"Mr. Bellairs?" said she, and she referred in the proper way to my card, which she held scrupulously in her fingers.
"I met your sisters in Ireland," said I, without delay. "I was staying with Mr. and Mrs. Townshend at Ballysheen. I met there also a Miss Fawdry, who was living with your sisters. I must apologize for calling on you at this time in the morning; but I want to know where she is to be found. She was married from your house, I believe."
For a moment she stood there shaking her head backwards and forwards, as though I had come to the wrong house altogether; as though she was not Mrs. Farringdon, and had never heard of Miss Fawdry in her life before.
"Miss Fawdry has gone back to the West Indies," said she.
"Gone back!" I exclaimed. And at that moment I could not know whether I was glad or sorry. "Gone back," I repeated. "When? Why? Wasn't she married here from your house?"
"Oh, dear me, no."
"But your nephew left Ballysheen with her to marry her here in London."
"My nephew does many peculiar things," she replied, tartly, "that do not come to my hearing. Indeed, I did hear about this. My sisters told me that he was bringing her over. But when he came to see me, he told me that they had decided not to be married, and that Miss Fawdry had gone back to—Dominica, I think it was."
"Your nephew's a—rascal," I exclaimed. "Where does he live? I'll horsewhip him within an inch of his life."
She became so nervous then at my sudden burst of anger that she retired quickly to the door and called for Fred.