“You see, Lady Rea,” he said to her one day, in private, “I cannot help feeling that you look upon me rather as an intruder.”
“Really, Captain Van—”
“Pray hear me out, dear Lady Rea,” he said, in protestation. “You prefer poor Trevor as your son-in-law—I must call him Trevor still.”
“He was as good and gentlemanly a—”
“He was, Lady Rea—he was indeed,” said Vanleigh, warmly, “and no one lamented his fall more than I did.”
“It was very, very sad,” said Lady Rea.
“And you must own, dear Lady Rea that as soon as I heard of the attachment between Trevor—I must still call him Trevor, you see—and your daughter, I immediately withdrew all pretensions.”
“Yes, you did do that,” said Lady Rea.
“Exactly,” said Vanleigh. “Well, then, now the coast is once more clear, and the engagement at an end—”
“But it isn’t,” said Lady Rea.