"At anyrate, he came in, and you permitted him to stay?"
"Yes, I suppose I did. I asked him to go, but we were great friends, and—well—I let him stay and smoke a cigarette."
The court was dead silent now; the keen face of the President regarded counsel and witness with an intent scrutiny.
The society people who were there looked at each other and held their breath. The junior counsel leant forward from their benches, keenly attentive to the efforts of the respondent's friend.
"It is alleged," Mr. M'Arthur continued, "that while you were alone together you were unfaithful to your husband."
"That is a lie." The voice was so poignant, so ringing, so instinct with indignation, that even the President looked up and watched the witness keenly. Mr. M'Arthur nodded to himself as if very pleased with the response he had elicited. He put his hands together and made a motion as though he was congratulating himself.
When he looked up again his face was perfectly bright and cheerful.
"I will put this generally," he said. "Have you ever, Mrs. Admaston—ever, on any occasion or in any place—been unfaithful to your husband?"
"Never—never—never!" Peggy replied....
She seemed no more the young and frivolous person she had been. Tense and strung up, her personality had become arresting and real—her voice seemed to carry conviction.