"That's really very good of you, Mrs. Ward."
"Your being nasty won't make me change my mind. But you quite understand the situation, Lord Derrington. Walter is to marry my daughter, and George is to be kept away."
"I don't see how he is to be kept away. I assure you Brendon is a strong man, and his will is quite equal to mine."
"Nonsense, you have the strongest will in London."
"And you come here to try and break it."
"Life is a game," said Mrs. Ward, leaning back, with a pretty air of philosophy. "And at present I hold the trump card."
"What is it?" asked Derrington, wondering by what means she hoped to make him consent to her demands.
"I'll tell you presently," said Mrs. Ward, in a most masterful tone, which amused Derrington. "But you understand that if George Brendon doesn't keep away I shall give information to the police and have him arrested in connection with that murder."
"Oh, no, you won't," said Derrington, good-humoredly.
"Oh, yes, I shall. As to your accusation about my having cheated, you shall say nothing about that."