"Entirely outside. She wanted to know if I'd
heard any gossip about her husband lately. That's it, Mr.
Potter."
"You don't think she was shamming just to get off?"
"Oh, not at all. I--"
"Ha! She may have fooled you, Packer, or perhaps--perhaps"--he
paused, frowning--"perhaps you were trying to fool me, too. I
don't know your private life; you may have reasons to help her
de--"
"Mr. Potter!" cried the distressed man. "What could be my
object? I don't know Miss Lyston off. I was only telling you the
simple truth."
"How do I know?" Potter gave him a piercing look. "People are
always trying to take advantage of me."
"But Mr. Potter, I--"
"Don't get it into your head that I am too easy, Packer! You
think you've got a luxurious thing of it here, with me, but--"
He concluded with an ominous shake of the head in lieu of words,
then returned to the centre of the stage. "Are we to be all day
getting on with this rehearsal?"
Packer flew to the table and seized the manuscript he had left
there. "All ready, sir! 'Nothing in this world but one thing can
defeat'--and so on, so on.
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