"You fainted away at the dinner-table——"
"So you had your evening with Joy all right? Oh, what do you care for me? Nothing! You hate me, I believe!" The next moment she was crying, but, before I could assuage her, she had risen abruptly and run up-stairs.
I passed quickly into the kitchen and spoke to Leah.
"Has Uncle Jerdon gone?"
"Yes."
"Then keep out of the way as much as possible. I'm almost ready."
I went up to my own room and took the revolvers from my hand-bag and loaded them with the blank cartridges. Scarcely had I slipped the weapons into my pocket when Edna burst into the room with her arms full of dresses. She held out the pale green silk peignoir in which I had first seen Miss Fielding.
"Does Joy wear this?" she asked.
"Yes, sometimes," I answered.
"Well," she said, "she never will fascinate you in it again!" And with a single violent gesture, she ripped it from top to bottom. She took up another gown and tore that in two, also. She had begun on a third when I went up to her and stopped her hand.