A man came bounding up the path.
“Has Ralph been here?” he asked curtly. Billy’s face was fiery. His eyes blazed.
“He’s been here,” Julia answered immediately. “He’s gone!”
“By God, I’ll kill him!” Billy turned white.
Julia’s brow smoothed. She smiled a little. “No, you will not kill him,” she said with her old serene air. “You will not have to kill him. He will never come again.”
“Did he try to make love to you?”
“Yes.”
“How did he justify himself?”
“He appealed to me to save him. I did not quite understand from what. He said I could make a better man of him.” Julia laughed a little.
“How did you know he was here?”