"But, it isn't——"
"What isn't it? Not a rotten thing to make a girl believe for four years that you're going to marry her and then chuck her! If that isn't a rotten thing I don't know what is!"
Roland was wise enough not to attempt to justify himself. He would only enrage Ralph still further and that was not his game.
"All right," he said. "Granted all that, granted I've done a rotten thing, it's happened; it can't be altered now; something's got to be done. Put yourself in my place. What would you do if you were me?"
"I shouldn't have got myself in such a place"; his voice was stern and official and condemnatory. In spite of the stress of the situation Roland was hard put to it not to kick him for a prig.
"But I have, you see, and——"
"Even so," Ralph interrupted, "I can't see why you shouldn't go and tell April yourself."
"Because April herself would rather be told by anyone than me."
It was his last appeal and he saw that it had succeeded. Ralph repeated the words over to himself.
"April would rather be told——Oh, but rot! She'd much rather have it out straight."