"Do what you please."
"I'll do my best. Now what induced you to propose to her against your better judgment? Did she lead you on?"
"No, certainly not—if you suppose——!"
"Well, something must have started you up."
"Charges were made against her. I thought it my duty to tell her what had been said——"
"How did she receive it?"
"She accused me of being a false friend, of not having defended her."
"And you proposed—when—that day?"
"No, the next night."
"I see, the next night; because you thought it your duty to protect her."