"Tssh! Don't let us have this nonsense, this tragedy queening."
"Can you swear that——"
"Nance, you are a fool. Am I to be catechised by a silly girl! Stuff and nonsense!"
"Then why does this man come here in the middle of the night? Why does he spend hours with you, here, in this room? Oh, I may know more than you think, father. One cannot help having ears and eyes."
"Girl—what do you mean?"
"I have a right to know——"
"Right? You talk to me about your rights!"
Durrell was a quick-tempered and a scornful man, but Nance had never seen him look so evil.
"Let me tell you, Nance, that I am not a man who thinks it necessary to explain things to a child."
"But you explained away Jasper Benham's character—to me."