“No, but––”
“Then how was I to know?”
“But you’ve heard––”
“Yes, I heard some things at the post-office. You’ve told me nothing.”
Huntington’s face reddened angrily.
“Never mind that now!” cried Claire sharply, sending another warning look at Seth. “Go on, dear!”
Marion went on, very carefully. With Claire alone she might have been more frank and confiding, but Seth’s belligerent attitude had begun to stir resentment in her.
“He thought I had a bad sprain. He was annoyed; 103 he didn’t take any pains to conceal that from me. But he lifted me into the saddle, and rode with me to his stable, and told one of his men to hitch up a team, and drive me home. That would have been––all right, and he had no intention––until––something I said––I must have been hysterical––something made him angry, and he––said he would drive me home himself.”
“And you let him!” cried Claire reproachfully.
“No, I didn’t let him. He did it in spite of all I could do. I pleaded with him, I tried every way to stop him. Once I started to leap out of the trap. But he caught me. He laughed at me But he was very angry too; he scolded me dreadfully. Said I needed to be punished for––I don’t know what. He hates women, and says we’re always meddling in men’s affairs. It served me right, of course. And please remember it was all my fault––truly!”