'Don't hide anything from me, mother; of course I shall speak to Jessie about it. Tell me exactly what you saw and heard.'
'I heard nothing; I shrank away, so that Jessie should, not see me. The gentleman said something to her, but she shook her head, and then he bade her good-bye and drove away. That is all.'
It was enough to make me most unhappy, but still I strove to conceal my feelings. I endeavoured to make light of the circumstance, and I asked my mother in a careless tone whether she was sure it was a gentleman who accompanied Jessie. She said she was sure of it.
'What was he like?'
'Tall and dark, and very well dressed.'
'Young?' I asked.
'No,' she answered, and I could not help feeling relieved at the information; nearer fifty than forty, I should say.'
I could not at the moment call to mind any person whom the description fitted, and I promised my mother that I would speak to Jessie about it.
'Ask her to confide in me, my dear,' my mother said.
'I will, mother.'