“One of your oracular phrases! Are you prepared to be straightforward in your dealings?”
“I am prepared for any sacrifice, Wilfrid.”
“The marrying of a man in his position is a sacrifice!”
“I cannot leave papa.”
“And why not?”
“He is ill. He does not speak of it, but he is ill. His actions are strange. They are unaccountable.”
“He has an old friend to reside in his house?”
“It is not that. I have noticed him. His mind...he requires watching.”
“And how long is it since you made this discovery?”
“One sees clearer perhaps when one is not quite happy.”