“With Dr Gavazzi, a great friend of ours.”
“You left Studland very suddenly,” I said.
“Because of a telegram. We left at once, with hardly an hour to pack up. But how did you know we had gone to Italy?”
“I called after you had left, and your aunt told me. I wanted to speak to you, Miss Miller,” I added, turning to her seriously. “I came here to Leghorn purposely to see you.”
“It’s surely a long way to travel,” she said, turning her soft dark eyes upon mine and regarding me with wonder.
“Yes. But the reason I am here is to consult you regarding something which very closely concerns myself—regarding Ella.”
“Ah! It was strange that she left us so suddenly,” she remarked, “and stranger still the events of that night. I wonder who attacked her? She recognised her assailant, otherwise she would have said something to me. I’ve thought over it several times. The whole thing is an utter enigma. She evidently left us because she feared that her assailant would either call to see her, or perhaps make another attempt upon her.”
“Then she said nothing to you?”
“Absolutely not a word, even though when she came in she was half fainting. I naturally concluded that you and she had had some words, and therefore I made no inquiry.”
“We had no words, Miss Miller,” I said, in a low, serious voice. “Our hearts were too full of tragedy for that.”