ther," Ashley persisted. "He brought her. Didn't
you?"

The look on Olivia's face frightened Davenant. He got up and stood
apologetically behind his chair. "You'll have to forgive me, Miss
Guion," he stammered. "I--I deceived you. I couldn't think of anything
else to do."

She leaned forward, looking up at him. "But I don't know what you did,
as it is. I can't understand--what--what any one is saying."

"Then I'll tell you, by Jove! All the time you thought he was out there
at Michigan he was over in France, following up the Marquise. Tracked
her like a bloodhound, what? Told her the whole story--how we'd got to a
deadlock--and everything. Made her think that unless she came and bailed
us out we'd be caught there for the rest of our lives."

Olivia's eyes were still lifted to Davenant's. "Is that true?"

"It's true, by Jove!--true as you live. What's more, he cracked me up as
though I was the only man alive--said that when it came to a question of
who was worthy--worthy to marry you--he wasn't fit to black my boots."

"No," Davenant cried, fiercely. "There was no question of me."

"Bosh! Bosh, my good fellow! When a man does what you've done there's no
question of any one but him."

The color was hot in Davenant's cheeks, but he himself could not have
told whether it came from astonishment or anger. "Since Colonel Ashley
knows so well what happened, I shall leave him to tell it."

He was about to make his escape, when Olivia stopped him. "No, no.
Wait--please wait. Tell me why you did it."

"I'll tell you," Ashley broke in. He spoke with a kind of nervous
jauntiness. "I'll tell you, by Jove! We had a row. I called him a cad. I
called him a damned cad. There _was_ a damned cad present on that
occasion--only--I didn't hit the right nail on the head. But that's not
what I'm coming to. He struck me. He struck me right in the teeth, by
Jove! And when a man strikes you, it's an insult that can only be wiped
out by blood. Very well; he's offered it--his blood. He didn't wait for
me to draw it. I suppose he thought I wouldn't go in for the heroic. So
of his own accord he went over there to France and shed his heart's
blood, in the hope that I might overlook his offence. All right, old
chap; I overlook it."

With a laugh Ashley held his hand up toward Davenant, who ignored it.

"Miss Guion," Davenant said, huskily, "Colonel Ashley is pleased to put
his own interpretation on what was in itself a very simple thing. Yo