"Her mother married twice, it
appears, and then died, and the man married again. This second wife, her
sort of stepmother, came and fetched her from La Sarthe Chase quite
suddenly one day."
"I cannot think of her in London," said John Derringham. "Did she like
it, do you think? And was she changed?"
"Yes, very changed," Cora answered, and made her voice casual. "She
looked as if the joy of life had fled forever, and as if she were just
getting through the time. Perhaps she hated being with her
step-family--people often do."
Then she glanced at him stealthily as he stared out at the sea, while
she thought: "I am sure some awful tragedy is here underneath; it is not
only his broken ankle and his illness that has made him such a wreck. I
wish I could help them. I would not care a snap for Cis, who is a
rattlesnake if she wants something."
"When was it, exactly, you saw her?" John Derringham asked. "But perhaps
you don't remember the date?"
"Yes, I do," Cora responded quickly. "It was the day your engagement was
announced in the papers, because we spoke about it.
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