"Won't you tell me—is it fair to keep me in the dark?"
"It is perfectly fair."
"Does Jane know?"
"Certainly."
"And she won't tell?"
"No, she won't tell."
"Does mother know?"
"Yes, and no. She knows something but not all, by no means all."
"It puzzles me more than I can describe," I continued. "Why do you live in a place like this, why are you so interested in mother and in me? Then, too, you are a special friend of the Duchess of Wilmot's, who is also one of our oldest friends. You do not belong to the set of people who live in boarding-houses. I wish, I do wish, you would be open. It is unfair on me to keep me in the dark."
"I will tell you when I return," he said, and his face was very white. "Trust me until I return."