Dr. Merville was looking abstractedly at her; his mind, she knew, was very far away. "Ronnie? I don't know. John Maxton will be there. I saw him today. Steppe admires him and John is clever; he will be a judge one of these days. Yes—a judge." The little grimace he made was involuntary.
"One would think you expected to meet him in his official capacity," she laughed.
"Absurd of course—as to Ronnie? How do you feel about him, Beryl?" The maid tapped at the door to say the car had arrived.
Beryl answered: "Do you mean—I don't quite know what you do mean?"
"About the scandal. Do you remember a man who came to see you—why he should have come to you I don't know—with a story about his sister?"
"East was the name. Yes, Ronnie told me all about it. The man is a blackmailer and his sister was not much better. Ronnie had shown a kindness to the girl, he met her at some—some mission or other. Ronnie does queer things like that—and he gave her some money to go on a holiday. That was all."
"Humph—ready?"
"But, daddy, don't you believe Ronnie?" She was desperately anxious to consolidate her own faith.
"I don't know. Ronnie is a queer fellow—"
He was ready to go; his overcoat was over his arm and yet he lingered. She guessed he would say something more about Ronald Morelle and was stiffening to defend him, but she was mistaken.