Mr Ravenscar, who was standing staring out of the window, jerking his driving-gloves between his hands, swung round at her entrance, and looked across at her with wrath and the most bitter contempt in his face. “So!” he said bitingly. “Stand there, ma’am! Let me take a good look at you! You have tricked me finely, have you not?”
“Well, yes, I suppose I did trick you a little,” confessed Miss Grantham. “But it is not so very bad, after all!”
“I thought I had been mistaken in you! By God, the only mistake I made was in giving you credit for a little common honesty!” he flung at her. “You are a cheating baggage, ma’am!”
Do not put on that air of outraged innocence, I beg of you! A drab from the stews would have scorned to behave as you have! I came to take a look at you, knowing you for the jade you are! You have a beautiful face, I will grant, and you are false to the bottom of your heart—if heart you possess!”
Miss Grantham blinked and gasped under this hail of words, and could only stammer: “Are you m-mad? If I deceived you, at least I have done nothing to provoke you to such anger as this! It may not be a brilliant match for Adrian, and I own he is a trifle young to be setting up his establishment, but you will see how well it will answer!”
“No, that I shall not!” he retorted. “Mine is one foot that will not cross the threshold, be sure!”
“Oh, this is nothing but the stupidest prejudice!” she exclaimed. “I warn you, you had better not talk to Adrian in this vein, if you value his regard for you, for he is as deep in love as can be, and will very likely call you out for saying such things of his wife!”
“His wife!” he ejaculated bitterly. “My God, his wife!”
Miss Grantham came forward into the middle of the room. “I see no reason for all this scorn,” she said. “You are angry because you were hoodwinked, but that was as much Adrian’s doing as mine. Do not think to come browbeating me, Mr Ravenscar! I will not bear such treatment! And if you dare to call me by one more vile name I will hit you! As for the bills, and the mortgage which you were so obliging as to send me, you shall have them back, and you shall be paid every penny!”
“Yes! By Mablethorpe!” he said, with a short laugh. “I thank you, ma’am, I want none of them back! But if Mablethorpe had known the full story, do you think that he would have married you? Do you?”