"Well, then," Cuckoo said, more excitedly, "you know Ju—Mr. Addison, don't you?"
The doctor began to see a ray of light.
"Certainly I do," he said.
"And Mr. Cresswell?"
"He is one of my most intimate friends."
The words were spoken with an unconscious warmth that chilled Cuckoo. For surely the man who spoke thus of the man she hated, must be her enemy. She faltered visibly, and a despairing expression crept into her eyes.
"I don't know as it's any use my sayin' it," she began as if half to herself.
The doctor saw that she was much troubled and the kindness of his nature was roused.
"Don't be afraid of me," he said. "You have come here to tell me something, tell it frankly. I am a friend of both the people you mention."
"You can't be that," she suddenly cried. "Nobody can't be that!"