The old charm was still there, the power to make his companion take his point of view and sympathise with him, even when the merits were all against him.
"You see now what it is to give a woman the right to lecture you, Harry!"
"Oh, it's kind of her to be ambitious for me," said Harry good-naturedly. "I quite appreciate that. But—" His eyes twinkled again, and his voice fell to a confidential whisper. "Well, you've been behind the scenes, haven't you? My last shot in that direction has put me a bit off."
It was his first reference to the catastrophe; she was curious to see whether he would develop it. This Harry proceeded to do.
"You were precious hard on me about that business, Doris," he said in a gentle reproach. "Of course I don't justify what happened. But my dear old pater and Wellgood pressed matters a bit too quick—oh, not Vivien, I don't mean that for a moment. There's such a thing as making the game too easy for a fellow. I didn't see it at the time, but I see it now. They had their plan. Well, I fell in with it too readily. It looked pleasant enough. The result was that I mistook the strength of my feelings. That was the beginning of all the trouble."
Vastly amused, the Nun nodded gravely. "I ought to have thought of that before I was so down on you."
He looked at her in a merry suspicion. "I'm not sure you're not pulling my leg, Doris; but all the same that's the truth about it. And at any rate I suppose you'll admit I did the right thing when—when the trouble came?"
"Yes, you did the right thing then."
"I'm glad you admit that much! I say—I suppose you—you haven't heard anything of Vivien Wellgood?"
"I hear she's in excellent health and spirits."