“You—you will ar—arrest me?”
“Yes, unless you march out of here immediately.” And now Gilbert caught the intruder by the arm. “Not another word!” and his face grew so stern that Nuggy collapsed completely. Still keeping hold of his man, Gilbert led the way out of the house and around the corner of the street.
“Lieutenant Pennington, this is an—an outrage!” burst out Nuggy, as soon as he could collect himself.
“It is not half as much of an outrage as it was for you to disturb the household of a man who is almost on his death-bed.”
“I was there for the man’s own good.”
“I don’t think so; and I am pretty certain Mrs. Bartlett doesn’t think so, either.”
“You talk as if you knew the Bartletts pretty well,” sneered the angry young man.
“I have become fairly well acquainted with them since my arrival in Tien-Tsin.”
“I suppose you—that is—you overheard some of my talk,” continued Nuggy, showing that he was much disturbed.
“I did overhear all I wanted to.”