The terror was close at hand when Mabel said, in the course of her well-meant efforts to bring them into conversation, 'It was quite by accident, do you know, Mark, that Vincent should have met us here at all; he was on his way to find some man who has——I forget what you said he had done, Vincent.'
'I don't think I went into particulars,' he replied. 'I described him generally as a scoundrel. And he is.'
'I hope you were able to find that out before he could do you any injury?' said Mabel.
'Unfortunately, no,' he said. 'When I found out, the worst was done.'
'Would you rather not talk about it,' she continued, 'or do you mind telling us how you were treated?'
Vincent hesitated; just then the sense of his wrong, the sight of the man who had deceived him, made him hard as adamant. Could he desire a fuller satisfaction than was offered him now?
'It's rather a long story,' he said; 'perhaps this is not quite the place to tell it. You might find it interesting, though, from the literary point of view,' he added, turning suddenly on Mark, who did not attempt to meet his eyes.
'Tell it by all means, then,' said the latter, without moving his head.
'No; you shall hear it another time,' said Holroyd. 'Put shortly, Mabel, it's this: I trusted the other man; he deceived me. Nothing very original in that, is there?'
'I'm afraid not,' said Mabel. 'Did he rob you, Vincent? Have you lost much?'