"No, because—" she paused and apparently changed what she had been going to say. "Girls who have no particular bent fall easily into matrimony."
He wondered if what she had been going to say had any remote connection with slate-blue eyes.
"When Betty failed to turn up in time to go back to school, you thought she was just playing truant? Although she was a well-behaved child."
"Yes; she was growing bored with school; and she had always said-which is quite true-that the first day back at school is a wasted one. So we thought she was just 'taking advantage' for once, as they say. 'Trying it on' as Leslie said, when he heard that she hadn't turned up."
"I see. Was she wearing school clothes on her holiday?"
For the first time Mrs. Wynn looked doubtfully at him; uncertain of his motive in asking.
"No. No, she was wearing her week-end clothes…. You know that when she came back she was wearing only a frock and shoes?"
Robert nodded.
"I find it difficult to imagine women so depraved that they would treat a helpless child like that."
"If you could meet the women, Mrs. Wynn, you would find it still more difficult to imagine."