“It was no fault of dear Edgar’s.”
“No, indeed. I am glad Fernan is here to go over again what Edgar told him. We may be quite satisfied so far.”
“And is it needful to take it up?” asked Geraldine wistfully. “If we don’t believe it, the horrid story would get quashed.”
“No, Cherry,” said Clement. “If you think it over you will see that we must investigate. I should be relieved indeed to let it alone, but it would not be fair towards Lance there and his boys.”
Lance made a strange noise of horror and deprecation, then added—
“I don’t believe Gerald would consent to let it alone.”
“No, now he knows, of course. He is a right-minded, generous boy,” said Geraldine. “I was wrong. Did you say he was very much upset?”
“Just at first, when he came to me at night. I was obliged to dragoon him, and myself too, to throw it off enough to be able to get through our performance yesterday. How thankful I am to the regatta that it is not our duty to the country to go through it again to-day! However, he seems to have rebounded a good deal. He was about all the latter part of the day with Miss Mohun.”
“I saw him dancing and laughing with some of them.”
“And he parted from me very cheerfully, telling me to assure you ‘he did not mind,’ whatever that may mean.”