ly accuse him of
eavesdropping, so he fell back on his dignity for defense.

"I've always been very well able to take care of myself," he said
quietly. "If I hadn't been, I shouldn't have undertaken your mission
and have gone to interview the kind of woman you described. I found,
however, that she didn't live up to your description of her; in fairness
to her I have to let you know that. I don't think you appreciate, Sir
Tobias, what a delicate situation you created for both of us. She's a
woman of breeding; which goes without saying since she's Lady Dawn's
sister--a fact which you withheld from me. You sent me to her house as a
kind of moral policeman with a warrant for her arrest. She was well
aware of that and she was also aware that the charge you laid against
her was almost libelously mistaken. All I can say is that she has
behaved very handsomely. Since you and Phyllis have misunderstood her
friendship for Adair, she's willing to break off relations. The most
courteous and only decent thing that we can do is to cease discussing
her. It's an incident which does none of us much credit."

As he had warmed to her defense, Tabs had been very conscious that he
was being more than generous--perhaps even more generous than truthful.
It hadn't been his intention at the start to depict her as a wronged and
spotless angel; but the skepticism of the attentive old image, bleached
with disillusions and faded with years, had goaded him to excess.

Sir Tobias had listened, scratching his pointed beard thoughtfully, with
entire amiability. He was utterly unimpressed and visibly unashamed.
"You're a man of the world, my dear Taborley, and you have the advantage
of having seen her. From what you say I gather that she's not bad
looking. To the not bad looking much is forgiven. Nevertheless, I stand
by my opinion that she's not a safe woman to see too often. However,
you're master of your own actions and that's neither here nor there."

He commenced to fumble through his pockets. When he had found his
cigarette-case, he proffered it to Tabs, who refused it.

"I wish you'd sit down, my dear fellow."

Tabs glanced at his watch. There was only a quarter of an hour left of
the time he had allotted. As a concession to Sir Tobias he seated
himself. "It was about General Braithwaite that you called me up last
night?"

"Yes. But there's no hurry. We can discuss that over lunch."

Tabs considered that the time had come to be firm. "I'm