"You refused him?" breathlessly.
"Of course. There wasn't anything to say but 'No.'"
"But—I saw—"
"You saw him kiss me on the cheek? Honey, that wasn't love: that was gratitude!"
"I don't understand!" stammered Alicia, twisting her hands. "Why, you cared for him—I thought you cared."
"Of course I care for him! But not like that! Good heavens, Alicia, however did you get such a notion? My dear, if I loved you less, or him more, I should never, never be able to forgive either of you. As it is, we'll forget it."
At that Alicia began to cry.
"Oh, what have I done?" she whimpered. "Sophy, you don't know—what I've done!"
"You haven't done anything that can't be undone," said I, comfortably. "You and I, my dear, fell into a Hynds House maze. Now we're out of it!" And thinking she would be better by herself, I kissed her good night.
Out of Hynds House maze, indeed! I had only to step back into my own room to have it again enmesh me. For on the prie-dieu that had once held Freeman Hynds's Bible and now held mine, was the lost diary.