"And you had never heard anything of his daughter in the interval?"
"Once I had! It was on the same day, though. A man came here from London on an infamous errand..."
"What was his name?"
"Charles Minghelli."
"What did he say?"
"He said Roma Roselli was not dead at all, but worse than dead—that she had fallen into the hands of an evil man, and turned out badly."
"Did you ... did you believe that story?"
"Not one word of it! I called the man a liar, and flung him out of the house."
"Then you ... you think ... if she is still living...."
"My Roma is a good woman."