Winefred: A Story of the Chalk Cliffs

by S. Baring-Gould

'Go on from there. What is that word?'

'Then Mrs. Tomkin-Jones continues, "I think he will not be satisfied until he has removed her entirely."'

'From what place? From your cousin's?'

'No, not exactly so. From——' She hesitated.

'Show me the words. I can count the letters if I cannot read them. What is that little word followed by a long one?'

'"That creature."'

'What does she mean by "that creature"?'

'I think that she means you. But mind this, Jane. It is Mrs. Tomkin-Jones who writes, and not Winefred nor Mr. Holwood; and Mrs. Tomkin-Jones has never seen you, does not know more of you than what she has heard from Winefred.'

'And did Winefred tell her I was a creature?'