"I am not a widow yet," said Brenda, trying hard to keep up her courage, "and, please God, I shall never be!"
"Amen!" sneered Van Zwieten, as the train slowed down, "we shall see. But I hold the winning card, and I intend to play it for my own benefit. Here we are, so I will leave you now. To-morrow at three I shall be at my rooms. If you do not come I will see the police about the matter."
"Very good," said Brenda, much to her father's surprise. "I will be there."
"Come now, you are sensible!" sneered Van Zwieten, "I shall make something out of you yet, Mrs. Burton."
"Get out!" shouted Mr. Scarse, fiercely, "or I'll throw you out!"
"Ah, bad temper, Scarse. Keep that for those who are fighting our Republics. Au revoir until to-morrow," and Van Zwieten, jumping lightly out of the compartment, made for a smoking-carriage.
"Why did you agree to meet the blackguard?" fumed Mr. Scarse when the train was moving off again. "You know he is lying!"
"No, I don't think he is."
"What? do you believe your husband guilty?"
"I wouldn't believe it if an angel from heaven told me so!" flashed out Mrs. Harold Burton. "But Van Zwieten has this revolver with Harold's name on it or he would not dare to speak so confidently. I will find out where he got it. He might have stolen it from Harold, or he might have had the name put on the silver plate. Harold is not here to contradict him. To-morrow we will take Wilfred with us. He will know if the revolver is Harold's or not. In the meantime I will see Lady Jenny. Harold told me to go to her if Mr. van Zwieten made himself disagreeable. The time seems to have come."