Her fury took my breath away.
“Don't call me Frances,” she cried. “How dare you call me that?”
Perturbed as I was I couldn't resist making the obvious retort.
“You asked me to,” I said.
“I asked you! Yes, I did. You had been kind to me, or I thought you had, and I—I was foolish. Oh, how I hate myself for doing it! But I was beginning to think you a gentleman. In spite of everything, I was beginning to—And now! Oh, at least I thought you wouldn't LIE to me.”
I rose now.
“Frances—Miss Morley,” I said, “do you realize what you are saying?”
“Realize it! Oh,” with a scornful laugh, “I realize it quite well; you may be sure of that. Don't you like the word? What else do you call a denial of what we both know to be the truth. You did see Mr. Heathcroft. You did speak with him.”
“Yes, I did.”
“You did! You admit it!”