Mr.
Bultitude; "say it out at once; it will make no difference to me, I give
you warning!"

"Oh, yes it will, though. I think it will. Wait. I heard all you said to
Grimstone in the study to-day about that girl--Connie Davenant, you
know."

"I don't care; I am innocent. I have nothing to reproach myself with."

"What a liar you are!" said Chawner, more in admiration than rebuke.
"You told him you never gave her any encouragement, didn't you? And he
said if he ever found you had, nothing could save you from a licking,
didn't he?"

"He did," said Paul, "he was quite right from his point of view--what
then?"

"Why, this," said Chawner: "Do you remember giving Jolland, the last
Sunday of last term, a note for that very girl?"

"I never did!" said poor Mr. Bultitude, "I never saw the wretched girl
before."

"Ah!" said Chawner, "but I've got the note in my pocket! Jolland was
seedy and asked me to take it for you, and I read it, and it was so
nicely written that I thought I should like to keep it myself, and so I
did--and here it is!"

And he drew out with great caution a piece of crumpled paper and showed
it to the horrified old gentleman. "Don't snatch ... it's rude; there it
is, you see: 'My dear Connie' ... 'yours ever, Dick Bultitude.' No, you
don't come any nearer ... there, now it's safe.... Now what do you mean
to do?"

"I--I don't know," said Paul, feeling absolutely checkmated. "Give me
time."

"I tell you what I mean to do; I shall keep my eye on you, and directly
I see you making ready to go to Grimstone, I shall get up first and take
him this ... then you'll be done for. You'd better give in, really,
Dickie!"

The note was too evidently genuine; Dick must have written it (as a
matter of fact he had; in a moment of pique, no doubt, at some caprice
of his real enslaver Dulcie's--but his fickleness brought fatal results
on his poor father's undeserving head)--if this diabolical Chawner
carried out his threats he would indeed be "done for"; he did not yet
fully understand the other's motive, but he thought that he feared lest
Paul, in declaring his own sorrows, might also accuse Tipping and Coker
of acts of cruelty and oppression, which Chawner proposed to denounce
himself at some more convenient opportunity; he hesitated painfully.

"Well?" said Chawner, "make up your mind; are you going to tell him, or
not?"

"I must!" said Paul hoarsely. "I promise you I shall not bring any other
names in ...