I did not answer.
''Come, come,'' he went on. ''That is all your fancy, is it not?''
''It was Gentleman''s fancy,'' I said, thrown off. ''That devil—!''↓本↓作↓品↓由↓思↓兔↓網↓提↓供↓線↓上↓閱↓讀↓
''Which gentleman, Mrs Rivers?''
''Richard Rivers,'' I answered.
''Your husband.''
''Her husband.''
''Ah.''
''Her husband, I tell you! I saw them married. You may find out the vicar that did it. You may bring Mrs Cream!''
''Mrs Cream, the lady you lodged with? We spoke at length with her. She told us, very sadly, of the melancholy temper that stole upon you, in her house.''
''She was speaking of Maud.''
''Of course.''
''She was speaking of Maud, not me. You bring her here. You show her my face, see what she says then. Bring anyone here that has known Maud Lilly and me. Bring Mrs Stiles, the housekeeper at Briar. Bring old Mr Lilly!''
He shook his head. ''And don''t you think,'' he said, ''your own husband might be supposed to know you, as well as your uncle? And your maid? She stood before us, and spoke of you, and wept.'' He lowered his voice. ''What had you done to her, hmm, to make her do that?''
''Oh!'' I said, twisting my hands together. (''See her colour change now, Dr Graves,'' he said softly.) ''She wept, to trick you! She''s nothing but an actress!''
An actress? Your maid?''
''Maud Lilly! Don''t y