"Indeed, I shall do so if you trouble Brendon."
"Think of Dorothy."
"I do think of Dorothy, and I'm very sorry she has such a mother."
"You dare to insult me," began Mrs. Ward, when Derrington, who was losing patience, cut her short.
"I've had enough of this," he said sharply. "You shall hold your tongue about Brendon or I'll tell what I know."
"Then I'll do the same."
Derrington bowed politely. "By all means," he said. "My reputation is already so bad that a word or two from you can scarcely make it worse."
"Oh, it's more than that," said Mrs. Ward, quietly, and she spoke in so positive a manner that Derrington began to recollect his worst sins. "Do you remember the night you came home here at one o'clock and found me in this very room?"
"Yes. You came with the amiable intention of telling me that George Brendon was going to pass the night at Mrs. Jersey's, and that you suspected that he was up to mischief."
"I took the trouble to come from a party for that very purpose," was Mrs. Ward's plaintive reply, "and how was I received?"