“Do you mean, sir,” asked Sarah, “that it might not have been my mistress who was in the carriage when I supposed that I was bidding her good-by?”
“Yes. I mean that it might not have been your mistress, although we must act for the present on the hypothesis that it was she. Supposing that it was, the fact of her holding her handkerchief to her mouth while she was talking to you would lead one to suppose that she had some reason for wishing to conceal some emotion from you, would it not?”
“I suppose so. I had not thought of that.”
“No. I suppose you stood there and watched the carriage until it was out of sight?”
“Yes.”
“Then you went into the house and went directly to her rooms, did you not?”
“Yes.”
“What was the condition of the rooms?”
“I never saw them in such confusion, sir.”
“Showing that the packing had been done quite hastily; is that the idea?”