“Well, it ain’t a particle of use accustoming yourself to it,” said Freddy, unimpressed. “Won’t happen.”
“She will not consent to marry that radoteur! ”
“No, very likely not. Seems to me she’ll accept a carte blanche from my cousin Jack,” said Freddy brutally.
“No! no!” ejaculated the Chevalier, turning pale. “You shall not say such a thing!”
“Have said it. Very understandable thing to do. Frightened of her mother: won’t return to her. You go off to France: nothing else she can do! Must know Jack would treat her devilish handsomely: at least, he would while she was living under his protection. Trouble is, these little affairs don’t commonly last long. Mind, I don’t say Jack would turn her off without a shilling, because he wouldn’t. Shabby thing to do, and he ain’t shabby. But—”
“Stop! stop!” said the Chevalier hoarsely. He cast himself into a chair by the table, and buried his face in his hands. “Every word you speak is torture! Ah, why did I cross her path? I have brought misery upon her!”
“Don’t see that at all,” objected Freddy. “Dashed good thing you did cross her path! Able to rescue her.”
The Chevalier’s fingers, writhing amongst his glossy brown locks, were fast ruining what had been an admirable example of the Brutus, made fashionable by Mr. Brummell. Freddy watched this with pained disapproval. It did not seem to him to serve any useful purpose; it was, in fact, a work of quite wanton destruction.
“You do not understand!” groaned the Chevalier. “I would give my life, my all, but I am helpless! I cannot help her, I, of all men! You may say I am au bout de mon Latin! ”
“Well, I shouldn’t say anything of the sort, because I ain’t at all easy in the French tongue, and I’m dashed if I know what it means. Daresay m’father would: they used to talk the devil of a lot of French in his day. Italian, too. Went junketing about all over the Continent, y’know. That fellow Bonaparte put a stop to that, which is why I never made the Grand Tour. Not that I’m complaining. Never thought I should have liked it above half, to tell you the truth.”