Happily, just as Ermyntrude was beginning to feel herself miserably neglected, Robert Steel dropped in on his way back from church, and showed so much concern over her condition that her depression fell away from her, and she forgot about the Prince. For, as she had more than once confided to Mary, there was something very attractive about a masterful man.
Mary left her basking in the care of this particular masterful man. She knew that in all probability Ermyntrude would pour out her woes to him, but it hardly seemed worthwhile to try to avert this indiscretion, since sooner or later Ermyntrude would be bound to tell him the whole story.
He left the house just after one o'clock, and when Mary, encountering him in the hall, asked him if he would not stay to luncheon, he declined so roughly that she knew that Ermyntrude had made the most of her wrongs to him.
He seemed to repent of his brusqueness, and said in his blunt way: "Sorry, Mary, but if I had to sit down to table with Carter I'd choke! By God, I'd like to break his bloody neck!"
"Don't mind me, will you?" said Mary wearily.
"I'm damned sorry for you!" retorted Steel. "You needn't pretend you care tuppence about him, because I know you don't."
"That doesn't mean that I like having to listen to your strictures on him!" said Mary, whose temper was wearing thin.
The muscles about his mouth seemed to stiffen. "All right, I apologise!" he said in a carefully controlled voice. "No business to have said that to you. I'd better go before I run into him."
She felt a little stir of pity for him, and said: "Robert, don't take it too seriously! I know it's pretty bad, but it isn't your affair, and honestly it's no use getting worked up about it."
He looked down at her with an angry glow at the back of his eyes. "Look here, my girl!" he said grimly, "I've loved Ermy ever since I first laid eyes on her, and you know damned well what I've always felt about her, so you can stop handing out pap about what's my affair and what isn't, because I'm not interested in your views on the matter!"