"Answer me, child. Has that cursed nephew of mine made any impression on you? Answer me!"
"Not the kind you evidently mean!" said Strelsa, helplessly.
"Is there anybody else?"
The outrageous question silenced the girl for a moment. Angry, she still tried to be gentle; tried to remember the age, and the excellent intentions of this excited old lady; and she answered in a low voice:
"I care for no man in particular, unless it be Sir Charles—and——"
"And who?"
"Mr. Quarren, I think," she said.
Mrs. Sprowl's jowl grew purple with fury:
"You—has that boy had the impudence—damn him——"
Strelsa sprang to her feet.