Curiosity of another sort had taken its place.
Mary was longing, he was sure, to question him about Christina; but she found a dozen reasons for hesitating.

Her questions would imply that Roderick had not treated her with confidence, for information on this point should properly have come from him.

They would imply that she was jealous, and to betray her jealousy was intolerable to her pride.

For some minutes, as she sat scratching the brilliant pavement with the point of her umbrella, it was to be supposed that her pride and her anxiety held an earnest debate.

At last anxiety won.
"A propos of Miss Light," she asked, "do you know her well ?" "I can hardly say that.