“He sat next to you, did he not?”
“He did, I believe. Yes. I can’t be quite sure—but I think he did.”
“You know he did as well as I do,” said Kennedy.
“Mr Kennedy, let me request you to be silent. Mr Bruce, had you any designs against Lord De Vayne?”
“Designs, sir? Excuse me, but I am at a loss to understand your meaning.”
“You had no intention then of making him drunk?”
“Really, sir, you astonish me by such coarse imputations. Is it you,” he said, turning angrily to Kennedy, “who have been saying such things of me?”
Kennedy deigned no reply.
“I should think the testimony of a man who doesn’t scruple secretly to read examination-papers before they are set, ought not to stand for much.” Brogten, as we have already mentioned, had revealed to him the secret of Kennedy’s dishonour. This remark fell quite dead: Kennedy sat unmoved, and Mr Norton replied—
“Pray don’t introduce your personal altercations here, Mr Bruce, on irrelevant topics. Mr Bruce,” he continued, suddenly giving him the label, “have you ever seen that before?”