'But you must have had some grounds to go upon. You surely wouldn't have said a thing like that without a cause--you, of all men. Miss Sandford has never doubted that he's alive; now mother seems equally convinced; now there's you, throwing out mysterious hints. Be fair to us; make us sharers even of your suspicions.'
'Very good; I'll tell you all there is to tell, though it will only unsettle you as it unsettled me.'
'We can't be more unsettled than we are already. Anything to get out of the darkness into the light.'
'You'll still be in the darkness when you've heard all I have to say; I promise you that. I know I'm fogged enough.'
I cast about in my mind how best to tell a part of the truth without revealing all. It was very far from my desire to send them all scampering off to the Aquarium, as they undoubtedly would do if they learned everything. Edith guessed what I was after.
'Are you thinking how much you can keep back? Be fair.'
'I will be fair; what's more, I'll be open too.' Always begin like that when you intend to be as much the other kind of thing as possible. 'I'll put you in possession of all the information I have in a single sentence. The other day I saw a man who was Twickenham's living image.'
They had gathered round me. I had a dim consciousness that their faces changed colour. With their eyes they seemed to be trying to search me through and through. My statement was followed by a perceptible pause. Then Edith began to question me.
'The other day? When?'
'Yesterday.'