She gazed at him with knitted brows.
"Mr. Ralph who? I never heard the name before. What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Never mind."
"Answer! Tell me!" she broke out. "Explain what you are driving at, or I shall go clean mad."
He bit his lip.
"Why don't you let it rest?" he said wearily. "I tell you I'm ready to forget it, that I've forgiven you. After all it was tit for tat, and only natural. And it was clever, too, in a way. Did you think of it yourself, Fin, or did this strange gentleman, this new friend of yours, hit upon the idea of buying up my debts and hunting me into a corner——."
He stopped, for with a tremendous effort she had raised herself.
"Stop!" she panted. "This—this is all new to me. I know nothing of it. It's not that I wanted to tell you about. Not that. I never bought your debts. I never heard this man's name before in my life. Ah"—for his face had gone white—"you believe me! It wasn't me who planned that."
"Not you? Then who?"
She fell back.