"
"You've seen her twice," said Meldon; "once on Sunday afternoon when
she had just been to church, and was in a chastened and gentle mood
owing to the effect of my sermon on her, when the lethal side of her
character was temporarily in abeyance. You couldn't form much of an
opinion about her real character at a time like that. The other
occasion on which you saw her was when she was sea-sick, and no woman
is her true self when she's profoundly humiliated. Yet, on the
strength of these two interviews, you are apparently prepared to
contradict the result of a careful induction of mine and the lady's own
express statement. I don't know how you manage to work yourself into a
frame of mind in which that is possible."
"As a matter of fact," said the Major, "I've seen her three times."
"Twice."
"No; three times. The third time--" He paused.
"Well?"
"I spent the afternoon with her to-day," said the Major sheepishly,
"while you were at Donard with the judge."
"I don't wonder," said Meldon, "that you're ashamed of yourself. I
begin to see now why Simpkins has behaved in the extraordinary way he
has. I was inclined to blame him at first.
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