as if he had not spoken

She returned his stare, but without seeing him. Everything swamand danced before her eyes. 　　"Then she was there while I was posting all those letters forher--?""Letters--what letters? What makes you look so frightfullyupset?"She pursued her thought as if he had not spoken. "She and AlgieBockheimer arrived there the very day that Nick and I left?""I suppose so. I thought she'd told you. Ellie always tellseverybody everything.""She would have told me, I daresay--but I wouldn't let her.""Well, my dear, that was hardly my fault, was it? Though Ireally don't see--"But Susy, still blind to everything but the dance of dizzysparks before her eyes, pressed on as if she had not heard him. 　　"It was their motor, then, that took us to Milan! It was AlgieBockheimer's motor!" She did not know why, but this seemed toher the most humiliating incident in the whole hateful business. 　　She remembered Nick's reluctance to use the motor-sheremembered his look when she had boasted of her "managing." Thenausea mounted to her throat. 　　Strefford burst out laughing. "I say--you borrowed their motor? 　　And you didn't know whose it was?""How could I know? I persuaded the chauffeur ... for a littletip .... It was to save our railway fares to Milan ... extraluggage costs so frightfully in Italy ....""Good old Susy! Well done! I can see you doing it--""Oh, how horrible--how horrible!" she groaned. 　　"Horrible? What's horrible?""Why, your not seeing ... not feeling ..." she beganimpetuously; and then stopped. How could she explain to himthat what revolted her was not so much the fact of his havinggiven the little house, as soon as she and Nick had left it, tothose two people of all others--though the vision of them in thesweet secret house, and under the plane-trees of the terrace,drew such a trail of slime across her golden hours? No, it wasnot that from which she most recoiled, but from the fact thatStrefford, living in luxury in Nelson Vanderlyn's house, shouldat the same time have secretly abetted Ellie Vanderlyn's love-affairs, and allowed her--for a handsome price--to shelter themunder his own roof.