“Well,” he said, “for one thing my employer is your father.”
It occurred to the girl that the qualification might as well have been left out. It was too suggestive, since it conveyed the impression that the fact he had mentioned was not the only one that influenced him; but she had noticed already that Weston was not a finished diplomatist. She became more curious as to why he was especially concerned about her safety, though, as a matter of fact, he could not have told her, because he did not know.
“Major and Miss Kinnaird are his guests,” she observed.
Weston recognized the reproof in this, and stood silent a moment or two until she spoke again.
“Are you afraid my nerve may not prove equal to Miss Kinnaird’s?” she asked.
Weston smiled and answered without reflection.
“No,” he said, “that certainly wasn’t troubling me. When the pinch comes you could be relied on.”
He was conscious that he had gone too far, and, as often happens in such cases, immediately went further.
“There is something about you that makes me sure of it.”
“Well,” said Ida, coldly, “it is very probable that the pinch won’t come at all.”