Hastily and unwisely, Edna tested her own sudden suspicion.
"Did you know Mark Easter's story already?"
Miss Marchrose looked down as though from an infinite height, her mobile face purposely supercilious.
"Oh, yes," said she, her voice full of deliberate scorn.
Edna did not ask from whence the information had emanated, since she was suddenly aware, with all the certainty of intuition, that Miss Marchrose had undoubtedly derived her knowledge of Mark Easter's affairs direct from himself.
XI
As Lady Rossiter proceeded on her way downstairs, leaving Iris to the completion of her lesson, she was waylaid by young Cooper.
"I've been waiting for you, in the hope that you would spare me one moment, Lady Rossiter. There was a little matter about which the staff wanted me to consult you."
Such a reference appealed to Edna at any time, and came as balm to the present state of her spirit, at the moment so seriously discomposed that she had been obliged to repeat to herself more than once, as she went downstairs:
"Still lovingly to bear a fool,