'I never thought of it!' she said.

'I knew, of course, that you had once implied some warmth of feeling towards me, but I concluded that it passed off.

And I have always been under the impression that your wife was alive at the time of my marriage.

Was it not stupid of me!--But you will have some tea or something?
I have never dined late, you know, since my husband's death.
I have got into the way of making a regular meal of tea.

You will have some tea with me, will you not ?' The travelled man assented quite readily, and tea was brought in.