"You do
not know Mrs. Adair, I think?"
"No," he replied, as he raised his hat. "But I know Mrs. Adair very well
by name. I know friends of yours, Mrs. Adair--Durrance, for instance;
and of course I knew--"
A glance from Ethne brought him abruptly to a stop. He began vigorously
to push the nose of his boat from the sand.
"Of course, what?" asked Mrs. Adair, with a smile.
"Of course I knew of you, Mrs. Adair."
Mrs. Adair was quite clear that this was not what Willoughby had been on
the point of saying when Ethne turned her eyes quietly upon him and cut
him short. He was on the point of adding another name. "Captain
Willoughby," she repeated to herself. Then she said:--
"You belong to Colonel Durrance's regiment, perhaps?"
"No, I belong to the North Surrey," he answered.
"Ah! Mr. Feversham's old regiment," said Mrs. Adair, pleasantly. Captain
Willoughby had fallen into her little trap with a guilelessness which
provoked in her a desire for a closer acquaintanceship. Whatever
Willoughby knew it would be easy to extract. Ethne, however, had
disconcerting ways which at times left Mrs. Adair at a loss. She looked
now straight into Mrs. Adair's eyes and said calmly:--
"Captain Willoughby and I have been talking of Mr.
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