mine. I have the charity to suppose that he
was quite drunk on the occasion to which I imagine you allude.
Intoxication alone could excuse what he said. Let us leave Captain
Puffin out of whatever you have come to say to me."

This was adroit; it compelled the Major to begin all over again.

"I come entirely on my own account," he began.

"I understand," said Miss Mapp, instantly bringing Captain Puffin in
again. "Captain Puffin, now I presume sober, has no regret for what he
said when drunk. I quite see, and I expected no more and no less from
him. Yes. I am afraid I interrupted you."

Major Flint threw his friend overboard like ballast from a bumping
balloon.

"I speak for myself," he said. "I behaved, Miss Mapp, like a--ha--worm.
Defenceless lady, insolent fellow drunk--I allude to Captain P----. I'm
very sorry for my part in it."

Up till this moment Miss Mapp had not made up her mind whether she
intended to forgive him or not; but here she saw how crushing a penalty
she might be able to inflict on Puffin if she forgave the erring and
possibly truly repentant Major. He had already spoken strongly about his
friend's offence, and she could render life supremely nasty for them
both--particularly Puffin--if she made the Major agree that he could
not, if truly sorry, hold further intercourse with him. There would be
no more golf, no more diaries. Besides, if she was observed to be
friendly with the Major again and to cut Captain Puffin, a very natural
interpretation would be that she had learned that in the original
quarrel the Major had been defending her from some odious tongue to the
extent of a challenge, even though he subsequently ran away. Tilling was
quite clever enough to make that inference without any suggestion from
her.... But if she forgave neither of them, they would probably go on
boozing and golfing together, and saying quite dreadful things about
her, and not care very much whether she forgave them or not. Her mind
was made up, and she gave a wan smile.

"Oh, Major Flint," she said, "it hurt me so dreadfully that you should
have stood by and heard that Man--if he is a man--say those awful things
to me and not take my side. It made me feel so lonely. I had always been
such good friends with you, and then you turned your back on me like
that. I didn't know what I had done to deserve it. I lay awake ever so
long."

This was affecting, and he violently rubbed the nap of his hat the wrong
way....