George started, and he thought he saw Neaera start just perceptibly.
“Of course,” she said. “That’s only a copy.”
“My dear, you never told me so,” said Lord Tottlebury; “and I have never seen your handwriting.”
“Gerald and Maud have.”
“But they never saw this.”
“It was stupid of me,” said Neaera, penitently; “but I never thought of there being any mistake. What difference does it make?”
George’s heart was hardened. He was sure she had, if not tried to pass off the copy as an original from the first, at any rate taken advantage of the error.
“Have you the original?” he asked.
“No,” said Neaera. “I sent it to somebody ever so long ago, and never got it back.”