'Mary, was anyone here last night, while we were away?'

'A man, sir, came to speak to Norah.'

'To speak to Norah! Who was he? How long did he stay?'

'I'm sure I can't tell, sir. He came--perhaps about nine. I went up to
tell Norah in the nursery, and she came down to speak to him. She let
him out, sir. She will know who he was, and how long he stayed.'

She waited a moment to be asked any more questions, but she was not,
so she went away.

A minute afterwards Mr Openshaw made as though he were going out of
the room; but his wife laid her hand on his arm.

'Do not speak to her before the children,' she said, in her low, quiet
voice. 'I will go up and question her.'

'No! I must speak to her. You must know,' said he, turning to his
uncle and aunt, 'my missus has an old servant, as faithful as ever
woman was, I do believe, as far as love goes,--but at the same time,
who does not speak truth, as even the missus must allow. Now,
my notion is, that this Norah of ours has been come over by some
good-for-nothing chap (for she's at the time o' life when they say
women pray for husbands--"any, good Lord, any") and has let him into
our house, and the chap has made off with your brooch, and m'appen
many another thing beside. It's only saying that Norah is soft-hearted
and doesn't stick at a white lie--that's all, missus.'