, Letty,« she said from her height.
    »Do forgive me, Adela. I have promised to - to say something. There must
have been a great many things said that were not true, just like this about his
marriage; I am so sure of it.«
    Adela endeavoured to let the remark pass without replying to it. But her
thought expressed itself involuntarily.
    »His marriage? What do you know of it?«
    »Mr. Wyvern came to see mother this morning, and showed her a newspaper that
your mother gave him. It said that Mr. Eldon was going to marry an actress, and
Mr. Wyvern declared there was not a word of truth in it. But of course your
mother told you that?«
    Adela sat motionless. Mrs. Waltham had not troubled herself to make known
the vicar's contradiction. But Adela could not allow herself to admit that.
Finding her voice with difficulty, she said:
    »It does not at all concern me.«
    »But your mother did tell you, Adela?« Letty persisted, emboldened by a
thought which touched upon indignation.
    »Of course she did.«
    The falsehood was uttered with cold deliberateness. There was nothing to
show that a pang quivered on every nerve of the speaker.
    »Who can have sent such a thing to the paper?« Letty exclaimed. »There must
be someone who wishes to do him harm. Adela, I don't believe anything that
people have said!«
    Even in speaking she was frightened at her own boldness. Adela's eyes had
never regarded her with such a look as now.
    »Adela, my darling! Don't, don't be angry with me!«
    She sprang forward and tried to put her arms about her friend, but Adela
gently repelled her.
    »If you have promised to say something, Letty, you must keep your promise.
Will you say it at once, and then let us talk of something else?«
    Letty checked a tear. Her trustful and loving friend seemed changed to
someone she scarcely knew. She too grew colder, and began her story in a
lifeless way, as if it no longer possessed any interest.
    »Just when I had had tea and was expecting Alfred to come, somebody rang the
bell. I went to the door myself, and it was Mr. Eldon. He had come to speak to
me of you. He said he wanted to see you, that he must see you, and begged me to
tell you that. That's all,
