The Gentleman still paced before the window.
"I'll tell you nothing of the sort," he said. "She believes herself to be serving her country." He was speaking very slowly, almost mincing his words. "She has—has come into possession of information…."
The man, usually so self-possessed, stuttered and stopped dead.
"And how did she come into possession of that information, I wonder?" asked the Parson, slow and white.
The Gentleman flashed his face up.
"I'll put it in brutal English so that even you can understand. I made a fool of a woman who thought she was making a fool of me."
There was a lengthy silence.
"And they call him the Gentleman!" came the Parson's voice at last— "the Gentleman!"
The other had resumed his pacing.
"He sneaks himself into the confidence of a lady," continued the
Parson quietly. "He conceals his identity—"