"You don't need to tell me, because I know." Jane emphasized the know. "It's not true. I didn't say that. This is what I said."
As well as she could recall it, she repeated the conversation that had taken place between herself and Ethel.
"I asked Ethel to invite you because I didn't want you to go to your room," she explained. "Miss Noble and I are not on speaking terms. Did you know that?"
"Yes, I knew it," Alicia admitted. "I was told it was your fault. I didn't believe it until——"
She paused, uncertainty written large on every feature. She had begun to glimpse the unworthiness of her doubts.
"Until Miss Noble came to you with this untruthful tale about me," finished Jane.
Alicia was silent. She could not truthfully contradict this pertinent statement.
"Which of us do you believe, Alicia?"
Jane put the question with business-like directness.
Alicia mutely studied Jane's resolute face. Honesty of purpose looked out from the long-lashed, gray eyes. She mentally contrasted it with another face; dark, spiteful and furtive.