“So, so, good and excellent sirs,” said he with a lifting of his heavy brows. “It would seem that you have been making a laughing-stock of me.”
“Nothing was further from my intention,” Pennington hastened to say.
Disbelief was plain in Scarlett’s face; he turned to Ezra saying:
“And what answer has your intimate?”
“None, other than that I am not his intimate. To the best of my knowledge,” proceeded Ezra, “I have never met with this gentleman before to-night.”
Gilbert Scarlett shot him a mingled glance of astonishment and regret.
“I was mistaken in you, then,” spoke he. “I took you to be an upstanding youth of much character and straightforwardness.”
Ezra was about to speak in answer to this, but the young soldier waved his hand.
“Let me have no denials. I have eyes,” and he gestured angrily. “Also, I have perception, though you both seem to doubt it.”
“Sir,” spoke Pennington, in a soothing tone, “you much deceive yourself if you fancy that we have in any way sought to mislead you.”