Page:Fletcher - The Mortover Grange Affair.pdf/294

 She had been bottling things up all day; the detective was quick to notice the relief it gave her to let out the accumulated flood.

"If I'd known what I know now I'd never have come into this house!" she exclaimed. "There's something wrong here, mother, whether you know it or not! Aunt Janet—she's queer! I've seen it ever since I came, but yesterday—I don't know what you'd have done if you had had to go through yesterday and to-day!"

"Tell us about yesterday," suggested Wedgwood. "What happened?"

"It began in the morning," continued Mattie. "Mr. Levigne—he's a man from London that has something to do with the new colliery, and he's been here once or twice before since I came—came here just before noon. He came in a cab from Netherwell, just about when the snow-storm was starting, and sent the cab away. He and Aunt Janet had some talk before dinner, in the little parlour, and at dinner she was in a very bad temper. After dinner she got me to wash up for her, and she and Mr. Levigne were in the little parlour again, and I could hear that they were quarrelling—at high words. I didn't hear anything of what they said, but you could tell they were quarrelling. Once I had to go into the little parlour—a man had come to the