“He has given you little cause to suppose that he does not like you,” Theo said, in a dry tone.
“You may as well say that I gave him cause not to like me, for that’s what you mean, I collect!” said Martin rather angrily. “I don’t know what you think I may do to tease him, but I wish you will stop hovering about me, as though you were my gaoler, or some such thing!”
“This is fancy, Martin!”
“No, it ain’t. Why did you choose to go with us, when I took Gervase round the new coverts?”
“Good God! Why should I not go with you?”
“That wasn’t the only time, either!” pursued Martin. “I suppose you thought, when I challenged him to shoot against me, I might fire my pistol at him instead of the mark, unless you were there to watch us?”
“No, Martin: in spite of what occurred when you tried to match him with foils, I did not think that.”
Martin flushed hotly. “That was an accident!”
“No accident that you did not get out of distance when you saw that the button was off your foil.”
“If you mean to throw it up at me for ever that I lost my temper — Besides, he is a much more skilful fencer than I am! I could never have touched him!”