"Tell me now--what are the good things in life?"
She withdrew her arm from his touch, and regarded him with a hauteur that did not wholly veil her embarrassment.
"You don't know!" said Jake. "Be honest and say so!"
But Maud only retired further into her shell. "I think we have wandered rather far from the subject," she said coldly. "My brother is unfortunately the victim of circumstance, and no discussion can alter that fact."
He accepted the snub without a sign of discomfiture. "Is he here now?" he asked.
She bent her head. "In this house--yes."
"Will you let me see him presently?" he pursued.
Distantly she made reply. "I am afraid that is impossible."
"Why?" he said.
She raised her dark brows.