'But you'll not tell him; promise me that.'
'You must trust me,' I replied, 'and your trust must be complete. What power had Springfield over you? What did he say to you in that letter?'
She was silent for a few seconds, then she said, 'You remember what I said about him when I first saw him?'
'Yes, you said he made you think of snakes. You told me you disliked him.'
'That's why I'm so ashamed. I knew he was a bad man, and yet he fascinated me. I was afraid of him, and yet he almost made me promise to marry him.'
'Go on,' I said when she hesitated, 'tell me the rest.'
'When—when—your friend came here for the first time, he—he——'
'Fell in love with you. Yes, it is no use mincing words. The moment he saw you, he gave his life to you. He told me so. He told you so.'
'I knew it before he told me.'
'How did you know?'