With this incident filling my mind, I returned to Washington. I
had acquainted myself with the open facts of this family's history;
but what of its inner life? Who knew it? Did any one? Even the
man who confided to me the contretemps in the hotel parlor could not
be sure what underlay Mr. Jeffrey's warm advocacy of the woman he
had elected to marry. He could not even be certain that he had
really understood the feeling shown by Cora Tuttle when she heard
the man, who had once lavished attentions on her, express in this
public manner a preference for her sister. A woman has great
aptness in concealing a mortal hurt, and, from what I had seen of
this one, I thought it highly improbable that all was quiet in her
passionate breast because she had turned an impassive front to the
world.
I was becoming confused in the maze of my own imaginings. To escape
the results of this confusion, I determined to drop theory and
confine myself to facts.
And thus passed the first few days succeeding the tragic discovery
in the Moore house.
VII
SLY WORK
The next morning my duty led me directly in the way of that little
friend of mine whom I have already mentioned. It is strange how
often my duty did lead me in her way.
She is a demure little creature, with wits as bright 1s her eyes,
which is saying a great deal; and while, in the course of our long
friendship, I had admired without making use of the special abilities
I saw in her, I felt that the time had now come when they might
prove of inestimable value to me.
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