But the nature of the man prevails: I must
have the events down in black and white.
The announcement of her approaching departure was intimated to me
yesterday. After another civil speech about the information I had
procured at Brighton, she hinted that there was a necessity for pushing
our inquiries a little further. I immediately offered to undertake them,
as before. "No," she said; "they are not in your way this time. They are
inquiries relating to a woman; and I mean to make them myself!" Feeling
privately convinced that this new resolution pointed straight at Mrs.
Lecount, I tried a few innocent questions on the subject. She quietly
declined to answer them. I asked next when she proposed to leave. She
would leave on the twenty-eighth. For what destination? London. For
long? Probably not. By herself? No. With me? No. With whom then? With
Mrs. Wragge, if I had no objection. Good heavens! for what possible
purpose? For the purpose of getting a respectable lodging, which she
could hardly expect to accomplish unless she was accompanied by an
elderly female friend. And was I, in the capacity of elderly male
friend, to be left out of the business altogether? Impossible to say at
present.
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