"But why have you told me now?" her husband asked in sudden bewilderment.
Mary looked unhappy.
"Promise me," she began, "that if I tell you something more you won't fly into a rage with Geoffrey and by losing your temper perhaps do him more harm than good. Promise me that, Jemmie, before I tell you anything more."
"He's not been stealing? He hasn't committed forgery or anything like that, has he?" stammered an apprehensive father.
"No, it's not quite so bad as that," she laughed sadly. "But you haven't promised."
"As long as it's nothing criminal, I promise to do my utmost to be patient with the boy."
Mary hesitated for a few moments, half regretting that she had raised the subject of Geoffrey's behavior. Then she plunged.
"It's this girl at the White Hart. Mrs. Woldingham came to see me this morning...."
"Girl at the White Hart?" Jemmie interrupted. "What has Mrs. Woldingham got to do with girls at the White Hart, even if she is the Rector's wife?"