"I've called to ask you, Miss Levey, whether you've given my wife the impression that I was the cause of your leaving the Freight and Ballast Company in order that room might he made for Miss Causton?"
She gave a shocked "Mis-ter Jeffries!" but I held up my hand.
"I know I'm putting it bluntly. You can be as blunt as you like also. Will you tell me whether that is so?"
"May I die, Mr Jeffries—but surely you know I'd arranged with Mr Schmerveloff long before!"
"I see. You dismissed us. Very well. Then let me put it in another form. Have you, in my wife's hearing, associated my name with Miss Causton's in any way whatever?"
This time her answer was not quite so ready. When it came, it was a question.
"Do you mean lately, Mr Jeffries?"
"At any time, but especially lately."
Then she broke into glib speech, and all her "w's" became "v's."
"There, now I knew there vould be mischief before it was all over! 'Vot is the good of going into it?' I said; 'vot is the good, ven nobody even believed it at the time? Evie was there,'I said, 'and knew it was not true, so vy rake it all up now, Kitty?' I said. 'Ve all knew all about poor Louie,' I said, 'and vot's done's done anyway, and Evie doesn't vant to hear about it.'"