"I understand," he answered quietly. "Go on."

"Well," she continued, "a few days afterwards I had just about as
terrifying a specimen of a blackmailing letter as you can possibly
imagine."

"From these people?" Rochester asked.

"No! From a firm who called themselves agents, and said that the
letter had come into their possession, had been deposited with them,
in fact, by someone who owed them some money," Lady Mary answered. "Of
course, I was frightened to death. I don't know what made me think of
Bertrand Saton as the best person to consult, but anyhow I did. He
took the matter up for me, paid over some money on my account, and
recovered the letter."

"The sum of money being?"

"Five hundred pounds," Lady Mary answered, with a sigh. "It was a
great deal, but the letter--well, the letter was certainly very
foolish."

Rochester was silent for several moments.

"Do you know," he asked at length, "what the natural inference to me
seems--the inference, I mean, of what you have just told me?"

"You are not going to say anything disagreeable?" she asked, looking
at him through the lace fringe of her parasol.

"Not in the least," he answered. "I was not thinking of the personal
side of the affair--so far as you and I are concerned, I have
accepted your declaration. I claim no jurisdiction over your
correspondence. I mean as regards Saton."

"No! What?" she asked.

"It seems to me highly possible," he declared, "that Saton was in
league with these blackmailers, whoever they may have been. Any
ordinary man whom you had consulted would have settled the matter in a
very different way."

"I was quite satisfied," Lady Mary answered. "I thought it was really
very kind of him to take the trouble."

"Indeed!" Rochester remarked drily. "I must say, Mary, that I gave you
credit for greater perspicuity. The man is an intriguer. Naturally, he
was only too anxious to be of service to so charming a lady."

Lady Mary raised her eyebrows, but did not answer.

"I might add," Rochester continued, "that however satisfactory our
present relations may seem to you, I still claim the privilege of
being able to assist my wife in any difficulty in which she may find
herself."

"You are very kind," she murmured.

"Further," Rochester said, "I resent the interference of any third
party in such a matter. You will remember this?"

"I will remember it," Lady Mary said. "Still, the circumstances being
as they are, you can scarce