.  ‘Mrs. Norman is not actually in London,’ I said; ’she is only in the neighborhood.’  For what followed on this, my experience of ladies ought to have prepared me.  I am ashamed to say this lady took me completely by surprise.”

“What did she do?”

“Fell on her knees, poor dear—­and said:  ’Oh, Mr. Sarrazin, be kinder to me than you have ever been yet; tell me where Mrs. Norman is!’—­I put her back in her chair, and I took her handkerchief out of her pocket and I wiped her eyes.”

“And then you told her the address?”

“I was near it, but I didn’t do it yet.  I asked what you had done in the matter.  Alas, your kind heart has led you to promise more than you could perform.  She had waited to hear from you if Mrs. Norman consented to see her, and had waited in vain.  Hard on her, wasn’t it?  I was sorry, but I was still obdurate.  I only felt the symptoms which warned me that I was going to make a fool of myself, when she let me into her secret for the first time, and said plainly what she wanted