'Never in the world.'
'Then I don't understand your position.'
'Good heavens, I have none! It isn't a position to be bored to death.'
'You wouldn't accept it even in the case I put to him—that of her believing she had been encouraged to throw over poor Porterfield?'
'Not even—not even. Who knows what she believes?'
'Then you do exactly what I said you would—you show me a fine example of maternal immorality.'
'Maternal fiddlesticks! It was she began it.'
'Then why did you come up to-day?'
'To keep you quiet.'
Mrs. Nettlepoint's dinner was served on deck, but I went into the saloon. Jasper was there but not Grace Mavis, as I had half expected. I asked him what had become of her, if she were ill (he must have thought I had an ignoble pertinacity), and he replied that he knew nothing whatever about her. Mrs. Peck talked to me about Mrs. Nettlepoint and said it had been a great interest to her to see her; only it was a pity she didn't seem more sociable. To this I replied that she had to beg to be excused—she was not well.