‘Why have you not been to see me before this?’

’I—­really couldn’t.  The circumstances—­everything is so very painful.  You know—­of course you know what has happened?’

‘Of course I do.’

‘How,’ asked Virginia timidly, ’did the news first of all reach you?’

‘Mr. Widdowson came here and told Miss Barfoot everything.’

’He came?  We didn’t know that.  Then you have heard the accusation he makes?’

‘Everything.’

’It is quite unfounded, I do assure you.  Monica is not guilty.  The poor child has done nothing—­it was an indiscretion—­nothing more than indiscretion—­’

’I am very anxious to believe it.  Can you give me certainty?  Can you explain Monica’s behaviour—­not only on that one occasion, but the deceit she practised at other times?  Her husband told Miss Barfoot that she had frequently told him untruths—­such as saying that she called here when she certainly did not.’

‘I can’t explain that,’ lamented Virginia.  ’Monica won’t tell me why she concealed her movements.’

’Then how can you ask me to believe your assurance that she isn’t guilty?’

The sternness of this question caused Virginia to redden and become utterly disconcerted.  She dropped her handkerchief, fumbled for it, breathed hard.

’Oh, Miss Nunn!  How can you think Monica—?  You know her better; I’m sure you do!’

‘Any human being may commit a crime,’ said the other impatiently, exasperated by what seemed to be merely new evidence against Barfoot.  ’Who knows any one well enough to say that a charge must be unfounded?’

Miss Madden began to sob.

‘I’m afraid that is true.  But my sister—­my dear sister—­’

’I didn’t want to distress you.  Do command yourself, and let us talk about it calmly.’

’Yes—­I will—­I shall be so glad to talk about it with you.  Oh, if I could persuade her to return to her husband!  He is willing to receive her.  I meet him very often on Clapham Common, and—­We are living at his expense.  When Monica had been with me in my old lodgings for about a week he took these new rooms for us, and Monica consented to remove.  But she won’t hear of going back to live with him.  He has offered to let us have the house to ourselves, but it’s no use.  He writes to her, but she won’t reply.  Do you know that he has taken a house at Clevedon—­a beautiful house?  They were to go to it in a week or two, and Alice and I would have gone to share it with them—­then this dreadful thing happened.  And Mr. Widdowson doesn’t even insist on her telling him what she keeps secret.  He is willing to take her back under any circumstances.  And she is so ill—­’

Virginia broke off, as if there were something more that she did not venture to impart.  Her cheeks coloured, and she looked distressfully about the room.

‘Seriously ill, do you mean?’ inquired Rhoda, with difficulty softening her voice.