“Now that you have fortified yourself with its contents, Miss Page, I will ask you to reconcile some of the statements that it contains with some later statements of yours made here under oath this afternoon:
“My dear Mrs. Ives:
“I would like to call your attention to the fact that for the past three nights the food served me has evidently been that discarded by your servants as unfit for consumption. As you do not care to discuss these matters with me personally, I am forced to resort to this means of communication, and I ask you to believe that it is literally impossible to eat the type of meal that has been put before me lately. Boiled mutton which closely resembled boiled dishrags, stewed turnips, and a kind of white jelly that I was later informed was intended to be rice, and a savoury concoction of dried apricots, and sour milk was the menu for yesterday evening. You have made it abundantly clear to me that you regard me as a species of overpaid servant, but I confess that I had not gathered that slow starvation was to be one of my duties.
“Sincerely,
“Kathleen Page.”
“Kindly reconcile your statement that it had never entered your head that you were being treated as a servant with this sentence: ‘You have made it abundantly clear that you regard me as a species of overpaid servant.’ ”
“That was a silly overwrought letter written by me when I was still suffering from the effects of a nervous and physical collapse. I had completely forgotten ever having written it.”
“Oh, you had, had you? Completely forgotten it, eh? Never thought of it from that day to this? Well, just give us the benefit of that wonderful memory of yours once more and tell us the effect of this letter on your relations with Mrs. Ives?”
“It had a very fortunate effect,” said Miss Page, with her prettiest smile. “Mrs. Ives very kindly rectified the situation that I was indiscreet enough to complain of, and the whole matter was cleared up and adjusted most happily.”
“What?” The astounded monosyllable cracked through the courtroom like a rifle shot.
“I said that it was all adjusted most happily,” replied Miss Page sunnily and helpfully, raising her voice slightly.
Actual stupor had apparently descended on her interrogator.
“Miss Page, you make it difficult for me to credit my ears. Is it not the fact that Mrs. Ives sent for you at once on receipt of that note, offered you a month’s wages in lieu of notice, and requested you to leave the following day?”