‘Mary will believe it—does believe, I’m sure. Long before this, people will have enlightened her. And now the Vicarys have seen us, it’s all over. Our hand is forced, isn’t it?’
‘Frank,’ I said, ‘didn’t you think my letter was right?’
‘I obeyed it,’ he replied heavily. ‘I haven’t even written to you. I meant to when I got to Mentone.’
‘But didn’t you think I was right?’
‘I don’t know. Yes—I suppose it was.’ His lower lip fell. ‘Of course I don’t want you to do anything that you—’
‘Dinner, please,’ said my negro, putting his head between us.
We both informed the man that we should not dine, and I asked him to tell Yvonne not to wait for me.
‘There’s your maid, too,’ said Frank. ‘How are we going to get out of it? The thing’s settled for us.’
‘My dear, dear boy!’ I exclaimed. ‘Are we to outrage our consciences simply because people think we have outraged them?’
‘It isn’t my conscience—it’s yours,’ he said.