"He is not in trouble, but he does not wish me to take you to him, madam. There is something you must learn first. You know that he is suspected of murder; I do not wish to call him a scoundrel——"
"Scoundrel indeed! I should think not," she cried, blazing with indignation. "He is one of the noblest——"
I couldn't have her saying this sort of thing under false pretences, so I stopped her by waggling one of my ridiculous gloves protestingly. "Stay, madam, stay, I cannot hear that," I exclaimed. "I have still something to show you. Permit me;" and I went to the end of the room, stood with my back to her, and under pretence of fumbling in my pockets, I pulled off the moustache and imperial. "If you knew what he is doing at this moment, madam, you also might be tempted to call him a scoundrel."
"Never! Never!" she exclaimed almost fiercely.
"Then I must decline to take you to him at all!"
"Why? In Heaven's name, why?"
"Because I'm here already, of course," I replied as I whipped off my wig and faced round.
She was petrified for a second, and then with a glad cry made a rush at me. "Jack! Jack! Then you are a scoun——"
"Didn't I say you'd call me one?"
"But I didn't; I stopped halfway. Oh, Jack, how mean of you! And I've been talking to you all this time and——"