"Would you believe that only a day or two
before Lord P.'s death the fellow Clover went to your aunt's house,
to the china shop, and stayed overnight there! What do you think of
that, eh? He did. Ask Mrs. Clover. He went there to hide, and to get
money from his wife."
This detail evidently had a powerful effect. Polly ate and drank and
ruminated, one eye on the speaker.
"I got to know of that," went on the wily Gammon. "And I told
Greenacre. And Greenacre made me tell it to Lord P. himself. And
that's how I came to be with Lord P. on New Year's Eve! Now you've
got it all."
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Polly with ferocity.
"Ah, why? I was ashamed to, my dear. I couldn't own up that I'd made
a fool of myself and you too."
"How did you know that he'd been at my aunt's?"
"She sent for me, Polly; sent for me and told me, because I was an
old friend. And I was so riled at the fellow coming and going in
that way that I spoke to Greenacre about it. And then Greenacre told
me how things were. I felt a fool, I can tell you.
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