"It's more than that, my dear."
"Not much more, I take it."
"Once when we were in India we lived close to the powder magazine, and we were always expecting to be blown up. You never lived near a powder magazine."
"No, never;—unless there's one at Belton. But I should have thought that was exciting."
"And then there was the gentleman who always had the sword hanging over him by the horse's hair."
"What do you mean, Mrs. Askerton?"
"Don't look so innocent, Clara. You know what I mean. What were the results at last of your cousin's diligence as a detective officer?"
"Mrs. Askerton, you wrong my cousin greatly. He never once mentioned your name while he was with us. He did not make a single allusion to you, or to Colonel Askerton, or to the cottage."
"He did not?"
"Never once."