&ot;alas, ada, that is not very defite&ot;

&ot;no, i know it isnt but its no good y tryg to guess, is it, when i havent really the vaguest idea?&ot;

&ot;and that is all you can tell , ada?&ot;

&ot;i afraid &ot;

&ot;had you ever actually t ada doyle before?&ot;

&ot;no, ti had t her and id heard a good deal about her through a of ours, joanna uthwood, but id never spoken to her till we t at assuan&ot;

&ot;i have one other estion, ada, if you will pardon for askg&ot;

rs allerton urured with a fat sile, &ot;i should love to be asked an discreet estion&ot;

&ot;it is this did you, or your faily, ever suffer any fancial loss through the operations of ada doyles father, lhuish ridway?&ot;

rs allerton looked thoroughly astoni射d

&ot;oh, no! the faily fances have never suffered except by ddlg you know, everythg payg less terest than it ed to theres never been anythg lodraatic about our poverty y hband left very little oney, but what he left i still have, though it doesnt yield as uch as it ed to yield&ot;

&ot;i thank you, ada perhaps you will ask your n to e to &ot;

ti said lightly, when his other ca to hi:

&ot;ordeal over? y turn now! what rt of thgs did they ask you?&ot;

&ot;only whether i heard anythg last night,&ot; said rs allerton &ot;and unckily i didnt hear anythg at all i cant thk why not after all, ls cab is only one away fro e i should thk id have been bound to hear the sho