The girl had put out her hand to take the glass, but as I spoke I moved towards the door and purposely stumbled against her arm; the glass was overset, and as the liquor soaked into the cloth, there the powder lay upon the surface, like fine grey sand.
"A thousand pardons!" I said.
"You clumsy fool!" cried Northfield, rising as though to strike me. But he thought better of it, and took the lady roughly by the arm.
"Come, we will leave this gentleman to play the fool alone," he said.
"I'm going back," she said. "I will—go—no further with you."
"Come!" he said, and tightened his hold upon her arm until she cried out.
"Sir," said I, staring at the stained cloth, "did you ever know red wine to have grey dregs before?"
He turned pale, and the girl cried out again; she tried to free herself, and called in terror that she would not go. He clapped a heavy hand over her mouth.
"Mr. Northfield, if that is your true name," I said, "you're a rogue, and the lady shall not stir a step."
He released her suddenly to confront me, and in answer to a signal she ran round and stood trembling by my side.