"Indeed!" said Lady Henmarsh in a dissatisfied tone, which referred to the earlier portion of the reply. "I wonder her brother likes her coming here; it must be rather awkward for her, and for him too."
"O no, I think not," replied Hester quickly, and with a slight change of colour. "She does not mind, I am sure."
"That's well," said Lady Henmarsh. "Do you see much of poor Streightley? I have not heard of him for an age. I never can get over his unfeeling conduct to poor Ned Guyon. I know all about it, you know; for Ned wrote me every thing--refusing him money when he was on the brink of ruin; horrid, wasn't it? So I really know nothing of him. I suppose, nothing has been heard of that unfortunate mad woman?"
"Mad woman! Why do you call Mrs. Streightley a mad woman, Lady Henmarsh?" asked Hester with surprise.
Lady Henmarsh was rather confused. She felt she must make some reply, and she did not know exactly how to make a judicious one, for she had forgotten for a moment the strange complication in the position of the woman she was speaking of, and that of the woman she was speaking to.
"Well, really," she answered awkwardly, "you have only to look round you and out of window for an answer. No sane woman would run away from such a home as this, I presume."
"But she could not have remained here," said Hester; "Mr. Streightley's affairs were embarrassed before she went away."
"Yes; but then she did not know it," said Lady Henmarsh. "I suspected always that she knew nothing about her husband's affairs; and Streightley admitted that she did not. No, no, worse luck for him; he declares that it was his own fault that she left him; and I know Katharine well. She has, as her poor father used to say, 'a devil of a temper;' and she is as proud as Lucifer, and gave me an immense deal of trouble; but I am perfectly sure, if she had known the truth, and the trouble Streightley was in, she would have forgiven him."
"Forgiven him what, Lady Henmarsh? Do you know?--did he ever tell you?"
"No, never. He only said he was to blame--that she had a cause of complaint against him;--you know exactly what he said. However, she is the chief sufferer by her folly, and it is no concern of ours."