“Not altogether,” he said. “Of course I was bound to have the money. But it was the other thing, you know. As far as the money went I would have taken care you came to no harm.”
“What was it, then?”
“I thought you understood all along,” he said, with some surprise. “I saw you were my rival with Christina, and my game was to drive you out of the country by making the place too hot for you.”
“She told me you didn’t suspect about me and her till quite the end.”
“Did she?” he answered, with a smile. “I must be getting clever to deceive two such wide-awake, young people. Of course I saw it all along. But you had more grit than I thought. I’ve never been so nearly done by any man as by you.”
“But for luck you would have been,” said I. — “Yes, but I count luck as one of my resources,” he replied.
“Well, what are you going to do now?”
He took no notice, but went on.
“You played too high. It was all or nothing with you, just as it is with me. But for that we could have stood together. I’m sorry, Martin; I like you, you know.”
For the life of me I had never been able to help liking him.