“In the house where we’re going,” she explained, “there’s some one Gayle must not see—no matter what happens. I’ll talk to—this person first; I’ll try to persuade him. But if I can’t—That’s what I want you to do for me. I want you to be sure to see that—this person doesn’t leave that house tonight.”
“And how am I to do that?”
She was silent for a moment.
“I don’t care,” she said then. “It doesn’t matter how it’s done.”
“It does matter—to me.”
“Listen to me!” she said, with a sort of sternness. “This man—in the cottage—he’s blackmailing me. Because of something I did—something I’m sorry for—terribly, terribly sorry—”
“What will he take to keep quiet?”
“Nothing. All he wants is to hurt and ruin me.”
“That’s not blackmail,” said Ross. “If he can’t be bribed—”
“Oh, what does it matter what you call it? He’s coming tonight, to tell—this thing—and Gayle will go away!”