It was not possible that he knew the cause of her flight, and yet she could not account for his evident desire to befriend her, nor, above all, for his apparently humorous enjoyment of the situation.

Had he taken it gravely, she might have been tempted to partly confide in him and ask his advice.

Was she doing right, after all?
Ought she not to have stayed long enough to speak her mind to Mrs.Randolph and demand to be sent home?
No! She had not only shrunk from repeating the infamous slander she had overheard, but she had a terrible fear that if she had done so, Mrs.Randolph was capable of denying it, or even charging her of being still under the influence of the earthquake shock and of walking in her sleep.

No! She could not trust her--she could trust no one there.

Had not even the major listened to those infamous lies?
Had she not seen that he was helpless in the hands of this cabal in his own household ?--a cabal that she herself had thoughtlessly joined against him.
They had reached the first slight ascent.