"Is that what he calls it?" She seemed to speak with disinterested curiosity. The girl's heart gave a tremendous bound; the right way dawned upon her in a flash. Obscurity indeed the next moment engulfed this course, but for a few thrilled seconds she had understood. To send the things back "for her" meant of course to send them back if there were even a dim chance that she might become mistress of them. Fleda's palpitation was not allayed as she asked herself what portent Mrs. Gereth had suddenly perceived of such a chance: that perception could come only from a sudden suspicion of her secret. This suspicion, in turn, was a tolerably straight consequence of that implied view of the propriety of surrender from which, she was well aware, she could say nothing to dissociate herself. What she first felt was that if she wished to rescue the spoils she wished also to rescue her secret. So she looked as innocent as she could and said as quickly as possible: "For me? Why in the world for me?"!

Fleda wondered. "To me, do you mean?" "I like that!" he laughed. "How came you not to let me know that you were there?"

"Puts you in the situation of expecting that I shall do this thing just simply to oblige you?" "Then what do you make of his aversion to her?" "I'm very glad to be at home," Fleda responded.