“Hateful wretch!” said Miss Thane, with deep feeling. “Pay no heed to him, Hugh! Of course, I did not go to meet him!”
Sir Tristram appeared to be overcome. “You play fast and loose with me,” he said reproachfully. “You have dashed my hopes to the ground, shattered my self-esteem—”
“If you say another word, I’ll box your ears!” threatened Miss Thane.
Sir Hugh shook his head at her in mild disapproval. “I see what it is: you’ve been flirting again,” he said.
“Don’t be so vulgar!” implored Miss Thane. “There’s not a word of truth in it! I went out merely to trick the Runners. Sir Tristram’s arrival was quite by chance.”
“But you told me—”
“The truth is that you have stumbled upon a secret romance, Thane,” said Sir Tristram, with a great air of candour.
Thane looked from Sir Tristram’s imperturbable countenance to his sister’s indignant one, and gave it up. “I suppose it’s all a hum,” he remarked. “Are you coming into the parlour? There’s a devilish draught here.”
“Presently,” replied Sir Tristram, detaining Miss Thane by the simple expedient of stretching out his hand and grasping her wrist.
She submitted to this, and when her brother had gone back to the parlour, said: “I suppose I deserved that.”