“Well, upon my word!” he exclaimed, affronted. “Seems to me that if you didn’t know that when you made me become engaged to you you must be as badly dicked in the nob as Dolph!”
“Yes, yes, but this is not my secret, and I promised I would betray it to no one!”
“What secret?” said Freddy, blinking.
“Well—Freddy, you are fond of Dolph, are you not?”
“No,” replied Freddy. “What I mean is, sorry for the poor fellow, of course. Dash it, couldn’t be fond of him!”
“No, I suppose—At all events, you wouldn’t harm him, would you, Freddy?”
“Of course I wouldn’t harm him!”
“Even if you could not quite like what he meant to do?” Kitty said anxiously.
Suspicion gleamed in his mild eye. No one could have called Mr. Standen quick-witted, but the possession of three sisters had considerably sharpened his instinct of selfpreservation. “Depends what that is,” he said cautiously. “If it has anything to do with you, Kit—”
“No, I promise you it has not!”