“No. Yes. At least he caught hold of him and flung him away.”
“Flung him to the ground, in fact?”
“I don’t know whether he meant to do that.”
“But, as a matter of fact, the deceased did fall to the ground, and lay there, stunned.”
“He struck his head against the ledge of the window.”
“Yes. Do you know the reason why the deceased attacked Mr. King?”
Nell made no answer.
“I am sorry to have to press for an answer. Remember, there is nothing whatever discreditable to a lady in being the object of jealousy between two hot-blooded young men. I believe it is an undoubted fact that Jem Stickels, the deceased, was jealous of Mr. King, and that it was the sight of Mr. King and you together which provoked him to attack a rival whom he regarded, rightly or wrongly, as more favored than himself.”
Nell blundered into a hasty, incoherent answer:
“No. It was not that. He didn’t. He couldn’t. It was not that he was jealous. He had no right to be jealous. I always hated Jem Stickels, and he knew it. How could he be jealous when I detested him?”