sympathy, but got none. Public opinion
was dead against him. The mention of Miss King, whom nobody knew,
suggested the possibility of some horrible and deeply interesting
scandal. Simpkins got down from his ladder. Meldon at once took him
by the arm and led him away.

"Where's your bicycle?" he said.

"What on earth do you want with me?" said Simpkins. "It's quite
intolerable--"

"Miss King is waiting for you," said Meldon. "She expects you this
afternoon, and if you start at once you'll just be there in time."

"But I've no engagement with Miss King."

"You have not," said Meldon, "at present. But you soon will have an
engagement of the most solemn and enduring kind."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"Look here," said Meldon. "There's no use beating about the bush when
we haven't a moment to spare. You gave me to understand that you
wanted to marry Miss King."

"I didn't. All I said was--"

"That won't do," said Meldon. "You may think that you can play fast
and loose with a poor girl's affections in that sort of way, and so you
might if she was lonely and unprotected. But as it happens that judge
who came to Ballymoy the other day turned out to be Miss King's uncle,
and he's quite determined to see this business through. I was telling
him about it this morning. I pledged my word to have you on the spot
this afternoon, and to get the whole thing settled before dinner."

"But this is utterly ridiculous. I've only spoken to the woman three
times in my life."

"A good deal can be done in three interviews," said Meldon. "In this
case it appears that a good deal has been done. I don't profess to
know exactly what you said to Miss King--"

"I never said anything to her."

"Do you mean to assert that you went through three interviews without
uttering a single word."

"Of course not. What I mean to say is--"

"Now you're beginning to hedge," said Meldon, "and that's a bad sign,
an uncommonly bad sign. No man hedges in that sort of way unless he
has something to conceal. It's perfectly plain to me that you said a
good deal to Miss King. Anyhow, she evidently thinks you did. She
told the whole story to the judge last night, and he spoke to me about
it this morning."

"Told what story?"

"Your story. And the upshot of it was that I promised to bring you
there this afternoon. It's all arranged. Miss King is to be at home.
The judge will be up the river. I shall leave you with Miss King