He told Clarice of the condition of the village after Gorley's raid, as he first came within view of it: here the body of a negro stood pinned upright against the wall of his hut by an assegai fixing his neck; there another was lying charred upon still-smouldering embers; and as he saw her turn pale and shudder he almost wondered why.
But in spite of his efforts to appreciate its actuality the incident grew more unsubstantial the further he progressed in its narration, and he ended it abruptly.
'Gorley was properly tried,' he said--'his relations testified to the justice of his trial--and he was executed in accordance with the verdict.' Clarice sat motionless after he had ended.

Drake watched the flames sparkle in her gray eyes.

At his elbow the clock ticked upon the mantelshelf spacing the seconds, and the fire was hot upon his limbs.
That dream-world in Africa dissolved to a vapour.
Clarice recalled him to it at last.
'I never imagined,' she said in a low voice, 'that the truth was anything like this.

I shouldn't have asked you if I had.

A long time ago I knew that something was being concealed, but I thought it was an accident or--well, I couldn't conceive what it was and I grew curious, I suppose.
When you came back to England I thought you might be able to tell me.
Lately, however, I began to fancy that you were concerned in it some way.
You might have sent Mr .-- --' she checked herself with the name unspoken and went on, 'you might have sent him on some fatal mission or something of that sort.