"Friend!" cried Robert cried. "She's the girl I'm going to marry! Where is she, madam? Can't you tell me what has happened?"
Beatrice's laugh was blood-curdling.
"Mrs. Boller!" Anthony cried. "I protest——"
"Do you really?" Beatrice smiled and turned directly to Robert. "So you're going to marry her?"
"What? Yes."
"Or perhaps you're not!" Mrs. Boller mused, "You think her a very worthy young woman?"
Robert looked blankly at her.
"But she is not," Beatrice said softly. "And you look like a decent sort, and however much it may hurt for a little, you shall have the truth. You asked me where I found this hat. Well, it was in the bedroom at the end of that corridor—Mr. Boller's room!"
She waited vainly for a little, because Robert simply did not comprehend. He frowned at Beatrice and then shook his head.
"What—what do you say?"