I tried to set things right. I told him that she had merely repeated, like a parrot, the words she had heard me say and that she knew no particulars whatever, because I had mentioned none. I explained that she had affected, out of crazy spite against him, to know what she really did not know⁠—that she only wanted to threaten him and aggravate him for speaking to her as he had just spoken⁠—and that my unlucky words gave her just the chance of doing mischief of which she was in search. I referred him to other queer ways of hers, and to his own experience of the vagaries of half-witted people⁠—it was all to no purpose⁠—he would not believe me on my oath⁠—he was absolutely certain I had betrayed the whole Secret. In short, he would hear of nothing but shutting her up.