He reasoned that the only way to learn anything from such dissemblers as they all were, was to catch them off their guard, and he greatly desired to get the rival factions together, in order that anger or spite might cause one or other to disclose her secret.
“Perhaps,” Gibbs said, “it might be well for us to go to Mrs Everett, or send for her to come here, and so get the testified statement as to these assertions of willingness to kill. I don’t think they’re customary among the women of your class.”
“You doubt my word!” flared up Letitia Prall. “Let me tell you, Mr Gibbs, that I refuse to have it corroborated by that woman! I tell you the truth,—she is incapable of that!”
“That’s why I want to give you a chance to refute her, to deny her to her face——”
“Never! I don’t want to see her! She shall not enter my door! Her very presence is contaminating! Adeline Everett! She is a slanderer——”
“Wait a moment, Miss Prall. What she has said of you, you have also said of her!”
“But I speak truth; she tells falsehoods. Nobody ever believes a word she says!”
“Of course not!” chimed in Eliza. “Adeline Everett is a whited sepulcher,—a living lie!”
Even more belligerent than the words was the tone and the facial expression of the speaker. Miss Gurney was not a beautiful woman at best, and her rage transformed her into a veritable termagant. Her sparse gray hair fell in wisps about her ears and her head shook in emphasis of her objurgations, while her pale blue eyes blinked with fury as she strove to find words harsh enough.
“Eliza!” and Miss Prall’s warning tone was quiet but very stern. “Stop that! You only make matters worse by going on so! If you can’t keep still, leave the room.”