"Are you _worried_ about it?" She turned and looked across the room.
"Why should you be? If Absalom has chosen to leave, I really don't see
why he shouldn't be allowed to go in peace."

"I don't know that he did _choose_ to leave; that is just the point."

He was longing to ask her another question about Heath, and yet he did
not like to press her.

"Here are some callers," she remarked, and then, with a short laugh, "I
wonder if they were out and about that evening. If you go on like this,
Mr. Hartley, you will make yourself the most popular man in Mangadone.
Take my advice and let Absalom come back in his own way. Perhaps he is
looking for my bowl." She turned her head and glanced at some cards that
the bearer had brought in on a tray. "Show the ladies in, Gulab."

In a few minutes the room was full of voices and laughter, and Mrs.
Wilder became unconscious of Hartley. She remained so unconscious of him
that he felt uncomfortable and began to wonder if he had offended her in
any way. He looked at her from time to time, and when he got up to go
she gave him her hand as though she was only just sure that he was
really there.

The disappearance of Absalom was taking strange shapes in his mind, and
he had so far come to the conclusion that Heath knew something about
Absalom, and his visit to Mrs. Wilder added the puzzling fact to his
mental arithmetic that Mrs. Wilder knew something about Heath. It was
one thing to corner Heath, but Heath standing behind Mrs. Wilder's
protection, became formidable.