And with this I turned my back fairly upon him and hurried from the
room.

CHAPTER SEVEN

_Which deals, among other Matters, with
the Ring of Steel_

My anger toward Bentley, sudden though it may appear, was scarcely the
outcome of the moment. I could not but call to mind the thousand little
things he had both done and said during the past weeks that demonstrated
the strange indifference he had shown toward the whole affair. Thus, as
the day advanced, my feeling against him grew but the more intense.
Looking back on it now, I am inclined to put this down partly to the
reason already stated, partly to lack of sleep, and partly to the
carking care that had gnawed at my heart all these weeks--though even
now I am inclined to think that his conduct, as I then viewed it,
justified my resentment.

I noticed as the day advanced that he seemed to be labouring under some
strong excitement, and more than once he manifested a desire to speak
with me aside, but I took good care to give him no opportunity. At
length, however, Jack chancing to be out of the room for a moment, he
seized me by the arm ere I could escape him.

"Dick--" he began.

"Sir!" I cut in, shaking myself free of him, "whatever explanation you
may have to offer for your strange, and--yes, sir--utterly heartless
conduct of late, I beg that you will let it stand until this most
unhappy affair is over--I'm in no mood for it now." He fell back from
me, staring as one utterly bewildered for a moment, then he smiled.

"If you will but listen, Dick--"

"Sir," says I, drawing away from him, "I have asked no explanation at
your hands, and desire none--the callousness which you have shown so
persistently of late has utterly broken down and severed once and for
all whatever feeling of friendship I may have entertained for you
hitherto."

"You don't mean it--you can never mean it," says he, stretching out an
eager hand towards me. "Dick, do but listen--"

"Mean it, sir!" I repeated, "I tell you it is but the memory of that
dead friendship which stays me from calling upon you to account to me
with your sword."

"But," he stammered, "you--you would never--you could never--"

"Enough, sir," says I, "I have no desire for further speech with
you--save that it would be well at least to keep up an appearance of the
old relationship, until this affair is over and done with."

"Why, Dick!" says he, hi