certainly not a lady. The Prisoner had spoken of her as if
she was a domestic servant who had forfeited her right to
consideration and respect. And she had entered the prison, as
a nurse might have entered it, in charge of a child. I did what
we all do when we are not clever enough to find the answer to
a riddle--I gave it up.

"What can I do for you?" I asked.

"Perhaps you can tell me," she answered, "how much longer I am
to be kept waiting in this prison."

"The decision," I reminded her, "doesn't depend on me."

"Then who does it depend on?"

The Minister had undoubtedly acquired the sole right of deciding.
It was for him to say whether this woman should, or should not,
remain in attendance on the child whom he had adopted. In the
meanwhile, the feeling of distrust which was gaining on my mind
warned me to remember the value of reserve in holding intercourse
with a stranger.

She seemed to be irritated by my silence. "If the decision
doesn't rest with you," she asked, "why did you tell me to stay
in the waiting-room?"

"You brought the little girl into the prison," I said; "was it
not natural to suppose that your mistress might want you--"