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"And now," said Mrs. Guthrie, looking at the little
group of people who sat round her in the Council
Chamber, "and now I have told you, almost I think
word for word, everything my poor old Anna told
me."
As Mr. Reynolds remained silent, she added, with
a touch of defiance, "And I am quite, quite sure that
she told me the truth!"
Her eyes instinctively sought the Dean's face. Yes,
there she found sympathy, -- sympathy and belief. It
was impossible to tell what her husband was thinking.
His face was not altered -- it was set in stern lines of
discomfort and endurance. The Government official
looked sceptical.
"I have no doubt that the woman has told you a
good deal of the truth, Mrs. Guthrie, but I do not
think she has told you _all_ the truth, or the most important
part of it. According to your belief, she accepted
this very strange deposit without the smallest
suspicion of the truth. Now, is it conceivable that an
intelligent, sensible, elderly woman of the kind she has
been described to me, could be such a fool?"
And then, for the first time since his wife had
returned there from her interview with Anna, Major
Guthrie intervened.
"I think you forget, Mr. Reynolds, that this took
place long before the war. In fact, if I may recall
certain dates to your memory, this must have been a
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