"I do not believe it," said Sprague. "The Ethiopian cannot change his skin, nor the leopard his spots. I believe he is simply playing a game. As for his giving up the drink, yes, that may be possible. I believe Leicester is capable of doing anything whereby he can have his way. You'll find that at the end he'll wriggle out of it."
"I don't say that," said Purvis. "Why should he? As we know, she will be a great heiress. There must be pots of money, and Leicester means to have the handling of it."
"It ought to be stopped," said Sprague.
"But how can it be stopped?" asked Winfield. "Even if we desired, we cannot hinder them from marrying. I am told that Miss Castlemaine is deeply in love with him."
"All the more reason why she should be told the truth."
"But she can't be. We have promised to hold our tongues, and—well, a promise is a promise."
"Not when given under such circumstances. We have no right to allow a woman to wreck her life. For Leicester will wreck her life."
"Personally I don't believe it," said Winfield. "Leicester is in love, and Leicester in love will be a model husband."
"Leicester in love! He is not capable of knowing what love means. The man who is capable of such a wager is not capable of making such as Miss Castlemaine happy."
"Anyhow, it is not our affair," said Winfield. "Besides, we've promised to hold our tongues, and we can do no other than keep our promise."