“You are very ungenerous,” I said, coldly.
“I hope not,” he answered. “Do you know I only discovered this diabolical affair yesterday, and——”
“Mr. Deville!”
He turned round and looked at me. I was standing in the middle of the path, and I daresay I looked as angry as I felt.
“I will tell you the truth,” I said. “Afterwards, if you allude to the matter at all I shall go away at once. The girl has it in her power, as you know, to do us terrible harm. She, of her own accord, offered to forego that power forever—although she is quite ignorant of its extent—if I would not see or talk with you. She was a little fool to make the offer, of course, but I should have been more foolish still if I had not accepted it. She imagined that our relative positions were different. However, that is of no consequence, of course. I made the bargain, and I kept my part of it. I avoided you, and I left the neighborhood. You have reminded me that I am not keeping to the letter of my agreement in being here with you. I should prefer your leaving me, as I can find my way home quite well alone.”
“It is unnecessary,” he said. “The agreement is off. Miss Berdenstein and I have had an understanding.”
“You are engaged, then?” I faltered.
“Well, no,” he said, coolly, “I should perhaps have said a misunderstanding.”
“Tell me the truth at once,” I demanded.
“I am most anxious to do so,” he answered. “She was, as you remarked, a little fool. She became sentimental, and I laughed at her. She became worse, and I put her right. That was last night. She was silly enough to get into a passion, and from her incoherencies I gathered the reason why you were so unapproachable those last few days at the Vicarage. That is why I got up at six o’clock this morning and rode into Eastminster.”