"Perhaps the reason she is never told anything," she said to herself, "is because the ground the confidence would cover is invariably built over already by a fiction of her own which it would not please her to see destroyed."
"Who would have thought," continued Sybell, "that he would have behaved in that way because I was one little half-hour late. And of course the pretext of urgent business is too transparent, because there is no Sunday post, and the telegraph-boy had not been up. I asked that. And he was so anxious to finish the sketch. He almost asked to stay over Sunday on purpose."
Rachel and Hester looked on the ground.
"Rachel said he was all right in the garden just before, didn't you, Rachel?"
"I said I thought he was a little nervous."
And what did he talk to you about?"
"He spoke about the low tone of the morals of the day, and about marriage."
"Ah! I don't wonder he talked to you, Rachel, you are so sympathetic. I expect lots of people confide in you about their troubles and love affairs. Morals of the day! Marriage! Poor, poor Mr. Tristram! I shall tell Doll quietly this evening. On the whole, it is just as well he is gone."
"Just as well," said Rachel and Hester, with surprising unanimity.