"I don't think that the Pink Shop is a proper place for a young lady to stay at," she remarked frigidly.
"Why not? You were there yourself, Miss Pearl."
"I have frequently been there, Mr. Shawe. As an artist I have to take the greatest care of what looks I possess, and I find Madame Coralie invaluable."
"You slept at the Pink Shop on the night Lady Branwin was--"
Miss Pearl displayed more agitation, and--a rare thing for so slow-thinking a woman--interrupted somewhat sharply:
"I admit that I did, but I do not wish it to be known."
"For what reason, Miss Pearl?" asked Ralph, pressing his advantage mercilessly.
"You can guess the reason, Mr. Shawe," she replied, with heavy indignation. "I know what evil minds people have. Sir Joseph is an admirer of mine--quite in a platonic way, you understand."
"Of course," murmured the barrister. "I have heard of your unblemished reputation, Miss Pearl."
"I should think it was unblemished," said the dancer, speaking faster than usual. "My dear mother, who was a consistent Baptist, always warned me when I left home to keep myself unspotted from the world. Circumstances have made me a music-hall dancer, but I have always conducted myself discreetly, and I always shall do so. Not by way of advertisement, Mr. Shawe, but because the principles, instilled by my dear mother, will not permit me to behave in any other way."