He resumed with a new and bitter emphasis. "Rachel, there's only one explanation: Eva hasn't told me the whole truth. I've always thought you'd be square with me—what is it?"
She drew a long breath of misery. "I said that the situation would compromise me now," she dragged it out slowly again, "that I must marry him."
This was too much. Astry flung himself away with an inarticulate curse.
Rachel stood a moment looking after him, realizing it all, hot with shame and anger, then she turned and ran up-stairs. As she went, one of the parrots in the conservatory shrieked out its mocking cry, "Eva, Eva!" and she covered her ears with her hands and ran on to Eva's door. It was closed, but Rachel opened it and burst into the room, her face flushed and agitated, and running over to the lounge, she flung herself down and buried her head in the sofa-pillows.
Eva started to her feet with a little, frightened cry and then stood looking at her, waiting, but Rachel said nothing; she only continued to hide her face in the pillows, her whole body shaking with emotion.
"Rachel, what is it? Oh, what's happened?"
"It's Johnstone!" Rachel's voice was muffled by the pillows.
Eva shook like a leaf. "He hasn't killed him? Oh, Rachel, he hasn't—"
"He thinks I'm like that! He thinks I'm guilty. Eva, I can't stand it—I won't!"
"You mean he's been talking to you about it?" Eva was still trembling; she wrung her hands feebly. "What did he say?"