When Meg kindly, but (as she pointed out to them) reprehensibly, left the betrothed couple to their own devices, later in the evening, it could not have been said that Freddy’s ingenuity was displayed to any marked degree. He explained, when asked if he had thought what was best to be done, that he had had no leisure in which to examine the problem. “Must see I haven’t, Kit! Had a great deal on my mind. Gave me a nasty jar, I can tell you, when it struck me Charlie might be coming down any day. Dashed calendar of mine don’t tell one the dates of the terms, either. Took me the better part of the day to find ‘em. And now, just as I thought all was right, I’ve got to go jauntering off to Oxford, and I daresay I shall have to do a lot of thinking when I get there. The thing is, Charlie’s a dashed clever fellow, but he ain’t got a particle of common-sense. No use asking me to get rid of the Chevalier until I come back to town. Do it then.”
“Get rid of him? But how can we, when you yourself said it would be useless to threaten to expose him unless he went away?”
“I don’t know, but very likely I shall hit on something. Well, dashed well must! He hasn’t been calling here, has he?”
“No, oh, no! But I met Olivia today, and I very much fear that it has gone deeper with her than I knew. I own that what she said astonished me! It seems as though the only thing she cares for is that Mrs. Broughty would never countenance such a match. You may imagine my surprise when I discovered that Camille’s disclosure has not shocked her, as it shocked me!”
“Daresay it wouldn’t,” responded Freddy, after giving the matter some thought. “Come to think of it, Kit, bit of an adventuress herself!”
“Freddy!”
He gave an apologetic cough, but said firmly: “No use wrapping the thing up in clean linen. I don’t say it’s her fault, but she told you herself she came to town to catch a rich husband. Well, nothing to way against that! Point is, that Broughty woman would p!ay any havey-cavey trick to bring the thing off. Unscrupulous, that’s the word!”
“SKeis, yes! But not Olivia!”
“Very likely not, because she hasn’t the wit for it. No wish to offend you, Kit, but she sounds a cork-brained girl to me. Always did! I don’t say she ain’t goodhearted, but if she’s got the sort of principles you have yourself I’d like to know where she learned ‘em!”
Kitty stared at him in a little dismay. “Must one learn to have principles?” she faltered.