Lord Blair frowned slightly, then he smiled.
"'Pon my word, sir, I'm sorry to refuse you anything, especially after all your liberality; but it isn't to be done."
"Why not?" demanded the earl coldly.
Lord Blair hesitated, then he laughed grimly.
"Well, I suppose we can't hit it off; we don't care for each other."
The earl frowned.
"I have every reason to believe that Violet would be willing——"
"Oh, it's all a mistake, sir!" broke in Lord Blair quickly. "Nothing of the kind! Violet doesn't care a straw for me! And as to breaking her heart, as you said this afternoon, why"—he laughed—"she's the last girl in the world for that sort of thing! No, we thought we could manage it, but we found pretty soon that it wouldn't work, and so—and so—well, we just broke it off!"
"I can understand!" said the earl, grimly. "You wearied her with your dissipation, and stung her by your neglect."
Lord Blair flushed.