Vincent hesitated; just then the sense of his wrong, the sight of the
man who had deceived him, made him hard as adamant. Could he desire a
fuller satisfaction than was offered him now?

'It's rather a long story,' he said; 'perhaps this is not quite the
place to tell it. _You_ might find it interesting, though, from the
literary point of view,' he added, turning suddenly on Mark, who did
not attempt to meet his eyes.

'Tell it by all means, then,' said the latter, without moving his
head.

'No; you shall hear it another time,' said Holroyd. 'Put shortly,
Mabel, it's this: I trusted the other man; he deceived me. Nothing
very original in that, is there?'

'I'm afraid not,' said Mabel. 'Did he rob you, Vincent? Have you lost
much?'

'Much more than money! Yes, he robbed me first and paid me the
compliment of a highly artistic chain of lies afterwards. That was a
needless waste; the ordinary sort of lie would have been quite enough
for me--from him.'

Mark heard all this with a savage inclination at first to cut the
scene short, and say to Mabel, 'He means Me. _I_ robbed him! _I_ lied
to him! _I_ am the scoundrel--it's all true! I own it--now let me go!'

But he let Holroyd take his own course in the end, with an apathetic
acknowledgment that he had the right to revenge himself to the very
utmost.

The house at the nearer end of the bridge had a small projecting
gallery, where he remembered having seen a tame fox run out when he
was there in the autumn before. He caught himself vaguely speculating
whether the fox was there still, or if it had died; and yet he heard
every word that Vincent was saying.

'And what do you mean to do with him when you meet?' asked Mabel.

'Ah,' said Vincent, 'I have thought over that a good deal. I have
often wondered whether I could keep calm enough to say what I mean to
say. I think I shall; in these civilised days we have to repress
ourselves now and then, but that won't, of course, prevent me from
punishing him as he deserves; and, when those nearest and dearest to
him know him as he really is, and turn from him, even he will feel
that a punishment!' (He turned to Mark again) 'Don't you agree with
me?' he asked.

Mark moistened his lips before answering. 'I think you will find it
very easy to punish him,' he said.

'Is he--is he married?' asked Mabel.

'Oh, yes,' said Vincent; 'I was told that his wife believes in him
still.'

'And you are going to undeceive her?' sh