As no one replied, she went away for a time and returned, but again found no one at home.

This being at once reported to Mr.Widdowson he asked his wife where she had been that afternoon.

The answer was false; she said she had been here, with me.
Thereupon he lost command of himself, and charged her with infidelity.
She refused to offer any kind of explanation, but denied that she was guilty and at once left the house.

Since, she has utterly refused to see him.

Her sister can only report that Monica is very ill, and that she charges her husband with accusing her falsely.
'He had come to me, he said, in unspeakable anguish and helplessness, to ask me whether I had seen anything suspicious in the relations between Monica and my cousin when they met at this house or elsewhere.
A nice question! Of course I could only reply that it had never even occurred to me to observe them--that to my knowledge they had met so rarely--and that I should never have dreamt of suspecting Monica.