“You are mistaken there; it was only fair to her that she should be confronted with them.”
The hearer hoped that the slight shudder he could not repress at the idea of this display of equity escaped detection.
“What happened?”
“Oh, she came bounding in, so delighted to see them. I explained to her at once that she had no great cause for elation at this visit. They must have felt rather like fools under her demonstration; they certainly looked it.” She stopped with a fierceish smile, as if the memory of her friend’s discomfiture were not at all disagreeable to her.
The picture rose in sharpest realism before Edward’s vision. The lovely little gay gladness coming frisking in, and its reception!
“And—and how did Miss Ransome take it?”
“She made no attempt to deny the charge.” After a moment, “Her excuse, if it can be called one, was that she had supposed every one to be acquainted with the ugly story. Perhaps every one is!” Another slight pause. “To do her justice, I do not think that she had any glimmering of a suspicion that there was any difference between ‘decent’ and ‘indecent’ in conduct or conversation.”
He bit his lip; protestation or extenuation would be fatal, and he attempted neither.
“And then?”
“Then—why, then they went. I do not think I ever saw people in quite such a hurry to be off.”