"So you have spied on me again!" he said.
"Dick?" repeated Staffer. "Ah! Now I begin to understand! You sent him down the Firth!"
Elsie was sensible of keen satisfaction; but only part of her fears were set at rest.
Staffer looked hard at her. She was trembling with excitement and cold, but she did not flinch, and he surprised her by a curious, bitter laugh. It carried a hint of understanding that brought the blood to her face.
"I don't know where he is, but there's reason to think he has come to no harm. That ought to satisfy you."
Elsie was silent. Her relief was great, but now that Andrew was safe, her mind could fix itself on other matters. Staffer had guessed her secret and knew that she had spoiled his plans; but his manner was more ironical than revengeful. For all that, it disturbed and frightened her. She thought something that had hit him hard had happened, and his cold-blooded calm was daunting.
"Well," he said, "there's a touch of grim humor in the situation. I found you a home and gave you the advantages you enjoy; and now you have baffled me and ruined the work of cleverer brains than mine. It's humiliating to see one's schemes brought to nothing by a raw girl's devotion to her stupid lover."
"I'm sorry the course of things made us enemies. It was unavoidable," she said quietly.
"I'm going away and it's very doubtful if I'll ever return; but I'd rather you didn't mention the matter until breakfast to-morrow. Then you can say I've gone to Edinburgh. Perhaps you can promise me that?"
"Yes. Don't you want to see Mother before you go?"
"No," Staffer answered thoughtfully; "it might be better if I didn't."
He broke off as the car came throbbing to the door; and Elsie followed him across the hall.
"If things had only been different," she said, "we might have been friends--"
Staffer did not seem to hear, for he jumped into the car and it rolled away. Elsie stood looking out into the darkness for a long time; then she shut the door and went slowly upstairs. She felt limp and bewildered now that the strain had gone; the one thing she realized clearly was that Andrew was safe.
Madge turned to her eagerly as she entered her room; but Elsie did not stop.
"They are all right, but I can't talk about it now," she said and passed on into her room, closing the door.