he whispered—“John, please let me go.” “Let you go? What d’you mean, let you go? Are you out of your mind? Do you think for an instant I’d be letting you stay, after this? You’ve betrayed me—deceived all of us! How long has this been going on? How long have you been hatching this? What kind of a deal did you strike with old Mother Cottingham? Whatever have you and Madeleine been up to in that old woman’s cottage? How could you do this to us? Do you not remember how you begged us to take you in? And all this while you have been taking what we have to offer and presuming on our good fellowship while you plotted in this safe place some other private scheme of your own! How could you do it? Oh, you disgust me! I would never have believed this of you!” There followed more of the same. William stood silently while this tempest raged round his bowed head. Eventually John stopped, biting off his last words abruptly. He glared at William, shaking with fury. “Yes—you can most certainly go!”
