She looked up into his face with her great, starlike eyes; and he gazed at her in return.
"Do I remember the beautiful lady in yellow?" he repeated. "As I hope for heaven, yes, and never shall I forget her while I live!"
The answer, however, was given in an undertone, which she did not catch.
"Because if you knew her," went on Winifred, "I was going to ask if you were the dark gentleman who slammed the door?"
"I'm afraid I was," he whispered in my ear. "How our misdeeds do follow us, and what a memory the little one has! I had had a dispute with some one very dear to me about going to the old place in Wicklow. She, poor girl, had no wish to see the 'ruin,' as she called it. I lost my temper, and so came about the little scene Winifred remembers and describes."
Turning to Winifred, he asked:
"Now, why do you think I could do such a naughty thing as slam a door?"
Winifred was confused. Her natural politeness prevented her from replying.
"Am I so very fierce-looking or so violent?" Roderick resumed; for he was in high spirits and ready to carry the mystery further.