"Am I?"
"Brother thinks you are."
Once more he took the pessimistic view.
"Your brother isn't losing any sleep over the Pacific Southwestern situation. You said he was in England, didn't you?"
"I said he was in London when he wrote."
"London is a long way off: and what I do must be done to-day or to-morrow. Mr. North will force the fighting, now that your uncle is on the ground, and your brother safely on the opposite side of the earth. And I can't afford to fight this time, Miss Alicia."
"Why can't you?"
They were walking slowly back toward the Nadia when he said: "Because a victory would cost me more than I am willing to pay. There is no longer room in this service for Mr. North and me. If we come to blows one of us will have to go."
"I can understand that," she said quietly.
"And to obliterate Mr. North, I shall be obliged to efface—your uncle."