"Oh no, not then. Not till long after. Jake and I were the pals. He was always keen enough on her, poor chap. But Charlie complicated matters rather in those days. You see, Charlie came first—before she ever met Jake."
"Charlie?" said Toby quickly.
"Lord Saltash. You knew he was an old friend, didn't you?"
"I didn't know—that he—and Maud—ever loved each other." Toby halted over the words as if they were somehow difficult to utter.
Bunny enlightened her with a boy's careless assurance. "Oh, that's a very old story. They were very fond of each other in their youth. In fact they were practically engaged. Then Charlie, who has always been a bit giddy, went a bit too far with Lady Cressady who was also a somewhat gay young person, and Sir Philip Cressady, who was a brute, tried to divorce her. He didn't succeed. The case fell through. But it set everyone by the ears, and Maud threw Charlie over. He pretends he didn't care, but he did—pretty badly, and he's never married in consequence."
"Oh, is that why?" said Toby.
"That's why. He's gone the pace fairly rapidly ever since. But he's a good chap at heart. Even Jake acknowledges that now, and he knows him as well as anyone."
"And—Maud?" said Toby, in a low voice. She was not looking at Bunny, but staring out over the still waters of the lake with a rather piteous intentness.
"Maud has always kept a soft place in her heart for him. She couldn't help it. Women can't."
"I see," said Toby. "And doesn't—Jake—mind?"