"Very," said Irene Kilnorton.
"And dreadful?"
"Well, bad for him. He'd never have got on with her and—"
"There's Mr. Fenning," interposed Alice with a quiet laugh. A moment's pause ensued. Ashley had been startled at the introduction of the name, but he recovered himself directly.
"Oh, well," he said, "of course there's Mr. Fenning. I'd forgotten him. But he's quite accidental. Leave him out. He's not part of the case."
"But there's so often a Mr. Fenning," Alice persisted. "Can he be considered quite accidental?"
Ashley had made much the same remark in different words to Irene Kilnorton a few weeks before; but remarks do not bear transplanting.
"Isn't that rather a traditional view?" he asked.
"You mean a prejudiced one?"