"And you tore my dress," she added, angrily--"my fine dress.

Are you crazy ?" "You see, it's like this, that name of Merridy and that ring--well, the whole thing was so startling, I--I went off my head.

It came sudden, and I thought--I thought--it don't matter what I thought, but I'm sorry.

I'll apologize--and I'll get you a new dress, a whole lot of dresses, if you like." This seemed to amuse him, and he began to laugh silently.
His first impulse had been to tell her everything, but his amazement had rendered him speechless, and now he was thankful for it.

Following his discovery of her identity, he had been stricken dumb, staring at her like one demented; then, as he was about to explain, his mind suddenly grasped the significance of this revelation and the advantage it gave him over his enemies; a plan began to unfold, vague at first, its details not worked out, but a plan whereby he could by keeping silent use this knowledge to serve his vengeful ends.