"And Miss March?" said Lawrence. "You have seen her?"
"Yes," said Junius, "I saw her at supper, and for a short time afterwards, but she soon retired to her room."
"Do you think she was disturbed by your return?" asked Lawrence.
"I won't say that," said Junius, "but she was certainly not herself. Mrs Null tells me that she expects to go home to-morrow morning, having written to her uncle to send for her."
"That is bad, bad, very bad," said Lawrence.
After that there was a pause in the conversation, during which Mr Croft, with brows very much knit, gazed steadfastly into the fire. "Mr Keswick," he said presently, "what you tell me fills me with consternation. It is quite plain that I shall have no chance to see Miss March, and, as there is no one else in the world who will do it for me, I am going to ask you to go to her, to-morrow morning, and speak to her in my behalf."
When this had been said, Junius Keswick dropped his cigar upon the floor, and sat up very straight in his chair, gazing fixedly at Lawrence. "Upon my word!" he said, "I knew you were a cool man, but that request freezes my imagination. I cannot conceive how any man can ask another to try to win for him a lady whom he knows the other man desires to win for himself. You have made some requests before that were rather astounding, but this one overshadows them all."
"I admit," said Lawrence, "that what I ask is somewhat out of the way, but you must consider the circumstances. Suppose I had met you in mortal combat, and I had dropped my sword where you could reach it and I could not; would you pick it up and give it to me? or would you run me through?"
"I don't think that comparison is altogether a good one," said Junius.
"Yes, it is," said Lawrence, "and covers the case entirely. I am here, disabled, and if you pick up my sword, as I have just asked you to do, it is not to be assumed that your action gives me the victory. It merely gives me an equal chance with yourself."