“I'm afraid he did. You seem to know all about it,” he added.
“Know all about it Every one within twenty miles of Leith knows about it. I'm sure the horse was doctored when he bought him.”
“Take care, you may be called as a witness.”
“What I want to know is, why you accepted such a silly case,” said Victoria.
Austen looked quizzically into her upturned face, and she dropped her eyes.
“That's exactly what I should have asked myself,—after a while,” he said.
She laughed with a delicious understanding of “after a while.”
“I suppose you think me frightfully forward,” she said, in a lowered voice, “inviting myself to drive and asking you such a question when I scarcely know you. But I just couldn't go on with Mrs. Pomfret,—she irritated me so,—and my front teeth are too valuable to drive with Humphrey Crewe.”
Austen smiled, and secretly agreed with her.
“I should have offered, if I had dared,” he said.