She vexed me with her comments
about your staying on in London, and it made me tell her why you had
stayed. She ascertained from Dr. Ashton that there was not a word of
truth in the story. Val, I betrayed it in your defence."
He stood at the window in silence, his lips compressed.
"I looked so foolish in the eyes of Dr. Ashton! The Sunday evening after
I came down here I had a sort of half-fainting-fit, coming home from
church. He overtook me, and was very kind, and gave me his arm. I said
a word to him; I could not help it; mamma had worried me on so; and I
learned that no such action had ever been thought of. You had no right
to subject me to the chance of such mortification. Why did you do so?"
Lord Hartledon came from the window and sat down near his wife, his elbow
on the table. All he could do now was to make the best of it, and explain
as near to the truth as he could.
"Maude, you must not expect full confidence on this subject, for I cannot
give it you. When I found I had reason to believe that some--some legal
proceedings were about to be instituted against me, just at the first
intimation of the trouble, I thought it must emanate from Dr. Ashton.
You took up the same idea yourself, and I did not contradict it, simply
because I could not tell you the real truth--"
"Yes," she interrupted. "It was the night that stranger called at our
house, when you and Mr.
Pages:
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380