ecount, with all her
politeness, is a dangerous woman to deal with. I wish I saw my way safe
before me. I don't see it yet.

_29th._--Miss Vanstone has abandoned my protection; and the whole
lucrative future of the dramatic entertainment has abandoned me with
her. I am swindled--I, the last man under heaven who could possibly have
expected to write in those disgraceful terms of myself--I AM SWINDLED!

Let me chronicle the events. They exhibit me, for the time being, in a
sadly helpless point of view. But the nature of the man prevails: I must
have the events down in black and white.

The announcement of her approaching departure was intimated to me
yesterday. After another civil speech about the information I had
procured at Brighton, she hinted that there was a necessity for pushing
our inquiries a little further. I immediately offered to undertake them,
as before. "No," she said; "they are not in your way this time. They are
inquiries relating to a woman; and I mean to make them myself!" Feeling
privately convinced that this new resolution pointed straight at Mrs.
Lecount, I tried a few innocent questions on the subject. She quietly
declined to answer them. I asked next when she proposed to leave. She
would leave on the twenty-eighth. For what destination? London. For
long? Probably not. By herself? No. With me? No. With whom then? With
Mrs. Wragge, if I had no objection. Good heavens! for what possible
purpose? For the purpose of getting a respectable lodging, which she
could hardly expect to accomplish unless she was accompanied by an
elderly female friend. And was I, in the capacity of elderly male
friend, to be left out of the business altogether? Impossible to say at
present. Was I not even to forward any letters which might come for her
at our present address? No: she would make the arrangement herself at
the post-office; and she would ask me, at the same time, for an address,
at which I could receive a letter from her, in case of necessity for
future communication. Further inquiries, after this last answer, could
lead to nothing but waste of time. I saved time by putting no more
questions.

It was clear to me that our present position toward each other was what
our position had been previously to the event of Michael Vanstone's
death. I returned, as before, to my choice of alternatives. Which
way did my private interests point? Toward trusting the chance of her
wanting me again? Toward threatening her wit