hard at her. At length he said: "Charity, for once let's you and me talk
together like friends."

Instantly she felt that something had happened, and that he held her in
his hand.

"Where is Mr. Harney? Why hasn't he come back? Have you sent him away?"
she broke out, without knowing what she was saying.

The change in Mr. Royall frightened her. All the blood seemed to leave
his veins and against his swarthy pallor the deep lines in his face
looked black.

"Didn't he have time to answer some of those questions last night? You
was with him long enough!" he said.

Charity stood speechless. The taunt was so unrelated to what had been
happening in her soul that she hardly understood it. But the instinct of
self-defense awoke in her.

"Who says I was with him last night?"

"The whole place is saying it by now."

"Then it was you that put the lie into their mouths.--Oh, how I've
always hated you!" she cried.

She had expected a retort in kind, and it startled her to hear her
exclamation sounding on through silence.