She had hitherto repelled him. He began to feel a
certain compassionate interest in her now.
"The consul has informed me of what you said to him," he
answered, kindly. "But, if you will take my advice, I recommend
you to tell your story to Lady Janet in your own words."
Grace again addressed herself with submissive reluctance to Lady
Janet.
"The clothes your ladyship speaks of," she said, "were the
clothes of another woman. The rain was pouring when the soldiers
detained me on the frontier. I had been exposed for hours to the
weather--I was wet to the skin. The clothes marked 'Mercy
Merrick' were the clothes lent to me by Mercy Merrick herself
while my own things were drying. I was struck by the shell in
those clothes. I was carried away insensible in those clothes
after the operation had been performed on me."
Lady Janet listened to perfection--and did no more. She turned
confidentially to Horace, and said to him, in her gracefully
ironical way: "She is ready with her explanation."
Horace answered in the same tone: "A great deal too ready."
Grace looked from one of them to the other. A faint flush o f
color showed itself in her face for the first time.
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