She always hated me." "Pardon me, Mrs.Vrain," said Lucian, colouring with annoyance, "but I did not come here to hear you speak ill of Miss Vrain." "I know that! She sent you here to speak ill _of_ me and do ill _to_ me.
Well, so you and she accuse me of killing Mark?
I shall be glad to hear the evidence you can bring forward.

If you can make your charge good I should smile.

Oh, I guess so!" Denzil noticed that when Mrs.Vrain became excited she usually spoke plain English, without the U.S.A.accent, but on growing calmer, and, as it were, recollecting herself, she adopted the Yankee twang and their curious style of expression and ejaculation.

This led him to suspect that the fair Lydia was not a born daughter of the Great Republic, perhaps not even a naturalised citizeness, but had assumed such nationality as one attractive to society in Europe and Great Britain.
He wondered what her past really was, and if she and her father were the doubtful adventurers Diana believed them to be.

If so, it might happen that Lydia would extricate herself out of her present unpleasant position by the use of past experience.