Harry’s brow grew dark. “I have not wasted a thought on so unlikely a contingency,” he said abruptly.
There was a pause, then Lord Alfred rose, and drawing up his tall but slender figure to its full height, replied—
“Now listen to me, Coverdale; you have spoken unpleasant truths to me in an unpleasant manner—a manner which, boy as you deem me, I should in any other man resent; but you are, as you have said, one of my oldest friends, and as such privileged. Moreover, in the transactions you allude to, I freely confess that I have been to blame; and I have no objection to tell you that my chief object in writing to Mrs. Coverdale was to make her aware of this, and ask her to forgive me any annoyance I might have caused her. Having explained thus much to you, you must excuse my declining to say more.”
“Indeed I shall do no such thing,” was Coverdale’s angry reply; “you have told me no more than Alice told me herself. Sir, I came to town expressly to learn from you the contents of that letter, and by fair means or foul I intend to do so! I may not know how to deal with women, but, by heaven! I do know how to deal with men, or with green boys, who give themselves the airs of men, before they have acquired a man’s strength, either of mind or body!” He took a turn up and down the room, then continued in a milder tone—“Come, Alfred, do not let us quarrel about this foolish affair; you see I am in earnest, so satisfy me on this one point, and let there be an end of these absurd misunderstandings between us.”
“You pay Mrs. Coverdale a very bad compliment,” rejoined Lord Alfred, “when you make out that she refused to comply with her husband’s wish without some very good reason; at all events, I so entirely differ with you on this point that I feel called upon to follow her example.”
“Am I then to understand—” began Harry.
“You are to understand clearly and distinctly that I refuse to tell you one single line in that letter,” was the unexpected answer; “and so now do your worst, for to this decision I intend to adhere, and no representations or threats shall induce me to alter it.”
As he spoke, Lord Alfred again drew up his slight graceful figure with a degree of dignity of which those who had seen him only in his languid affected moods would not have deemed him capable, and, folding his arms calmly, awaited Coverdale’s reply. But that reply was for some little time not forthcoming; the truth being that, in spite of his assertion to the contrary, Harry for once in his life did not know how to deal with a man. He was very angry with Lord Alfred, and felt strongly tempted to knock him down; but even at that moment his old feeling that it was his duty to protect the high-spirited but delicate boy, though it were from himself, came across him, and paralysed his energy.
Lord Alfred, however, who like all very good-tempered easy people, when once roused, felt a necessity to give immediate vent to his anger, possibly from a secret consciousness of its evanescent character, did not wait the termination of this mental struggle, but continued—
“Well, Coverdale, do you perceive the reasonableness of my position, or am I to incur the penalty of my disobedience, and become acquainted with your terrific method of dealing with refractory men?”