“It must come, Frayne,” he said at last; “so we may as well get the matter over. Things look very black against you.”
“Black, sir?”
“Yes. Sinjohn and Andrews both saw how strange you looked when you passed them, and they followed, being agreed that something was wrong. It was observed too, by others.”
“I was angry, sir—in a rage.”
“Yes,” said the tutor sternly. “They saw you encounter your cousin, and they heard nearly every word he said.”
“And what I said, sir?”
“No. They tell me you spoke to him in a low voice, as if you were begging him not to do something, and they gathered that it was about keeping a trouble quiet.”
“No, no, sir!” cried Richard wildly.
“That is how it impressed them, and they say that, when your cousin refused what you wanted, you attacked him.”
“No, sir! We fought; but I acted in self-defence.”