"No, brother Maurice. The spirits hadn't revealed it to me. But then I never asked them about that."
There was an air of triumphant glee in her manner, an open and mocking sneer, which dismayed him. He was sure that he had erred in telling her his secret; yet he reflected that he could hardly have done otherwise, and that she surely would not dare to refuse to give up a legal document so important.
"Will you let me examine the desk?"
"I am so happy to oblige you," she returned. "Though whether your story is true or not must depend, you know, upon the unsupported testimony of the medium—I mean of the speaker."
Maurice rose and went toward her, facing her squarely.
"I understand, Alice," he said, "that you don't love me, and I haven't come to ask favors. This is a matter of simple honesty. I certainly don't think you would willfully keep me out of my property."
"Thank you for drawing the line somewhere. It was so noble of you to interfere at Mrs. Rangely's! You didn't in the least mind robbing me of my good name, and them of the comfort of believing it was real. Besides, I did see things! I swear to you that I did! I am a medium in spite of whatever you say. I can call up spirits!"
Her voice rose as she went on, and he feared lest she should work herself into one of her furies of excitement and temper which he had seen of old.
"Why should we go back to that?" he said, as gently as he could. "That is past, and I only did what I thought was my duty."
"Oh, you did your duty, did you?" she sneered.