"Why? I have given him no cause to hate me."
"H'm! Who knows? He was a friend of Starth's."
"That didn't matter," said Lancaster. "Starth himself hinted that Berry wished me to marry his niece. If I was undesirable as her husband before, I am still more undesirable as an outlaw."
Jarman thought, then asked questions. "How did you meet Berry?"
"He called to ask me to write some songs for Fairy Fan, having seen my poetry in the magazines."
"I see. Observe, Frank. Berry sought your acquaintance--you did not seek his. He brought you and Starth together again?"
"Well, he did. I dropped Starth's acquaintance, as you know, because we didn't get on well. He came to know Fairy Fan somehow, and I was constantly meeting him there."
"And this woman made running with you both?"
"Well, she was capricious. Some days she would snub me and flirt with Starth; on other days she would give him the go-by and stick to me."
"Quite so. She divided her favours to arouse jealousy between you."