And--they are engaged to be
married."

"_Chacun a son gout!_" observed Hunt-Goring.

She made a sharp movement of impatience. "Oh, don't be so cold-blooded!
Tell me--do tell me--the whole story!"

"My dear Daisy," said Hunt-Goring daringly, "there is practically
nothing more to tell."

"But there must be," Daisy argued, ignoring side-issues. "How did the
gossip arise? There is never smoke without some fire."

"True," said Hunt-Goring. "But for the truth of the gossip I will not
vouch. It ran in this wise. The girl was beautiful--and gay. The
man--well, you have had some experience of the species; you know what
they are. Trouble arose; there was madness in the girl's family. She
became demented; and a certain magic draught did the rest. It was risky
of course; but it was a choice of evils. He chose the surest means of
protecting his reputation--which, I believe, is considered valuable in
his profession."

"Oh, it isn't possible!" protested Daisy. "It simply can't be. How did
you hear all this?"

Hunt-Goring laughed. "How does one ever hear anything? I told you I
didn't vouch for the truth of it."

"I wonder what I ought to do," said Daisy.

"Do?" He looked at her. "What do you contemplate doing? Is it up to you
to do anything?"

Daisy scarcely saw or heard him. "I am thinking of little Olga. She is
engaged to him. She--can't know of this evil tale."

"She probably does," said Hunt-Goring. "They were very intimate--she and
Violet Campion."

"It isn't possible," Daisy said again. "Why, I believe she was actually
with the poor girl when she died. Nick told me a little. He said it had
been very sudden and a severe shock to her."

"I should say it was," said Hunt-Goring.

She looked at him. "You were there at the time?"

"I was at The Warren--yes." He spoke with an easy air of unconcern.

Daisy leaned towards him. "And Nick--do you think Nick knew?"

Hunt-Goring looked straight back at her. "I think," he said
deliberately, "that I should scarcely trouble to tackle Nick on the
subject. He knows exactly what it suits him to know."

"What do you mean?" Daisy spoke sharply, nervously.

"Merely that he and the young man are--and always have been--hand and
glove," explained Hunt-Goring smoothly. "Nick is a very charming person
no doubt, but--"

"Be careful!" warned Daisy.

He made her a smiling bow. "But," he repeated with emphasis, "he is not
sentimentally particular in a matter of ethics. He looks to t