“It’s Bella?”
He laughed harshly.
“No, it isn’t this time. I haven’t that excuse.”
“Excuse for what?”
“For coming. Bella’s all right. Bella’s a perfect angel. God knows what’s happened to her. I don’t. I haven’t had anything to do with it.”
“You had. You had everything. You were an angel too.”
“I haven’t been much of an angel lately, I can tell you.”
“She’ll understand. She does understand.”
They had sat down on the couch in the corner so that they faced each other. Agatha faced him, but fear was in her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, “whether she understands or not. I don’t want to talk about her.”