The humility of this speech was so extraordinary that it nearly took
Olga's breath away.
"My dear Nick," she said, "what nonsense! Surely you don't—seriously—care what Max says?"
"Don't you?" said Nick.
She began to answer in the negative, but tripped up unexpectedly. "I—I can't quite say. I haven't really thought about it. But—anyhow—it's no business of his, is it?"
"He thinks it is," said Nick.
"Why?" She suddenly put out her hand to him with a little shiver. "Nick, you haven't told him about—that scheme of ours?"
"Yes, I have," said Nick.
"Oh, why?" There was unmistakable distress in the question.
Nick knelt down beside her. "Olga, I had to. He's a clever chap, cleverer than Jim even. I wanted to know if I'd better go on with it, if he thought—in view of to-day's misfortune—it might upset your health, supposing you were allowed to go. I couldn't run the risk of that."
"What did he say?" said Olga.