“When tradespeople talk it affects me; it affects us all. Why not let this house and live quietly, somewhere in the country, ’til things blow over?”
“What do you mean by things blowing over?” asked Teresa. “One would think that you were talking of some disgrace that had happened.”
Venetia pulled up her long left hand glove and moved as though about to depart. She said nothing but looked at her glove.
During the whole of this time she had neither looked at nor spoken to Jones, nor included him by word in the conversation. Her influence had been working upon him ever since she entered the room. He began now more fully to understand the part she had played in the life of Rochester. He felt that he wanted to talk to Venetia as Rochester had, probably, never talked.
“A man once said to me that the greatest mistake a fellow can make is to have a sister to live with him after his marriage,” said Jones.
Venetia pulled up her right hand glove.
“A sister that has had to face mad intoxication and worse, can endorse that opinion,” said she.
“What do you mean by worse?” fired Teresa.
“I mean exactly what I say,” replied Venetia.
“That is no answer. Do you mean that Arthur has been unfaithful to me?”