"Ah!" Isabel stood tense for a second. "And he?" she questioned.
"He was quite pleased to see her again," said Scott.
She grasped his arm suddenly. "Stumpy, don't let him break her heart!"
He met her look with steadfast eyes. "He shall not do that," he said, with inflexible resolution.
Her hold became a grip. "Can you prevent it? You know what he is"
"Oh yes, I know," very steadily Scott made answer. "But you needn't be afraid, Isabel. He shall not do that."
A measure of relief came into her drawn face. "Thank you, Stumpy," she said. "I was horribly afraid—when I saw him just now—and she, poor child, so innocently glad to have him!"
"You needn't be afraid," he reiterated. "Eustace is too much of a sportsman to amuse himself at the expense of an unsophisticated child like that."
Isabel suppressed a shiver. "I don't think he is so scrupulous as you imagine," she said. "We must watch, Stumpy; we must watch."
He patted her arm with his quiet smile. "And we mustn't let ourselves get over-anxious," he said. "Now go to bed, like a dear girl! You are looking absolutely worn out."