Launce's
at last--were detailed. And he told how a village woman named
Jethway was the only person who recognized them, either going or
coming; and how dreadfully this terrified Elfride. He told how he
waited in the fields whilst this then reproachful sweetheart went
for her pony, and how the last kiss he ever gave her was given a
mile out of the town, on the way to Endelstow.
These things Stephen related with a will. He believed that in
doing so he established word by word the reasonableness of his
claim to Elfride.
'Curse her! curse that woman!--that miserable letter that parted
us! O God!'
Knight began pacing the room again, and uttered this at further
end.
'What did you say?' said Stephen, turning round.
'Say? Did I say anything? Oh, I was merely thinking about your
story, and the oddness of my having a fancy for the same woman
afterwards. And that now I--I have forgotten her almost; and
neither of us care about her, except just as a friend, you know,
eh?'
Knight still continued at the further end of the room, somewhat in
shadow.
'Exactly,' said Stephen, inwardly exultant, for he was really
deceived by Knight's off-hand manner.
Yet he was deceived less by the completeness of Knight's disguise
than by the persuasive power which lay in the fact that Knight had
never before deceived him in anything. So this supposition that
his companion had ceased to love Elfride was an enormous
lightening of the weight which had turned the scale against him.
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