“Surprised to see me, are they?” said he. “Do you mean that they wish me to withdraw?”
“No, no, oh no, of course not,” said Arthur hastily. “But they want to understand how it is that you have changed your mind about that? And whether you have seen Sir William since?”
Gerard perceived that Cora had sent her obedient slave, Arthur, to try to “pump” him as to his position and intentions. It was part of the general uneasiness that he had noticed that they wanted to know precisely the attitude taken up by each of their visitors. And Gerard knew that he was especially under observation, on account of his known admiration for Miss Davison and Denver’s possible jealousy, as well as because he was now known to have been the cause of the miscarriage of Denver’s projected attack upon Sir William.
Although neither he nor the baronet could have sworn to the identity of the figure, which had shadowed them and which they had then pursued, with Denver Van Santen, or of the fact that he had been armed, there was very little doubt in the minds of either upon those points.
Knowing that his answer would be faithfully reported, Gerard answered with caution—
“Seen Sir William! Oh yes, I went up to town with him last Sunday. We started in his car, but had a breakdown and went back by train.”
“And did you persuade him to think better of his disgraceful conduct?”
“I persuaded him—or rather, I helped to persuade him—to write an apology to Mrs. Van Santen.”
“And you quite see that he made a fool of himself?”
Gerard hesitated.