“Burminster!” he repeated the name sharply. “What is his name?”
“Dr. Rotherby.”
“Ah!” She saw his face twist suddenly, as if at a spasm of pain. “That man!” He ground the words between his teeth.
“Yes, that man! Do you know him?”
She asked the question with a certain hesitation, but he answered it immediately. “I knew him once—before he came to Burminster. What is he like now? Did he treat you decently?”
“He never treats anyone decently,” said Frances.
“You quarrelled with him?” He looked at her sharply.
“Yes. I quarrelled with him,” she answered with simplicity. “I think he is the hardest man I have ever met.”
Arthur Dermot was silent. He picked up his cap and began to turn it in his hands, moodily meditative.
“Well,” Frances said, after a moment, “that is a closed chapter now. I am looking out for another post.”