"Well," said he, "I suppose, before condemning you, it is only right to ask you what you have to say."
"I don't know what you mean," said Melicent. "I have nothing to say. I am waiting for you to explain why you treat me in this manner."
"Unfortunately," he said, "all is known. You will hardly deny that you got out of the window of your bedroom, when I happened to see you do it."
"I do not deny that I did," she returned quietly.
"Perhaps you will tell me why you did so?"
"It was partly that I wanted to see whether I could, and partly that I was restless. I am used to be out of doors a great deal more than Aunt Minna likes me to be."
"When I tell you, Melicent, that I know what happened last night, you should see how much worse you are making things by quibbling like this."
"Last night! But—"
"We are speaking of last night."
"I am not. The only time I got out of the window was on Thursday night."