"Miss Rose," he said sharply, "I have discovered that you can not sue Lord Harrowby for breach of contract to marry you."
"Why—why not?" she stammered.
"Because," said Minot, with a triumphant smile—though it was a shot in the dark—"you already had a husband when those letters were written to you."
Well, he had done his best. A rather childish effort, but what else was there to attempt? Poor old Jephson!
"Nonsense," said the Gaiety lady, and continued to play.
"Nothing of the sort," Minot replied. "Why, I can produce the man himself."
Might as well go the limit while he was about it. That should be his consolation when Jephson lost. Might as well—but what was this?
Gabrielle Rose had turned livid with anger. Her lips twitched, her china-blue eyes flashed fire. If only her lawyer had been by her side then! But he wasn't. And so she cried hotly:
"He's told! The little brute's told!"
Good lord! Minot felt his knees weaken. A shot in the dark—had it hit the target after all?