“Of the two,” she said, with a faint attempt at her old manner, “I prefer you. Yet I shall marry him.”
Wolfenden became aware of an unexpected sensation. He was getting angry.
“I have a right,” he said, resting his hand upon her shoulder, and gaining courage from her evident weakness, “to know more. I have given you my love. At least you owe me in return your confidence. Let me have it. You shall see that even if I may not be your lover, I can at least be your faithful friend.”
She touched his hand tenderly. It was scarcely kind of her—certainly not wise. She had taken off her glove, and the touch of her soft, delicate fingers thrilled him. The blood rushed through his veins like mad music. The longing to take her into his arms was almost uncontrollable. Her dark eyes looked upon him very kindly.
“My friend,” she said, “I know that you would be faithful. You must not be angry with me. Nay, it is your pity I want. Some day you will know all. Then you will understand. Perhaps even you will be sorry for me, if I am not forgotten. I only wish that I could tell you more; only I may not. It makes me sad to deny you, but I must.”
“I mean to know,” he said doggedly—“I mean to know everything. You are sacrificing yourself. To talk of marrying a man whom you do not love is absurd. Who are you? If you do not tell me, I shall go to your guardian. I shall go to Mr. Sabin.”
“Mr. Sabin is always at your service,” said a suave voice almost at his elbow. “Never more so than at the present.”
Wolfenden turned round with a start. It was indeed Mr. Sabin who stood there—Mr. Sabin, in unaccustomed guise, clad in a tweed suit and leaning upon an ordinary walking-stick.
“Come,” he said good-humouredly, “don’t look at me as though I were something uncanny. If you had not been so very absorbed you would have heard me call to you from the cliffs. I wanted to save myself the climb, but you were deaf, both of you. Am I the first man whose footsteps upon the sands have fallen lightly? Now, what is it you want to ask me, Lord Wolfenden?”
Wolfenden was in no way disturbed at the man’s coming. On the contrary, he was glad of it. He answered boldly and without hesitation.