An answer arrived without undue delay, and Mrs. Clover went apart to
read it, her breath quicker than usual, and her fingers tremulous.
Mr. Gammon wrote with unfeigned cordiality, just like himself. He
hoped to call very soon, though it might still be a few weeks. There
was nothing to forgive on his part; he wasn't such a fool as to be
angry with an old friend for a few hasty words. But the truth was he
had a lot of business on his hands; he was doing his best to get
into a permanency at Quodlings' of Norton Folgate, and he knew Mrs.
Clover would be glad to hear that. Let her give his kind regards to
Miss Minnie, and believe him when he said that he was just as
friendly disposed as ever.
Beneath these words Mrs. Clover naturally enough detected nothing of
the strange experiences in which Mr. Gammon was involved. "Kind
regards to Minnie." Yes, there was the explanation of his silence.
He called her his "old friend," a phrase of double meaning. Mrs.
Clover, in spite of her good sense, was vexed, and wished he had not
said "old.
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