e with her and had asked
her to marry him. That was a regular knock-down surprise to me. I'd had
no idea of anything of the kind. But he said he wasn't in love with her
any longer. I dare say he thinks he isn't; but--"

"Suppose he is; that needn't affect _her_--except as an impertinence. A
woman can defend herself against that sort of thing, by Jove!"

"It needn't affect her--only--only as a matter of fact--it does. It
appeals to her imagination. The big scale of the thing would impress
almost any woman. Look here, Ashley," he cried, with a touch of
hysteria; "it'll be better for us all in the long run if you'll give him
a chance. It'll be better for you than for any one else. You'll be well
out of it--any impartial person would tell you that. You must see it
yourself. You _do_ see it yourself. We're not your sort--"

But Ashley could stand it no longer. With a smothered, inarticulate
oath, he turned abruptly, and marched out of the room.

XIX

Fortunately there was no one in the upper hall, nor on the stairs, nor
in the lower hall, nor in the oval room into which Ashley stumbled his
way. The house was all sunshine and silence. He dropped into the nearest
arm-chair. "It's a lie," he kept repeating to himself. "It's a lie. It's
a damned, infernal lie. It's a put-up job between them--between the old
scoundrel and that--that oaf."

The reflection brought him comfort. By degrees it brought him a great
deal of comfort. That was the explanation, of course! There was no need
of his being panic-stricken. To frighten him off was part of their plan.
Had he not challenged her two or three times to say she didn't care for
him? If she had any doubt on the subject he had given her ample
opportunity to declare it. But she had not done so. On the contrary, she
had made him both positive and negative statements of her love. What
more could he ask?

He breathed again. The longer he thought of it the better his situation
seemed to grow. He had done all that an honorable man could think of. He
had been chivalrous to a quixotic degree. If they had not accepted his
generous proposals, then so much the worse for them. They--Guion and
Davenant--were pursuing obstructionist tactics, so as to put him in a
place where he could do nothing but retreat. Very well; he would show
them! There were points beyond which even chivalry could not go; and if
they found themselves tangled in their own barbed wire they themselves
would be to bl