"Oh yes;—of course. And now there is such a fuss about it! The police keep on coming to me almost every day."
"And what do the police think?" asked Lady Linlithgow. "I'm told that they have their suspicions."
"No doubt they have their suspicions," said Lizzie.
"You travelled up with friends, I suppose."
"Oh yes,—with Lord George de Bruce Carruthers; and with Mrs. Carbuncle,—who is my particular friend, and with Lucinda Roanoke, who is just going to be married to Sir Griffin Tewett. We were quite a large party."
"And Macnulty?"
"No. I left Miss Macnulty at Portray with my darling. They thought he had better remain a little longer in Scotland."
"Ah, yes;—perhaps Lord George de Bruce Carruthers does not care for babies. I can easily believe that. I wish Macnulty had been with you."
"Why do you wish that?" said Lizzie, who already was beginning to feel that the countess intended, as usual, to make herself disagreeable.
"She's a stupid, dull, pig-headed creature; but one can believe what she says."