She had affirmed to Janet Orgreave her absolute assurance that he did not know.

As for the tone, it was accusing, it was brutal, it was full of the unconscious and terrible clumsy cruelty of youth.
"What ?" His head moved sharply sideways, to look at her.
"Miss Gailey--she's starving, it seems!" Hilda said timidly now, almost apologetically.

"I felt sure you didn't know.

I thought _some_ one should tell you." "What do you mean--starving ?" he asked gruffly.
"Not enough to eat," she replied, with the direct simplicity of a child.
"And how did this tale get about ?" "It's true," she said.

"I was told to-night." "Who told you ?" "A friend of mine--who's seen her!" "But who ?" "It wouldn't be right for me to tell you who." They walked on in an appalling silence to the corner of the Square and the High Street.
"Here's the letter-box," he said, stopping.
She dropped the letters with nervous haste into the box.