Seegrave was the sort of man who would have suspected me directly. We
found him in Miss Rachel's room. He told us he wouldn't have a lot of
women there; and he pointed to the smear on the painted door, and
said some of our petticoats had done the mischief, and sent us all
down-stairs again.
"After leaving Miss Rachel's room, I stopped a moment on one of the
landings, by myself, to see if I had got the paint-stain by any chance
on MY gown. Penelope Betteredge (the only one of the women with whom I
was on friendly terms) passed, and noticed what I was about.
"'You needn't trouble yourself, Rosanna,' she said. 'The paint on Miss
Rachel's door has been dry for hours. If Mr. Seegrave hadn't set a watch
on our bedrooms, I might have told him as much. I don't know what you
think--I was never so insulted before in my life!'
"Penelope was a hot-tempered girl. I quieted her, and brought her back
to what she had said about the paint on the door having been dry for
hours.
"'How do you know that?' I asked.
"'I was with Miss Rachel, and Mr. Franklin, all yesterday morning,'
Penelope said, 'mixing the colours, while they finished the door.
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